The National Association of Realtors (NAR) ended 2023 with 26,367 fewer members, a 1.67% year-over-year.
According to its latest membership report, NAR had 1,554,604 members as of Dec. 31, 2023 – on that day in 2022, the organization had 1,580,971 members, which was also the record high for NAR membership.
Both Washington State and Washington, D.C., recorded the highest level of year-over-year membership declines with 9.5% and 8.7% annual drops, respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, Arkansas saw a 3.4% increase in NAR membership with 11,251 realtors joining the organization.
NAR did not offer a statement explaining the reasons for the slight decline in members. The organization is coming off 2023’s skein of problems involving scandals with leadership, lawsuits relating to agent commissions and the decision by several major brokerages that their agents will no longer be required to hold NAR membership.
Cyclical decline.
I don’t understand why I have to belong to NAR as a real estate Appraiser only
Good luck. I don’t understand why I have to belong as an agent!
The only reason residential agents have to be a member of local state & national associations is the local associations own our local MLS. Local association requires membership of state & national associates. Together they have a monopoly on the national real business. And they have created ethic rules for us to abide by for membership that is the root of the lawsuits which are causing issues for State Licensed Agents, Split up the monopoly & allow us to continue to follow the state laws we are bound to.
Shocked such a thing could happen when 49% of agents sold 1 or less homes last year according to Inman..
A welcome decline.
No business but still have to girl out quite a hefty dee fir local, state, and national assicia6 membership. Why? What other occupation requires you to belong to so many organizations and PAY fir them in order to earn a living?
We are a professional organization dealing with the largest asset most people will possess in their lifetime. Considering this fact, I think dues are remarkably low. If you have no business, you may want to consider another industry.
Correct!!!!!
Exactly, I agree the dues are too expensive. I’m surprise they have so many members. Why are agents paying for local, state & national membership.
Now, in the wake of the commission lawsuit, many Realtors will have to step up their game just to put gas in their cars! Who have money to keep dishing out to NAR and party. I will not be surprise if membership drops over 3 percent by 2025.
I hope it drops 10 percent!
and I hope education requirements are doubled.
Another useless and misleading article citing irrelevant information. I am shocked that the decline in NAR membership is that small. Agents are going out of business every day because there are not enough buyers or sellers. The decline is agents giving up their license, not intentionally boycotting NAR. Most agents don’t have any choice whether they are part of NAR or not. It is automatic if you are part of a local board and most agents need to be part of a local board.
Finally! Never have been able to understand the point of the MLS after it sold our info. to Zillow and Realtor.com. Or the point of NAR except to set random rules, force us to use their lockboxes, and charge us fees. Change is long overdue.
I don’t understand why i have pay over 600 a year and they do nothing for me.
you dont!
you do not have to be in the mls.
only Realtors do.
sales agents do not.
DUMP the NAR
Correct, they are sellouts pocketing the fees we give each year. Sold out to zillow and realtor.com and they have their own brokers. Everything moved to internet. We buyers want to buy the first place they look is zillow with their outdated info. Thats why NAR has so many lawsuits and money missing they are keeping and for what? Charging for ethics courses. Please. NAR does nothing for my business but collect money.
I’ve been a member of NAR for almost a consecutive 52 years and have enjoyed many benefits and seen the organization meet many challenges on behalf of the now 1.5 million Realtors. The price you pay to belong is a bargain and the organization will meet the changes
coming to our industry the way it has in the past. Hold on and get ready for a new way of doing business knowing you’ve got a lot
of fellow Realtors to help you adjust.
All I get from NAR is multiple calls a week from someone trying to sell me insurance. Please quit selling my info.
Yes!!! So happy these brokers are getting away from requiring agents to join NAR. This is going to happen more & more. Home buyers and sellers do not care if their agent is a member of NAR & some would argue it’s a detriment as these lawsuits keep piling up. I was a member for 20 years and the most I got was a slight break on insurance. The fees are ridiculous and made me sick every time I had to pay them.
There are so many unqualified and uncaring agents that have a license. They either don’t know or don’t care. The title Broker is flased around to the unknowing like it makes them superior than an agent. We in the business know that is so not true. A Brokerage owner should have to mentor an agent until they have closed on 12 contracts. At least NAR offers some rules and guidelines. The problem isn’t them. It’s the agents that don’t report bad/ unethical behavior of other agents. Like every other business, you have: the good, the bad and the ugly.
I been in the business of real estate for many moons. I believe in NAR. It keeps the business ethical for real estate agents. There are so many broken, cheaters, unethical real estate agents trying to still your clients and your commission behind your back. We work hard. There has to be rules and guidelines, otherwise it’s all cut throat. Some Real estate agents don’t care if they take food out of your mouth. I believe NAR should set stricter guidelines. NAR should protect realtors more. All real estate agents should be under umbrella of NAR.
The biggest issue I have faced recently, is the sellers agents pocketing a larger split. For example, they advertise 2% to buyers agents, and pocket 3% or 3.5%. Until the MLS requires full disclosure on commission splits to agents on both sides of a transaction. Another broken piece of the NAR, FAR, and Local. Realtors stiffing Realtors.