A Mid-Year Reflection

As we enter the final stretch of 2025, it’s a good moment to reflect on what we’ve achieved and where we’re headed. The real estate landscape is evolving rapidly, yet the mission of St. Louis REALTORS® remains steady: advancing advocacy, professionalism, and community impact that strengthen our members and the region we serve. This in no way represents the totality of our accomplishments but rather some of the highlights.

A Changing, More Diverse Membership

Our membership continues to experience modest declines (4.6% over the last year). However, as our membership shrinks, we are seeing an increase in the diversity of our members. Black REALTORS® now represent 15.5% of our membership, which has doubled since 2018, demonstrating progress in our ongoing Reimagining St. Louis plan. Eight New Member Orientations have welcomed more than 520 new REALTORS®, and over the past 12 months, our staff processed nearly 800 new memberships, 85 affiliate applications, and over 2,000 transfers or deactivations this year.

Advocacy: REALTORS® Driving Change

Advocacy continues to define our impact.

• ADU Legislation: St. Louis REALTORS® led efforts to pass legislation allowing accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—such as carriage houses and “mother-in-law suites”—to be built by right in St. Louis City residential districts. Officially signed into law by Mayor Cara Spencer on Sept. 29, this win expands housing options and provides relief for families rebuilding after the May tornadoes.
• Streamlining Development: In partnership with PGAV and supported by issues mobilization grants from Missouri REALTORS® and NAR, we’re conducting a Development Process Research and Engagement Study for the City of St. Louis. This work is mapping inefficiencies and identifying best practices to help the City streamline development and attract investment.
• Additional advocacy achievements include the creation of a St. Louis County Land Bank, passage of pro-housing legislation, and key wins protecting private property rights and tax incentives at the state and federal levels.

Professionalism: Raising the Bar

Education and leadership remain cornerstones of our work. Our 2025 Managing Broker Summit, presented in collaboration with NAR, drew 140 brokers. Additionally, we’ve offered 12 Members First webinars, AI in real estate training, and contract update sessions this year.

Community & Inclusion

REALTORS® continue to give back and grow together. We coordinated our St. Louis REALTOR® Rebuild Day at two local homes and raised over $70,000 for tornado relief through the REALTORS® Housing Assistance Fund. These efforts were bolstered by more than $322,000 in housing recovery aid provided through the NAR’s REALTORS® Relief Fund, which helped hundreds of affected homeowners, along with an additional $20,000 in matching funds from the Missouri REALTORS® Relief Fund for REALTOR® members who were impacted by the storm. We also revitalized a Soulard transit stop through an NAR Placemaking Grant earlier in the year.

Reimagining St. Louis Study: This October, we released our Reimagining St. Louis Study—a 75-page, data-driven analysis of the challenges Black residents face in accessing homeownership in St. Louis City and County. This report marks a key milestone in our Reimagining St. Louis plan, launched in 2022, and will guide our next phase of action. Using these data points, we aim to drive meaningful, measurable change in expanding homeownership access and equity across our community.
Read more about the report and join us in building pathways to homeownership at stlrealtors.com/reimagine.

Counselors of Real Estate Partnership: We are also partnering with the Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) on an independent analysis of the St. Louis Zoo’s WildCare Park project in the Spanish Lake area—a community that has long been affected by disinvestment. The CRE study examined the project’s potential to stimulate economic activity and revitalize the area, providing valuable insights for policymakers and regional leaders as this transformative development progresses.

Meanwhile, events like R.A.C.E. and Can We Talk continue to strengthen dialogue and connection across our diverse membership.

Commercial Division: Planning Ahead

Our Commercial Division is developing its own strategic plan to guide future growth and engagement. This follows a year of strong programming—including CRE’s Top Ten Issues luncheon, training with Mike Lipsey, and an expanded CCIM scholarship program.

Looking Ahead

From the ADU legislation and PGAV partnership to our record-breaking Broker Summit and growing diversity, 2025 has already been an outstanding year. But our work isn’t done.

I encourage every member to stay engaged—attend an upcoming class, join a committee, share your ideas. Together, we’re shaping the future of real estate in St. Louis.

Warm regards,
Daniel R. Sale, MBA, CAE, RCE
Chief Executive Officer
St. Louis REALTORS®

---