2025: Focus on resetting and finding stability
According to NAR, 2025 was primarily focused on resetting and finding stability after years of legal and financial challenges, with the organization focusing on Sears’ goal of “getting back to basics.”
As a centerpiece of its grassroots focus, NAR and its leaders emphasize that 2025 marked the second year in a row that the association implemented a balanced budget, a task it accomplished without increasing membership dues. According to the report, this was achieved through a 14% reduction in annualized budgeted expenditures and a 14% reduction in headcount, which NAR said was consistent with its “disciplined resource management.”
“While we still have a long way to go in realizing our full vision for NAR, I hope you can appreciate the work we have done to lay the foundation for NAR to better serve our members and the industry,” Sears, former president of NAR, said in a statement. “We have approved consecutive balanced budgets without increasing contributions, made our first payment in accordance with the Sitzer-Burnett settlement terms and identified millions of dollars in savings through a strategic reexamination of our budgets, including our consumer advertising campaign strategy and event planning processes. These are just the first steps in positioning us for long-term financial wellness.”
2026: It’s happening again
However, in 2026, Brown, NAR’s 2026 president, said he and the trade group will focus on “getting back to business.” In his letter, Brown wrote that this means NAR will focus on helping its members “navigate the issues that impact their daily operations, such as financing, inventory, insurance, zoning restrictions and other barriers to home and real estate ownership.”
When it comes to the details of how NAR will achieve its goal, the trade group looked to its 2026-2028 Strategic Plan. According to the report, NAR plans to build a more unified membership dashboard by 2026, deliver market data faster than before and expand professional development offerings.
NAR notes that the ability to execute on these priorities was made possible by the work it did in 2025, including launching the Metro Market Statistics Dashboard, expanding member-focused research and modernizing education infrastructure, including the relaunch of several Realtors certifications.
When it comes to NAR’s seven other strategic commitment groups, the trade group has completed building partner-focused assets to improve shared messaging with collaboration partners; the shift to proactive legal risk management by reviewing policies and implementing targeted changes to the Code of Ethics to reduce risks; providing federal advocacy focused on tax policy and promoting housing supply and affordability efforts; investing in relationships by re-engaging directly with brokers and increasing the priority of communicating with members and stakeholders over public publications.
Just the beginning
While NAR leaders were proud of what the association accomplished in 2025, these efforts are, as Wright wrote in her letter, “just the beginning.”
“As we enter 2026, our focus remains on exceeding the evolving needs of our members and stakeholders while anticipating the needs of the future,” Wright wrote.
According to the report, this means that by 2026 the association will focus on issues such as moving to needs-based development of tools and solutions for members; building a more accessible, centralized platform for legal and regulatory inflation; maintaining the focus on housing affordability and supply among policymakers; strengthening state and local advocacy capacity; towards zero-based budgeting; maintaining and expanding broker involvement and achieving higher goals in member participation; strengthening ethical guidance; and increasing the transparency and speed of communication.
While the trade association focuses on its 2026-2028 value proposition, whose anchor tenant will help members “thrive in their businesses,” it remains to be seen how NAR will execute on its 2026 priorities and whether its members will feel the trade group has delivered on the value it promised.
“Our organization has been serving real estate agents for more than a century, and I view this strategic plan as the first three years of our next hundred years,” Brown said in a statement. “We help our members navigate the issues that impact their daily activities… It means elevating areas that members already find valuable, like our advocacy, research and tech tools. And it means finding new ways to help our members reach and execute their next transaction.”
#NAR #publishes #annual #report #detailing #progress #priorities