In the early days after the National Association of Realtors lifted its policy requiring membership for MLS access, Intel surveys suggested agents were still swimming in uncertainty.
But by late December, nearly half of agents surveyed by Intel said they had received a clear answer from their multiple listing service on how it planned to proceed following the change.
And while most in this group said their primary MLS had doubled down on requiring Realtor membership for access to the local listing platform, the survey suggests that a significant share of the country has moved forward without that long-standing restriction.
In an environment where many agents have said the rule is the only thing keeping them from ditching their membership in NAR, the full consequences of NAR’s policy change remain unknown.
Still, some early takeaways shed light on where the industry stands today in this week’s report.
A new era for MLSs
By late December, many agents were still waiting on an answer from their local MLS regarding the policy.
But that number had shrunk noticeably from the month before, Intel surveys suggest.
- The share of agent respondents who say their MLS has “not communicated” yet on its plans regarding this policy slid from 36 percent in late November to 21 percent in December.
To be clear, this wasn’t the only source of uncertainty agents described in MLS policy. The shares of the following responses remained relatively steady.
- Just under 8 percent of agents told Intel in December that their MLS stated the policy was “under review.”
- Another 29 percent of agent respondents in December said they simply didn’t know where their MLS stood in addressing this question.
But overall, the number of agents who reported being aware of a clear policy from their MLS since the NAR decision rose, bringing the state of the industry more clearly into focus.
- The share of agent respondents who said their MLS “recently affirmed” it will continue to require Realtor membership jumped from 15 percent in late November to 25 percent in December.
The number of MLSs that announced a change in policy was also on the rise, agents indicated.
- The share of agent respondents who said their MLS had “announced it will no longer require Realtor membership” rose from 6 percent in November to 10 percent in December.
But that’s not all. If we include MLSs that had already allowed non-Realtor access prior to NAR’s policy change in November, the share of agent respondents who say their MLS does not require membership was closer to 18 percent in December’s survey — with many who either don’t yet know or whose MLSs have yet to decide.
Even if few of the remaining undecided MLSs change their policies, that’s a significant portion of the Inman community that can now access their MLS without needing to retain their memberships.
And as Intel has explored before, many agents now say that they would prefer to leave NAR if they were no longer required to maintain membership in order to access their local listings.
It’s too early to say whether these sentiments foreshadow an actual exodus from the industry’s largest trade association.
But for a number of agents, at least, the door appears to be open.
Methodology notes: This month’s Inman Intel Index survey ran from Dec. 19, 2025-Jan. 5, 2026, and received 468 responses. The entire Inman reader community was invited to participate, and a rotating, randomized selection of community members was prompted to participate by email. Users responded to a series of questions related to their self-identified corner of the real estate industry — including real estate agents, brokerage leaders, lenders and proptech entrepreneurs. Results reflect the opinions of the engaged Inman community, which may not always match those of the broader real estate industry. This survey is conducted monthly.
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