ARA adds REMAX president Chris Lim to board

The American Real Estate Association (ARA) has added REMAX president and chief growth officer Chris Lim and investor Andrew Dodge to its board of directors, expanding its leadership, according to an announcement on Thursday. 

As part of the move, ARA will provide all REMAX agents in the United States with a complimentary first-year membership, according to the association’s announcement.

The appointments signal a strategic next phase for the relatively new trade group, which was founded by Compass broker Jason Haber and founder of The Agency Mauricio Umansky to represent real estate agents in January 2024. 

“The stakes right now for the American public and the real estate industry are enormous,” Haber and Umansky said in a joint statement. “By bringing Chris’s deep industry acumen and Andrew’s vital outside business perspective to the table, we are building a diversified board that can strategically guide our industry forward and fiercely support the nearly two million full-time agents working hard every single day.”

Lim brings franchise scale, education focus

The association said Lim brings decades of brand-building and brokerage experience to the ARA board at a time when large networks are re-evaluating agent value propositions and training in response to rising consumer expectations and regulatory pressure.

“Real estate is an industry for true professionals who are relentlessly dedicated to servicing their clients,” Lim said. “The ARA’s commitment to creating the best-informed and best-trained agents in the country is exactly what the market demands right now.”

Lim said he aims to help shape an educational framework that positions ARA members as “indispensable, highly skilled advisors” to consumers.

Dodge adds outside capital markets perspective

Dodge, described by the association as a seasoned businessman and investor, joins as an independent voice intended to broaden the board’s perspective beyond brokerage and franchise operations.=

“When the founding partners invited me to join, I saw an opportunity to bring a true outsider’s perspective to a passion I’ve held my entire life,” Dodge said. “Real estate is the ultimate cornerstone of this country — it is the greatest asset most Americans will ever work for.”

Dodge framed the ARA’s role as an “apolitical” voice amid heightened political rhetoric around housing and affordability, positioning the association as a trusted source of information for consumers navigating homeownership decisions.

Building a coalition of luxury, independent and franchise players

The board expansion comes as ARA has been assembling a coalition that spans luxury independents, regional firms and now a major global franchise brand.

Douglas Elliman, which has more than 6,600 agents, recently aligned with the association, integrating its agents into ARA’s membership. Douglas Elliman president and CEO Michael Liebowitz and general counsel Deva Roberts both serve on the ARA board, as does Briggs Elwell, CEO and co-founder of real estate technology firm RLTYco.

“The rapid convergence of luxury networks and global giants under the ARA umbrella proves the industry was starving for modern, agent-first leadership,” Elwell said. “By giving professionals the tools and advocacy they actually need, we are fundamentally changing the trajectory of American real estate.”

The association also absorbed the New York Residential Agent Continuum (NYRAC) as its foundational local chapter in January 2025. NYRAC represents many of New York City’s top-producing residential agents, giving ARA an operational foothold in one of the country’s most competitive and high-cost markets.

ARA launched its membership program in August 2024, with two tiers — a yearly membership for $20 and a 10-year founding membership for $1,500.

This article was written by Brooklee Han and generated with the assistance of HousingWire Automation, then reviewed by a HousingWire editor before publication.