By New York Times
Jason Haber and Mauricio Umansky have been two of the most outspoken critics of the National Association of Realtors in recent months. Now, they are announcing their own trade association to offer real estate agents an alternative.Clark Hodgin for The New York Times
Two prominent real estate agents have started a new trade association in a direct swipe at the embattled National Association of Realtors.
Founded more than 100 years ago, the group known as N.A.R. has long held sway over the American real estate industry, collecting hundreds of millions of dollars in annual dues from its 1.5 million members. It owns the trademark to the word “Realtor.” But in recent years, the organization has been saddled with a barrage of antitrust lawsuits and sexual harassment allegations. Over the past several months, multiple top leaders have stepped down, stoking concerns in the industry that the organization is on the edge of implosion.
Jason Haber, a New York agent with Compass, and Mauricio Umansky, the Los Angeles-based celebrity agent and founder of the luxury brokerage the Agency, told The New York Times that their new group, the American Real Estate Association, could be an alternative.
