“I think it will be stronger than ever,” National Association of REALTORS® CEO Nykia Wright recently said of the organization’s federated structure known colloquially as the “three-way agreement.”
The structure, which balances the trifecta of local, state and national association leadership, allows the organization to use its combined resources to have a unified voice. And while the three-way agreement has withstood criticism and litigation over more than a century, NAR’s CEO projected the partnership deepening—as NAR has recommitted to managing association relations—and providing greater value to members.
That effort began with the hiring of NAR SVP of Industry Relations Jarrod Grasso, a seasoned CEO at New Jersey REALTORS®, in early 2025. Grasso and other NAR executives have been crisscrossing the country, engaging in personal meetings to address challenges and opportunities. Wright says she regularly consults with various state and local leaders too.
“When we really do our jobs, when everyone understands their line of demarcation and when communication flows, the three-way agreement really is one of the most important authoritative assets that we have,” she said at the T3 Sixty Leadership Summit, which convenes C-level executives, late last month. “But to be clear, again, [in the past] we weren’t managing those relationships the way that we should have. Now that we have, I see a difference.”
The information flow between the local, state and national level provides members with better research, topical education products and more effective lobbying, Wright explained.
“We don’t know where the next threat is coming from. It starts at the local level,” Wright said, about legislation and other risks that threaten members’ ability to do business. “So having those conversations at the local level, making their way all the way up through the states, to the national level really keeps some of these things at bay from metastasizing across state lines.”
She also discussed NAR’s advocacy grants that help local and state associations support pro-real estate legislation.
At the summit, Wright also spoke about the association’s three-year Strategic Plan. She explained that in addition to executing the initiatives in the plan, (NAR released Q1 updates April 21), they will continue to identify marketplace challenges. Essentially, plans can evolve.
“Once you see that list of things that we are doing, then there is the richer conversation of saying, ‘Have you thought about this? Have you thought about that?’” Wright said.
She acknowledged the vast industry knowledge in the room and encouraged feedback saying, “You know what we’ve promised, we’ve put that out there; we can plug the holes to become a better, more organized association.”
