Williamsburg Area Association of REALTORS

What Williamsburg Area Association of REALTORS does

Williamsburg Area Association of REALTORS (WAAR) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association founded in 1956 and headquartered at 5000 New Point Road, Williamsburg, Virginia. The organization serves real estate professionals across the Greater Williamsburg area — including James City County, York County, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and surrounding jurisdictions — and is affiliated with the National Association of REALTORS (NAR). WAAR also operates a public-facing Find a REALTOR directory and a Business Partner Program connecting members with mortgage lenders, home inspectors, title companies, and other real estate service providers.

WAAR's core product is the Williamsburg Multiple Listing Service (WMLS), a property listing and data platform powered by Cotality technology. In March 2026, WAAR extended WMLS through a fully integrated data share with the Chesapeake Bay and Rivers Association of REALTORS (CBRAR) and launched an AI-powered tools suite — AI Photo Tagging, AI Photo Captions, AI Listing Descriptions, and AI Listing Input — built on Restb.ai technology. Complementary offerings include the Williamsburg Real Estate School for continuing education, market statistics and reports sourced from Virginia Association of REALTORS listing data, the REALTOR Political Advocacy Committee (RPAC), and a member-facing portal for transactions, education enrollment, and event registration.

WAAR generates revenue primarily through recurring annual membership dues from REALTOR members (pricing not publicly disclosed), supplemented by Business Partner Program fees, continuing education course fees (non-members pay $10 per CE hour), merchandise sales through the REALTOR Store, and ad hoc sponsorship income (e.g., Chesapeake Bank). Membership is governed by an elected Board of Directors and staffed by 1–10 employees, with no outside investors, parent company, or external funding. Recent strategic activity has centered on technology modernization of the WMLS platform, AI-enabled listing tools, geographic data share with CBRAR, and community engagement including a $110,000 pledge to Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg.

Name

Williamsburg Area Association of REALTORS

Legal name

Williamsburg Area Association of REALTORS®, Inc.

Website

https://waarealtor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Williamsburg Area Association of REALTORS (WAAR) is a non-profit trade association serving real estate professionals in Greater Williamsburg, Virginia. It operates the Williamsburg Multiple Listing Service (WMLS), provides education and advocacy, and is affiliated with the National Association of REALTORS.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Williamsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues for REALTORS® and real estate professionals providing access to MLS services, education, advocacy, and member benefits.
2. Education and CE Courses: Continuing education courses for real estate professionals. Members receive free Seamless CE while non-members pay $10 per CE hour.
3. Business Partner Program: Fees from business partners including banks, mortgage companies, home inspectors, and other real estate service providers who join as partners.
4. REALTOR Store: Sales of merchandise and products through the REALTOR Store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Williamsburg Area Association of REALTORS (WAAR) is a non-profit trade association that operates the Williamsburg Multiple Listing Service (WMLS) and provides professional membership services to real estate agents and brokers in the Greater Williamsburg area of Virginia. The organization delivers MLS property data and tools, continuing education through the Williamsburg Real Estate School, government advocacy via RPAC, business partner networking, and member resources including a REALTOR store.

Product overview

Williamsburg Area Association of REALTORS (WAAR) operates as a professional trade association offering a core MLS platform (WMLS) for property listings, combined with membership services including education through Williamsburg Real Estate School, advocacy programs (RPAC), and business partner resources. The WMLS serves as the central platform providing listing data, with an integrated data share with CBRAR and newly launched AI Tools Suite for enhanced listing quality. Additional offerings include market statistics reporting, compliance training, networking events, and professional development courses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Williamsburg Multiple Listing Service (WMLS): The MLS system operated by WAAR providing listing data services for real estate professionals in the Greater Williamsburg area.

