How Non-NAR MLSs and Associations Are Redefining Real Estate Independence
Since the National Association of Realtors faced its historic legal reckoning, the real estate industry has reorganized itself. Agents and brokers are challenging long-standing assumptions about partnerships, commissions and membership, and a new wave of organizations are moving in to fill the space that NAR once occupied.
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Two of the most visible examples, the American Real Estate Association (ARA) and MyStateMLS, tap into a growing appetite for freedom and flexibility.
After decades of virtually mandatory membership of the NAR, many agents and brokers are exploring alternatives. For some, the shift is about principles after years of controversy. For others, it’s about economics, because local dues, national dues and mandatory association fees don’t always match the value agents believe they receive.
ARA vs. MyStateMLS
Co-founded by Kompas Agent Jason Haber and Mauricio Umansky, CEO of The Agency, have already surpassed the American Real Estate Association 30,000 members. Douglas Elliman became the last to join, with 6,600 officers. That’s what the founders say ARAs mission is to give professionals a voice outside the NAR structure and to promote greater transparency throughout the industry.
At the same time, platforms like MyStateMLS, founded by Dawn Pfaff, offer agents practical independence. Launched nationally in 2015 after starting as NY State MLS in 2009, it now claims more than 50,000 members in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. MyStateMLS allows licensed professionals to list on Realtor.com, Zillow and Homes.com without the need for a NAR membership.
Agents from a wide range of brokerages are already listed in the MyStateMLS directory. Search the brokerage in the directory, and you will see more than that 1,000 come from Douglas Elliman, another 400 from eXp Realty and about 350 from SERHANT. Their participation demonstrates how strongly agents value national exposure without the confines of traditional MLS boundaries.
Many of those officers will keep them both for the time being. They remain active in their local NAR-affiliated MLS while using MyStateMLS to increase their exposure. They do it for the reach, flexibility and control.
According to its website, MyStateMLS sends listings “DIRECTLY to Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow, their network of websites, and Homes.com” and lets agents decide how to promote “coming soon” or off-market properties and how to display compensation information.
Agents who work in multiple states or specialize in luxury, landed or manufactured homes often find the traditional MLS model limiting. MyStateMLS offers one platform which allows licensed professionals to list and search for properties nationwide – “every city and state you are licensed for, for a low monthly fee,” according to the provider.
Many members say they will keep their local NAR-affiliated MLS, but are testing MyStateMLS for its reach, flexibility and control – including syndication to major portals and fewer traditional MLS restrictions.
Financial savings?
In terms of savings, ARA and MyStateMLS together cost approximately $560 per year – $20 for ARA membershipAnd $45 per month for MyStateMLS access. That’s far less than the thousands of agents who pay annually in national, state and local association dues, plus traditional MLS fees.
While MyStateMLS is the most visible national example, it is not the only example. Other independent MLS or MLS-like services are beginning to provide access beyond NAR membership. Unlock MLSbased in Central Texas with approximately 20,000 subscribers, it first began allowing non-broker access in 2025.
Phoenix Realtors launched an MLS Choice program, a membership option that gives agents who are not NAR members access to state-compliant forms. These programs are smaller in scale, but demonstrate a growing demand for MLS services that operate outside the traditional association structure.
Agents gain more control over their marketing when they use independent systems. With MyStateMLS, sellers and agents can decide where and how their listings appear, from office exclusives and ‘coming soon’ campaigns to full syndication on hundreds of national and international websites. This flexibility allows agents to tailor their marketing strategy to each client, rather than following rigid one-size-fits-all MLS rules.
NAR battle
For years, NAR required brokers to compensate buyers’ agents through MLS policy. The 2024 Sitzer | The Burnett Settlement changed those rules.
When the lawsuits hit, most MLSs had to take action. They rewrote the rulebooks, updated the software and retrained the members. Some agents saw listings temporarily pause or disappear while new compensation announcements were rolled out.
Independent MLSs like MyStateMLS never had these requirements, leaving them largely untouched by the industry’s biggest legal and procedural shakeup in decades. They kept moving and provided a sense of stability while the rest of the industry adapted on the fly.
Innovation forward
As more and more officers experiment with life outside of NAR, a broader movement is emerging. ARA is questioning the association model itself, while independent MLSs are rethinking how listings are shared and distributed. Together they reflect an industry testing what independence really means and where collective power could be next.
The settlement forced traditional players to evolve while paving the way for innovation. What comes next will depend on how boldly officers choose to use that freedom. For the first time in decades, real estate professionals have something rare: real choice and the freedom to build the business they believe in.
Holly Brink is co-founder, COO and managing broker of My real estate company in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Illinois. Connect with her Instagram or LinkedIn.
