The National Association of Realtors will not vote this year on whether to raise dues for members by 2.5 percent annually, but it’s still considering this year’s $30 increase.

The National Association of Realtors won’t hold a vote this year on whether to raise dues for members by 2.5 percent annually starting in 2020, but is still considering a $30 increase in 2019, according to NAR Treasurer Tom Riley.

Leadership had a lengthy conversation about the annual increase this morning at its midyear conference in Washington, D.C., according to Riley, but ultimately had concerns regarding the verbiage and whether it would violate NAR’s constitution.

“The 2.5 percent was to maintain sustainability in the long run for the organization,” Riley said in this afternoon’s Treasurer Budget Forum at the Realtors Legislative Meetings and Trade Expo.

NAR’s Executive Committee decided this morning to send the proposal back to the Finance Committee, which held an emergency meeting this afternoon and voted to table the proposal for now.

“We decided to do it with a little different verbiage. But we will be bringing it back and we will be meeting on it in the next few months and hopefully you’ll see it again in the future,” Riley said.

Th hundreds of Realtors in attendance at the budget forum met the news of the postponement with applause.

NAR first announced the proposed changes — dubbed as Strategic Measures Advancing Realtors to Tomorrow (S.M.A.R.T.) Initiatives — last month, after releasing its 2019 budget proposal, which calls for a $35.5 million jump in annual spending.

Of the proposed $30 increase this year, $17 would go toward increasing the trade organization’s political advocacy spending and the remaining $13 would cover a transaction management platform for members from Realtor-owned zipLogix, building maintenance and renovation, and programs devoted to professionalism, financial wellness and strategic business innovation.

Dues currently stand at $120, however NAR members are also required to pay a $35 assessment annually for the trade group’s advertising campaign, which has been approved through 2019. The last time dues were increased was in 2012, when they shot up $40 to increase spending on political advocacy. At the time, the increase was very unpopular.

The current proposal has drawn the ire of Realtors since it was announced. A poll of Inman readers found that more than 80 percent of the nearly 2,000 respondents were against the raise, though slightly more supported the $30 increase (14 percent of respondents) compared to the 2.5 percent increases (11 percent).

NAR’s 800-member board of directors will vote on the 2019 budget proposal when it meets on May 19, the final day of the midyear conference.

Here are the five budget-related motions the NAR board will vote on, as shown at the Treasurer Budget Forum:

Editor’s note: This story has been updated.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×