REMAX President Chris Lim joins the ARA Board of Directors as the agent-first industry organization gains its first major franchise partner and offers free first-year membership to all REMAX agents in the United States.
The American Association of Realtors has created its first global franchise giant.
The agent-focused industry group announced Thursday that REMAX president and chief growth officer Chris Lim has joined the company’s board of directors, along with businessman and investor Andrew Dodge.
As part of the agreement, all REMAX agents in the U.S. will receive a free first-year ARA membership, potentially increasing the number of agents for the association, one of the industry’s most recognized franchise brands.
“The stakes are high for Americans and the real estate industry right now,” ARA co-founders Jason Haber and Mauricio Umansky said in a joint statement. “We launched ARA to provide a unified voice of reason during a time of great transition. Full-time real estate professionals are the backbone of Americans’ path to homeownership.”
Mr. Haber and Mr. Umanski added that by bringing Mr. Lim’s deep industry insight and Dodge’s external business perspective, they are “building a diverse board that can strategically advance our industry and strongly support the approximately 2 million full-time agents who work hard every day.”
Creating a roster
ARA was launched at Inman Connect New York in January 2024 as a replacement for the National Association of Realtors. It was co-founded by Mr. Umansky, CEO of Realtors and star of Buying Beverly Hills, and Mr. Haber, the Compass agent who first made headlines for the NAR Accountability Project.
Its pitch is that it is an agent-first organization, founded by practitioners rather than lobbyists, and focused on professional education and housing literacy rather than dues collection and political spending.
The association has built its membership primarily through elite luxury networks and independent intermediaries. Douglas Elliman partnered last fall, bringing about 6,600 agents to ARA’s ranks and adding two directors, CEO Michael Leibowitz and general counsel Deva Roberts.
Briggs Elwell, co-founder of RLTYco, also serves on the board. The REMAX partnership marks the association’s first formal collaboration with a major franchise brand.
“The rapid convergence of ARA’s premium networks and leading global companies proves that the industry is hungry for modern, agent-first leadership,” Elwell said in a statement. “By giving professionals the tools and advocacy they really need, we are fundamentally changing the trajectory of American real estate.”
Dodge’s appointment is an intentional diversification move. Unlike other board members, all of whom are real estate executives or executives, Dodge brings a cross-industry business perspective to the board, ARA said.
“When our founding partners invited me to join, I saw it as an opportunity to bring a true outsider’s perspective to a lifelong passion,” Dodge said in a statement. “There is a lot of politically weaponized negative rhetoric around housing right now. Like wise family and friends, ARA can be a trusted, non-political voice reminding people of the enduring value of ownership.”
Momentum leads to lawsuits
REMAX’s participation may be the clearest signal yet that ARA is carrying organizational weight.
At a time when NAR is still absorbing reputational damage from a $418 million antitrust settlement over agency fees and fallout over its leadership, ARA is touting its position as complementary to NAR members.
As Inman recently reported, the rift between NAR and Umansky’s thePLS.com is taking a new turn. NAR issued subpoenas to ARA and its co-founder Mr. Haber.
The subpoena requests ARA and Harbor to turn over documents, contracts, invoices, and all communications between ARA, thePLS.com, and its Spanish counterpart, theNLS.com.
NAR is also seeking clear cooperation policies and communication regarding the NAR Accountability Project, which Haber launched in 2023 in response to sexual misconduct allegations against former NAR President Kenny Purcell.
“Ambitious group”
For REMAX, alignment is a brand strategy like anything else. The free first-year membership cost the franchise no direct cost and simply put REMAX’s name in ARA’s growth story.
“This is an ambitious group with many ideas and goals,” Lim told Inman. “To me, success is about one thing: building something that is truly pro-agent with the support of agents. If ARA can build momentum, grow its network, and make meaningful change for agents, I will be proud, because at the end of the day, agents are, and always will be, the driving force of this industry.”
When asked what real estate agents need most from an industry association right now, Mr Lim said: “Real estate agents need to be heard.”
“The housing market is constantly evolving,” Mr Lim said. “Agents need a strong voice to understand industry pressures and help them manage change, not just react to it.”
ARA also recently acquired the New York Housing Agents Continuum, an organization of top home producers based in New York City, as its foundation local chapter.
The association now operates nationally and claims to work with major independent luxury brand networks, regional powerhouses, and now one of the world’s largest real estate franchise systems.
Email Nick Pipitone
