Many agents contemplate leaving NAR if their MLS lifts policy: Intel

While most would stay, the share of real estate agents who say they would toss their Realtor membership if allowed is not small. Here’s how some brokerages are planning to respond, and what arguments agents might find convincing, according to Intel’s latest industry survey.

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As some MLSs weigh whether to continue to tie local real estate listing data access to Realtor membership, pressure may soon shift onto brokerages and agents.

The latest results of the Intel Index suggest that a significant portion of agents would consider dropping all their memberships — national, state and local — if their primary MLS removes its Realtor-only access rules.

• More than 43 percent of real estate agent respondents in November told Intel they would drop all their Realtor association memberships if those memberships were no longer required in order to access their local MLS or lockbox, and if their brokerage did not step in with a similar requirement of its own. 

But that doesn’t mean these agents will find it easy to break with the Realtor infrastructure for good.

For one thing, few MLSs have announced a policy change since the National Association of Realtors lifted its policy requirement, agents report.

For another, Intel’s November survey of real estate professionals finds evidence that some brokerages are already plotting explicit policies stepping in where MLSs are lifting the ban. And even more will “strongly encourage” membership in an association.

To help brokerage leaders and decision-makers navigate this tricky moment, Intel asked a series of questions intended to provide a roadmap on how agents are thinking about this decision — and how brokerages might convince some of them to retain their memberships.

Read the full findings in this week’s report.

Appetite to leave

While it’s not clear how many would actually go through with it in the end, Intel’s November survey results point to there being a substantial portion of agents who would at least consider leaving their Realtor associations if membership were not required.

Question for agents: “If membership in a Realtor association were not required in order to access your local MLS or lockbox, would you be a member?”

• 36% — Yes, I would prefer to be a member of all three associations — national, state and local — even if it wasn’t necessary to access the MLS or lockbox.
• 19% — Yes, I would retain my state or local memberships even if it were not required for MLS access, but the only reason I would remain a member of NAR is because the three-way agreement requires it.
• 30% — No, I would drop all Realtor association memberships and pay only for MLS access.
• 13% — I would personally prefer to drop my memberships, but I expect my brokerage would still require me to maintain them.
• 1% — This question doesn’t apply to my market.

These results suggest there is substantial interest among many agents in leaving NAR, if the option presents itself.

And, as it turns out, a lot of brokerage leaders want to prevent this from happening — or at least discourage it.

Question for brokerage leaders: “If Realtor membership were no longer required for either MLS or lockbox access in your market, would your brokerage still require agents to be members of a Realtor association?”

• 27% — Yes, I expect we would require association membership at all three levels — national, state and local — as a brokerage policy.
• 35% — No, I expect we would not require membership in a Realtor association, but we would strongly encourage it.
• 29% — No, we would not require membership or encourage agents to get one.
• 9% — I don’t have direct knowledge of our decision-making process on this question.

It’s clear from these responses that a significant share of brokerage leaders would view a mass exodus from Realtor associations as a bad development for their business, and would at least try to convince their agents to reconsider such a move.

Intel examined which arguments for retaining membership might actually land with agents.

Crafting a winning case

Intel’s survey revealed a series of takeaways relevant to brokerage leaders setting policy in the event that they want to continue encouraging agents to be Realtor association members after a local primary MLS removes the requirement.

Here’s how the entire pool of agent respondents reacted to various arguments.

Question: “Which of the following arguments sometimes made in support of the value of NAR membership are most persuasive to you, if any? Select all that apply.”

• 44% — The Code of Ethics differentiates members from non-members.
• 39% — The industry benefits from NAR’s political lobbying efforts.
• 30% — NAR’s professional designations and certifications are valuable to agents.
• 30% — The Realtor brand is valuable from a marketing standpoint.
• 25% — NAR’s legal defense efforts are crucial for the industry.
• 24% — The services, tools, benefits or data provided by NAR are valuable.
• 13% — The events and networking opportunities are valuable for agents.
• 12% — The NAR settlement mitigated the fallout from Sitzer/Burnett in a way that appears to have upheld commission rates.
• 31% — I don’t find any of the arguments above persuasive.

While the most broadly accepted arguments in favor of NAR’s value are tied to the organization’s Code of Ethics and its lobbying muscle, the lobbying question is somewhat divisive among different groups of agents surveyed.

• High-volume agents who conducted more than 10 transactions in the past year were significantly likelier to say that NAR’s political lobbying efforts provide value to members, with 48 percent in agreement. 
• Agents at franchised brokerages were also especially likely to agree, with 45 percent selecting the lobbying argument as one they found persuasive. 
• Conversely, only 32 percent of lower-volume agents agreed that NAR’s lobbying offered value, along with 31 percent of all agents at private-indie brokerages.

When presented with the following critiques of NAR’s value, agents were a bit more likely to find at least one of the provided arguments convincing.

Question: “Which of the following arguments sometimes made against the value of NAR membership are most persuasive to you, if any? Select all that apply.”

• 50% — The dues are too high for the value members receive.
• 50% — NAR mishandled the Sitzer/Burnett case, the settlement terms or other litigation against the industry.
• 36% — NAR’s leadership doesn’t have the right vision for the industry or the organization.
• 25% — The Realtor brand is not particularly valuable from a marketing standpoint.
• 25% — The Code of Ethics is not effective or consistently enforced.
• 24% — NAR and RPAC are misguided in their choice of political objectives or candidates to support.
• 16% — NAR is not an effective political lobbying organization.
• 19% — I don’t find any of the arguments above persuasive.

Here, agents at large, non-franchising brokerages like Compass, eXp Realty and the Real Brokerage stood out from their indie and franchise counterparts.

• Agents affiliated with big, non-franchising brokerages were especially likely to say that the Realtor brand is “not particularly valuable” from a marketing perspective (33 percent), and that NAR’s leadership “doesn’t have the right vision” (45 percent).

Perhaps more strikingly, the nature of critiques that agents found persuasive were significantly influenced by their transaction volumes.

• Lower-volume agents were likelier to name “the dues are too high for the value members receive” as a NAR membership pain point — at 55 percent, compared to 42 percent among high-volume agents.
• High-volume agents were more likely to sympathize with the idea that NAR is failing in the following core advocacy areas: that NAR mishandled the Sitzer/Burnett case or settlement (58 percent); that NAR is not an effective political lobbying organization (21 percent); or that NAR’s leadership doesn’t have the right vision (42 percent).

If a brokerage wants to make a case for Realtor association membership with its agents, these survey results suggest some arguments and approaches are more likely to work than others.

1. A focus on the Code of Ethics and access to professional designations and the Realtor brand is generally more effective with agents than an emphasis on the other various services and perks that come with membership.
2. Few agents believe that NAR is bad at lobbying for the industry’s interests. The need for a strong industry advocate is a potentially persuasive talking point.
3. Pitching membership value in a way that acknowledges widespread agent frustrations with how NAR’s legal strategy handled the various lawsuits in recent years may be more effective than sticking up for them in this area.
4. The cost of membership dues may be a significant mental barrier, especially for agents struggling with lower transaction volume in recent months.

Methodology notes: This month’s Inman Intel Index survey ran from Nov. 20-Dec. 3, 2025, and received 485 responses. The entire Inman reader community was invited to participate, and a rotating, randomized selection of community members was prompted to participate by email. Users responded to a series of questions related to their self-identified corner of the real estate industry — including real estate agents, brokerage leaders, lenders and proptech entrepreneurs. Results reflect the opinions of the engaged Inman community, which may not always match those of the broader real estate industry. This survey is conducted monthly.

Email Daniel Houston

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