Attending industry conferences is an integral part of reporting on real estate. But walking the halls of a major convention center with NAR Executive Editor Stacey Moncrieff is like being in the presence of a real estate celebrity.
People wave. They call out her name. They stop her for a conversation, a compliment or sometimes a quick photo. REALTOR® members who had been featured in a story years earlier remember her. Industry leaders know her. Colleagues from across the National Association of REALTORS® seek her out.
As someone who has spent much of her career behind the scenes—and who would almost always rather be in the newsroom than in the spotlight—Moncrieff may be one of the most unassuming visionaries in real estate.
On Sept. 30, Moncrieff will retire from NAR after 38 years, closing a remarkable chapter in a career that has helped shape how the association tells the stories of its members and the real estate industry.
Moncrieff joined NAR in 1988 as an associate editor of what was then Real Estate Today. She would go on to become managing editor, editor-in-chief and, ultimately, executive editor of publications, overseeing an expanding portfolio of print and digital products serving NAR members and REALTOR® association executives.
Over nearly four decades, the way people consume news has transformed completely. So has the real estate business. Through it all, Moncrieff has remained a steady, adaptive force—curious about what’s next, meticulous about the work and unwavering in her belief that good journalism starts with understanding the people you serve.
From Print to an Ever-Changing Digital World
Moncrieff began her career in an era when print reigned. But her tenure spans some of the most consequential changes in publishing and modern real estate: the rise of the internet, the housing boom and subsequent crash, the emergence of social media, the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence.
At each turn, Moncrieff has asked the same questions that guided her work for decades: What do real estate professionals need to know right now, and how can NAR help them navigate what comes next?
Her strategic focus helped REALTOR® Magazine evolve far beyond its print roots and into a digital news operation that reaches members through newsletters, podcasts, video, blogs and other multimedia storytelling. Most recently, Moncrieff helped guide another significant transformation as the magazine moved from a print publication to the all-digital NAR REALTOR® News, and this year she became the voice behind the Daily newsletter.
She has always understood that platforms and formats will change, but accuracy, relevance, curiosity and service to the reader never go out of style.
“It has been a true honor to work side-by-side with Stacey every day to develop our news and features, and to launch our new daily newsletter,” says Lauren Pinch, REALTOR® News senior editor. “Stacey's editorial eye and creatively are unmatched, and I couldn't ask for a more talented collaborator, mentor and work partner.”
Creating Programs That Celebrate NAR Members
Some of Moncrieff’s most enduring contributions extend beyond traditional journalism.
In 2000, she helped launch two of NAR’s most recognizable member programs: the Good Neighbor Awards and 30 Under 30.
The Good Neighbor Awards shine a national spotlight on REALTORS® whose extraordinary volunteer work transforms their communities. The 30 Under 30 program recognizes young agents who are bringing new ideas, ambition and leadership to the business.
Over the years, both have become highly sought-after national honors. But their impact is bigger than the awards themselves. They have allowed NAR to tell thousands of stories about who REALTOR® members are—not simply as real estate professionals, but as entrepreneurs, leaders, volunteers, innovators and neighbors.
One of them is Ron Phipps, principal broker of Phipps Realty, 2011 NAR president, who has been an instrumental voice of the Good Neighbor program since its beginnings. “I have had the privilege of sharing footsteps on life's path with Stacey for more than 25 years. She encouraged me to push beyond safe and comfortable, and into special and impactful,” Phipps says. “It is easy to be effective in good times. It is challenging to be effective, much less brilliant, in challenging times. Stacey is brilliant without any hunger for the limelight.
"Some people encourage those around them to rise to become 'their best selves.' Simply said, that is Stacey," he says.
That instinct—to find the person behind the profession—has defined much of Moncrieff’s work.
Among her many editorial projects, Moncrieff also oversaw the writing and editing of the book “100 Years in Celebration of the American Dream,” NAR’s look back at the history and evolution of homeownership in America, illustrated with vintage photography and historical timelines.
She has spent her career making sure NAR’s editorial coverage doesn’t simply report on real estate but reflects the experiences of the people practicing it every day.
A Career Recognized for Editorial Excellence
In 2023, Moncrieff’s contributions to business journalism were recognized with one of the profession’s highest career honors: the 55th Annual G.D. Crain Jr. Award.
The SIIA Media award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the development of editorial excellence in business media over the course of a career—a fitting distinction for an editor who has spent decades evolving NAR’s editorial products while holding fast to the standards of journalism at their core.
An Editor—and Mentor
Moncrieff’s influence can’t be quantified only in page views, readership surveys, awards or the editorial products she helped build.
It can be found in people.
Over 38 years, countless writers, editors, designers and communications professionals have learned from her exacting editorial standards, her work ethic and her belief that every word matters.
She notices the details others miss. She asks the extra question. She challenges writers to dig deeper, make a sentence sharper or reconsider whether a story is truly serving the reader. And while her standards are high, so is her investment in the people doing the work.
“I’ve worked with Stacey for more than three decades, and I can say without hesitation that I’ve never known anyone with more honor, integrity and ethics. Journalism school can teach you the fundamentals, but so much of this work is learned on the job—in the edits, the questions, the rewrites and the example set by the people around you,” says Christina Hoffmann, once managing editor under Moncrieff and now an NAR senior speechwriter.
Moncrieff’s fingerprints can be found not only across decades of NAR’s trade journalism but in the careers of the people she has encouraged, challenged and believed in along the way.
“Stacey is a legacy in real estate media. She was behind so much of the content and editorial voice that shaped REALTOR® Magazine, its digital media and so much beyond. I’ve been incredibly grateful to work with her for so many years,” says Melissa Dittmann Tracey, NAR contributing editor and founder of the Styled, Staged & Sold blog.
“I was always drawn to Stacey’s journalistic instinct and storytelling approach—in looking beyond the headlines to find the stories that truly matter in real estate. It became a phrase in the back of my own mind whenever I approached a story: WWSD—‘What Would Stacey Do?’ Her encouragement, curiosity and commitment have been an inspiration to all of us, and I think it’s worthy of another one of her books—one I hope she writes in retirement,” Dittmann Tracey says.
“What extraordinary luck to have had Stacey as both a mentor and a boss,” says Hoffmann. “Despite an enormous workload, she has never once failed to make time when I had a question or needed advice. She is unflappable, patient and generous in ways that have shaped not just the work, but the people around her.”
Perhaps that's why so many people want to stop to say hello. And to say thank you.
