Is NAR Finally Facing Its Make-or-Break Moment?

MLS access without mandatory membership could reshape real estate forever


The National Association of REALTORS® just dropped a bombshell. With their announcement that MLS access will no longer require NAR membership, the industry is about to see something we haven’t had in a long time: choice.


There are a lot of agents, myself included, who have asked for years what we’re actually paying for. What does my membership do that justifies the cost? When I look at NAR’s offerings, I see:


  • A Code of Ethics they’ve been quietly watering down for years.
  • Training and designations that feel canned, outdated, and biased toward the status quo.
  • Advocacy that rarely feels like it represents the working agents in the trenches.



For decades, the real value of being a REALTOR® wasn’t prestige, professionalism, or ethical standards. It was access. It was protection money. It was a pay-to-play system where your ability to earn a living was tied to paying an organization that didn’t have to earn your loyalty. When everyone is forced to be a REALTOR®, the title loses all meaning. It’s like saying, “If everyone has herpes then there is no herpes.”


That’s the problem mandatory membership created. Prestige requires exclusivity. Influence requires trust. Neither can exist when membership is compulsory and value is optional.


Now, for the first time in decades, NAR, state associations, and local boards have a rare and frankly overdue opportunity to reinvent themselves. If they want to survive this shift, they must stop using MLS access as a leash and start genuinely serving agents. This could be a turning point or a slow death spiral depending on what they do next.


Here’s what could happen if they take this seriously:


  • Membership becomes something you want, not something you’re forced to buy.
  • Higher standards and real accountability become a selling point.
  • Education evolves into something useful, not recycled PowerPoints.
  • Advocacy starts representing agents instead of preserving an outdated system.
  • “REALTOR®” regains its meaning as a credential worth pursuing instead of a punchline.



Imagine a world where carrying that title actually signals something about your ethics and expertise instead of simply proving you paid your dues on time.


It’s been a long time since being a REALTOR® felt special. I’m cautiously optimistic. If the leadership listens, evolves, and raises the bar, this could be the moment the organization becomes relevant again. If they blow it, well, membership numbers will answer that question soon enough.


NAR isn’t entitled to our money. Now they have to earn it. And honestly, it’s about time.


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