Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors

What Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors does

Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS (RVAR) is a private nonprofit trade association founded in 1921, headquartered at 4358 Starkey Rd., Roanoke, Virginia, and serving 1,400+ members across seven localities — Bedford County, Botetourt County, Craig County, Franklin County, Roanoke City, Roanoke County, and Salem City. The organization operates as the regional NAR-affiliated chapter providing REALTOR and Affiliate membership, Code of Ethics enforcement, professional standards, and advocacy at the local level, in coordination with the National Association of REALTORS and Virginia REALTORS. RVAR is led by CEO Shay Lawson with a five-person executive team including COO Jim Sweetwood, Office Manager Susan Edwards, Director of Membership & Development Melissa Elder, and Director of MLS Services Sydney Morgan, alongside an elected Board of Directors headed by President Todd Wampler and President-Elect Cathie Daniel.

RVAR's core offerings are Membership Services (annual REALTOR and Affiliate dues with a 2026 renewal cycle in market), Multiple Listing Service access via the FlexMLS platform (including lockboxes, zipForm, RPR, and data feeds), Professional Development and Education (CE classes, GRI courses, and Lunch & Learn seminars), Market Data & Statistics (monthly and annual housing reports), and Signature Events (REALTOR & Affiliate Night, Golf Classic, Installation & Awards Breakfast). Revenue is generated from recurring annual membership dues, recurring MLS subscription fees, pay-as-you-go CE class fees, and sponsorship from 14 Platinum Star Partners (mortgage lenders, title companies, insurance providers, and related service firms). The organization markets through its website (rvar.com), RAMCO AMS member portal, newsletter distribution via Constant Contact, and in-person events across the Roanoke Valley region.

Operationally, RVAR's stack is composed of third-party SaaS tools — RAMCO AMS for membership and portal, FlexMLS for listings, The Events Calendar for scheduling, and Constant Contact for newsletters — with no proprietary technology layer or AI/ML capability disclosed. Recent activity has focused on regulatory compliance (NAR Settlement Agreement Changes effective August 14, 2024), infrastructure modernization (Supra-to-SentriLock lockbox transition in 2026), and expansion of the Platinum Star Partner sponsorship program, alongside ongoing community service initiatives supporting local charities such as the Boys & Girls Club of SW Virginia, Feeding America SW Virginia, and the Roanoke Valley SPCA.

Name

Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors

Legal name

Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS

Website

https://rvar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS is a nonprofit regional trade association serving 1,400+ REALTOR and Affiliate members across the Roanoke Valley in Virginia. Founded in 1921, it provides MLS access, professional education, advocacy, and networking events as the local NAR-affiliated chapter.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Roanoke

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues for REALTORS® and Affiliate members, including 2026 dues renewal program
2. MLS Services: MLS access and data feeds for real estate professionals
3. Professional Development/Education: Continuing education (CE) classes and professional development courses for members

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RVAR is the regional nonprofit trade association for REALTORS® and Affiliate members in the Roanoke Valley of Virginia. It sells membership (REALTOR® and Affiliate tiers), provides access to the regional Multiple Listing Service (FlexMLS), delivers professional development and continuing-education classes, runs signature networking and charitable events, and advocates for members and the real estate industry at the local level.

