NAR seeking outside help to get ahead of antitrust issues 

BOSTON — National Association of Realtors CEO Nykia Wright took a speed run through some of the organization's greatest challenges (from antitrust to damaged trust) at NAR NXT on Monday.

Her audience: NAR's board of directors — a group of nearly 1,000 faithful Realtors — who greeted her caffeinated candor about the "hiccups" of last year with vigorous applause.

Here's what she had to say.

Getting help with antitrust issues: NAR will be working with an outside firm "to foresee legal risk in a prudent and successful manner," Wright said. She did not identify the firm by name.

"Recently, we've been taking each pitch as it comes, and we've not been winning those ball games. What we want to do is look outside and see what those risks are, and understand how we can better manage them and not be caught in the antitrust world."

Mending fences with brokerages: In the next month or so, Wright will officially announce the addition of a special advisor to "add rocket fuel" to the work of getting around the country and re-establishing brokerage relationships.

"How do we work with brokerages to provide support in ways that allow them to focus on their competitive advantage?" 

Wright said she reads the financial reports of all the publicly traded companies that are members of the association, and "I see in some cases where NAR helps support close to nearly half of the risk factors that these companies list as impediments to their success."

"Instead of trying to cannibalize the things that we do internally, why don't they allow us to do these things?" Wright asked, before answering her own question. "Of course, we understand that we have to pass through that gateway of trust in order for them to do that."

Defending the three-way agreement — and NAR's size: Wright acknowledged "rumblings" of discontent with rules that require agents to join Realtor organizations at the state, local and national levels.

"We are here to make sure that those rumblings subside," Wright said. "It is our duty to make sure people understand what happens (at every level), and that there is "no cannibalization of services."

More than that, she added, "I think in 2025 we can change that narrative and not talk about the size of governance, but really talk about the effectiveness. And so it is our implicit and explicit oath to you all that we will continue to make sure people around the nation, consumers and Realtors and agents alike, understand our purpose, and make sure that people are not discussing negative narratives about what we do."

Getting the right people in the right places: Wright said NAR hired its first chief human resources officer, Sharon White, earlier this month.

This new C-level addition "will really help us understand how to put talent in the right places," Wright said. "There are only 300 people at the National Association of Realtors. Of course, there are 1000s of volunteers, and there are 1.5 million members. It is our job to make sure that that ecosystem is working in the right way."

Especially in a "budget-constrained environment," with dues holding steady at $156 per member in 2025.

Consumer outreach — and a DOJ connection: Wright asked the audience for its continued support in getting the word out about NAR's series of consumer guides.

"When we were sitting across from the DOJ, it appeared that they were implicitly indicting us for not educating the consumers," she said. "So to the extent that you all can continue to hand out those guides, we don't want to be sitting across from the government with that type of accusation in the future, even though we know internally what we do every single day."