After
a
monumental
year
of
change,
the


National
Association
of
Realtors
(NAR)
is
looking
to
the
past
to
find
inspiration
for
the
future.

Kevin
Sears
took
to
the
NAR
NXT
main
stage
at
the
Boston
Convention
and
Exhibition
Center
on
Friday
morning
with
a
large
iced
coffee
from

Dunkin’
in
hand.
The
NAR
president
and
Massachusetts
native
then
took
NAR
members
on
a
walk
down
memory
lane
to
explain
the
trade
group’s
priorities
for
2025.

“In
case
you
didn’t
know,

it’s
been
quite
a
year,”
Sears
said.
“We’ve
gone
through
some

leadership
changes,

some
legal
challenges
and
one
of,
if
not
the
largest,

industry
shifts
of
our
lifetime.
And
while
there
may
be
many
challenges
in
front
of
us,
we
have
a
lot
of
work
still
to
do.”

While
2024
has
certainly
been
full
of
challenges,
Sears
said
it
also
presented
the
trade
association
and
its
members
with
plenty
of
opportunities
to
show
leadership.
But
in
order
to
successfully
lead
through
these
opportunities
and
best
prioritize
the
trade
group’s
goals,
Sears
feels
that
members
need
to
understand
the
history
of
organized
real
estate.

Real
estate
entities
and
professionals
first
organized
in
1891
by
forming
the

National
Real
Estate
Association,
which
was
created
with
the
goal
of
making
homeownership
“simpler
and
safer
for
consumers,”
Sears
said.

“From
day
one,
we
sought
to
protect
the
consumer,”
he
added.

The
entity
that
would
eventually
become
NAR
began
in
1907,
when
a
group
of
seven
local
boards
of
Realtors
in
the
Midwest
came
together
to
discuss
common
issues.
The
following
year,
the
group
decided
to
invite
the
other
38
known
local
Realtor
boards,
forming
what
is
now
NAR.

“Our
origins
are
steeped
in
two
things:
protecting
the
consumers
and
working
together
to
protect
those
consumers,
and
I
think
it
sounds
like
we
stick
true
to
who
we
are,”
Sears
said.
“So,
as
I
look
to
2025
and
where
we
want
to
go,
it
is
to
stick
to
the
basics.
Let’s
protect
the
consumer;
let’s
work
together.”

Sears
cited
the
trade
group’s
efforts
in
advocating
for
changes
in

VA
loan
procedures.
Those
utilizing
mortgages
from
the

U.S.
Department
of
Veterans
Affairs

can
still
use
their
loan
benefit
when
working
with
a
buyer’s
agent
regardless
of
how
their
agent
is
being
compensated.
This
is
an
example
of
how
NAR
works
to
protect
consumers,
Sears
said.

“We
protect
consumers
when
we
educate
decision-makers
about
issues
about
inventory.
We
actively
support
legislation
that
reduces
the
tax
implications
for
long-term
owners
selling
their
homes,”
he
said.
“And
we
protect
consumers
when
we
provide
data
and
perspective
on
legislation
that
incentivizes
the
conversion
of
commercial
space
into
affordable
residential
housing.”

It
is
this
message
of
consumer
protection
that
Sears
and
his
leadership
team
have
sought
to
drive
home
in
their
conversations
with
the


Department
of
Justice
(DOJ).

“We
are
working
diligently
with
them
to
explore
any
kind
of
common
ground,”
Sears
said.
“That
is
their
ask
of
us,
but
that
is
also
our
ask
of
them.
This
is
something
that
we
are
striving
for
and
working
toward.”

While
Sears
said
he
other
NAR
leaders
are
hopeful
to
be
able
to
work
with
the
DOJ
to

iron
out
their
issues,
he
acknowledges
that
peace
cannot
be
achieved
overnight.

“Please
understand,
it
is
a
slow
process
and
your
patience
is
appreciated,”
Sears
said.
“After
all,
we
are
most
effective
by
working
together
for
the
betterment
of
our
industry.”

In
this
vein,
Sears
said
it
is
imperative
for
NAR
members
to
continue
supporting
their
state
and
local
Realtor
associations.

These
organizations
empower
Realtors
to
work
together
and
to
better
understand
and
serve
the
unique
needs
of
consumers,
he
said.

Looking
at
the
difficulties
that
lie
ahead
in
2025,
Sears
said
it
is
important
for
Realtors
and
Realtor
organizations
to
continue
to
work
together.
NAR
will
have
to
navigate
some
financial
hardships
if
its
commission
lawsuit

settlement
agreement
is

granted
final
approval
at
the
end
of
this
month.

“If
the
settlement
is
granted,
the
first
payment
is
due
nine
days
later,”
Sears
said.
“So,
what
exactly
does
that
mean?
It
means
that
in
2025,
NAR
is
going
to
be
leaner.
It
is
going
to
be
meaner.
We’ll
be
leaner
in
how
we
operate.
We’ve
scrutinized
the
budget
for
expenses
that
don’t
directly
contribute
to
member
value.
But
we
will
still
be
a
trusted
partner
in
delivering
the
value
Realtors
need
to
thrive
in
their
businesses
while
being
the
leading
voice
that
propel
the
real
estate
industry
forward.

“Everything
that
we
do
must
be
driven
by
the
question:
how
do
we
help
our
members
be
more
successful?”

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