Professional organizations
A Florida real estate license comes from the state. Professional organizations are voluntary. No trade group can grant, suspend or revoke a license; that is the job of the Florida Real Estate Commission and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, covered in Units 2 and 3. Trade groups offer things like education, ethics standards, networking and advocacy.
National Association of REALTORS (NAR)
NAR describes itself as founded on May 12, 1908, in Chicago, under the name National Association of Real Estate Exchanges. Its members belong to local associations or boards and to state and territory associations of REALTORS.
NAR's membership is broad. It includes residential and commercial brokers, salespeople, property managers, appraisers, counselors and others in the industry.
The REALTOR mark
REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark. It identifies a real estate professional who is a member of NAR and subscribes to its Code of Ethics. In NAR's words, only members of NAR can call themselves a REALTOR.
That makes three points testable:
- "REALTOR" is not a synonym for real estate agent or licensee.
- A licensee who is not an NAR member may not use the term.
- The right to use it comes from membership, not from a license.
NAR's Code of Ethics is organized into 17 articles, grouped as duties to clients and customers, duties to the public and duties to REALTORS. It binds members as a condition of membership; it is not Florida law.
Florida Realtors
Florida Realtors is the statewide association. It describes itself as the statewide organization for the local and regional Realtor associations or boards in Florida, with headquarters in Orlando. It traces its origins to 1916, when real estate brokers from around Florida gathered in Jacksonville for a first convention.
Membership works in layers. A licensee joins a local association or board, and in doing so automatically becomes a member of Florida Realtors and NAR.
| Level | Example |
|---|---|
| National | National Association of REALTORS |
| State | Florida Realtors |
| Local | A county or regional Realtor association or board |
National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB)
NAREB was established on July 29, 1947, in Tampa, Florida. Its members are called Realtists®, and its credo is "Democracy in Housing." NAREB says it works to improve professional and business conditions for its members, to strengthen the consumer capacity of the Black, minority and emerging market communities its members serve, and to address discriminatory housing policies.
Be careful with the names: NAREB is the National Association of Real Estate Brokers. NAR's original name was the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges.
Exam tip: License = state. REALTOR = NAR membership. Realtist = NAREB membership.