Montana Association of Realtors

What Montana Association of Realtors does

Montana Association of REALTORS® (MAR) is a private, Helena-headquartered nonprofit trade association and the chartered Montana state affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). It serves licensed real estate agents, brokers, and REALTORS® operating in Montana, with the membership organized through eight local associations spanning Billings, Bitterroot Valley, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, and Missoula. The association's mission centers on enhancing member professionalism, protecting private property rights, and supporting community vitality, delivered primarily through advocacy at the Montana legislature and the RPAC political action committee.

MAR's core product suite includes the Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) professional designation (60 hours of coursework), the Supervising Broker Enhancement Course ($250), the MAR Legal Hotline, and the MAR Forms library — Montana-specific transaction forms licensed across five distribution platforms (Transaction Desk, Zip Forms, Dot Loop, DocuSign, SkySlope). Member engagement is sustained through weekly reMARks newsletters, the annual REALTOR® Digest (expanded with a mid-year edition in 2025), the MAR Power Hour webinar series, MAR Leadership Academy (MARLA), three annual business meetings, and REALTOR® Day at the Capitol. Technology infrastructure is modest: a password-protected member portal, a YouTube video library, and text-alert capabilities, with no proprietary software product or AI/ML capabilities disclosed.

Revenue is generated exclusively through recurring membership dues, supplemented by course and designation fees (e.g., $50 GRI processing fee). The organization operates with approximately 6 full-time staff under CEO Kaaren Winkler (appointed December 2020), organized into functional directorates covering Communications, Operations, Education, Government Affairs, and Member Engagement. Financial figures are not publicly disclosed, and the entity is not venture-backed; it functions as a member-funded advocacy and professional services body rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

Montana Association of Realtors

Legal name

Montana Association of REALTORS

Website

https://montanarealtors.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Montana Association of REALTORS® is the chartered Montana state affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS®, serving licensed real estate professionals statewide through advocacy, professional development (GRI designation, continuing education), legal resources, and Montana-specific transaction forms licensed across multiple platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Helena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: MAR is a membership-based trade association that generates revenue through annual dues from REALTOR® members throughout Montana. Members pay dues to access benefits including advocacy, professional development, legal resources, forms, and networking opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Montana Association of REALTORS® (MAR) is a nonprofit state-level trade association that serves licensed real estate professionals across Montana. It delivers member services including advocacy and government affairs at the state legislature, continuing education and professional designations (GRI, Supervising Broker courses), a legal hotline for transaction questions, a real estate forms library distributed via third-party platforms, and networking and leadership development through committees, business meetings, and events.

Product overview

Montana Association of REALTORS® is a professional trade association offering a comprehensive suite of member services centered around education, advocacy, legal support, and professional development. The core educational offerings include the Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) designation program, Supervising Broker Enhancement Course, and MAR Power Hour webinars. Legal support is provided through the MAR Legal Hotline and forms library distributed via Transaction Desk, Zip Forms, Dot Loop, DocuSign, and SkySlope. The association conducts year-round advocacy through its Government Affairs team and RPAC, hosts three annual business meetings and REALTOR® Day at the Capitol, and publishes the weekly reMARks newsletter and annual REALTOR® Digest. Additional services include the Leadership Academy, Online Education Resources through approved vendors, REALTOR® Safety Program, and Regional Ambassadors connecting local associations to state-level initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) Designation Program Professional designation program delivering advanced real estate education through 60 hours of coursework (48 CORE hours plus 12 Elective hours) covering market knowledge, business skills, systems/tools, and legal compliance. Includes an annual GRI conference for networking, education, vendor trade fair, and graduation ceremony; redesigned in 2026 as a condensed 1.5-day in-person format.
• Supervising Broker Enhancement Course Two-day, 16-CEs continuing education course for current supervising brokers covering policy development, risk management, team management, succession planning, and brokerage operations. Costs $250; fulfills the 4-hour annual update requirement for existing supervising brokers.
• Supervising Broker Pre-Endorsement Course Required 8-hour broker endorsement course taught by Robyn Erlenbush and Zane Sullivan, offered in Helena and via Zoom to prepare candidates for supervisory endorsement.
• MAR Power Hour Weekly webinar series providing members updates on new legislation, MAR Forms changes, and trending industry topics, featuring national speakers covering topics like anti-trust violations, RESPA compliance, and professional standards.
• MAR Leadership Academy (MARLA) Annual leadership development program educating and empowering volunteer leaders through individual study, group learning, and hands-on projects, with session dates held across Montana locations such as Helena, Anaconda, and Great Falls.
• MAR Legal Hotline Telephone hotline assisting members with real estate transaction questions including business relationships, compensation/fees, disclosure, earnest money, landlord/tenant issues, MAR Forms, and trust accounts.
• MAR Forms Library Extensive library of Montana-specific real estate transaction forms provided to members through Transaction Desk and Zip Forms, with licensing arrangements extending access to Dot Loop, DocuSign, and SkySlope. Forms are updated regularly to comply with state and federal laws.
• REALTOR® Digest Annual industry publication delivered electronically to members containing legal updates, MAR Forms changes, local market statistics, NAR committee appointees, and advocacy efforts, with a new mid-year publication added in 2025.
• reMARks Weekly Newsletter Weekly e-newsletter sent to members containing industry news, legal webinars, educational courses, MAR Forms updates, legislative updates, and committee information.
• Montana REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) Political action committee supporting and endorsing state legislative candidates who align with REALTOR® values, based on voting records and interviews, with year-round advocacy at polls, in communities, and at the Montana Capitol.
• Government Affairs Advocacy Program Year-round advocacy program that tracks legislation, builds coalition partnerships, conducts weekly Government Affairs Committee calls during legislative sessions, and works with the Montana Board of Realty Regulation to clarify statutes affecting members.
• REALTOR® Safety Program Safety resources including annual safety reports, training presentations, and links to NAR safety webinars, articles, videos, and apps for agent protection.
• Online Education Resources Curated partnerships with approved online education vendors including RETI (free account setup), The CE Shop, and McKissock for state-approved continuing education and professional development courses.
• Fair Housing Poster Two Fair Housing poster designs available for download to promote equal housing opportunities and compliance with Fair Housing Laws; posters must be 11x14 inches per HUD regulations.
• MAR Member Portal Password-protected member portal providing access to transaction forms, legal resources, the legal hotline, membership benefits, and MAR communications.
• Regional Ambassadors Program Program with three regional ambassadors (Western, Central, Eastern) serving as the critical link between local associations and MAR, with ambassadors serving as voting members on the MAR Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Named customers3 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

