NAR’s 2026–2028 Strategic Plan: Everything REALTOR®’s Should Know 

The National Association of REALTORS®’ Executive Committee has unanimously approved a 2026–2028 Strategic Plan, a three-year roadmap that begins on January 1, 2026. The vote took place at the 2025 NAR NXT conference in Houston and is intended to modernize the association, sharpen accountability, and clarify how NAR delivers value to members.

According to NAR, the plan was built with input from more than 150,000 members and stakeholders across all levels of the organization. The complete 2026–2028 NAR Strategic Plan positions itself as the roadmap for “modernizing the association and transforming the member experience.”

How the Plan Is Structured

The plan is organized around two overarching commitments:

• Building the future member experience
• Modernizing the association

Under these priorities, NAR has identified 24 initiatives that members, partners, the industry, and consumers will find most valuable. Those initiatives are further broken into 75 projects to be rolled out over the three-year period. 

NAR has emphasized that the roadmap is flexible, not static. Some projects are extensions of current efforts, while others will be added or adjusted as new regulatory, legal, or market conditions arise over 2026–2028.

Key Implications for the Industry

From the standpoint of a brokerage, team, or individual agent, several elements of the plan are likely to have a direct impact.

Legal and Compliance Environment
The plan continues NAR’s focus on legal risk, antitrust scrutiny, and compensation practices. NAR will invest in resources for code-of-ethics training, enforcement, and guidance to support evolving commission and disclosure rules.

Data, Technology & Market Intelligence
NAR’s plan highlight a push for more actionable data delivered to members—especially through RPR and expanded research. Members can expect more localized insights, more frequent reporting, and continued integration of AI into market-intelligence tools.

Association Relationships
The Association Alignment project aims to clarify the respective roles of NAR, state associations, and local boards. For multi-market brokerages and teams, this could gradually translate into clearer support channels and more consistent policies and messaging from association partners.

Transparency and Reporting
A significant theme is accountability. NAR has committed to publishing an annual report beginning in 2026 that tracks progress on the strategic plan and to providing regular updates to the Executive Committee on each of the 75 projects, with a plan to share information with members in a more digestible format over time.

For members, this means more visibility into how dues-funded projects are progressing and how NAR is prioritizing initiatives over the three-year period.

How Brokers and Agents Can Prepare

While many of the details will roll out over time, real estate professionals can take several practical steps now:

• Review the primary documents. Start with the 2026–2028 NAR Strategic Plan and NAR’s news release to identify which initiatives are most relevant to your business model.
• Map the plan to your strategy. Note where you’re likely to rely on NAR most—legal guidance, data, consumer messaging, or professional development—and plan how your brokerage or team will plug into those resources.
• Engage your associations. Use broker summits, state and local meetings, and committee opportunities to track implementation, ask questions, and provide feedback as NAR begins reporting on progress in 2026.

The 2026–2028 Strategic Plan is ultimately an operational and governance document, but its implementation will shape the legal guidance, tools, data, and brand support available to REALTORS® over the next three years. Understanding its priorities now can help real estate professionals align their own strategies with where NAR is heading.