If you bought a home through a real estate agent in the last several years, a $120.3 million class action settlement may owe you money. The NAR homebuyer commission settlement resolves antitrust claims that major brokerages conspired to keep buyer-side commissions artificially high. The claim deadline is October 27, 2026.
NAR Homebuyer Settlement Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Settlement fund | $120,334,500 |
| Case name | Tuccori et al. v. At World Properties, LLC et al. |
| Case number | No. 1:24-cv-00150 |
| Court | U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois |
| Claim deadline | October 27, 2026 |
| Opt-out deadline | September 17, 2026 (closed) |
| Final approval hearing | November 2, 2026 |
| Administrator | Epiq Class Action and Claims Solutions |
| Official site | homebuyersettlement.com |
What Is This Settlement About?
The settlement resolves antitrust claims that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and major real estate brokerages conspired to keep buyer-side commissions artificially inflated through MLS rules. Under the challenged system, sellers were required to offer a commission to the buyer’s broker as a condition of listing on the MLS. Plaintiffs argued this arrangement removed price competition and forced buyers to indirectly fund commissions they had no say in negotiating.
Defendants in this settlement include some of the largest names in U.S. real estate: Compass, eXp Realty, Anywhere Real Estate (formerly Realogy), HomeServices of America and its affiliates, Hanna Holdings, United Real Estate, Douglas Elliman, and the NAR itself. The companies deny wrongdoing but agreed to settle to avoid continued litigation.
This is a buy-side settlement, meaning it covers homebuyers, not sellers. A separate set of seller-side settlements (Burnett, Gibson, Keel, and Hooper) already resolved earlier claims. If you released your claims in one of those earlier settlements, you cannot participate in this one.
Who Qualifies?
You qualify if you:
- Purchased a home listed on a multiple listing service
- Paid a broker commission as part of the transaction
- Bought within your state’s class period (see below)
- Have not already released claims in the Burnett, Gibson, Keel, or Hooper seller settlements
The class period varies significantly by state and by which defendant brokerage was involved in your transaction. All periods end on June 25, 2026. Start dates by state include:
- 2006 start: Puerto Rico
- 2011 start: Rhode Island, Louisiana
- 2013 start: Wyoming
- 2015 start: New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and 14 other states
- 2016 start: Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Utah, West Virginia
- 2017 start: California, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and 9 other states
- 2018 start: Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Washington
- 2019 start: Texas and remaining U.S. locations
Some defendants have separate class periods beginning December 8, 2017 through 2019 depending on state. The official settlement website has a state-by-state lookup tool to confirm your eligibility.
You do not need to have used a NAR-member agent. Any MLS-listed home purchase where a commission was paid may qualify.
How Much Will You Receive?
No fixed per-claimant amount has been announced. Payouts are calculated pro rata based on:
- The total number of valid claims filed
- Your reported home purchase price
- The commissions paid in your transaction
Class counsel is seeking up to one-third of the fund in attorneys’ fees. After deducting fees, costs, and administrative expenses, the remaining net fund is divided proportionally among all valid claimants. Payments will be distributed in multiple installments over several years.
The more documentation you provide showing the purchase price and commissions paid, the stronger your claim. Claimants who submit detailed closing documents are likely to receive a larger share than those who submit minimal information.
How to File a Claim
- Go to homebuyersettlement.com, the official claims website managed by Epiq Class Action and Claims Solutions.
- Fill out the claim form online, or download the PDF and mail it.
- Gather your closing documents. You will need at least one of the following: a closing disclosure, HUD-1 settlement statement, settlement statement, or similar document that shows the home purchase and the commissions paid.
- Submit by October 27, 2026. Online submissions and postmarked mail are both accepted by this date.
Filing is free. You do not need a lawyer to submit a claim.
If you cannot locate your closing documents, contact your title company, your real estate attorney, or your state’s county recorder office. Many counties provide deed and closing records online.
Is My Home Purchase Covered If I Used Zillow, Redfin, or Another Platform?
The settlement covers any MLS-listed home purchase where a broker commission was paid, regardless of which platform you used to find the listing. Zillow, Redfin, and similar platforms aggregate MLS listings, so homes found through those portals typically qualify as long as the purchase closed through a licensed brokerage and a commission was paid.
If you bought a home directly from a builder or through a for-sale-by-owner transaction with no MLS listing and no buyer’s broker commission, your purchase likely does not qualify.
What If I Already Got a Settlement Check From the Burnett or Gibson Case?
The earlier Burnett, Gibson, Keel, and Hooper settlements covered sellers, not buyers. If you sold a home and received a payment or released your claims in those cases, that does not prevent you from filing as a homebuyer in this settlement. However, if the earlier release you signed also covered buyer claims, you would be excluded. Review your prior settlement documents carefully or consult the official site’s FAQ.
Is This Settlement Legitimate?
Yes. This is a court-supervised class action settlement pending before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly in the Northern District of Illinois. The settlement was reached after years of antitrust litigation involving the real estate industry’s commission structure. A separate NAR seller-side settlement of $418 million was finalized in 2024 and drew wide media coverage. This buyer-side settlement is the follow-on resolution for homebuyer claims.
For an overview of how these cases work, see our guide on how class action settlements work. For help verifying whether your check is real once payments begin, see our guide on is a settlement check real.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the NAR homebuyer settlement claim deadline?
The claim deadline is October 27, 2026. Both online submissions and mailed forms postmarked by that date are accepted.
How much money will I get from the NAR homebuyer settlement?
No fixed amount has been set. Your payment is a pro rata share of the net fund after attorneys’ fees and costs. The total fund is $120,334,500, but the individual amount depends on how many people file and what purchase price and commission amounts are documented.
Do I need a lawyer to file a claim?
No. You can file directly at homebuyersettlement.com for free. No attorney is required.
What documents do I need to file?
You need a closing disclosure, HUD-1 settlement statement, or similar document showing your home purchase and the commissions paid. If you cannot find these, contact your title company or county recorder.
Does this cover homes bought through Zillow or Redfin?
Yes, as long as the home was MLS-listed and a broker commission was paid. The platform you used to find the listing does not affect eligibility.
What if I bought a home in multiple states?
You may file a claim for each qualifying home purchase, as each transaction is evaluated separately.
What is the final approval hearing date?
The final approval hearing is scheduled for November 2, 2026. Payment will be distributed after the court grants final approval and any appeal period resolves.
Can sellers file a claim in this settlement?
No. This settlement covers homebuyers only. Sellers who were class members in the Burnett, Gibson, Keel, or Hooper cases had their own separate resolution.
Bottom Line
If you bought a home listed on an MLS in the United States, you may be entitled to a share of this $120.3 million settlement. The claim deadline is October 27, 2026, and filing takes only a few minutes at homebuyersettlement.com. Gather your closing documents and file before the deadline.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Settlement terms and eligibility requirements are set by the court and the claims administrator and may change. Verify current details at the official settlement website.
