National Association of Realtors

The National Association of Realtors (NAR), whose member brokers are known as Realtors member agents are known as Realtor associates, is the largest trade association and one of the most powerful lobbying groups in North America, having spent more than $99 million between 1999 and 2012. It has over 1.1 million members, including NAR's institutes, societies, and councils, involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. NAR also functions as a self-regulatory organization for real estate brokerage. The organization is headquartered in Chicago.

Overview

The National Association of Realtors was founded on May 13, 1908 as the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges, the founding group being located in Chicago, Illinois. In 1916, the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges changed its name to The National Association of Real Estate Boards. The current name was adopted in 1974.

NAR's members are residential and commercial real estate brokers, real estate salespeople, immovable property managers, appraisers, counselors, and others engaged in all aspects of the real estate (immovable property) industry, where a state license to practice is required. Members belong to one or more of some 1,600 local Realtor boards or associations. They are pledged to a code of ethics and standards of practice, which was adopted in 1913.

Real estate

Real estate is "property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property; (more generally) buildings or housing in general. Also: the business of real estate; the profession of buying, selling, or renting land, buildings or housing."

It is a legal term used in jurisdictions such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

Residential real estate

Residential real estate is a type of property, containing either a single family or multifamily structure, that is available for occupation for non-business purposes.

Residences can be classified by, if, and how they are connected to neighbouring residences and land. Different types of housing tenure can be used for the same physical type. For example, connected residents might be owned by a single entity and leased out, or owned separately with an agreement covering the relationship between units and common areas and concerns.