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Bob Goldberg, who has served as CEO of the National Association of Realtors, plans to wrap up his tenure and retire at the end of 2024, the association announced on Wednesday.
Goldberg’s contract will expire on Dec. 31, 2024, and the executive plans to retire after three decades at the nation’s largest real estate trade association. He has been at the helm since 2017, when he replaced Dale Stinton as CEO.
Bob Goldberg, CEO of the National Association of Realtors | NAR
“My time at NAR has been extremely gratifying and, I hope, extremely successful, too,” Goldberg said in a statement. “I’ve had the chance to lead a wonderful staff and we’ve taken great pride in making sure this organization is as valuable and responsive to our members as possible.
“I’m tremendously thankful for the opportunity NAR has given me and for all the people I’ve been fortunate to work with over these past three decades,” he added.
NAR didn’t announce a replacement for Goldberg after he departs.
For nearly three decades, Goldberg has helped oversee the creation and growth of Realtor.com. He still acts as head of the group that serves as a conduit between Realtor.com and its parent company, Move, Inc, under an arrangement set up after publishing powerhouse News Corp acquired Realtor.com in 2014.
NAR gave its blessing to the acquisition at the time, with Goldberg saying it was a “phenomenal” deal for members.
Goldberg focused on restructuring the organization, saying at the time it had an “ivory tower facade” among outsiders. He reorganized 10 groups within the organization in an effort he said would help enhance services and engagement with members.
Goldberg’s tenure also included the unprecedented COVID-19 housing years, which featured an immediate but temporary disruption to the real estate business.
Goldberg helped to push for protection of the real estate industry as an “essential” business amid the early lockdowns that quickly swept the nation with the onset of the pandemic.
That disruption soon led to intense competition amid record-low mortgage rates. Home sales — along with prices — soared.
Nearly as quickly, the market began to slow. Closed home sales are down 21 percent compared to May 2019, Redfin reported on Wednesday, and there were fewer homes for sale in May than at any point in over a decade.
That environment has made things markedly more difficult for Realtors than two years ago, and NAR membership has begun dropping for the first time in years.
Membership was around 1.3 million when Goldberg took over, and it grew to around 1.58 million at the end of 2022 before beginning to dip. NAR expects the drop to continue amid a slower market.
“When I was named CEO, I noted how excited I was to begin this role at such a critical time for NAR,” Goldberg said. “I [was] committed to making sure this association was wholly focused on our members’ long-term success, and I’m so proud of the work my team has done to make good on that intention.”
Goldberg vowed to lean into emerging technologies as CEO, creating the group’s Strategic Business, Innovation, and Technology team.
More recently, Goldberg’s NAR has faced an antitrust lawsuit filed by discount brokerage REX Real Estate. The case specifically named Goldberg, along with NAR General Counsel Katie Johnson, who were ordered to turn over relevant evidence in October.
That case is set to go to trial in September, meaning Goldberg will still be around for more than a year while the case continues.
