NAR seeks broker input to improve value and transparency

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) began its 2025 NAR NXT conference Thursday morning by telling members that it was restructuring the organization based on their feedback and ideas, and on Thursday afternoon, the trade group put its money where its mouth is, soliciting feedback from brokers on how the organization could better serve its broker-owner members. 

“NAR was creating tools and technology for members as a whole, but not really paying attention to the broker-owners that lead those Realtors each and every day,” Sherry Chris, who is serving as a special advisor to NAR CEO Nykia Wright and acting as a liaison between NAR and the brokerage community, said. “Our work today and in the future, is that we are changing that. We are recognizing and acknowledging the importance of all of you. We need your ongoing feedback as to what you need, no matter what size your company is.”

As NAR looks to the future, Chris said the organization wants to ensure the survival and success of all brokerages, regardless of their size or model. And while some of this comes down to the unique value propositions each firm brings to agents, NAR wants to help by shouldering some of the responsibility brokers assume in running their businesses. 

“We will continue this work next year as we build more tools for you to help you run a profitable business and to serve the needs of the end consumers,” Chris said. 

As NAR begins its efforts to better serve its broker members, the organization is working to improve engagement with these members by hosting things like broker summits and broker power hours. 

“We are very focused on including our broker-owners in co-creating materials and resources that are important to you and that are going to help you continue to thrive in your day-to-day business,” Nykea Pippion McGriff, NAR’s 2025 vice president of association engagement, said. 

In its efforts to level up and provide more value to its members, both Realtors and broker-owners, NAR has identified four areas where brokers want to see improvements. These include providing turnkey tools for agents, the ability to better leverage data, digestible, regular content, and help with lead generation, agent recruiting and retention, and evaluating new technology. That last set of improvements is especially important to smaller brokers.

“You are brokers, so you know how much this works first hand… we are clear on your mission so you can be most effective,” Vince Malta, a 2025 NAR leadership team member, said. “This is an exciting time to be part of real-world governance. You are here to bring real change and real progress.” 

Malta, who served as the 2020 NAR president, said that in the past NAR wasn’t listening enough to its members and especially the broker community. 

“In our lack of transparency, we weren’t accountable to the industry, but we can tell you that now we are listening and for us, listening is the new normal,” Malta said. 

Over the past year, Malta noted that NAR leaders have had conversations with all of the brokerage leaders whose firms were cut out of NAR’s commission lawsuit settlement and that the organization has surveyed and met with brokers of all sizes across the country. 

“The feedback has been direct and honest and many had no relationship with NAR before. That lack of relationship was a mistake, and that’s not the way that NAR will operate any longer. NAR wasn’t transparent enough about our operations, and many were frequently surprised by any NAR actions and not in a good way,” Malta said. “The feedback we gathered from more than 100,000 members showed concerns in the areas of trust, broker inclusion, communication, brand, governance, legal, and technology. Still, many brokers just believe that there’s an important role for NAR to play in the housing ecosystem, and they want to help shape how NAR delivers value to its members.” 

Moving forward, Malta said NAR wants its members to “derive full value from their membership,” by creating products and services that address both Realtor and market needs. 

NAR is encouraging its broker-owners members to speak up and work with their local leaders and the national organization to highlight pain points and communicate with NAR how the organization can provide them with value moving forward.