A band of brokers is speaking out against the process through which the Real Estate Board of New York approved its new web search portal. In a petition presented to REBNY this week, brokers say that the web portal “appears to serve only the interests of the largest member firms” and that the decision to launch the portal “was neither transparent nor democratic.” REBNY developed the web portal to fill a long-standing need for a comprehensive, user friendly database through which individuals can browse for information on New York City properties. Opponents say the portal’s membership fee structure is unfair to smaller brokerages. more [Inman News]