The CEO of the largest trade association in the U.S. is taking early an retirement.
Bob Goldberg, the CEO of the National Association of Realtors, is departing the organization, and will be replaced by an interim chief.
Nykia Wright, a former CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times, will take over until the NAR finds a permanent CEO to replace Goldberg.
“We are immensely grateful for Bob’s leadership and decades-long service to NAR,” Tracy Kasper, president of the NAR and a Nampa, Id.-based real-estate agent, said in a statement. “It has been a privilege to work with him in expanding and strengthening our organization, and we congratulate him on his well-deserved retirement. His contributions to our association and our industry have been tremendous.”
Goldberg had announced that he had planned to retire in June of this year. Goldberg also spoke to the transition. “After announcing my decision to retire earlier this year, and as I reflected on my 30 years at NAR, I determined last month that now is the right time for this extraordinary organization to look to the future,” he said.
Earlier this year, the NAR’s president Kenny Parcell resigned following allegations of improper conduct that were reported by The New York Times.
The leadership change at NAR comes as the real-estate industry is on the cusp of potential changes. As a result of antitrust lawsuits, longstanding practices have come under scrutiny, including how the NAR and brokerages structure agents’ commissions and control the Multiple Listing Service, where most homes are listed for sale.
Goldberg’s departure comes days after a Missouri jury found the NAR, HomeServices of America, and Keller Williams, to be guilty of conspiring to artificially inflate agents’ commissions. In most home sale transactions today, the buyer’s agent and seller’s agent each take home a commission that’s 3% of the sale price, but the recent jury verdict could set the stage for changes in how commissions are paid.
The lawsuits are ongoing.
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