What does rebuilding trust look like in practice? At NAR NXT, the answer emerged in two very different conversations: one about the National Association of REALTORS®' strategic direction and another about the everyday challenges of running a small brokerage.
Together, the sessions offered a look at how member feedback is shaping the association's priorities—and how those priorities are turning into tools, protections and opportunities for members.
During the Leadership Scoop session, Thursday, NAR 2026 President Kevin Brown and CEO Nykia Wright outlined progress on the association's three-year Strategic Plan, approved at NAR NXT in 2025. Built around improving the member experience and modernizing the association, the plan was informed by feedback from more than 150,000 members.
"We are building the future of member experience and we're modernizing the association," Wright said.
The association is now reporting to members on its progress every 90 days, with results spanning advocacy, legal protections, business resources, MLS collaboration and financial accountability.
Among the milestones: More than 10 NAR committees helped shape the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, while approximately 10,000 congressional meetings helped advance the legislation. NAR also reported progress on several fronts—engaging with all 484 MLSs nationwide to strengthen industry collaboration, securing a dozen favorable legal outcomes to provide greater certainty for members and adopting zero-based budgeting for 2027 to ensure member dues support the association's strategic priorities.
Where Strategy Meets the Transaction
What does this mean for a broker trying to manage agents, protect clients and keep a business competitive?
That question found some answers during the Small Broker Committee meeting on Thursday, chaired by Claire Killen, broker-owner of Emerald Real Estate in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area. The meeting offered a window into how brokers are helping shape the resources they need.
Sharon Love-Bates, NAR director of emerging technology, presented nar.realtor/fraud to committee members, a resource designed to help real estate professionals prevent, detect and report fraud. With AI making impersonation, phishing and wire fraud increasingly sophisticated, the site offers practical guidance for protecting agents and consumers throughout a transaction.
Additional resources were presented by Ashley Stinton, managing partner of NAR REACH, who showcased the six companies in its 2026 cohort: AiRE, Association Online, BrokerBot, LotRoll, MaxHome.ai and StackWrap. They are developing solutions for everything from client engagement and brokerage compliance to transaction efficiency and technology integration.
Stinton encouraged brokers to provide direct feedback to the companies, reinforcing the idea that emerging technology should be shaped by the professionals who use it.
Listening and Delivering
The connection between the two sessions became particularly clear during an update from Nykea Pippion McGriff, NAR vice president of broker engagement.
She reported that NAR leadership participated in broker 572 events nationwide, reaching approximately 32,000 members through the third quarter of 2026. That outreach has helped drive improvements to broker.realtor, the launch of smallbroker.realtor, broker summits, mastermind sessions and a new monthly Broker Update newsletter. The Small Broker Committee itself has helped shape several of these resources, illustrating how member participation can translate into practical changes.
Education is another example. Brown also presented at the committee meeting, highlighting a modernized NAR learning platform launching Dec. 1. Six updated courses are expected in January and a new verified instructor program has been designed to make professional development more relevant to REALTORS®' businesses.
Steve Casper, a longtime member of NAR's Professional Standards Committee, showcased "The Code of Ethics Is Good Business," which organizes ethical obligations around the actual stages of buyer and seller transactions. Rather than treating the Code solely as a periodic training requirement, the site helps agents understand how ethical standards apply when working with clients.
A Continuing Conversation
The Small Broker Committee meeting concluded with roundtable discussions on business tools, education and website content—giving brokers another opportunity to identify gaps and recommend improvements.
It's a fitting illustration of the message Brown and Wright delivered during Leadership Scoop: A strategic plan is only as meaningful as the improvements members experience in their everyday business.
As Brown put it, "[We still have] significant work ahead, but the direction is clear, the structure is in place and we're continuing to translate strategy into value that members can see, feel and use."
