Court battles can make a big difference to your next home purchase.

are required to list their property on the MLS and agree in advance to provide a commission, typically 6% of the sale price, to be split between the buyer's and seller's agents, with little ability to avoid or significantly reduce the number of such fees.

Suits argue that the long-term system provides little flexibility to adjust agent fees based on the complexity of the transaction or other factors.

Although these lawsuits have received relatively little attention from homeowners, and even some conventional realtors, the results could lead to significant changes in real estate transactions.

Decision in one of the lawsuits could also have broader implications for''s economy and directly impact online real estate marketplaces like Redfin, Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com, which provide real estate listings from MLSs and receive commissions from the transactions on which they secure sales. A court ruling in favor of the plaintiffs could bankrupt NAR and all MLSs, realtor associations, brokers and franchises, according to Rob Hahn, a longtime MLS consultant.

There is a possibility that insurer taxes could go into bankruptcy, especially if a significant amount of damages are assigned. Based on the size of the damages, each of them could go bankrupt," said Khan, founder of the 7DS Associates agency.

Plaintiffs in two court cases allege that the process of selling most homes in the U.S. - through MLS databases with commission splitting''between brokers - artificially increases the cost of housing. NS aim to allow each party to negotiate the fee structure separately.

MLS ensures that agents collect commissions, thereby protecting buyers from the costs of dealing with agents.

NAR insists that the existing commission model is most beneficial to consumers because it brings together interested buyers and sellers in a convenient process.