American Real Estate Association

What American Real Estate Association does

The American Real Estate Association (ARA) is a US trade association founded in 2024 by Jason Haber and Mauricio Umansky (CEO of The Agency) to serve residential real estate agents and brokers as an alternative to the dominant National Association of Realtors (NAR). The organization is positioned as agent-first, focused on elevating industry professionalism, providing policy advocacy at national and state levels, and offering a collective voice on legislative and regulatory matters affecting residential real estate professionals. ARA's primary customer base consists of individual residential real estate agents, with secondary engagement from brokers and brokerage firms seeking representation on industry policy; the organization explicitly rejects venture capital investment to preserve independence.

ARA operates a two-tier subscription membership model. The standard membership is priced at an introductory $20 for 2026, with members receiving advocacy representation, community access, and a 20% discount on association events, plus a $20 credit toward the 2027 renewal. The founding member tier is priced at $1,500 and includes 10 years of dues, website and event recognition, and exclusive access to founding-member gatherings. Distribution occurs through direct online enrollment via the ARA website using Stripe payment processing and through strategic corporate partnerships with major brokerages — Compass International Holdings (covering Compass, Coldwell Banker, CENTURY 21, Sotheby's International Realty) and REMAX — under which affiliated agents receive complimentary first-year memberships. The REMAX partnership additionally placed REMAX President and Chief Growth Officer Chris Lim on the ARA advisory board.

The association has no proprietary technology platform beyond its membership website (americanrea.org), which handles member enrollment, communications, and event coordination. ARA's principal technology-adjacent partnership is with RLTYco, through which members are automatically enrolled in the RLTY Blue benefits platform, providing corporate-grade discounts through launch partners such as The RealReal, Blade, and Priority Pass. As of early 2026, ARA reported approximately 30,000 members following the 2025 acquisition of the New York Residential Agent Continuum (NYRAC), its first local chapter in New York City and a stated template for future metropolitan chapters.

Name

American Real Estate Association

Legal name

American Real Estate Association

Website

https://americanrea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Real Estate Association is a 2024-founded US trade association for residential real estate agents, offering $20/year membership as an alternative to the National Association of Realtors. It has grown to roughly 30,000 members through national partnerships with Compass International Holdings and REMAX.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Trade Association

NAICS

Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Residential Brokerage (Existing Homes) (BPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Real Estate Teams & Agent Networks (Team-Based Brokerage) (BPAJAAAL), Buyer Representation Services (BPAJAAAJ)

Keywords

• Real estate trade association
• Agent membership organization
• Industry advocacy services
• Professional membership dues
• Residential brokerage representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Standard Membership Dues: Annual membership dues charged to individual real estate agents and brokers. The standard membership is offered at an introductory rate of $20 for 2026, with benefits including $20 off the 2027 renewal and 20% discount on events.
2. Founding Member Dues: Premium founding member tier at $1,500, which includes 10 years of membership dues, site recognition, event recognition, and exclusive invitations to founding member gatherings.
3. Corporate Partnership Memberships: Enterprise partnerships with major brokerages (e.g., Compass International Holdings) where agents receive complimentary first-year memberships through 2027, providing access to the association's member network and advocacy platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The American Real Estate Association is a trade association offering paid memberships to residential real estate agents, brokers, and firms. Members receive industry advocacy at national and state levels, professional development resources, networking events, corporate-grade discounts through the RLTY Blue partnership, and a collective policy voice as an alternative to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Product overview

ARA is a trade association offering a single membership product with two tiers: the $20/year Standard Membership providing advocacy, resources, community, and event discounts; and the $1,500 Founding Member tier which includes 10 years of dues and exclusive recognition and access perks. The association focuses on residential real estate professionals and represents an alternative to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ARA Standard Membership Annual membership tier priced at $20 for 2026 that provides individual residential real estate agents and brokers with policy advocacy, professional resources, community access, and a 20% discount on ARA-hosted events.
• ARA Founding Member Premium membership tier priced at $1,500 that includes 10 years of dues, recognition on the ARA website, recognition at ARA events, and invitations to exclusive founding member gatherings.

