The American Real Estate Association (ARA) scored a major membership win with the addition of New York powerhouse brokerage Douglas Elliman—and its 6,600 agents—to the new trade group’s ranks.
The move boosts membership to ARA, which now claims 26,600 total members, with the addition of Douglas Elliman agents, and also offers a significant tacit endorsement of the still-relatively new alternative association, which has positioned itself to coexist with the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).
Douglas Elliman President and CEO Michael Liebowitz will join ARA’s board of directors, marking the first executive appointment to the real estate upstart. The brokerage’s general counsel, Deva Roberts, will also serve on ARA’s board of directors.
“I am pleased to join the American Real Estate Association board as they work to amplify agent voices and address the evolving needs of our industry,” Liebowitz wrote in a statement to RISMedia on Wednesday.
A Douglas Elliman spokesperson confirmed to RISMedia that the brokerage’s agents can opt out of ARA membership if they want. The spokesperson also noted that joining ARA doesn’t impact agents’ NAR membership. Being able to opt out of NAR membership—often required for agents to participate in their local MLS—has been a significant point of contention within the industry.
Liebowitz added: “At Douglas Elliman, we believe in supporting organizations that prioritize the interests of real estate professionals and their clients. agent-focused approach aligns with our commitment to empowering the talented professionals who drive our business forward.”
The Agency founder Mauricio Umansky and Compass top producer Jason Haber co-founded ARA in 2024 as an alternative to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR). NAR, which has just under 1.5 million members, has faced leadership shakeups, sexual assault and harrassment allegations and a landmark antitrust lawsuit settlement.
“NAR provides unparalleled value for its Realtor® members and brokerage firms, including a unified voice on policy issues that’s prevented more than $2 trillion of taxes on our members over the past ten years, a uniform Code of Ethics, and valuable tools, like RPR, and professional development opportunities that help members get to their next deal,” an NAR spokesperson told RISMedia, who also confirmed that “Realtors® can be members of other trade associations.” The spokesperson added, however, that “members of NAR who serve in NAR leadership positions owe fiduciary duties, such as a duty of loyalty and the requirement to avoid conflicts of interest, to NAR and its members,” making the possibility of dual association membership less clear for those in such roles.
Haber told RISMedia via email that it is “a big honor” to have Liebowitz and Roberts take a formal role with ARA, and to welcome other Elliman agents.
“We are now entering an accelerated growth phase of our trade group and have big plans for 2026 as we transition from an all volunteer organization to a fully staffed nonprofit focused on elevating the real estate industry across America,” he said.
While ARA’s influence is gaining momentum, Haber concedes its journey shouldn’t be compared to that of NAR.
“It would be silly to benchmark us against NAR,” Haber told RISMedia in a recent interview. “What we are trying to do is to create a voice for ourselves and our agents that we think will better the industry, better the agents in the industry and then also help the American consumer.”
This story was updated with a statement from an NAR spokesperson at 6:15 p.m. ET.
