A Strategic Partnership

On the home page of each association's website will be a next steps document which will be updated weekly if there are any updates.

VPAR's merger vote took place after the invoices were sent. Invoicing had to remain on the schedule determined by VPAR's bylaws, in the event that the merger vote failed.

No, now that the merger has been approved by the membership, the next steps are anticipated to have minimal to zero impact related to the administration of the merged organization. The associations' attorneys are reviewing the due diligence performed throughout our process.

Once that review is completed, including the transfer of property to CoaVAR, articles of merger will be filed with the state corporate commission finalizing the merger. The legal team will draft a final merger agreement as soon as a Lender Consent is filed.

VPAR member dues will be significantly lower than the dues approved by the joint boards of directors. Members who paid the VPAR June invoice will receive a refund once the VPAR dues payment has been verified.

PLEASE NOTE: The VPAR members who are on a monthly payment plan will need to continue on the plan and will not be eligible for a refund. CoaVAR will not have a monthly payment plan. The organization's accounting software and human resource capacity cannot facilitate and maintain this type of high-intensity/maintenance requirement with a membership of over 5,000.

The new payment plan for 2027 dues will be to split the dues payment with the local dues being due and payable June 30th, 2027 and the state and national dues due and payable 01/31/2027.  The CoaVAR membership year will run from July 1- June 30th each year thereafter.

Please remember that in order to be a REALTOR®, you must officially be a “member” of a local REALTOR® organization.  As part of the merger, all VPAR members will be formally invited to “join” the merged organization and must “opt in” to membership. The new organization will facilitate the “transfer” process with you. As part of the merger agreement, the transfer costs and new-member initiation fees for any current VPAR Members (Designated Brokers, agents, and Affiliates) will be waived, provided they join the new organization within 60 days of the merger.

Your REALTOR® membership and any REALTOR® designations and certifications you have will remain intact, provided you continue as a REALTOR® member of the newly consolidated organization.

This merger has been carefully designed to maintain and/or improve existing services, not to eliminate or diminish them.

Maintaining strong local representation is a priority to ensure both regions continue to have a meaningful voice.  As an example, the newly formed board of directors includes directors from both the VPAR and HRRA geographies, and for the first three years, there will be elected officers from both areas.  In addition, all committees will have fairly equal membership from both areas to ensure proper representation.

A transitional board will be appointed to serve the last half of 2026, followed in 2027 and 2028 by a series of elections in accordance with the merger agreement and bylaws to ensure fair representation of members from throughout the geography of both existing organizations.  A chart showing the combined leadership roles for 2026 through 2028 is included in the merger agreement.

Yes.  As part of the merger agreement, new bylaws will be adopted by the memberships to reflect the merged organization.  The proposed new bylaws have been designed with fairness and member representation in mind. Members will vote on the final bylaws at the same meeting at which they vote on the agreement to merge into a single organization.  In addition, new policies have been drafted, reviewed by both current boards of directors, and will be adopted by the new board of directors if the merger is approved.

Education offerings are expected to expand as part of the merger, with access to a broader range of classes, speakers, and professional development opportunities.  Education will occur in a variety of venues, both north and south of the water, as well as in virtual and hybrid delivery.

Prior to the merger each association had Q3 and Q4 scheduled, those will largely remain the same. New member orientation will be held at VPAR beginning in September. NAR  Certifications and Designations are scheduled for delivery at the Peninsula in 2027. VPAR members are currently being recruited to teach classes at the Hampton location through Alpha.

The budget for the merged associations reflects the need to maintain two regionalized awards programs to account for production variances across the entire marketplace. Amanda Walsh, who will serve as the President-elect in 2027 will be managing the Peninsula awards process with selected committee members and staff. The CoaVAR staff will sell all sponsorships for both gala locations.

The presidents from both boards are currently integrating the committees. Both boards may experience a shift in committee seats as we seek to maintain the optimum balance of committee size.

To date, several Peninsula education committee members have been transferred tot he Alpha instructor roster.

The Government Affairs Committee has restructured and expanded it seats. The President will chair till the end of the year and the current Peninsula PPC chair will now vice-chair the Government Affairs Committee. Broker Committee Peninsula members were notified of their placement on the new Broker Committee.

Committees will likely be restructured to reflect the larger organization, providing more opportunities for member involvement. It is anticipated that most committees will have strong representation from both areas and may include co-chairs (one from each area) for the initial phase of the merger.

A combined association will have a stronger, more unified voice when advocating for REALTOR® interests at the local, state, and national levels.  There are both strong similarities and distinct regional differences in politics, advocacy, and public policy, so the merger task force has suggested holding a strategic planning session in mid-August, after the merger agreement, to ensure all advocacy needs and strategic objectives are met. The planning session will specifically address the regional differences and common strengths to preserve the local relationships already in place and create a stronger, more vibrant advocacy program.

VPAR and HRRA have always been open to expanding and improving resources, programs, and services for our memberships; however, for the present, the two boards feel that a successful merger between VPAR and HRRA will deliver the greatest practical benefits to our combined members

The approved 2027 budget fully staffs both offices. Dr. Kennedy will continue to lead the merged organization.

Both associations currently own their buildings, and as part of the consolidation, all assets will be combined and held for the ongoing benefit of all the members. It is expected that the current office locations will continue after the merger, and that appropriate staffing will be present in both locations.

Members will receive regular updates through email, meetings, and official channels to ensure transparency throughout the process.  On May 13 and 14, town hall-style sessions will be held in person to answer questions and provide more details about the proposal.  Those meetings will be recorded and available for later viewing by those who could not attend.

After the two in-person town halls on May 13 and May 14, the general membership of both associations will be asked to vote on the merger and the new bylaws, consistent with current requirements, likely sometime in late May or early June 2026.  If the members approve, we will begin a transition period and expect to wrap up this summer.

Members are encouraged to attend one or both town halls, submit questions directly to their local association president or CEO, and engage with leadership throughout the process.  HRRA has a link on its home page to submit town hall questions in advance.