What are NAR and TR?

REALTOR® associations are divided into three levels, local (divided into state regions for efficiency), state, and national. Being a dues-paying member of your local association also connects you to membership on the state and national levels. Our local REALTOR® association is The Galveston Association of REALTORS® (GAR). Our state association is Texas REALTORS® (TR), and our national association is The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

GAR has 211 local members today and is part of Region 9 of TR. Region 9 has 1,621 members today and TR has 154,593 members today. NAR has over 1.5 million members today. That is 1.5 million professionals focused on being more than a licensee, on fiduciary dealing with clients, putting their interest above our own, and treating all real property consumers honestly and professionally.

The Galveston Association of REALTORS® (GAR) began in 1916 and is a member-based trade association and is the oldest real estate association in Texas. GAR states their mission to be: “The Galveston Association of REALTORS® is the trusted voice for real estate in coastal Galveston County, existing to serve our members, promote the cooperation of real estate professionals, advocate for ethical business practices, and protect the private property rights of our communities.” The REALTOR® and broker members of The Galveston Association of REALTORS® not only follow the legal requirements of the state of Texas for licensing and real estate practice, but we also adhere to a strict REALTOR® Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.

Your REALTOR® pays a yearly fee to the trade association to be a member and as a participating member, gathers monthly with other local REALTORS® and real estate adjacent businesses to host local community leaders and organizations to discuss and educate on items impacting our local community. Your REALTOR'S® GAR membership also connects them to area services such as in-office notary public appointments when needed for client transactions, a meeting room available if needed in our association office, a local education hub for continuing education courses, and much more. All these connections, networks, educational opportunities, and service benefits better equip your REALTOR® to serve you.

When you hire a local REALTOR®, you’re working with more than a real estate licensee, you’re working with a knowledgeable, professional neighbor who is bound by a code of ethics and will work alongside you in each transaction. As REALTORS® we are self-employed, independent contractors and work through brokerages that sponsor us to serve clients. We each operate small businesses; we work with budgets, marketing, client retention, education, overhead expenses, business plans, yearly adjustments, product and materials costs, and hundreds of other fine points that factor into operating our businesses.

Most brokerages we work with are also small businesses that cooperate with us to lend their momentum to the greater good. The greater good is found in daily community service, outreach, phone calls, education, and assistance to our neighbors. It’s also found in the often-overlooked final sentence in our mission statement, “protect the private property rights of our communities.”

Your REALTOR® associations help raise funds directly paid by REALTORS® to political action committees that gather on the state and national levels several times a year to educate and discuss ways to keep private property rights intact. We put our money and our time toward meaningful work that improves lives every day. A few of the 70-80 issues tracked daily in Washington by NAR to empower your local REALTOR® with resources for you are property taxes, antidiscrimination and fair housing policies, National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) reform, private flood insurance options, working to provide resources that promote affordable rental housing to landlords and tenants, short-term rental ordinances, capital gains taxes, 1031 tax exchanges, mortgage insurance, water infrastructure, eminent domain, and much, much more.

When you hire a local REALTOR® and work with someone living and working in your community, you are hiring a neighbor and you’re making a lifelong connection. As a REALTOR® and as the 2024 President of The Galveston Association of REALTORS®, I remind you that our REALTORS® are community-focused and service-driven. Each week I will endeavor to bring you useful information that promotes clarity and helps the public see and understand the intricacies of real estate a little better. Look for topics throughout the year such as wire fraud, what to do before you buy or sell a house, why you need a home inspection, fire safety, interest rates, property taxes, how to price your house, title insurance, and more. For more information on professional REALTORS® and to read the REALTOR® Code of Ethics, please visit www.nar.realtor