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T3 Sixty 2025 Winter ORE Executives Flash Poll: Trends, Shifts & Strategic Direction

Clint Skutchan

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Flash Poll Summary Report

Purpose

The real estate industry continues to experience significant structural change. Evolving membership and subscription models, new interpretations of MLS access, shifts in NAR’s strategic direction, decentralization of policy responsibilities and changing economic conditions are reshaping how REALTOR® associations and MLSs plan, operate and deliver services.

This T3 Sixty ORE executive flash poll is designed to capture directional, executive-level insights from REALTOR® association and MLS leaders on several forward-looking topics.

Methodology & Respondent Profile

  • Field Dates: November 21st through December 12th , 2025

  • Responses: 150 executives

  • Geographic reach: 36 states

  • Organization types:

    • Association & MLS: 57.3%

    • Association Only: 36.0%

    • MLS Only: 6.7%

    • State Association Only: 7.3%

    • State Association & MLS: 1.3%

  • Organization Size:

    • Small (<500 Members): ~35%

    • Medium (500–2,000 Members): ~40%

    • Large/Mega (2,000+ Members): ~25%

Summary

The 2026 Winter Flash Poll reinforces that Organized Real Estate is operating through a structural decoupling cycle. A clear Vitality Gap is forming between association membership (under sustained pressure) and MLS subscription base (more resilient but slowing). Executives largely expect the industry to move toward MLS access that is less dependent on association membership, which reshapes the value proposition from bundled membership to service utility and risk management.

Key Findings

The Vitality Gap is widening (and is expected to persist). In 2024 performance results, nearly half (49.5%) of organizations reported membership declines, while 43.7% reported subscriber growth. Looking ahead, 56.0% expect membership losses over the next 12 months, compared with 39.4% expecting subscriber declines. The net result: membership remains the more exposed line, while the subscriber base remains the more defensible line—but with clear signs of slowdown.

Open Access is the catalyst—and executives are planning for it. A supermajority (76.1%) believe it is likely/very likely that more MLSs will allow open access for non-member licensees. Notably, sentiment is not uniform by organization type—but the directional expectation is clear: more markets are heading toward MLS utility without mandatory association membership.

Financial posture is fragmented—yet remarkably balanced. When asked about 2026 financial expenditures and resource commitments, leadership splits almost perfectly into three strategic camps:

  • Increase Financial Commitments: 32.4%

  • Reduce Financial Commitments: 30.6%

  • Hold Financial Commitments Steady: 36.1%

This pattern strongly signals an industry in “price + operating model discovery”—with executives choosing materially different paths in response to the same structural pressures.

Governance and operating model evolution are accelerating. Executives increasingly define “de-risking” as an enterprise-wide operating mandate (not only a legal issue), and most support decentralizing MLS policy and enforcement. Importantly, confidence in the ability to execute decentralization is high—yet smaller organizations flag the staffing reality: policy authority without enforcement capacity becomes risk exposure.

AI adoption is moving from experimentation to operations—but unevenly. Over half (55.1%) are actively using or piloting AI, and a further 33.6% are planning exploration. Executives see the near-term payoff primarily in internal efficiency (59.8%), followed by faster support (38.3%) and cost savings/time reallocation (37.4%). A meaningful minority also anticipate member value/perception challenges (29.0%), pointing to a looming narrative battle as AI changes how “value” is perceived.

2026 Strategic Implications and Considerations

Financial & Structural Health

  • Stress-test the “Double Dip.” Model conservative scenarios where membership declines continue, and subscriber growth flattens. Define the trigger points that force action mid-year (staffing, programs, reserves).

  • Pick a posture (and message it). The industry is splitting into invest / cut / hold camps. Each can be valid—but mixed signals undermine credibility in a volatile market.

  • Define your Open Access position now. Treat open access as a business model question—not a compliance footnote. Define what “subscriber-only” looks like operationally, financially and culturally.

  • Rebuild the value stack. If value is primarily perceived as gatekeeping (MLS/lockbox access), shift messaging and programming toward: business utility, risk/legal defense, professional performance support and market intelligence.

Governance, Policy & Risk

  • Audit enforcement capacity before expanding policy. Do not adopt rules you cannot enforce consistently. Capacity is staff time, legal support, process clarity and escalation authority.

  • Form policy cooperatives where capacity is thin. Regional policy coordination reduces fragmentation risk and helps smaller orgs avoid becoming “policy takers” by default.

  • Governance operating system refresh. Where effectiveness is decreasing, the drivers are board expectations creep and misalignment. Reset lanes and accountability before market volatility forces it.

Operations & AI

  • Publish an internal AI policy now. Define green/yellow/red data categories and approved tools. The fastest way to accelerate adoption safely is to remove ambiguity.

  • Train for ops, not just marketing. Prioritize AI for minutes, reporting, workflows, member support triage and internal knowledge—where measurable ROI exists.

  • Vendor roadmap pressure. Small and mid-size organizations will benefit most when AMS/MLS vendors embed AI responsibly. Make this a procurement and roadmap conversation in 2026.