Quantifiable outcome

• ARA grew to 30,000 members within approximately two years of founding

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 core.

• Compass International HoldingscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 July 2026Compass International Holdings officially joined ARA, giving agents affiliated with its portfolio of brands—including Compass, Coldwell Banker, CENTURY 21, Sotheby's International Realty, and others—the option to become ARA members. Registration for Compass agents will be free through 2027. This partnership positions ARA as a competitive alternative in the residential real estate industry, which has historically been dominated by a single national trade group.
• REMAXcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 July 2026Chris Lim, president and chief growth officer of REMAX, joined the ARA board of directors to focus on developing educational frameworks for members and supporting the association's advocacy work. ARA announced it will provide all REMAX agents in the United States with a complimentary first-year membership to the association.
• RLTYcocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2025ARA partnered with RLTYco to automatically enroll its members in RLTY Blue, a benefits program offering corporate-grade discounts to real estate agents. The program features launch partners including The RealReal, Blade, and Priority Pass. ARA members receive automatic enrollment in this benefits platform, representing a strategic distribution channel for RLTYco.
• New York Residential Agent Continuum (NYRAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2025ARA is acquiring the New York Residential Agent Continuum (NYRAC) to establish its first local chapter in New York City, with the deal expected to close by end of Q1 2025. The acquisition aims to expand ARA's presence and influence in NYC, support policy advocacy, and serve as a model for future local chapters. ARA plans to maintain NYRAC's branding and host a town hall in February to discuss local rezoning initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY): REBNY is a New York City-based real estate trade organization representing brokers, owners, and managers. It is comparable to ARA as a membership-based industry body focused on residential brokerage and policy advocacy, though it is regionally focused on NYC and historically commercial-leaning. ARA's acquisition of NYRAC signals direct intent to compete in this geography.
• Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors (GLVAR): GLVAR is a regional Realtor association serving agents in the Las Vegas market. It is comparable to ARA as a membership trade organization providing advocacy, MLS, and services to residential real estate professionals, though it operates at the local-MLS level rather than national scope.

Emerging players

• Council of Residential Specialists (CRS): CRS is a residential real estate membership organization providing education, designation credentials, and networking to experienced residential agents. It is comparable to ARA as a membership body serving residential real estate professionals with education and community, though CRS emphasizes credentialing rather than political advocacy.
• Women's Council of Realtors: Women's Council of Realtors is a national membership community within the NAR ecosystem focused on advancing women in residential real estate. It is comparable to ARA as a residential agent-focused membership organization offering networking and professional development, though it functions as an NAR affiliate rather than a competing national body.
• Real Estate Business Institute (REBI): REBI is an institute within the NAR ecosystem that provides education, designations, and resources to residential real estate professionals seeking to build brokerage businesses. It is comparable to ARA as a residential agent-focused membership and education body, though it functions as an NAR affiliate and emphasizes business-building content over advocacy.
• Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM): IREM is a membership organization for real estate managers, providing education, certification, and advocacy. It is comparable to ARA as a trade body offering membership, education, and credentialing to real estate professionals, though IREM focuses on property managers rather than sales agents.
• Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA): AREAA is a national trade association representing Asian American real estate professionals. It is comparable to ARA as a competing national membership body for residential real estate agents, providing advocacy, education, and community, though it operates with a specific demographic focus.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Realtors (NAR): NAR is the dominant national trade association for residential real estate professionals and the explicit incumbent ARA was founded to compete with. Both organizations serve residential agents and brokers through membership, advocacy, and education, but NAR operates at vastly greater scale (~1.5M members) with MLS infrastructure and federal lobbying reach ARA lacks.
• California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.): C.A.R. is a large state-level trade association representing residential real estate agents and brokers in California. It is comparable to ARA as a membership organization providing advocacy, education, and member benefits to residential professionals, though it operates at state rather than national scope and is part of the NAR federation.

Direct peers

• National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB): NAREB is a national trade association for real estate professionals, historically focused on minority practitioners. It is comparable to ARA as a competing national trade body advocating for an agent constituency and offering membership-based services, education, and policy representation to residential real estate professionals.

Market position

Strengths6 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/Americanreagents

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Real Estate Association