<HTML> <HEAD> <title>WebForm1</title> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 7.1"> <meta name="CODE_LANGUAGE" content="Visual Basic .NET 7.1"> <meta name="vs_defaultClientScript" content="JavaScript"> <meta name="vs_targetSchema" content="http://schemas.microsoft.com/intellisense/ie5"> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content='text/html; charset=UTF-8'> </HEAD> <body > <TABLE id="Table1" cellSpacing="1" cellPadding="1" width="100%" border="0"> <TR> <TD><b>Comment Number:</b></TD> <TD>518795-00335</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Received Date:</b></TD> <TD>11/10/2005 12:59:55 PM</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Organization:</b></TD> <TD>The Buyer's Voice in Real Estate</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Commenter:</b></TD> <TD>Hagan, Janet</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>State:</b></TD> <TD>ME</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Agency:</b></TD> <TD>Federal Trade Commission</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Rule:</b></TD> <TD>Competition Policy and the Real Estate Industry</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><b>Docket ID:</b></TD> <TD>To Be Added</TD> </TR> <TR> <td colspan='2'>No Attachments</td> </TR> </TABLE> <hr/> <b>Comments:</b><br/><br/> On April 1, 2002 I opened an exclusive buyer real estate office in Eliot, Maine. On April 12, 2000 I attended a Buyer Agent Liability Task Force at the office of Coldwell Banker Millett-Povin in Auburn, Maine. There were approximately 12-15 Realtors attending this meeting. It was scheduled as a 1 day meeting with a follow up meeting on June 26, 2000. At the start of the meeting we each introduced ourselves and I identified myself as an owner of an exclusive buyer agency. After introductions were made, the speaker was introduced and she identified herself as Maryann Bassett from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She started her presentation off with a slide show that consisted of 2 slides. The first slide contained real estate statistics. As she changed slides she made a remark about some  radical insurgents in the real estate industry and projected the logo of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (NAEBA) on the screen. I was shocked. I have been a member of NAEBA since it began in 1995 and I was wearing my NAEBA pin on my lapel. I have been a dues paying member of NAR since 1988 although my name and office do not appear if consumers search the NAR website. The purpose of the Task Force was to discuss Buyer Agency Liability. Sharon Millett, Chairman of the Task Force, was NAR President in 1999 after Tom Early was President of NAEBA in 1997-98. She was openly hostile and rude every time I tried to add my view to the discussion. The environment quickly became very hostile. It was a 2 day meeting and several hours from my office and so I decided not to return for the second day of the forum. From Maryann Bassett s website I learned that she was a Consultant, facilitator, trainer, coach, and well-respected speaker on ethics, Maryann Bassett ( mbassett@realtor.com ) is committee liaison to the NAR Leadership Team and member of the NAR Professional Standards Committee. A 21-year real estate veteran, she is head of Bassett Consulting, N.M., specializing in real estate business planning, and was 1994 president of the Albuquerque Board of REALTORS. 5 years later I continue to own one of the few exclusive buyer offices in the State of Maine. Thank you very much, Janet Hagan Broker/Owner The Buyer s Voice in Real Estate </body> </HTML>