Buying, selling, and renting a home has become needlessly complicated. The reason is that large monopolistic real estate companies are attacking the open market itself. Rather than listing homes widely, they hold listings close, forcing buyers and sellers alike to use their services.

Sellers get the highest price when their home is advertised to everyone, not just a small group of favored buyers. Buyers lose valuable information, like how long a home has been on the market or whether the price has dropped. The same goes for landlords and tenants. The only winners are the real estate companies, which often collect fees from both sides of the same deal.

Our proposed legislation closes the loopholes that enable this practice. It puts a stop to so-called “private listings” except in narrow circumstances, and it requires that homes be open to viewing by anyone interested, regardless of who represents them.