CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS
The California Association of REALTORS® is the state's largest professional trade association for real estate agents, providing advocacy, MLS-linked services, education and the REALTOR® trademark licensing framework in California.
Last updated October 30, 2026
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Overview
The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (commonly abbreviated C.A.R.) is a non-profit professional trade association representing licensed real estate agents and brokers who are members of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and operate in the state of California. It functions as a membership organization and standards body rather than a seller of goods: its 'product' is membership, which bundles advocacy at the state capitol, standardized forms and contracts, continuing-education and designation programs, market statistics and research, and access to the local multiple listing services (MLS) through its affiliated local associations. The association is organized as a federation: agents join a local association of REALTORS®, which in turn belongs to C.A.R. and to NAR. C.A.R. is governed by a volunteer board of directors and led by a chief executive officer, with a president elected from the membership each year. Its policy work covers housing supply, property taxes, rent and eviction rules, disclosure requirements, and real estate licensing and practice regulation in Sacramento. Its research group publishes widely cited monthly housing-market statistics on California home sales, median prices, affordability and pending sales, which are used by media, lenders and policymakers. C.A.R. is also a key administrator of the REALTOR® trademark in California: only members of NAR may call themselves REALTORS®, and C.A.R. enforces that usage among California licensees. Its standardized purchase agreement and related forms are used in a large share of California residential transactions, making the association an important piece of market infrastructure. The organization is headquartered in Los Angeles and maintains a government-affairs office in Sacramento. Like the wider REALTOR® federation, C.A.R. has faced scrutiny over MLS rules and commission practices, and it has adapted its forms and guidance in response to national antitrust litigation and settlements involving NAR and major brokerages. It remains the principal statewide voice of California real estate professionals.
History
The California Association of REALTORS® traces its origins to the early twentieth century, when California real estate brokers began organizing locally to set ethical standards and share listing information. Statewide organization followed the creation of the National Association of Real Estate Boards (the predecessor of the National Association of REALTORS®) in 1908, and California's state association was established in the first decade of the 1900s, with 1905 commonly cited as its founding year. From the outset the association's purpose was twofold: to professionalize brokerage through a code of ethics and education, and to represent the industry's interests before state government. Through the mid-twentieth century the association grew alongside California's postwar housing boom. Local real estate boards multiplied across the state, and the state association became their federation. A central function was the standardization of transaction documents; the association's purchase agreement and related forms gradually became the default paperwork for California residential deals, a position they still hold. The association also became a gatekeeper of the REALTOR® designation, which NAR adopted in the 1910s and 1920s and which only members of the federation may use. In the postwar decades C.A.R. built out the services that define it today: legal hotlines and risk management for brokers, continuing-education requirements tied to license renewal, professional designations, and a research department that began publishing regular housing-market statistics. Its Sacramento advocacy operation expanded as state regulation of housing, rent, disclosure and taxation grew, and the association became one of the most active industry lobbies in the capital. The 1990s and 2000s brought the internet and the multiple listing service into the center of the business. C.A.R. and its local associations worked on MLS policy, data access and the rules governing how listings are displayed online, while the association's forms were updated for electronic signature and new disclosure requirements. The 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent foreclosure wave made C.A.R.'s market data and policy advocacy especially prominent. In the 2020s the REALTOR® federation faced landmark antitrust litigation over cooperative compensation and MLS rules. National settlements involving NAR and major brokerages forced changes to how buyer-broker compensation is negotiated and disclosed, and C.A.R. revised its standard forms and member guidance accordingly. The association continues to publish monthly housing statistics, run education and advocacy programs, and administer the REALTOR® trademark for California members.
- 2020
Antitrust litigation over MLS rules and cooperative compensation leads to national settlements and revision of C.A.R. standard forms and guidance.
- 2008
Financial crisis and foreclosure wave elevate the association's market data and policy advocacy role.
- 1910
REALTOR® designation introduced nationally and reserved for members of the federation.
- 1908
National Association of Real Estate Boards, predecessor of NAR, founded; California association becomes part of the national federation.
- 1905
Statewide association of California real estate brokers established (commonly cited founding year).
Products and positioning
Statewide professional association and standards body for California REALTORS®, positioned as the industry's voice in Sacramento and the administrator of the forms and data that underpin local transactions.
California Residential Purchase Agreement (RPA)
Standardized purchase contract widely used in California residential transactions.
REALTOR® membership
Membership bundle including advocacy, forms, education and MLS access via local associations.
Housing market statistics
Monthly reports on California home sales, median prices, affordability and pending sales.
Continuing education and designations
Courses and professional designations supporting license renewal and specialization.
Controversies
2020
Top Agent Network sues NAR over Clear Cooperation Policy
Top Agent Network filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors and other defendants, alleging that adoption of the Clear Cooperation Policy violated antitrust and unfair-competition laws. The allegations are claims in the suit, not a court determination.
Recent events
Californians for Homeownership sues San Diego, San Francisco and Montebello over transit-oriented housing limits[3]
Reported:
Californians for Homeownership, a nonprofit sponsored by the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS, announced it filed lawsuits against the cities of San Diego, San Francisco and Montebello for attempting to limit the reach of Senate Bill 79, a 2025 state law facilitating housing development near major public transit. The suits seek to enforce SB 79 provisions; California Housing Defense Fund is a plaintiff in all three cases and YIMBY Law joined the San Francisco suit.
BK Global and REBS partner to support homeowners in bankruptcy[4]
Reported:
BK Global partnered with Real Estate Business Services (REBS), a subsidiary of the California Association of REALTORS®, to provide education, training, tools, and support for homeowners needing real estate services associated with bankruptcy.
- Unconfirmed
Top Agent Network sues NAR over Clear Cooperation Policy[2]
Reported:
Top Agent Network filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors and other defendants, alleging that adoption of the Clear Cooperation Policy violated antitrust and unfair-competition laws. The allegations are claims in the suit, not a court determination.
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