High Country Association of Realtors

What High Country Association of Realtors does

High Country Association of REALTORS® (HCAR) is a nonprofit professional trade association headquartered in Boone, North Carolina, serving real estate professionals and consumers across the High Country region of North Carolina — specifically Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, and Watauga Counties. The association is locally chartered and affiliated with NC REALTORS® at the state level and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) at the national level, which confers licensed use of the REALTOR® trademark and access to Code of Ethics enforcement.

Its core offering is the High Country Multiple Listing Service (operated through wholly-owned subsidiary High Country MLS, Inc.), giving members a shared property database, a public Find a Home search, and a Find a REALTOR® directory for consumers. Member operations, event registration, document delivery, and continuing education administration run on the GrowthZone association management platform. Beyond MLS access, HCAR provides in-person and online continuing education classes, advocacy via RPAC, professional standards handling, scholarships, affiliate business partnerships, and regional market data reports.

The organization generates revenue through three primary streams: recurring membership dues from REALTOR® members, subscription access fees for the MLS system, and course fees for continuing education. Membership is broadly distributed across local brokerages and national franchise brands active in the region (Keller Williams, RE/MAX, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Premier Sotheby's, and independent firms), with no single anchor dominating. HCAR is governed by a Board of Directors, operates with a 1-10 employee staff, and has no disclosed private equity, venture capital, or parent-company ownership.

Name

High Country Association of Realtors

Legal name

High Country Association of REALTORS®

Website

https://highcountryrealtors.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

High Country Association of REALTORS® is a nonprofit professional trade association serving real estate professionals and consumers in the High Country region of North Carolina (Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Watauga counties), delivering MLS access, continuing education, advocacy, and member services through its NAR affiliation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Trade Association

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAEAJAA

Residential Real Estate Brokerage (Buy/Sell)

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Real Estate Advisory & Brokerage

SECONDARYBPAJAAAA

Traditional Residential Brokerage (Existing Homes)

Business & Public Services/Real Estate Services (Brokerage, Property Management)/Residential Real Estate Brokerage

Keywords

• Real estate association
• Multiple listing service
• Professional development
• Real estate education
• Membership organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Boone

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: Real estate professionals pay membership dues to join the association, which provides access to MLS, professional development, advocacy, and member benefits.
2. Education and Continuing Education: The association offers in-person and online continuing education classes for realtors, generating revenue from course fees.
3. Multiple Listing Service Access: Members pay for access to the High Country MLS system for property listings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The High Country Association of REALTORS® is a regional nonprofit professional trade association serving real estate agents, brokers, and affiliate businesses across the High Country region of North Carolina. It delivers MLS access, continuing-education and professional development courses, legislative and regulatory advocacy, networking events, and a public REALTOR® directory to support its members. Member dues and affiliate partnerships fund its operations, and it ties members into the broader National Association of REALTORS® ecosystem through the REALTOR® trademark.

Product overview

High Country Association of REALTORS® operates as a professional trade association providing member services to real estate professionals across the High Country region of North Carolina. The organization offers a unified platform combining consumer-facing tools (Find a REALTOR® directory, Find a Home search), member resources (MLS documents, professional standards, REALTOR® safety), educational services (in-person and online CE classes), advocacy programs (RPAC), community initiatives (scholarship program), and event management. The association connects real estate professionals with consumers and provides ongoing professional development and advocacy support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• REALTOR® Membership Annual membership for licensed real estate professionals in the High Country NC region providing MLS access, continuing-education programs, legislative and regulatory advocacy, networking events, and the right to use the REALTOR® trademark in client-facing materials.
• Affiliate Business Partner Program Annual partnership offering for real estate service vendors that provides networking and visibility access to the association's 1,554+ REALTOR® members across the High Country region.
• Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Property listing and search platform for member REALTORS® that supports cooperative listing and sale of properties across the High Country region.
• Continuing Education and Professional Development Licensing-required continuing education and professional development courses for member REALTORS® and prospective real estate professionals in the High Country region.
• Advocacy and Legislative Representation Legislative and regulatory advocacy on behalf of High Country real estate professionals, coordinated with the National Association of REALTORS® political apparatus including the Fair Share RPAC program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of home buyers consider their real estate agent to be a useful source of information
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Atlantic Bay Mortgage GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate business partner providing mortgage lending services to association members and their clients.
• High Country Home Builders AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner representing home builders in the High Country region, collaborating on housing advocacy and consumer resources.
• NC REALTORS®coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level association affiliated with High Country Association, providing legislative advocacy, education resources, and policy support at the state level.
• National Association of REALTORS®coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association affiliated with High Country Association, providing national advocacy, standards, and REALTOR® trademark licensing.
• Check-Mate InspectionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate business partner providing home inspection services to association members and their clients.
• Fairway MortgageminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate business partner providing mortgage lending services to association members and their clients.
• Life Store BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate business partner providing banking and lending services to association members and their clients.
• State FarmminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate business partner providing insurance services to association members and their clients.
• Dominic Simon Home InspectionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate business partner providing home inspection services to association members and their clients.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Zillow Group: Consumer-facing real estate marketplace that competes for consumer attention and listing exposure traditionally routed through local MLS platforms like HCAR's. An emerging player whose growth could disintermediate HCAR's member-facing value proposition.
• Redfin: Technology-driven real estate brokerage and portal competing with traditional MLS-brokered transaction flows. An emerging player that pressures the relevance of local REALTOR® associations and MLS access in the High Country market.

Broad incumbents

• Realtor.com (Move, Inc.): NAR-operated consumer real estate search portal. Comparable as a broad incumbent that overlaps with HCAR's consumer-facing Find a Home tool while operating at vastly greater national scale.
• Bright MLS: One of the largest MLS operators in the U.S., serving the Mid-Atlantic. A broader-incumbent peer that demonstrates the consolidated-MLS model HCAR could face competitive and consolidation pressure from.
• National Association of REALTORS®: National umbrella trade association that HCAR is affiliated with. Operates the broader REALTOR® trademark, Code of Ethics, and advocacy program that HCAR extends at the local level — a broad incumbent in the same trade-association category.

Direct peers

• Triangle MLS: Regional MLS serving the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of North Carolina. Directly comparable MLS infrastructure operator, competing with HCAR's MLS for member-facing listing and market data services.
• Canopy MLS: Regional MLS operator in the Charlotte/region serving multiple local REALTOR® associations. Directly comparable as an MLS platform that provides listing infrastructure similar to HCAR's High Country MLS subsidiary.
• Charlotte Region Association of REALTORS®: Another North Carolina local REALTOR® association offering MLS access, continuing education, advocacy, and member services in the Charlotte region. Directly comparable in operating model, member services, and NAR-affiliated structure.
• Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®: Local REALTOR® association in the Raleigh/Triangle region of North Carolina providing MLS services, member education, and advocacy — a like-for-like peer to HCAR in another NC market.
• NC REALTORS®: State-level REALTOR® trade association in North Carolina that HCAR is directly affiliated with. Operates as the parent state body providing legislative advocacy, education resources, and policy support — directly comparable in structure and mission to HCAR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HighCountry_NC
• Facebookfacebook.com/highcountryrealtors
• Instagraminstagram.com/highcountry_realtors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/high-country-association-of-realtors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 High Country Association of Realtors