New Playbook Maps The Choices Facing Mls And Association Leaders

With the National Association of Realtors (NAR) announcing it was taking a step back from policy creation and enforcement, effectively handing power back to local MLSs and associations in November, many executives and leaders were left looking for help as they work to figure out what is right for their MLS or association, especially when it comes to Realtor association membership and MLS access. 

It is this void that Alloy Advisors hopes to fill with its Non-Realtor MLS Playbook. The playbook, which launched on Wednesday, was created by Alloy Advisors’ co-founders Russ Cofano and Amit Kulkarni, who partnered with Phoenix Realtors CEO Andy Fegley and national MLS attorneys and legal experts.

A long time coming

While the playbook is only just being launched in 2026, Cofano said the genesis of this project occurred over a decade ago, when he was the CEO of a state Realtor association.

“In that experience I came away thinking that associations could actually be stronger for their members if they had voluntary membership,” Cofano said. “A lot of members view their dues as a tax and that creates this negative tension between members and the organization, and that is always an uphill battle in delivering value.” 

In many parts of the country; however, it was challenging to untie Realtor membership with MLS access, Cofano said, preventing any sort of meaningful change. But in 2024, associations and MLSs, including Fegley’s Phoenix Association, created non-Realtor subscription access to their Realtor-owned MLS. Seeing Fegley’s experience navigating this move, combined with NAR’s policy shift, inspired Cofano and Kulkarni to take action. 

Help for leaders working through decisions

Cofano and Kulkarni describe the playbook as a way for leaders to work through a decision matrix to delve into various parts of the business and strategy, including operations, governance, financials and communication, allowing them to come to a decision that makes sense for their organization instead of simply using historical precedent as a default. 

The playbook contains six modules that deal with things like legal risks, MLS access policies, the design and structure of MLSs, governance and legal documentation, monitoring of policies and how to roll out and communicate new policies to members. Through the modules, MLS and association leadership teams can work directly with policy and legal experts to design MLS access policies, manage risk and build sustainable revenue models.

Understanding the decision risks

For Kulkarni, understanding the risk involved in any decisions made it one of the most important things the playbook offers MLS leaders. 

“Even doing nothing is still a decision and there are consequences to that decision,” Kulkarni said. “I think understanding what those risks are and what the landscape looks like is the first step in all of this.” 

To help with this, the Alloy Advisors brought in a team of legal experts who are willing to help MLS leaders examine the legal risks they would be assuming based on different choices. Kulkarni said these legal experts will work together with the MLS’s in-house counsel to ensure a deep understanding of local conditions and policies. 

Cofano noted that he and the team are not saying that every association should do exactly as Phoenix Realtors has done.

“What we are saying is that it is the right time for local leadership to engage on the subject and many of them don’t really know how to do it,” Cofano said. “There are a lot of political issues on the local level, so having a third party like Alloy and our team and outside counsel to come in and provide some guidance can help.”

Cofano and Kulkarni agree that the industry is in the middle of a change, and they hope their playbook can be a resource for MLS and association leaders as they look to navigate this shift.