NAR has ‘a communication problem,’ CEO says 

SAN DIEGO — Nearly two years after stepping into the CEO role during a time of upheaval at the National Association of Realtors, Nykia Wright says it's still important to hear from real estate professionals as the trade association plans for its next chapter.

"We are looking at transformational, seismic shifts across the industry," Wright said during a Sept. 19 panel discussion at NAHREP at AVANCE Global. "We can't do that without feedback from Realtors and real estate agents, brokerages across the country."

NAR is in "a race against expectations, a race against irrelevance," she added. When her team started working on a strategic plan for the years ahead — "the NAR of tomorrow" — they prioritized understanding what members needed.

"I don't want anyone to say, 'That doesn't speak to me,' and I don't want anyone to say, 'Well, in that plan, my particular constituent group or the lens through which I look was not incorporated,'" Wright said.

'Check in' on NAR — and speak out: "We are on a feedback mission," Wright declared. "We need the feedback from you all to understand what those friction points are, so that we can begin to solve them. Otherwise, we'll think that we're solving them and we're not."

Agents shouldn't make any assumptions either, she advised. "Don't take for granted that someone is doing something on your behalf," she said. 

"You need to check in on the National Association of Realtors to see if we are continuing to represent your interests — and if we're not, I know we'll hear from you, because I'm hearing from a lot of people."

The 'problem' NAR is trying to fix: In her travels since becoming CEO, the "most interesting" trend she's noticed is a lack of awareness about what the organization does.

"We have a communication problem that we're trying to overcome," she said. NAR is attempting to outrun "all of that at the pace of change, at the pace of time" — but Wright is positive about the future.

"I think 2026 will be the most transformational year of NAR in at least the last two decades," she predicted.

Getting 'back to the basics' on DEI: In terms of NAR's approach to diversity, equity and inclusion — a divisive topic during the association's June legislative meetings — Wright said she "flipped that on its head" by deciding, "I don't need the acronym — I need to bridge the wealth gap in America."

"We want to get back to the basics of that. Acronyms begone, seriousness come in," Wright said.

Key to this approach is "understanding that all segments of the population are not created equally," she added. "If other groups have been able to take advantage of this significant wealth engine, it's time for every group to be able to do that."