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Montana Building Industry AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working with MAR on advocacy efforts and legislative issues affecting the real estate industry in Montana. Partners collaborate on housing-related legislation and policy initiatives.
• Montana Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner collaborating with MAR on legislative advocacy and policy initiatives affecting Montana businesses and the real estate industry.
• Montana Water Well Drillers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working with MAR on advocacy issues related to water rights and property development in Montana.
• Transaction DeskcoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary forms platform providing MAR real estate transaction forms to members. MAR maintains an extensive library of transaction forms available through Transaction Desk.
• Zip FormscoreTechnology or IntegrationForms platform providing MAR real estate transaction forms to members. Available as part of MAR member benefits.
• National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAR is the Montana state association affiliated with NAR. NAR provides national-level resources, professional standards, designations, and advocacy support. MAR members have access to NAR member benefits, committees, and conventions.
• Local REALTOR® AssociationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAR serves as the state-level association coordinating with 8 local associations: Billings, Bitterroot Valley, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, and Missoula. Local associations provide local education, networking, and member services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Colorado Association of REALTORS: Colorado's state-level REALTOR trade association. Comparable peer given Mountain West geographic adjacency and similar market dynamics to Montana.
• California Association of Realtors: California's state-level REALTOR trade association. Direct structural peer to MAR: same NAR-affiliate model, same member services (legal hotline, forms, advocacy, education), serving a different state geography.
• New York State Association of REALTORS: New York's state REALTOR association offering the same suite of advocacy, education, legal resources, and forms access as MAR, scaled to a different state market.
• Texas Realtors: Texas state REALTOR association offering comparable advocacy, legal, education, and forms services to Texas members. Direct peer to MAR in mission, structure, and product mix.
• Florida Realtors: Florida's state-level REALTOR trade association providing parallel advocacy, education (GRI equivalents), legal support, and forms licensing to its members.

Others

• Montana Building Industry Association: Montana's homebuilder trade association. Listed as a coalition partner of MAR on advocacy; serves an adjacent but distinct segment (builders vs. brokers) of the Montana real estate ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of REALTORS: The national umbrella trade association for REALTORS in the United States. MAR is the Montana state affiliate of NAR, making NAR the parent federal structure whose standards, designations, and advocacy MAR extends to the state level.
• National Association of Home Builders: National trade association for the home building industry. Analogous to NAR but for builders; provides a comparable umbrella structure to state-level affiliates like MAR's coalition partner Montana Building Industry Association.

Regional players

• Wyoming Association of REALTORS: Wyoming's state REALTOR association. Closely comparable in scale, market structure, and rural/low-density operating environment to MAR.
• Idaho Association of REALTORS: Neighboring Mountain West state REALTOR association. Closest geographic peer to MAR, operating in a similar low-population, high-outdoor-recreal real estate market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@montanaassociationofrealto430
• Xx.com/MT_Realtors
• Facebookfacebook.com/MontanaRealtors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montana-association-of-realtors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Montana Association of Realtors