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National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) President Kevin Sears, whose brokerage firm was acquired by Lamacchia last year, also took the stage to discuss the association’s game plan for the year ahead, and the steps it is taking to recover from the near-fatal blows it has recently suffered. It all begins, said Sears, with NAR CEO Nykia Wright.
"Nykia is super smart, and I really appreciate working with her," he explained. "She comes in with a history of being able to right the ship, turn things around and leave things better than you found them. Nykia has no baggage in the association, no loyalties, and is looking at our association as a business—what do we need to do to be a successful business? Last fall, we passed a budget. We did not raise dues for 2025, but we passed the first balanced budget in over 10 years. We trimmed $20 million in expenses."
Sears reported that Wright is continuing to "look at everything with a fine-tooth comb," while still ensuring that NAR provides the tools, resources and advocacy members have come to rely on.
NAR is also focused on overhauling its communications efforts, Sears noted, pointing to the recent additions of real estate veteran Sherry Chris, who has taken on a special advisory role aimed at strengthening relationships with the brokerage community, and Jarrod Grasso, former New Jersey REALTORS CEO, as its first-ever SVP of Industry Relations, charged with strengthening relationships with local and state associations.