# 10.3 Professional Organizations – NAR, State Board, and Local Board

Company policy is that every active licensed associate becomes a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and several State and local Associations of REALTORS® throughout the nation. The Company is affiliated with many local boards of REALTORS® in each State it conducts business in and is consistently joining new boards that its Associates prefer. Referral agents do not need to join any local Association of REALTORS® or the National Association of REALTORS® if they **only** work on a **referral basis** and do not actively carry out sales.

Professional organizations such as the National Association of REALTORS® and its local affiliates are also concerned about many of the same issues as the State Regulators. **However, the focus of these organizations is** **often on the more practical issues of how its members present themselves to the public and** **how its members deal with each other.** Therefore, these professional organizations also focus on ethical issues relating to:

- Advertising.

- Multiple listing service internal rule violations.

- Conflicts of interest between its members.

- Ethical conduct with respect to clients and customers.

- Ethical conduct with respect to the general public.

- Ethical conduct with respect to other REALTORS®.