Dear Mr. Rector, I congratulate you on having the courage to speak out with regard to the NAR/Realtor.com/Cendant /HomeStore.com issue, and I wholeheartedly agree that agents need a neutral, unaffiliated and unrestricted site to offer their listings to the consumer...an environment where agents will reap the benefits of their hard work and not have to share their leads with, or pay referral fees to, the Internet industry giants. For the last year I have been watching who is partnering with whom in the Internet real estate arena and have witnessed this debacle unfolding before me. It?s great to know that other agents and brokers are validating my concerns and speaking out about this issue. The question is, will these Internet real estate giants insist on getting a piece of the action, or will NAR fight for us (agent/brokers) to keep all the leads generated by our hard earned listings? It has recently come to light that HomeStore.com?s investors are putting the pressure on to show more earnings because their present business plan reflects that almost half their revenue comes from banner advertising which puts them on shaky ground based on the overall economy. To answer this investor concern, it is speculated that HomeStore.com will try to sell the agents more ?lead generating products? to increase their (Homestore?s) own bottom line. Don?t they realize that without our listings, the consumer would have no reason to visit their site? Isn?t the tail wagging the dog here? Why are we agents and brokers allowing ourselves to be exploited so thoroughly? Is our level of deservability really that low? In old-fashioned terms ?We?ve been boiled like a bullfrog?? you know ? just plop that old frog in a pot of cool water and put the heat on real low. When he gets comfy and relaxed you turn the heat up a tad. Pretty soon the old bullfrog starts getting sleepy, takes a yawn and nods off?that?s when you turn the heat up to ?boil??and old Mr. Bullfrog never knows the difference! I think Mr. Rector has given us the ?wake-up call? and now it?s up to us NOT to nod off while the Internet real estate giants try to throw us into the Real Estate Stew pot. These partnership arrangements are intricate and threatening to our independence as Realtors and I can only imagine how beaten down we will finally be if we allow this to continue. Let?s not act like ?old Mr. Bullfrog?. We are a force of 780,000. As a united trade organization we have tremendous power?let?s use it! Please contact NAR about your concerns, but more importantly, contact your local and state boards and let them know how you feel. Bonnie Clark Coldwell Banker Real Estate Milford, CT

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