Broker working group pushes for change at NAR

A group of brokers has banded together in hopes of inciting change at the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The Pro-Agent Restore Trust in NAR Working Group was formed in April 2025 and has 15 members, according to Real Estate News, which first reported the story. 

The group consists of CEOs and other leaders at some of the nation’s largest brokerages, representing a total of roughly 100,000 agents. They are choosing to keep the group’s membership secret; however, United Real Estate CEO Dan Duffy is serving as the group’s spokesperson.

In an interview with Real Estate News, Duffy said the group hopes to work with NAR to remake the organization so it better serves members and improves the return on member dues. According to Duffy, the group’s members were not happy with things at NAR, including the handling of the commission lawsuits, and they felt that NAR may not have their best interests at heart. 

The working group has met with NAR leaders a handful of times via Zoom and once in person during the past six months. The group has also sent a detailed list of questions, demands and suggested actions to NAR CEO Nykia Wright, and has asked for feedback on the recommendations the group is making. According to NAR, the trade group received a meeting request from Duffy “and others to discuss questions they had about NAR.”

The issues the working group examined were what they feel is the inadequacy of the Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP), the legal risks imposed by the three-way Realtor membership agreement, the need for more transparency surrounding NAR’s restructuring plan, an increased need for independent governance, what they perceive is NAR’s “bloated” balance sheet, which they feel makes it a potential target for lawsuits, and for the disclosure of NAR’s financial interests in Second Century Ventures and how this NAR subsidiary benefits NAR members. 

“As we work to make NAR more transparent and member-centric, we welcome any questions about the association and its practices,” a NAR spokesperson wrote in an email. “Hearing questions from members and leaders from across the industry provides us the opportunity to educate our stakeholders on how trade associations are structured, how NAR operates, and how we are developing NAR’s strategic plan that will enhance how NAR serves its members, the industry, and consumers for generations to come.”

NAR said it has “met with hundreds of real estate industry leaders and solicited feedback from more than 100,000 NAR members through forums, surveys, and focus groups,” as well as “dozens of top real estate business leaders, from global enterprises to major regional real estate companies,” over the past year to work the trade group’s path forward.  

Duffy said the working group met with NAR again earlier this month and that the two groups are working to address these concerns. 

“We had productive conversations with this group and look forward to continuing our conversations in the future,” a NAR spokesperson wrote. “While NAR will respect the privacy and confidentiality of these conversations and correspondence, we appreciate that industry leaders are, as they said, genuinely interested in being positive contributors to the process that NAR and its leadership team are undertaking to restore trust in NAR.”

Earlier this month, NAR unveiled parts of its 2026-2028 Strategic Plan. In a letter sent to Realtor members by Wright, she said the Strategic Plan will “chart the course for how the association modernizes, operates and serves members in the years ahead,” and she added that the letter update was part of her commitment to lead the trade group with transparency. Central to the strategic plan, according to Wright, is building a better member experience, modernizing the association and managing legal risks, which includes many of the concerns raised by the working group.