The National Association of REALTORS® demonstrated continued strength this week with roughly 7,500 members traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet with their members of Congress on the association’s advocacy priorities. The Capitol Hill visits were part of NAR’s 2025 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings.
NAR Treasurer Craig Sanford told the Board of Directors at its June 5 meeting that membership remains ahead of forecast. As of May 31, there were 1,453,690 members—well above the 2025 forecast of 1.4 million.
How Membership Shifts With the Market
The real estate industry has a natural rhythm of turnover. In any given year, approximately 15% of NAR’s members are new, and the rise and fall of NAR’s membership count generally lags larger economic shifts.
Tight inventory and rising interest rates beginning in 2022 led NAR leaders to project membership declines beginning in 2023. “When there are fewer market opportunities, some people leave the business,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun told REALTOR® Magazine last year.
Today, home sales remain at historically low levels—even lower than during the 2008–2010 financial crisis when foreclosure rates spiked, Yun says. During that cycle NAR membership fell from a peak 1.4 million to roughly 1 million.
Value of Association Strong and Getting Stronger
That makes the current membership number “a remarkable testament to our members’ resiliency,” Yun says. “They’re small business owners, they understand the ups and downs of the business, and they understand the value of staying connected.”
Members in Washington for the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings see first-hand what it means to have a strong national association to advocate for their interests in Washington and around the country. Under the leadership of CEO Nykia Wright, NAR is working to bring members that same kind of support in every aspect of their real estate career.
