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New rules on buying and selling homes are in play, now that a settlement from a class-action lawsuit has taken effect.

In March, the National Association of Realtors agreed to a $418 million settlement in an antitrust lawsuit where a federal jury found the organization and several large real-estate brokerages had conspired to artificially inflate agent commissions on the sale and purchase of real estate.

In a statement at the time of the verdict, the NAR denied wrongdoing.

The settlement took effect on August 17.

Prior to the settlement, the NAR's multiple listing service, or MLS, used at a local level across areas in the U.S., facilitated the compensation rates for both a buyer's and seller's agents. At the time of listing a property, the home seller negotiated with the listing agent what the compensation would be for a buyer's agent, which appeared on the MLS. However, if a seller was unaware they could negotiate, they were typically locked into paying the listed brokerage fee.

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