“Rebuilding trust requires more than words; it requires tangible progress,” NAR CEO Nikia Wright said in the report.
The National Association of Realtors this week released its first quarterly progress report on its 2026-2028 strategic plan, saying it has started work on nearly two-thirds of the plan’s roughly 75 projects in the first three months.
The group gave itself a good rating across seven priority areas, from housing advocacy to governance reform, and outlined the update as part of a broader effort to restore member trust after years of legal and reputational turmoil.
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“This plan is built for action,” NAR CEO Nikia Wright said in the report. “Rebuilding trust requires more than words. It requires tangible progress. That’s why we’re committed to regularly sharing clear updates that show our members how this work is actually making a difference.”
Legal milestones regarding housing supply
Most notable in this update is the Senate passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which NAR calls one of the most important housing bills in nearly two decades. The association said its own consumer sentiment research helped advance the bill and mobilized members to respond to targeted calls for legislative action in both chambers. The bill is still on its way through the House of Representatives.
This legislative push is the culmination of sustained advocacy efforts. NAR has supported the ROAD to Housing Act since its introduction in late 2024, which previously passed the Senate but stalled in the House after it was removed from the National Defense Authorization Act. Nevertheless, housing availability has emerged as one of the few truly bipartisan issues in Washington, D.C., NAR Chief Advocacy Officer Shannon McGahn has frequently said.
The association recently cited the nation’s 4.7 million housing shortage as the driving force behind the ROAD to Housing Act. NAR researchers previously estimated the housing shortage was between 5.5 million and 6.8 million units. However, how large the difference actually is remains an open question. Eric Finnigan, vice president of demographic research at John Burns Research & Consulting, told Inman last week that estimates range from about 1 million to 10 million homes, depending on methodology.
Membership tools, brand work, governance reform
Beyond advocacy, NAR noted a 22% increase in member usage of its Metro Market Statistics Dashboard after adding new supply gap and shortage tracking tools. The consumer advertising campaign launched around the tagline “Right by You” uses AI-driven placement to target first-time buyers.
Regarding broker engagement, the association reported more than 35 live events in 21 states, in addition to the launch of the smallbroker.realtor landing page for small businesses. Regarding governance, NAR said it reviewed more than 95 committees and advisory bodies representing more than 2,000 volunteer roles and ultimately eliminated eight of them.
The update notably lacked any substantive engagement with the debate around private listings and premarketing, one of the most pressing and controversial issues in the securities industry today. The only reference material in the quarterly report was a checklist of upcoming listings and FAQs built into the MLS Collaboration section.
Quarterly updates are planned throughout the year.
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