The National Association of REALTORS® just updated members on its 2026-2028 Strategic Plan progress, detailing how it’s tackling some of the biggest issues facing agents and the industry, including market transparency, cyber fraud and affordability.
A standout in the update is the 21st ROAD to Housing Act—this quarter’s indisputable crown jewel of achievements and the culmination of two years of persistent NAR lobbying.
The bipartisan law includes nearly 50 measures designed to increase housing supply, improve affordability, expand access to homeownership, strengthen financing options and support veterans.
NAR’s advocacy helped build support on both sides of the aisle for these individual provisions, helping secure overwhelming passage of the legislation in the House (358-32) and Senate (85-5).
Passing the largest housing package in a generation is a feat shared by 10 NAR committees, its lobbyists and policy experts, and the 535 member volunteers who serve as federal political coordinators. They communicate the first-hand accounts of agents and brokers across America to members of Congress.
Having served 19 years as a volunteer liaison to the late Georgia Rep. David Scott and as 2026 chair of the FPC Advisory Committee, Atlanta broker Ennis Antoine shares some of that credit.
“[ROAD] has been one of our major talking points,” Antoine says. “Between [NAR] staff, lobbyists and FPCs, it has been a project for the last two years to get this pushed through, and we were very successful.”
REALTORS® and NAR’s advocacy team conducted more than 10,000 meetings with members of Congress and their staff. As Antoine explains, it’s all about relationships.
“FPCs are the game changers,” Antoine says. “We’re the ones [sharing] heartfelt stories, giving examples of what we face in this industry. We’re the ones that are boots on the ground, frontline. We’re their constituents and we inform them how important it is to make the right decision.”
By expanding inventory, affordability and financing, the law provides real estate practitioners with the opportunity to close more transactions, while at the same time delivers on NAR’s commitment to advocate for property ownership for all.
“We measure our success by families who will gain a place to call home,” Antoine says. “If a young family can say, I had the opportunity to invest in a parcel of the American dream, that’s true success.”
Now efforts turn to implementation. In the past few months, NAR assembled a dedicated team to work with state and local associations as they navigate how to implement provisions of the law and advocate for updated local regulations.
Supporting Local Initiatives
In addition, NAR helped increase bipartisan support for the More Homes on the Market Act, continued dialogue on health care options for independent contractors and backed by popular demand, added additional grant dollars for local and state associations.
Boone County, Illinois, is one neighborhood already benefiting from a new grant.
Following successful REALTOR® lobbying, the county passed its updated zoning regulations in June. It allowed accessory dwelling units by right, duplexes by right in some areas, and discussions signaled an openness for more multiunit housing options in the future, says Neeley Erickson, government affairs director at Illinois REALTORS®.
Think “seniors who are looking to downsize or young professionals who are looking to get into the market,” Erickson says. She applied for the grant on behalf of the Northwest Illinois Alliance of REALTORS®.
The grant, applied for and approved in July, funded a test fit report that shows lawmakers, developers and the community what that could look like, particularly in the village of Poplar Grove.
For instance, the report will visualize what an infill lot will look like with a triplex and a detached garage with an accessory dwelling unit above it.
“The test fits provide examples to inform further discussions about future zoning changes,” Erickson says.
She adds that real estate professionals are the “key,” for community development.
“The county and the municipalities are the ones that control what can be built,” Erickson says. “The REALTORS® are the ones that have the clients that need the homes—that need access."
She adds, “Sometimes you have people that work in your community that don’t live in your community. Why don't they? Probably because you don’t have housing options. Well, we can tell you what housing options are missing, what [clients are] looking for.”
Now, report in hand, Erickson and the local team will present their test fit visualizations of different options to the village and county board.
“We were very excited,” she says of receiving the grant. “And so were both Boone County and the Village of Poplar Grove.”
Fraud Resources and Trainings
Another third quarter highlight is NAR’s push to protect members and consumers against real estate fraud—a directive that came straight from members via in-person meetings, focus groups and surveys.
NAR’s policy team drew on that member feedback, industry research and conversations with cybersecurity and fraud prevention experts to develop and launch its fraud resource hub. The site will be updated as fraud threats emerge.
“A lot of people don’t know where to begin, so this is a great way for them to identify [fraud],” says Saba Mohammed, a broker-owner and licensed cybersecurity professional says. “People will stop and say, ‘Let me double check this license again. Let me double check the county record again. Wait a minute, this doesn’t sound right.’”
Mohammed, immediate past chair of NAR’s Federal Technology Policy Committee, was among the members who provided practitioner input, sharing the fraud and cybersecurity threats she is seeing in the field and the types of resources that would help members.
“What I love about working with NAR, [Senior Policy Representative] Austin Perez and the people on [the Federal Technology Policy] committee is that they will double check what’s being said,” Mohammed says. “They’ll say, ‘What do we do need to do?’ And that’s how we create policies.”
The northwest Indiana practitioner operates a fully online brokerage and says the biggest threat facing the industry is deepfakes.
In July and August, NAR hosted a webinar and broker power hour on deepfakes and one on cybersecurity and AI in September. The association also curated a lineup of sessions for its annual conference NXT in November dedicated to educating members about these topics from top minds at Google, the U.S. Secret Service and more.
NAR also developed a one-page guide to help members educate clients about common fraud red flags and reinforce their role as trusted advisers throughout a real estate transaction.
Additional Outcomes: MLS Collaboration, Commercial and More
This quarter, NAR continued its momentum collaborating with the leaders managing the country’s multiple listing services.
Since the beginning of the year, the association has communicated with nearly 500 MLS executives and continues to host regular calls and one-on-one meetings to ensure NAR continues to support MLSs in a way that benefits the ecosystem. This outreach is combined with existing and ongoing member feedback through surveys, focus groups and in-person meetings.
One of those ways is providing resources that offer practical guidance to support transparency and competition. That’s why NAR published guidance on VOW compliance, office exclusives, pre-marketing and limited-exposure marketing in July.
To tackle what comes next, the association also formed a new MLS work group comprised of MLS leaders, brokers and association executives. The group will help evaluate and modernize NAR’s MLS policies and advise on the development of potential MLS resources.
In addition, the association showcased progress in three other strategic areas:
- Commercial Tools: The association expanded tools for commercial practitioners including, launching the commercial real estate demand index, expanding the Metro Market Dashboard across retail, industrial and office sectors, and publishing six local market reports tracking foreign investment.
- Partnering with Brokers: The association connected with more than 5,000 brokers and is providing more tools for them, including developing opportunities to connect during a national networking session in October, hosting a roundtable during Inman Connect in July and planning a power hour track and forum for NAR NXT.
- Better Security and Tech: The association bolstered its data infrastructure, cybersecurity and technology guidance for members. It did this through expanding technology programming at its upcoming conference, examining agent technology usage in a new research report, creating a better website experience for members and strengthening account security.
NAR CEO Nykia Wright ties the progress back to the association's core pursuit: helping members get to their next transaction.
"Each achievement in the third quarter is part of a broader, connected effort to expand housing opportunity, ensure integrity in the market and throughout the transaction, and give members the insight and support to grow their business," Wright says.
