Coastal Association of REALTORS

What Coastal Association of REALTORS does

The Coastal Association of REALTORS® (legal entity: Coastal Association of REALTORS of MD Inc) is a Maryland-incorporated nonprofit professional membership association serving licensed real estate professionals in the tri-county region of Maryland's Eastern Shore — Worcester County (including Ocean City), Wicomico County (including Salisbury), and Somerset County. Headquartered at 314 Franklin Ave, Suite 106, Berlin, Maryland, it operates as the sole local REALTOR® chapter for this territory and is affiliated with both the Maryland REALTORS® state body and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), from which it licenses the REALTOR® registered trademark on behalf of its members.

The association does not develop proprietary technology. Instead, it bundles third-party partner platforms as member services: BRIGHT MLS for property search and listing data, Sentrilock for electronic lockbox access (with reciprocity extended to non-members), ZipForms for transaction document management, and The CE Shop for pre-licensing and continuing education. It also operates proprietary offerings including a monthly Local Market Insight report for each of the three counties and the Certified Coastal Area Local Specialist (CALS) professional designation. Adjacent community programs include the Coastal Foundation (the association's charitable arm) and a Junior Achievement Partnership for member volunteer engagement.

The revenue model is membership-dues based and recurring, drawn from four tiers — Primary Members, Secondary Members, Affiliate Members, and Emeritus Members — with pricing not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is community-led: recruitment occurs through advocacy, education, designation programs, and member-benefit positioning rather than through outbound sales. Customer segments are horizontal, encompassing practicing REALTOR® members as the primary base, affiliate industry professionals (lenders, title companies, inspectors, insurers) as secondary, and consumers seeking property search and agent referrals as a tertiary audience served through digital channels and the BRIGHT MLS portal.

Name

Coastal Association of REALTORS

Legal name

Coastal Association of REALTORS®

Website

https://coastalrealtors.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Coastal Association of REALTORS® is a nonprofit local REALTOR® membership association serving licensed real estate professionals across Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore, delivering dues-funded advocacy, education, market data, and member services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The association generates revenue primarily through membership dues from Primary Members, Secondary Members, Affiliate Members, and Emeritus Members. This is a recurring revenue stream typical of professional associations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Coastal Association of REALTORS® is a nonprofit professional trade association that recruits licensed real estate professionals and affiliate industry partners as members and delivers membership services including continuing education, professional designations (CALS), electronic lockbox access via Sentrilock, digital transaction forms via ZipForms, online pre-licensing courses through The CE Shop, local market statistics and executive reports, advocacy at local/state/national government levels, and community engagement programs including the Coastal Foundation.

Product overview

Coastal Association of REALTORS is a professional membership organization serving real estate professionals in Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Rather than offering a unified software product, the association provides a portfolio of member services including Sentrilock electronic lockbox access, ZipForms document services, Online Learning through The CE Shop for continuing education, the Certified Coastal Area Local Specialist (CALS) designation, and monthly market statistics/reporting for the tri-county region. Members also access advocacy services, government affairs updates, and resources from Maryland REALTORS and National Association of REALTORS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAR Membership (Primary, Secondary, Affiliate, Emeritus) Tiered membership program providing licensed real estate professionals, affiliate industry partners, and emeritus members access to CAR's benefits, advocacy, education, market statistics, networking events, and partner integrations.
• Sentrilock Lockbox Access Electronic lockbox system that allows members and qualifying non-members to access properties for showings; non-members can request CAR lockbox reciprocity with up to 48-hour verification processing.
• ZipForms Online real estate forms and document management service for members, providing digital forms and transaction management for real estate deals.
• Online Learning @ The CE Shop Online continuing education platform for real estate professionals including pre-licensing courses, accessed through the association's education portal.
• Certified Coastal Area Local Specialist (CALS) Certification Professional designation program for members who specialize in the Maryland Eastern Shore coastal real estate market.
• Market Statistics & Executive Reports Monthly Local Market Insight reports for Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset counties, plus overall CAR market statistics and executive reporting.
• BRIGHT MLS Property Search MLS-powered property search functionality that links members and consumers to the Bright MLS homes platform for searching Eastern Shore listings.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational affiliation providing REALTOR® designation licensing, national advocacy, research, and professional standards. CAR is a local chapter of this national organization.
• Maryland REALTORS®coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level affiliation providing advocacy at the Maryland state government level, consumer resources, and state-specific professional guidance for REALTORS®.
• BRIGHT MLScoreTechnology or IntegrationMultiple Listing Service (MLS) provider providing property listing data, market statistics, and property search tools for association members and consumers.
• SentrilockcoreTechnology or IntegrationElectronic lockbox provider offering Sentrilock reciprocity allowing non-members to access CAR lockboxes. Member benefit program with processing time up to 48 hours.
• ZipFormscoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline forms and document management system providing digital real estate forms and transactions management for members.
• The CE ShopcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline learning platform partner providing pre-licensing courses and continuing education for real estate professionals. Access through the association's education portal.
• Junior Achievement PartnershipminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership with Junior Achievement providing volunteer opportunities and educational programs. Includes 'JA and CAR in Action' initiative.
• Coastal FoundationminorOthersInternal charitable foundation making community impact through various programs. Part of the association's community engagement initiative.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Bright MLS: Regional Multiple Listing Service that provides property data, market statistics, and the property search portal integrated into CAR's website; comparable as the technology infrastructure underpinning CAR's consumer and member experience.

Direct peers

• Prince George's County Association of REALTORS®: Local Maryland REALTOR® chapter serving Prince George's County; operates with the same NAR affiliation, dues model, and member services portfolio.
• Montgomery County Association of REALTORS®: County-level REALTOR® association serving Montgomery County, Maryland; directly comparable in structure, dues model, and member services to CAR.
• Anne Arundel County Association of REALTORS®: Local REALTOR® association serving Anne Arundel County, Maryland; directly comparable as a county-level chapter offering dues-based membership, MLS access, and professional development.
• Greater Baltimore Board of REALTORS®: Another Maryland local REALTOR® association serving the Baltimore metro region; operates the same membership-dues model with comparable member services (MLS, lockboxes, education, advocacy) for its territory.
• Howard County Association of REALTORS®: County-level Maryland REALTOR® association offering the same member-benefit stack to agents in Howard County; structurally and operationally comparable to CAR.

Regional players

• Allegany-Garrett Board of REALTORS®: Multi-county Maryland REALTOR® association serving Allegany and Garrett Counties in western Maryland; comparable as a similarly-sized rural local chapter within the same state association.
• Cecil County Board of REALTORS®: Small Maryland county-level REALTOR® association serving Cecil County; highly comparable as a similarly-sized, single-territory local chapter within the same state association structure.

Broad incumbents

• Maryland REALTORS®: State-level trade association directly above CAR in the REALTOR® hierarchy; provides statewide advocacy, consumer resources, and professional standards for Maryland members, and is the parent state body of which CAR is a local chapter.
• National Association of REALTORS® (NAR): National trade body that licenses the REALTOR® trademark to CAR members and provides national advocacy, research, and professional standards; comparable as the apex of the same trade association structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coastalaor
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTw511eF7L1mqGx8D0K49eg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CoastalAOR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coastal-association-of-realtors-of-md-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/coastal_realtors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Coastal Association of REALTORS