[BLM Employee's Claim for Real Estate Purchase Fee]

A Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employee claimed reimbursement for a real estate purchase fee incident to a permanent change of duty station. GAO held that BLM properly denied the claimant's request for reimbursement for the real estate broker's fee he paid incident to the purchase of a new residence, since the: (1) fee disputed was a nonreimbursable broker's fee, rather than a settlement agent's fee; and (2) since the services the broker provided were within the scope of services that licensed real estate brokers provide by law and the broker did not act as a neutral party in conducting the settlement, the broker did not act as a settlement agent. Accordingly, the claim was denied.