Negotiable real-estate fees?

San Francisco's Yellow Pages carry only one ad mentioning negotiable commissions on real-estate sales. But chances are there soon may be many more. "The Supreme Court's recent ruling in a New Orleans case that real-estate brokers can be sued under Sherman anti-trust statutes if they agree to fix commissions," said a representative of California's Department of Real Estate; "is going to heighten public awareness on the costs of selling homes on the West Coast."

About 85 percent of homes sold last year in California carried a 6 percent sales commission rate. Representatives of the California Association of Realtors point out that these latter costs are negotiable and that all real estate brokers can work out their own rates with clients.