NAR Midyear Heads To Washington DC At Critical Moment For Housing

The National Association of Realtors Legislative Meetings begins Saturday with free speech, agent pay and affordability on the agenda. Inman breaks down the panels bound to draw a crowd.

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It’s hard to recall a more eventful year for the real estate industry than the one that just transpired.

Just over 14 months ago, the National Association of Realtors agreed to settle antitrust commission litigation. That move led to new rules governing agent pay, took place as many large brokerages were settling their own suits and happened as Donald Trump was beginning his eventual march back into the White House.

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Simultaneously, agents in real estate’s trenches were grappling with the slowest housing market in a generation — conditions fueled by high mortgage rates and low inventory, and which squeezed industry players in a host of unique ways.

Now, it’s against that backdrop that thousands of NAR members will descend on Washington, D.C. on Saturday for the 1.5 million-member trade organization’s annual Realtors Legislative Meetings — a gathering at which real estate leaders craft the organization’s policy, and discuss advocacy and lobbying.

And it’s for all of the above reasons that the gathering may be one of the most consequential of its kind in recent memory.

The event runs from Saturday to Thursday and last year drew about 8,000 attendees. With that scale, a huge number of topics will come up, but keen industry observers are likely to be focused on both political issues such as free speech and fair housing, as well as Realtors’ efforts to stimulate the market.

Read on for the panels and topics that are sure to be discussed long after the conference ends, and be sure to review NAR’s agenda ahead of the event on Saturday. Inman journalist Andrea Brambila will also be on the ground at the event. You can reach her at andrea@inman.com.

Speech and harassment

As Inman previously reported, NAR is currently considering Code of Ethics changes related to its policies on speech and harassment.

Matt Difanis, a RE/MAX broker-owner in Illinois and a NAR director, participated in creating the current policy in 2020, and told Inman it was a product of Realtors making hateful comments online and poorly representing the industry.

“In response to a very real proliferation of Realtor hate speech, much of which was in social media outside the context of their real estate transactions, we had state and local leaders begging for better tools,” Difanis recalled.

Now, however, NAR wants to change and clarify the rules that began in 2020. The proposed changes would add a definition of harassment, and stipulate that while Realtors should always follow the Code of Ethics’ principles, they would only be disciplined for harassment that occurs while acting in a professional capacity.

Though the tweaks to NAR’s Code of Ethics will likely only impact a small number of Realtors, the issue is one worth watching closely because it mirrors a larger debate about issues of free speech.

Key sessions:

Professional standards committee forum, Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.
Risk Management Issues Committee, Tuesday, 10:30 a.m.

Steering and fair housing

The same agenda also indicates that the Professional Standards Committee will consider steering, which historically was a discriminatory practice that blocked some buyers — most often from minority ethnic groups — from purchasing homes in certain areas. The agenda shows that NAR leaders have continued to receive questions about the issue.

In response, the committee will consider tweaking the language of NAR’s Code of Ethics.

Similar to issues surrounding free speech, steering represents an intersection between real estate and a broader debate about race in the U.S. And within real estate specifically, steering has most recently come up in debates about private listings and who gets to see them.

Key sessions:

Fair Housing Policy Committee, Monday, 8 a.m.
Bias Override: Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing, Sunday, 1 p.m.
Fair Housing Forward: Networking Reception Featuring NAR’s 2025 Fair Housing Champions, Monday, 3:30 p.m.

Technology and artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence routinely dominates discussions about the future of real estate, with many leaders arguing that brokers must learn to use new tools or risk being left behind. However, A.I. also raises a host of practical, ethical, and regulatory questions.

The Legislative Meetings will give real estate leaders a chance to consider what role this type of technology has in the industry, as well as what types of regulatory frameworks real estate professionals might support. And these will not be idle meditations; rental software company RealPage is currently locked in multiple lawsuits with government officials over its use of pricing algorithms. Such cases highlight the fact that real estate technology is still something of a new frontier, both for the industry and for regulators.

Key sessions:

Federal Technology Policy Committee, Monday, 9. a.m.
iOi Innovation – AI-Powered Advocacy: Elevate Political Impact, Sunday, 11 a.m.
iOi Innovation – From Leads to Real Conversations: The Tech-Driven Follow-Up Advantage, Tuesday, 3:45 p.m.

Commissions and agent pay

One year ago, commissions were the issue du jour in real estate thanks to antitrust settlements from NAR and various large brokerages. Attention on the issue has ebbed somewhat since, and the latest data suggests commissions have not plummeted as some had feared.

However, a Legislative Meetings agenda shows that NAR’s Professional Standards Committee will still be looking at the issue next week. Among other things, the committee will consider rules that would require Realtors to tell clients that compensation is negotiable and not set by law. The rules additions would also state that Realtors can’t delay or withhold offers while attempting to negotiate compensation.

The attention on agent compensation at the Legislative Meetings highlights the fact that questions about the issue persist, and that the real estate industry is still working to settle on a new status quo.

Key sessions:

Professional standards committee, Tuesday, 9 a.m.
Risk Management Issues Committee, Tuesday, 10:30 a.m.

Housing inventory and affordability

Though explicitly political issues such as fair housing and free speech have bled over into the real estate industry, rank and file agents also continue to deal with inventory shortages in their local markets. Difanis said that last year’s Legislative Meetings addressed this issue, with discussions about density, zoning, accessory dwelling units, and other supply-enhancing policies. Those conversations are likely to continue this year, with a focus on how Realtors can advocate for — and lobby lawmakers in favor of — policies that might make building more housing units easier.

Relatedly, Realtors at the event will also discuss federal and state tax policies that impact homeowners and would-be homebuyers, and issues related to insurance.

Real estate coach and educator Dr. Lee Davenport also pointed to inventory as a key issue for the Legislative Meetings. She noted that there are a number of bills currently in congress — the Housing Supply Frameworks Act, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act and others — that members of NAR can weigh in on, including during the visits to lawmakers’ offices that are a regular part of the Legislative meetings.

“I think,” she told Inman, “this should probably be one of the highest priorities.”

Key Sessions:

Federal Legislative & Political Forum, Sunday, 9:45 a.m.
Total Cost of Ownership: Sustainability Roundtable, Sunday, 11 a.m.
The Advocacy Scoop, Sunday, 3 p.m.
Knocking Down Barriers Though Innovative Homeownership Solutions Provided by Fannie Mae, Monday, 1 p.m.
Regulatory Issues Forum: The Land of Opportunity: Is Deregulation the Key to Innovation and Expansion in Housing?, Monday, 10 a.m.
Housing Opportunities Committee, Monday, 10 a.m.
Federal Financing & Housing Policy Committee, Monday, 2 p.m.
Realtors Land Institute Leadership & Member Meeting, Wednesday, 9 a.m.
Land Use, Property Rights and Environment Committee, Wednesday, 10 a.m.
Federal Taxation Committee, Thursday, 8:30 a.m.

Leadership in trouble times

Aside from specific issues, NAR’s Legislative Meetings will also be an opportunity to hear commentary on issues such as multiple listing service policy, and from top leaders such as President Kevin Sears and CEO Nykia Wright. Here are additional key sessions to be aware of: