Commercial Alliance of Realtors

Name

Commercial Alliance of Realtors

Legal name

Commercial Alliance of REALTORS West Michigan

Website

https://carwm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from Realtor and Affiliate members. Designated REALTOR Member has $300 application fee. Designated Affiliate is $250 annually. CAR Affiliate is $100 annually. CAR & MAR Affiliate is $200 annually.
2. MLS Setup Fees: New Office Set up: $175. New Agent Set up: $75 per agent. Additional fees for state and national association dues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Commercial Alliance of REALTORS (CARWM) operates a commercial multiple-listing service and trade association for West Michigan commercial real estate professionals. Through the Catylist platform, members gain access to over 3,000 commercial property listings and a nationwide network of inventory imports from national companies and over 30 local associations. The organization supplements its MLS offering with member networking events, educational programming, market outlook panels, and professional committees for licensed brokers, salespersons, and affiliate industry professionals.

Product overview

Commercial Alliance of REALTORS (CARWM) operates as a commercial real estate Multiple Listing Service (MLS) organization serving West Michigan. The core product is the Commercial Property Listing Services platform powered by Catylist, providing members access to over 3,000 commercial property listings including industrial, office, retail, vacant land, and investment opportunities. The platform includes the Catylist mobile app, Commercial Exchange national marketplace integration, property search and comparables tools, broadcast email systems, and presentation-ready report generation. Membership tiers include Designated REALTOR, REALTOR, and Affiliate categories with associated fees. The organization supplements its listing services with member networking, educational programming, committee participation, and advocacy initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Property Listing Services (Catylist MLS) A commercial multiple-listing service platform providing access to over 3,000 commercial, industrial, office, retail, vacant land, investment real estate, build-to-suit, and business opportunity listings. Members enter listings once and automatically distribute them to national networks including Commercial Exchange. Includes comparable transaction search, customizable PDF report export, broadcast email, and off-market property access with tax data and owner information. Target users: licensed commercial real estate brokers and salespersons in West Michigan.
• CARWM Membership Annual membership in the Commercial Alliance of REALTORS trade association, available with tiered categories including Designated REALTOR ($300 application fee), REALTOR member, and Affiliate members (Designated Affiliate $250/year, CAR Affiliate $100/year, CAR & MAR Affiliate $200/year). Membership grants access to the Catylist MLS platform, networking events, educational programming, committee participation, CRE market information, and presentation opportunities.
• Catylist Mobile App Mobile application providing full members access to the Catylist commercial listing database on Android and iOS devices including iPhones and iPads. Available for Full Members.
• Commercial Exchange National Marketplace Listing Automatic distribution of CARWM member listings to Commercial Exchange, a free-to-search national marketplace, providing additional nationwide exposure beyond the local West Michigan market.
• West Michigan Summit and CRE Events Annual full-day summit with education sessions, legal updates, and networking opportunities, drawing nearly 250 commercial brokers, sales agents, and affiliate members. Includes additional events such as golf outings, market outlook panels, walking tours, and lunch-n-learn segments.
• Find a Broker Directory Searchable directory allowing the public to find CARWM member brokers by name or criteria, providing visibility for member brokerages and supporting consumer referrals.
• MLS Setup Services One-time setup services for new offices ($175) and new agents ($75 per agent) accessing the Catylist MLS platform, including additional state and national association dues collection.

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to over 3,000 available commercial listings
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• National Association of REALTORS - Commercial Alliance AccreditationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008CAR earned REALTOR Commercial Alliance Accreditation from NAR in 2008 and has maintained the highest-level (DIAMOND) accreditation continuously since then through present day.
• National Association of REALTORS (NAR)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006CAR was developed as an unincorporated division of GRAR beginning in 2002 and gained recognition as a formal association through NAR approval in 2006. CAR maintains active participation in NAR's Commercial Advocacy/Legislation, Commercial Education, Commercial Research, and Commercial Data/Listing Resources programs. CAR holds DIAMOND level accreditation from NAR.
• CatylistcoreTechnology or IntegrationCatylist provides the commercial multiple-listing service platform for CARWM members. The platform provides comprehensive market views, off-market property access with tax data and owner information, presentation-ready reports with one-click export, marketing and lead tracking, search of posted needs/wants archive, comparables search, and broadcast email capabilities. Listings are automatically distributed to Catylist's nationwide network.
• Commercial ExchangecoreTechnology or IntegrationNational marketplace where CARWM listings receive automatic exposure. Free-to-search platform providing additional national visibility for member listings.
• Michigan Association of REALTORS (MAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAR offers combined CAR & MAR Affiliate membership for individuals wanting dual membership in both the Commercial Alliance of REALTORS and the Michigan Association of REALTORS. CAR collects state association dues on behalf of members.
• Driesenga & AssociatesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistinguished Affiliate sponsor providing civil engineering, land planning, surveying, geotechnical engineering, environmental consulting, and construction materials testing services to commercial real estate industry. Founded in 1995 with offices in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Detroit, and Holland, Michigan.
• Miller JohnsonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistinguished Affiliate sponsor. Full-service law firm providing legal counsel to businesses in areas including business and corporate, employment and labor, litigation, employee benefits, family law, and estate planning. Tier-one ranked real estate practice comprised of 14 attorneys. Founded 1959.
• Rhoades McKeeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistinguished Affiliate sponsor. Full-service law firm providing commercial real estate legal services. Multiple attorneys listed as affiliate members representing CRE legal services.
• FishbeckminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistinguished Affiliate sponsor. Engineering, architectural, scientific, construction services firm serving commercial real estate clients with offices in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, MI.
• Plante & Moran PLLCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistinguished Affiliate sponsor. Professional services firm providing accounting, tax, and business consulting services to commercial real estate industry.
• United Bank of MichiganminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistinguished Affiliate sponsor. Full-service bank providing commercial banking and lending services to commercial real estate professionals and investors.
• Sun Title AgencyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistinguished Affiliate sponsor. Title insurance and escrow services provider for commercial real estate transactions throughout Michigan.
• Benham WrigleyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistinguished Affiliate sponsor. Legal services provider.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CoStar Group: The dominant national commercial real estate data, analytics, and marketplace platform. Competes in the broader CRE information services space where CARWM operates, with significantly larger scale, proprietary data assets, and the ability to serve individual brokers directly — a structural threat to regional MLS organizations.
• LoopNet: The largest national online commercial real estate marketplace, owned by CoStar. Provides free-to-search CRE listings and paid premium placement, competing for the attention and transaction activity of CARWM's broker and affiliate members.
• CCIM Institute: National trade body for commercial real estate professionals offering the CCIM designation, education, and a technology platform (CCIM Tech). Comparable as a CRE professional membership organization with a broader national scope than CARWM, providing similar networking, education, and data services.
• National Association of REALTORS (NAR): The parent national trade body that accredits CARWM at the DIAMOND level. Operates as the umbrella trade association for all REALTORS, including commercial members, and provides the accreditation framework, advocacy, and education infrastructure that CARWM relies on.

Emerging players

• Crexi: Fast-growing national commercial real estate marketplace and MLS platform offering listings, comps, and data tools to CRE brokers. Provides direct-to-broker listing and comp services that overlap with the value CARWM's Catylist-powered MLS delivers, but at national scale.
• VTS: Leading commercial real estate leasing and asset management platform serving owners, brokers, and investors. Overlaps with CARWM's broker and investor member base by providing listing exposure, deal tracking, and market data — competing for the same customers' time and software spend.
• CompStak: CRE lease and sale comp data platform that crowdsources transaction data from brokers. Provides comps and market intelligence that overlap with CARWM's Catylist comps offering, and sources data from many of the same broker members.

Direct peers

• American Industrial Real Estate Association (AIREA): Long-standing Southern California-based trade association operating a commercial MLS for industrial and commercial real estate professionals. Operates a similar regional association-plus-MLS model to CARWM, serving CRE brokers in a defined geographic market.
• Catylist: Commercial MLS technology platform that powers CARWM's listing service and provides the core member offering (off-market data, comps, broadcast email, mobile app). Also operates commercial MLS offerings for other regional REALTOR associations, making it both a technology partner and a structural peer in the regional CRE MLS market.

Others

• Commercial Exchange: National free-to-search CRE marketplace where CARWM member listings are automatically distributed. Operates as a complementary distribution channel rather than a direct competitor, but represents a parallel listing-distribution model that brokers can access without a regional MLS subscription.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carwmi

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Commercial Alliance of Realtors