Products and services

• Williamsburg MLS (WMLS) Multiple Listing Service providing property listing data and management tools for real estate professionals in the Greater Williamsburg area, including cities of Williamsburg, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and surrounding counties. Powered by Cotality platform.
• Williamsburg Real Estate School Continuing education provider offering courses for REALTORS including Code of Ethics, Fair Housing, Legal Updates, Finance, Broker Management, and Virginia-specific real estate law. Members receive free Seamless CE; non-members pay $10 per CE hour.
• REALTOR Membership Services Association membership providing access to professional development, advocacy, networking events, REALTOR store, safety resources, and compliance training for licensed REALTORS.
• Business Partner Directory Directory connecting members with business partners including banks, mortgage lenders, home inspectors, title companies, and other real estate service providers.
• Market Statistics & Reports Monthly Market Indicators Report and Quarterly Home Sales report providing market data analysis for the Greater Williamsburg area using listing data from Virginia Association of REALTORS.
• RPAC (REALTOR Political Advocacy Committee) Political advocacy program supporting candidates and policies that benefit real estate professionals and homeowners. Includes events such as REALTOR Day On The Hill at the Virginia Capitol.
• WMLS AI Tools Suite AI-powered listing enhancement tools including photo tagging, photo captions, listing descriptions, and automated data entry powered by Restb.ai technology for WMLS subscribers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 767 homes sold across WAAR footprint in Q4 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Chesapeake Bay and Rivers Association of REALTORS® (CBRAR)coreTechnology or Integration · 24 March 2026WMLS began a fully integrated data share with CBRAR on March 24, 2026. Working together with Cotality, the partnership ensures attached documents are viewable and subscribers can create transactions via Transaction Desk, allowing agents to seamlessly conduct business across both MLS systems.
• Restb.aicoreTechnology or Integration · 17 March 2026AI technology provider powering the WMLS AI tools suite launching March 17, 2026, including AI Photo Tagging, AI Photo Captions, AI Listing Descriptions, and AI Listing Input features.
• National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWAAR is affiliated with NAR, the largest trade association in the United States. Members abide by the REALTOR® Code of Ethics dating back to 1913 and have access to national resources and advocacy.
• Virginia REALTORS®coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level association providing form updates, legislative advocacy, market data, and professional development resources for Virginia real estate professionals.
• Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater WilliamsburgmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWAAR's Raising the Roof project partnered with Habitat for Humanity to raise funds for affordable housing. The association pledged $110,000 and has raised over $64,287 toward building a home in James City County. A dedication ceremony for the Robinson House was held in December 2025.
• CotalitycoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology provider powering the Williamsburg Multiple Listing Service (WMLS) platform, enabling MLS data management and the integration with CBRAR.
• FOREWARNminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRisk assessment and due diligence app for real estate professionals. WAAR hosts training webinars for members on the FOREWARN platform.
• American Red CrossminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWAAR partners with American Red Cross for blood drive community events. Participants who donate blood receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS: Large Virginia regional NAR-affiliated REALTOR association. Same association archetype as WAAR but at significantly greater scale, providing a reference point for membership growth and MLS product deployment.
• Greater Richmond Association of REALTORS: Virginia-based local NAR-affiliated REALTOR association with a comparable member-services model, though larger in scale. Direct structural peer for benchmarking operations, MLS governance, and education programs.
• Chesapeake Bay and Rivers Association of REALTORS: Adjacent regional NAR-affiliated REALTOR association whose MLS (CBRAR MLS) recently entered an integrated data share with WAAR's WMLS. Operates the same membership/MLS model in Southeastern Virginia, making it the closest functional peer.
• Virginia Peninsula Association of REALTORS: Local NAR-affiliated REALTOR association operating on the Virginia Peninsula near Williamsburg. Provides a directly comparable membership, education, advocacy, and MLS structure to a neighboring agent base.
• Hampton Roads REALTORS Association: Regional NAR-affiliated REALTOR association serving the Hampton Roads area of Virginia with a parallel member-services and MLS offering. Competes for overlapping Realtor membership and listings in the broader Tidewater region.

Emerging players

• Zillow Group: National real estate portal and listings aggregator that competes with WMLS-derived consumer search via waarealtor.com. Adjacent rather than direct competitor, but exerts pressure on listing data's value as a member benefit.
• Realtor.com (Move, Inc.): Consumer-facing real estate search portal operated as an NAR-affiliated venture. Comparable to WAAR's consumer search angle via its Find a REALTOR directory and listings syndication, and a partial substitute for agents advertising listings.

Broad incumbents

• Stellar MLS: Large multi-county MLS serving Florida and adjacent markets with a unified data share model. Comparable to WMLS as an MLS operator, though much larger; a relevant benchmark for technology investment and partnership scale.
• Bright MLS: Largest regional MLS in the Mid-Atlantic, covering the DC/MD/VA region with a shared data platform. Adjacent rather than directly overlapping WAAR's footprint, but represents the consolidated-MLS model that single-association MLSes like WMLS are pressured by.
• National Association of REALTORS: The national umbrella trade association under which WAAR operates. Provides brand, ethics framework, advocacy, and shared services that local associations like WAAR inherit. Not a direct competitor, but the closest broad incumbent anchoring WAAR's positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WAARealtor
• Facebookfacebook.com/WAARealtor
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waarealtor
• Instagraminstagram.com/waarealtor
• Xx.com/WaarInfo

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Williamsburg Area Association of REALTORS