HOUSTON—In a highly anticipated move, today, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) has adopted a new 2026-2028 strategic plan that promises to modernize the organization and transform the member experience.
Approved unanimously by the NAR Executive Committee, the plan is set for implementation on Jan. 1, 2026.
“NAR is rebuilding trust by executing the largest transformation in real estate history, and this Strategic Plan will be our roadmap,” said NAR CEO Nykia Wright. “The plan is data-informed to ensure that NAR is investing in initiatives that members and the industry find most valuable. It also includes success metrics so our members and the industry can hold NAR accountable to the commitments we are making.”
75 Projects, Quarterly Accountability
The strategic plan encompasses 24 initiatives broken into 75 individual projects. Wright emphasized that they’re not all new projects, but that they are all “big boulders” that will “turn the industry.”
“Across those 24 initiatives, you’ve got 75 projects. I want to be clear about that; all the projects are not created equally. Some of them are four weeks. Some of them could be 18 months,” Wright said during a press briefing Sunday held at NAR NXT in Houston. “An example of something that is a longer tail is what I call zero-based budgeting, getting back to basics. You can’t transform a budget in three or four months.”
All of the projects touch on one of following:
- Growth—related to a specific product, service or the education portfolio
- Efficiency gains/cost
- Legal risk
During the executive committee meetings each quarter—since each of the 75 projects are tied to one or multiple quarters—there will be an opportunity to discuss the status of each project.
Early in 2026, added Wright, there will be an annual report released to NAR members to keep track of progress. Though Wright stopped short of committing to public reports for all members, she did note that she will give frequent member updates during broker summits and state and local conferences throughout the year.
“We will be managing our report card so that we can pivot pretty quickly if we are not meeting expectations.”
Ending the press briefing, Wright noted that she looks forward to continued accountability.
Signature projects
The Strategic Plan includes six signature projects, including:
- Dynamic Reporting—Enhance dynamic dashboards that offer real-time market insights exclusive to members
- Legal Leadership Forum—Create and mediate a dynamic community of industry partners to promote legal thought leadership
- Committee Excellence Program—Promote committee excellence by reviewing all governance committees to clarify roles, minimize overlap and reduce redundancy
- Budget Transformation—Transform budgeting processes and establish consistent budgeting guardrails across departments
- Association Allignment—Develop resources/toolkits to align national, state and local associations on roles/value of the three-way agreement
- Storytelling and Positioning—Elevate REALTOR® brand value and visibility through social media, national storytelling and ad campaigns
