“Listen, learn and lead.” This is not only the 2026 mantra of Michigan REALTORS® president Mark Oegema, broker of HomeRealty in Holland, Mich., but a phrase that tidily sums up the work that’s happening between the National Association of REALTORS® and its thousands of broker members nationwide.
“Our industry has never been more exciting and never more challenging,” Oegema said at the opening of the Michigan Brokers Summit in Lansing last week. “That fact that you’re here tells me you like a good challenge and you recognize knowledge is the best way to create positive outcomes for our brokerages and our clients.”
The Michigan summit, attended by 170 brokers from around the state and providing continuing education credits, was one of nearly 50 such events planned for this year in collaboration with local REALTOR® association leaders. The Broker Summits emphasize the critical and evolving relationship between brokers and their association.
A Call to Brokers: Tell Us What You Need
“I believe in the future of organized real estate,” Sherry Chris told the crowd in Lansing. Chris, an NAR special advisor, was there to affirm NAR’s commitment to brokers, share progress on the association’s transformative Strategic Plan, talk about the benefits of NAR’s three-way agreement and highlight high-value resources for members, such as the Realtors Property Resource® data platform.
“I want to ask you to get involved,” Chris said. “I want to ask you to join our ‘Power Hours’ to give information back to us. What are you looking for and what do you need? [We want to] make sure that NAR is helping you as much as we can.”
One topic particularly resonated with brokers in the room: professionalism.
Chris said it’s critical that REALTORS®, NAR members, be regarded as top experts in the industry.
“In our complex world of real estate, where there’s a lot of noise out there, the Code of Ethics is more important than ever to raise professionalism from a brokerage perspective and from an agent perspective,” she said.
NAR members’ reputation will be maintained through continuing education, knowledge of local and state laws and policies, and consumer communication of the valuable role members play in the real estate ecosystem, Chris said.
Chris also emphasized the unique infrastructure of NAR’s “three-way agreement”—the leadership trifecta that enables REALTOR® associations to work together for mutual support. “With 1.4 million members, and 85,000 broker owners, it’s very important to understand and recognize that the three-way agreement … adds to the professionalism of our industry.”
What makes the Broker Summits particularly valuable is the collaboration with local and state association leaders, who are curating the content and format of educational sessions to suit the needs of their state.
Earlier this month, Chris visited the Maryland REALTORS® Broker Summit held near Baltimore, where she talked with a panel of brokers about their strategies to attract and retain new agents.
Dave Cummings, founder of Cummings & Co., REALTORS®, has grown his business over the last 20 years and today manages more than 700 agents across 12 Maryland and Pennsylvania offices. While he has some teams mentoring new agents, he’s focused on attracting agents who have shown resilience. With limited time, Cummings said he needs to be picky about choosing who to invest his energy in.
“If you can get past the first two [years] of dealing with no income and learning the industry, learning the contract, learning the lead-gen systems … there’s a good chance that you’ll be in it for 20 [years].”
It’s for that reason—the large investment of time, training and just generally taking a chance on them—that new agents can become incredibly loyal, said Tina Hyatt, broker/owner and co-founder of Hyatt & Company Real Estate in Elkridge, Md.
“We actually host in-person pre-licensing classes in the office for a local school,” said Hyatt, who manages more than 100 agents in three offices. “... We’ve really worked hard to build a culture in the office that attracts agents that want to be a part of what we’re building.”
She added: “We have agents celebrating 20-year anniversaries with us … because we invested and poured into them in that very beginning stage, showed them how valued they were and really kind of lifted them up to get to the goals that they wanted to get to.”
Staying Ahead of Real Estate Risks
At the Michigan summit, Scott Teter, division chief of financial crimes at the Michigan Department of Attorney General, sounded the alarm on real estate fraud and financial exploitation, particularly fraud targeting vulnerable adults aged 65 and over.
In more than three out of four cases, family members are the perpetrators, he said, pointing out the insidious nature of isolation tactics used by abusers.
Nick Bailey, former CEO of RE/MAX and Century 21, and current real estate officer of T3 Sixty, presented “Tech vs. Toy,” elaborating on the benefits and risks of AI tool adoption.
Later, Michigan REALTORS® experts (pictured below, left to right, Bernie Ballesteros, senior attorney; Rebecca Berke, director of legal education; and Brian Westrin, general counsel) presented “Legal Hotline Unplugged,” a fun and interactive session tackling the state’s most frequently asked and need-to-know legal issues today. Attendees tested their knowledge on topics like RESPA, joint advertising and non-occupant fiduciaries by holding up green and red (yes and no) game pieces.
Brokers also learned about current legislative activities in the state gaining support among Michigan real estate leaders. Brad Ward, vice president of public policy, discussed:
- Housing readiness and zoning reform
- Buyer agency bills
- Property tax reform proposals
- The Michigan Consumer Protection Act exemption
- Third-party litigation funding
Ward also outlined the state association’s efforts to oppose unrestricted state license reciprocity, the statewide septic code, and various tenants’ bill of rights and rent control proposals.
At the Maryland event, over 150 attendees heard Advocacy and Policy Director Lisa May’s breaking legislative recap, with the general assembly session wrapping “officially 15 hours ago.”
The association helped pass two law revisions; one streamlines earnest money deposit returns, and the other nullifies so-called homeowner benefit agreements that obligated sellers through liens and made it harder to sell or refinance. May also highlighted legislation they successfully defeated, including a bill with the misnomer, “Building Affordably in My Back Yard Act (BAMBY),” which sought to cap agent compensation, gave occupants a 30-day first right of refusal to buy properties, created a landlord registry and more.
“When you’re out talking to your agents, if they have questions, why Maryland REALTORS®? Why advocacy or lobbying, right? Why RPAC? BAMBY—that’s why,” May said.
