Lubbock Association of REALTORS®
The Lubbock Association of REALTORS® has been serving the South Plains since 1926 and created the first MLS in Texas. Texas Ally is a member broker, which makes Lubbock one of the local boards our agents can choose to join.
What Lubbock AoR Is
The Lubbock Association of REALTORS® is the local REALTOR® association for Lubbock and the surrounding South Plains. It serves more than 1,700 REALTOR® members and affiliated businesses and is affiliated with Texas REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®.
It was founded in 1926 as the Lubbock Real Estate Board, which makes it one of the oldest REALTOR® associations in Texas. It also holds a genuine piece of state history: LAR created the first Multiple Listing Service in Texas, and the model it built was adopted across the rest of the state.
Lubbock is a stable, self-contained market anchored by Texas Tech and by agriculture. It does not swing with the metro cycles the way Austin or DFW does, which suits agents building a long-term referral business rather than chasing volume.
Lubbock & the South Plains
LAR is based in Lubbock and serves the city along with the surrounding South Plains communities.
- Lubbock
- Wolfforth
- Shallowater
- Idalou
- Slaton
- New Deal
- Ransom Canyon
- Levelland
- Lubbock County
The Lubbock MLS
LAR operates its own MLS — the direct descendant of the first MLS ever run in Texas. It is independent of the large shared systems, so board membership is the way in.
What It Covers
Lubbock and the South Plains. The database is focused on the local market rather than spread across a multi-region footprint, which keeps the data tight and relevant.
Who Runs It
The Lubbock Association of REALTORS® operates it directly. There is no shareholder structure — and having invented the format in Texas, the association has run one longer than anyone else in the state.
How You Get In
Through LAR membership. If Lubbock is your market, joining the board is how you get listing and search access.
What You Get as a Lubbock AoR Member
Beyond the day-to-day, membership carries weight. Here is what actually matters for a working agent.
REALTOR® Standing & the Code of Ethics
Lubbock AoR membership is what lets you use the REALTOR® trademark and operate under the NAR Code of Ethics — the standard that separates professional REALTORS® from the general pool of licensees. Membership flows through to Texas REALTORS® and NAR.
MLS Access
The practical reason most agents join. One membership puts your listings in front of every subscriber on The Lubbock MLS and gives you access to the shared inventory across its footprint.
Education & CE
The board runs education and continuing-education programming locally, tuned to the market you actually work rather than to a generic statewide syllabus.
Advocacy & a Local Voice
Lubbock AoR represents local property owners and agents, with Texas REALTORS® and NAR behind it at state and national level.
What Lubbock AoR Membership Looks Like for a TA Agent
Every Texas Ally agent joins a local REALTOR® board of their own choice — the brokerage cannot join for you, and different territories call for different boards. We are a member broker, which makes Lubbock AoR available as one of your options. Here is how it works if you pick it.
If you choose Lubbock AoR as your local board
- You apply to Lubbock AoR directly under our brokerage sponsorship — that is what unlocks your ability to list and sell through The Lubbock MLS.
- You pay board and MLS dues straight to the board. Texas Ally does not mark them up, administer them, or take a cut.
- Your commission arrangement with us is unchanged: 100% to you, a flat $99 a month, and flat transaction fees.
- If your business later moves to another part of Texas, you can change or add boards without changing brokerage — we are member brokers at the major Texas associations.
Work Lubbock and the South Plains. Keep 100%.
Texas Ally is a Lubbock AoR member broker. If you are a licensed Texas agent and Lubbock AoR is the right fit for your market, we will sponsor you there. If another board fits better, we can sponsor you there too — we are member brokers at all the major Texas associations. Either way, you keep 100% of your commissions. No splits, no desk fees, no surprises.
100% Commission in Lubbock → See Our Plans Talk to a BrokerLubbock AoR & Texas Ally — FAQ
Can Texas Ally sponsor my Lubbock AoR membership?
Yes. Texas Ally is a Lubbock AoR member broker, which is the prerequisite that lets our agents join. Once you are sponsored at Texas Ally, you apply to Lubbock AoR directly and pay dues to them. We do not mark up or administer those fees.
Do I have to join Lubbock Association of REALTORS® to sell real estate in Lubbock?
No. Every agent picks the local board that fits their market. Lubbock AoR makes sense if you are working Lubbock. If you are mostly elsewhere in Texas, another board will serve you better — and we are member brokers at those too.
What MLS does Lubbock Association of REALTORS® use?
The Lubbock MLS, run by the association itself. It is independent of the shared Texas systems, so LAR membership is the route to listing access in this market.
What are Lubbock Association of REALTORS® membership dues?
Lubbock AoR covers the South Plains, a market with far less overlap with neighbouring boards than most of Texas. The honest answer is that it depends on four line items, only one of which Lubbock AoR controls. Local dues are the board's. Texas REALTORS® dues and NAR dues are the same for every Texas agent regardless of board, and NAR's includes the Consumer Advertising Campaign assessment. MLS participation is charged separately, usually on a quarterly cycle. There is normally a one-time application fee in the first year, and a prorated amount if you join mid-year. Current figures are published by the board at lubbockrealtors.com. You settle all of it with the board directly. Texas Ally does not administer or mark up board fees, and there is no desk fee here for them to disappear into.
Did Lubbock really create the first MLS in Texas?
Yes. The association created the first Multiple Listing Service in the state, and the model was subsequently adopted across Texas.
How do I actually join Lubbock AoR?
Four steps, in order. Get your Texas licence active and sponsored by a Lubbock AoR member broker — that sponsorship is the prerequisite, not a formality. Apply to Lubbock AoR directly, in your own name. Pay the board's dues and MLS fees at application. Then complete new-member orientation and the NAR Code of Ethics course inside the window the board sets. Texas Ally's part is step one; you do the rest with the board directly, which is also why the membership stays yours.
Do I have to join a REALTOR® board at all in Texas?
Not by law. Your licence comes from TREC and does not require board membership. What membership buys you is the MLS, and in practice you cannot work residential resale without it — listings, comps and CMA data all live there. It is also what lets you call yourself a REALTOR®, which is a trademark rather than a synonym for agent. That is why Texas Ally asks every agent to join a local board of their own choosing.
Can I keep my Lubbock AoR membership if I switch brokerages?
Yes — the membership is yours, not your brokerage's. When you move you notify Lubbock AoR of the change, and your new sponsoring broker has to be a Lubbock AoR member broker. Texas Ally is. You do not reapply from scratch or lose your standing, though the board will want the transfer paperwork before your MLS access follows you. Agents moving to us from another local brokerage generally keep working without interruption.
Can I keep 100% commission and be a Lubbock Association of REALTORS® member?
Yes. Your board and your brokerage are separate: Texas Ally sponsors you as your broker on a flat $99 a month, and you join Lubbock Association of REALTORS® for MLS access.
Lubbock Association of REALTORS®
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We sponsor agents at Lubbock AoR and every other major Texas association. Keep your board, keep your MLS, and keep 100% of your commission.