Most MLS, association execs back NAR’s strategy — with caveats
A recent survey of more than 1,200 organized real estate leaders found that many are aligned with NAR, but they expect membership models to change.
Key points:
- More than 8 in 10 organized real estate executives say they're aligned with NAR’s three-year strategic plan, according to a recent T3 Sixty survey.
- While only 25% of respondents saw membership declines in 2025, most expect requirements to change in 2026 as agents cut costs and prioritize MLS access.
- With NAR shifting more responsibility to local and state organizations, nearly 7 in 10 respondents support local policy autonomy — but legal risk remains a top concern.
Most MLS and association leaders are aligned with the three-year strategic plan the National Association of Realtors unveiled late last year — at least on the surface.
But many also feel that NAR guidance on execution at the local and state levels is lacking. And while NAR may be doubling down on efforts to prove its value to members, most organized real estate executives think that agents will be increasingly selective in their membership choices moving forward, a recent T3 Sixty survey found.
(Note: Real Estate News is an editorially independent division of T3 Sixty.)
Most 'fully' or 'partially' align with NAR's strategy
Of the 1,211 MLS and real estate association executives surveyed, 85% of respondents said they were either "fully" or "partially" aligned with NAR's plan of action. Nearly two-thirds of the execs (65%) also expect the national association to play a "critical role" in their organization's strategies for the future, while only 10% believe NAR's role will be "minimal."
Roughly 53% of the leaders surveyed were association-only execs, 28% were MLS-only execs, and 19% led combined association-MLS organizations. Perhaps not surprisingly, when responses were broken down by organization type, the MLS-only executives were less likely to see themselves as strategically aligned with NAR (75%) compared to the association-only leaders (90%).
Despite NAR's messaging about the path ahead, some respondents said they were unclear on whether the trade group planned to take the lead on issues like professional conduct enforcement and new tech adoption. The leaders' uncertainty, the report noted, wasn't the result of a communication breakdown — it was due to a lack of clarity around what part of the industry should own decision-making and enforcement.
"NAR strategy is viewed as directionally relevant, but not consistently operationalized across the three-tier system," one respondent noted; another said it's the local associations that are more likely to lack "sufficient implementation guidance or resourcing."
More 'a la carte' membership options?
Heading into 2025, over 70% of organized real estate executives expected their membership totals to fall. This year, however, only 25% of the survey's respondents said they anticipated declines. Even so, just 35% saw membership tick up last year, while 40% said membership totals were stagnant.
The bigger shift in 2026, according to the report, will be changes to membership structures and requirements as NAR continues battling mandatory membership rules in court. Well over half of the respondents (70%) think it's likely that new membership models will emerge this year, a position that reflects "a growing acceptance that the 'all-in' membership model is under threat" as many anticipate "a shift toward á la carte services," the survey noted.
Some association respondents reported a rise in agents prioritizing MLS access while dropping secondary memberships. Again, it's the smaller organizations that are expected to feel the most pain as they "struggle to articulate their value to bottom-line focused members" who gain MLS access through other means, one executive noted.
"Consolidation is the only path forward for many," another predicted.
Widespread support for local autonomy
Despite the challenges that some smaller organizations may face, more than two-thirds of the respondents (68%) supported increased local policy autonomy. That was particularly true for MLS-only executives: Among that group, 85% favored more local autonomy.
This suggests that the recent changes NAR made to its MLS Handbook to promote "independent decision-making" — the most extensive revisions in two decades — are broadly in line with MLS leaders' goals.
Legal concerns persist
But while those changes aim to reduce legal risk at the national level following years of litigation, legal concerns remain for state and local organizations. Among all respondents, 42% identified compliance as their No. 1 risk priority, with one executive explaining that every policy is under careful review "to ensure we aren't the next target."
When broken down by organization, association-only leaders were more concerned about compliance (50%) than MLS-only leaders (30%). MLS-only execs, on the other hand, cited data and cybersecurity as their top risk priority.
As NAR distances itself from areas of potential legal risk, local organizations are now carving out a path forward with limited guidance or protection, the survey noted.
"The regulatory environment is so uncertain," one respondent said, adding that their organization is keeping new initiatives on pause "until we have clearer legal guidance."