Product overview

Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS® operates as a single unified membership organization offering multiple interconnected services for real estate professionals. The core offerings consist of Membership Services for REALTORS® and Affiliates, and access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). These are supported by Professional Development & Education programs providing CE classes and GRI courses, Market Data & Statistics offering monthly housing market reports, and Events & Networking opportunities including signature events like the annual REALTOR® & Affiliate Night and Golf Classic. The association serves the Roanoke Valley region covering Bedford County, Botetourt County, Craig County, Franklin County, Roanoke City, Roanoke County, and Salem City.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• REALTOR® Membership Annual REALTOR® membership for licensed real estate agents and brokers in the Roanoke Valley. Membership grants access to the regional MLS, the REALTOR® trademark and Code of Ethics standing, continuing-education programming, signature events, advocacy, and the member directory.
• Affiliate Membership Annual Affiliate membership for real estate adjacent businesses (mortgage lenders, title companies, home inspectors, insurance providers, home warranty firms) seeking referral and networking access to the local REALTOR® community.
• FlexMLS Regional Multiple Listing Service Regional MLS access delivered via the FlexMLS platform for REALTOR® members and the subscriber public. Allows listing input, property search, and broker-to-broker cooperation across the seven-county Roanoke Valley service area.
• Continuing Education and Professional Development Classes Paid continuing-education and professional development classes delivered to REALTOR® members for license renewal and skill development, scheduled through the events calendar.
• Signature Events and Fundraisers Ticketed and sponsored signature events that combine networking, professional development, and charitable fundraising for RVAR members and the regional real estate community.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Platinum Star Partners (Acquisition Title, ALCOVA Mortgage, Atlantic Bay, Guild Mortgage, Henry Mortgage, Derek Wiley Agency, Integrity Home, First Choice Title, Movement Mortgage, Virginia Mountain Mortgage, Priority, Virginia Title Center, Virginia Varsity, Virginia Credit Union)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Annual sponsor tier providing financial support in exchange for recognition and marketing visibility at RVAR events and on website. Includes mortgage lenders, title companies, and insurance providers serving the real estate industry.
• National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing REALTOR® trademark licensing, Code of Ethics standards, national advocacy, and educational resources. RVAR operates as a local chapter affiliated with NAR.
• Virginia REALTORS®coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level association providing advocacy at Virginia legislature, state-specific resources, and professional development programming including the Legal & Economic Symposium.
• Angels of Assisi, Boys & Girls Club of SW Virginia, Center in the Square, Community Christmas Store, Feeding America SW Virginia, Renovation Alliance, Rescue Mission, Roanoke Valley SPCAminorOthersLocal charities supported through RVAR community service initiatives including Back-2-School Drive, Pet Food Drive, and Good Neighbor Award donations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Virginia REALTORS: State-level REALTOR trade association in Virginia providing legislative advocacy, professional development, and resources to its member firms. Direct partner of RVAR and the obvious state-level comparable operating the same membership/advocacy model at scale.
• National Association of REALTORS (NAR): The national parent trade association that licenses the REALTOR trademark, enforces the Code of Ethics, and sets MLS standards. RVAR operates as a local NAR chapter and is structurally and operationally comparable as a membership association.

Direct peers

• Richmond Association of REALTORS: Regional REALTOR association serving the greater Richmond, Virginia area with MLS access, professional development, advocacy, and member services. Closest in-state comparable to RVAR in geography, scale, and service offering.
• Hampton Roads REALTORS Association: Regional REALTOR association serving the Hampton Roads/Tidewater Virginia area. Provides MLS, advocacy, CE education, and member events — directly parallel business model to RVAR in a different Virginia region.
• Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS: Regional REALTOR association serving Northern Virginia, offering MLS services, education, and advocacy. Operates the same chapter-of-NAR model as RVAR at a larger scale in a more urban Virginia market.
• Greater Piedmont REALTORS: Regional REALTOR association serving the greater Piedmont region of Virginia. Comparable small-to-mid scale trade association model with MLS, advocacy, and member services parallel to RVAR.
• Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS (GLVAR): Regional REALTOR association serving the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Operates the same local-chapter-of-NAR model with MLS, education, advocacy, and signature events — a directly comparable out-of-state peer.
• Chicago Association of REALTORS: Large urban regional REALTOR association serving the Chicago metropolitan area. Same NAR chapter structure, MLS access, education, and advocacy model as RVAR, at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Bright MLS: Multi-state regional MLS serving the Mid-Atlantic (including parts of Virginia). Represents the evolving scale and consolidation pressure on single-region MLS providers like the FlexMLS that RVAR operates, with implications for the local MLS economics.
• Stellar MLS: Large multi-state MLS serving Florida and surrounding markets. Comparable to the FlexMLS platform RVAR runs, but at substantially larger aggregated scale — illustrative of the consolidation trend reshaping regional MLS economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roanoke-valley-association-of-realtors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors