An Op-Ed by Brian Pate
Recently, I have had many of my students inquire about the American Real Estate Association (ARA) and its relationship to Compass.
Because of those inquiries, I have been doing research for a while and found some details that I think are important. Those that have taken my courses know I try to give the most information possible that is valuable enough to create actionable items for them. My hope is that this article will do the same for your decision-making process on whether or not to become a member of ARA.
Why is ARA at the front of agents’ thoughts right now?
The ARA is on the minds of real estate agents across the country right now because of heavy coverage of the recent defeat of two Missouri initiatives to phase out state income taxes and supplement revenue with expanded state and use taxes. The latter contained provisions that would have reinstated transfer taxes on the sale of the home.
The Missouri Association of Realtors (MAR), along with ARA, spent most of 2026 advocating against the amendments. Although it was MAR leading the effort, they brought in ARA to support their grassroots efforts.
What is ARA and how many members are there?
ARA was founded in 2024 by Jason Haber and Mauricio Umansky. Umansky is the founder and CEO of The Agency. Haber is a New York real estate broker that is affiliated with Compass since 2022. You can trace the origins to the 2023 turmoil at the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
After the sexual harassment allegations involving then NAR President Kenny Parcell became public in August of 2023, Haber created the NAR Accountability Project. It called for leadership changes, independent review of harassment allegations and other reforms.
That advocacy effort eventually developed into the idea for an alternative national trade association.
Interestingly, ARA originally looked considerably more ambitious and considerably more expensive. In January 2024, Haber and Umansky estimated dues would eventually be $400-$500 per year. They were reportedly self-funding the startup while discussing raising $50 – $100 million.
That is very different from today’s $20 model.
The organization also originally discussed a national listing system and other industry infrastructure. Its current public positioning is more focused on three areas: professional standards, member resources and advocacy. ARA’s current website says it intends to build a national policy voice, resources for agents and a nationwide professional community.
That evolution is significant. ARA has changed from what initially looked like an attempt to build a broad NAR alternative into something more specifically focused on representation.
How Big Is ARA?
In September of 2025, Haber said ARA had approximately 10,000 members. Douglass Elliman subsequently aligned with ARA, adding roughly 6,600 agents. By summer 2026, ARA said it had approximately 30,000 members before RE/MAX joined, according to RealEstateNews.com.
RE/MAX then announced U.S. RE/MAX agents could receive a complimentary first-year ARA membership. They have a very large potential agent population, but potential eligibility should not be confused with actual ARA membership.
Compass International Holdings says its owned brokerage and franchise businesses include more than 300,000 real estate professionals across Compass, Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Sotheby’s International Realty, Corcoran, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, ERA, Christie’s International Real Estate and @properties.
That does NOT mean ARA suddenly gained 300,000 members.
The official announcement says agents have the choice to register with ARA. According to Business Wire, registration is free through the remainder of 2026 and 2027.
In a recent article on HousingWire.com, the immediate benefit applies more narrowly to agents in company-owned Compass International Holdings, and not necessarily all agents.
How Many Non-Compass Agents Belong to ARA?
Out of curiosity, I decided to see how many non-Compass agents are members of ARA. However, ARA does not appear to publish a current brokerage-by-brokerage membership audit. However, there are two useful data points.
- In September 2025, when ARA had about 10,000 members, Haber specifically said less than 10% were affiliated with Compass. That means more than 9,000 members at that time were not affiliated with Compass. He made that statement while denying that ARA was a Compass-controlled organization.
- In the summer of 2026, Haber said ARA had approximately 30,000 members before RE/MAX joined and before the new Compass International agreement. However, those 30,000 cannot properly be called 30,000 non-compass agents.
The most accurate answer is the non-Compass membership is not publicly disclosed.
The documented minimum is more than 9,000.
The ARA projects its active network to be at least 100,000 agents by the end of the year.
Regular membership dues are $20 unless you opt for the $1,500 Founders status. Because Compass affiliated professionals and RE/MAX are both getting at least one free year, that means ARA is currently optimizing for membership growth rather than dues.
That strategy makes sense if the immediate goal is to establish political legitimacy. A legislator is likely to pay more attention to an organization representing 100,000 agents than one representing 10,000.
However, that creates a serious financial question.
Could ARA’s Lobbying Rival NAR?
At the moment, the answer is no. NAR spent over $30.04 million in direct federal lobbying in the first six months of 2026. That is only part of NAR’s political machine.
A recent article in HousingWire.com says the ARA is targeting advocacy as their growth pushes towards a target of 100,000 members.
RPAC’s federal committee reported $15.16 million in receipts between January 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, with more than $20.76 million cash on hand at the end of that period. It reported more than $9.4 million in contributions to other committees and more than $1.1 million in independent expenditures according to Federal Election Commission data.
ARA’s strongest public example so far is its recent partnership with the Missouri Association of Realtors to oppose Amendments 4 and 5 on the August 4, 2026 ballot. Haber called the Missouri effort an example of the role he wants ARA to play with state and local associations in an interview with Housing Wire.
Although that is meaningful, it is a coalition advocacy effort, not evidence of an established national lobbying infrastructure.
I searched the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act and Federal Election Commission records for an ARA federal lobbying registration or ARA-specific federal PAC and found nothing under the formal name of the group as of the writing of this article. That does not rule out lobbying consultants, coalition partners or state organizations. It does reinforce the conclusion that the ARA, at the moment at least, lacks a visible federal political apparatus comparable with NAR.
Weaknesses In The Compass-ARA Alliance
The membership headline can be misleading as Inman News, Housing Wire, and others continue to create headlines that grab readers’ attention.
Compass may have over 300,000 professionals in its franchised networks, but none of them automatically become ARA members. ARA needs activation, retention and engagement, not merely eligibility.
Free memberships can create impressive numbers without creating a commitment. An agent that checks a box for a free membership may just be “checking it out” and seeing what ARA is all about. Because that agent is not likely to make a donation to a PAC, there is little influence with the organization.
ARA will also have a revenue problem if the membership remains at $20 per year. They already acknowledge the current dues structure is not sustainable and predicted the annual fee to be between $400 and $500 per year. If you think agents were ticked at NAR for a $35 dues increase recently, wait until you see the price jump from $20 annually to $100 or more for the first price hike.
Connections To Compass
The other question with the revenue model will be if brands in the Compass family will receive a discount vs other individual members, especially independent brokers. Favoritism to the Compass family will create distrust from other brokerages and cause them to leave ARA.
The connection to Compass is even more sensitive because Haber himself is a Compass agent. His affiliation predates the corporation agreement. That creates easy criticism for opponents even if there is no evidence that Compass controls ARA.
What happens when Compass and ARA disagree on policy down the road? One good example already exists. Haber said in 2025 that ARA favored modifying NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy rather than eliminating it. Compass CEO Robert Refkin has taken a much more aggressive position to eliminate the policy completely. That invites a potential showdown when that topic, and others, becomes front and center.
Other Issues for ARA
Other issues with ARA include the lack of a local association system, lack of any real benefits and it is already being pulled into industry litigation.
Finally, the identify of ARA right now is only, “We are NOT NAR!” That could be the biggest long-term strategic issue.
Haber himself said ARA is not trying to destroy, but to coexist. For ARA to survive long term, it has to answer the harder question of, “What can ARA accomplish for an agent that NAR, state associations and local associations cannot?”
Finally, the biggest thing ARA could possibly do is to create a national MLS database. In order to do that, it will have to feed from Multiple Listing Service (MLS) systems across the country and that costs money. Then you have the different requirements of state and local associations and regulatory bodies that are far apart on many issues.
For example, some states are lien theory while other states are title theory. In addition, some MLS systems require a precise square footage measurement of the listing when other states give a range, or no data at all.
As much as most top real estate agents want to control every aspect of their business, I doubt the idea of a national MLS where everyone pays to submit their listings is not likely to happen. Especially when portals already are providing information to the general public for the consumer search.
Brian Pate is a real estate speaker, trainer, agent, and coach in North Carolina.