The MarketWatch account of a Maui seller navigating post-ruling negotiations highlights immediate fee pressures on a $1 million property, yet overlooks how the 2024 NAR settlement functions as an antitrust enforcement tool rather than a direct price cap. Primary documents from the Department of Justice reveal the agreement prohibits Realtor association rules that tied buyer-agent compensation to listing agreements, aiming to foster competition akin to prior actions against other professional services. A secondary perspective emerges from Federal Trade Commission housing reports, which note that decoupling could lower transaction costs in high-value segments but may shift burdens to buyers through separate agreements, potentially affecting affordability in island economies reliant on external capital. Original coverage understates risks of uneven implementation across state licensing boards, where local policies could preserve informal 5-6% norms despite national changes. Patterns from earlier brokerage reforms indicate sellers of premium assets often secure reductions only when market data shows buyer pools contracting, a dynamic unaddressed in the source.