Coastal Bend Association of REALTORS®
CBAR — formerly the Corpus Christi Association of REALTORS® (CCAR) — is the century-old REALTOR® board serving South Texas from the Coastal Bend inland through the brush country. Texas Ally is a CBAR member broker, which makes CBAR one of the local boards our agents can choose to join.
Texas Ally is a CBAR member broker. Every agent who joins us is required to become a member of a local REALTOR® board of their choice — and CBAR is one of the options. Our brokerage-level membership is what makes it available to you.
What CBAR Is
The Coastal Bend Association of REALTORS® is the local REALTOR® board headquartered in Corpus Christi. Founded in 1925, it's one of the oldest real estate organizations in South Texas and has operated under the CCAR name for most of its history before adopting the Coastal Bend branding in recent years. Both names still appear across its materials.
CBAR represents more than 1,900 REALTORS® across a seven-county service area, operates the local MLS (South Texas MLS), and connects its members to the broader networks of Texas REALTORS® — the statewide association of 110,000+ members — and the National Association of REALTORS®, with more than one million members across the country.
Being a member of CBAR is what earns a licensee the legal right to use the REALTOR® designation and to operate under the NAR Code of Ethics. That distinction matters: not every licensed agent is a REALTOR®, and consumers increasingly know the difference.
Seven Counties, from Coast to Brush Country
CBAR's service area covers seven counties running from the Gulf Coast at Corpus Christi through Jim Wells, Live Oak, and deep into the South Texas brush country. For TA agents working any of these counties, CBAR is typically the most natural choice of local board.
- Nueces County Corpus Christi, Robstown, Port Aransas — the core of the service area
- San Patricio County Portland, Ingleside, Aransas Pass, Sinton, Mathis
- Kleberg County Kingsville — home of the King Ranch and Texas A&M–Kingsville
- Jim Wells County Alice, Orange Grove — energy and agriculture corridor
- Live Oak County Three Rivers, George West — Eagle Ford shale country
- Brooks County Falfurrias — brush country and ranching
- Kenedy County Sarita — one of the least-populated counties in Texas
Note: Aransas County (Rockport–Fulton) and parts of the broader Coastal Bend region are served by different REALTOR® boards and MLS systems. If you regularly work those markets, ask us about multi-MLS access.
South Texas MLS (STX MLS)
South Texas MLS is CBAR's multiple listing service — the tool you'll actually use every day as a working agent in this region.
What It Covers
Residential, commercial, farm and ranch, vacant land, and rental listings across the full seven-county service area. Roughly 4,700+ active listings at any given time.
Syndication
STX MLS feeds listings to REALTOR.com, Zillow, Trulia, Homes.com, and the local Caller-Times — the major consumer search channels your future buyers and sellers already use.
Governance
STX MLS operates under its own Board of Governors, separate from CBAR's general Board of Directors. IDX and VOW feeds are available to member brokerages; Texas Ally's property search is built on this data.
What You Get as a CBAR Member
Beyond MLS access, CBAR membership carries weight. Here's what actually matters day-to-day for a working agent.
REALTOR® Standing & the Code of Ethics
CBAR membership is what lets you use the REALTOR® trademark and operate under the NAR Code of Ethics — the standard that distinguishes professional REALTORS® from the general pool of licensees. Consumers increasingly search for REALTOR®, not "real estate agent."
South Texas MLS Access
Full access to listings, comps, market data, property histories, and the MLS tools you'll rely on for pricing, CMAs, and showing scheduling. IDX for your own website if Texas Ally's public search isn't enough.
Continuing Education & Designations
CBAR offers TREC-approved CE courses at the board and pathways into NAR designations like ABR (Accredited Buyer's Representative), SRS (Seller Representative Specialist), and GRI (Graduate, REALTOR® Institute).
Advocacy — Local, State, National
Your membership dues fund RPAC and the advocacy work of CBAR, Texas REALTORS®, and NAR — which lobby on private property rights, tax treatment, licensing reform, and insurance issues specific to coastal Texas.
Networking & Referrals
Access to 1,900+ local REALTORS® and 110,000+ statewide, plus the NAR referral network for clients moving into or out of the region. CBAR also hosts local events, committees, and affiliate networking opportunities.
Consumer Trust Resources
CBAR publishes local housing reports, provides mortgage calculators, and maintains public member directories — all tools you can point clients to as neutral third-party sources.
What CBAR Membership Looks Like for a TA Agent
Every Texas Ally agent is required to join a local REALTOR® board of their own choice — the brokerage can't join for you, and different territories call for different boards. We're a CBAR member broker, which is what makes CBAR available as one of your options. Here's how it works if you pick it.
If you choose CBAR as your local board
- You apply to CBAR directly under our brokerage sponsorship — this is what unlocks your ability to list and sell across the seven-county service area and access South Texas MLS.
- You pay your own CBAR dues and MLS fees directly to the board — the same as you would at any other brokerage. Those fees aren't marked up or administered by us.
- You keep 100% of your commissions at Texas Ally. No splits, no desk fees, no franchise fees, no monthly tech fees. Our plans are flat.
- You have direct access to our managing broker for contract questions, guidance, and broker support — we answer the phone.
- If your business also takes you outside this region, you can join additional boards. We're member brokers at the other major Texas associations (Austin, Houston, DFW, San Antonio, Bryan–College Station), so multi-board setups are common and welcomed.
CBAR Membership Basics
The board sets its own requirements; we just sponsor. These are the essentials any new CBAR member needs to know.
Who Qualifies
Any actively licensed Texas real estate agent or broker whose sponsoring brokerage is a CBAR member broker. Texas Ally qualifies. Appraisers, inspectors, lenders, and other service providers can join as affiliates.
Dues & Fees
Annual CBAR dues plus MLS participation fees, paid directly to the board. Exact amounts change year to year; confirm current rates at ccaronline.com.
Onboarding Requirements
New members complete a CBAR New Member Orientation and the NAR Code of Ethics course within 45 days of joining. Both are offered locally and online.
Work the Coastal Bend. Keep 100%.
Texas Ally is a CBAR member broker. If you're a licensed Texas agent and CBAR is the right local board for your market, we'll sponsor you there. If another board fits better, we can sponsor you there too — we're 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 Corpus Christi →See Our Plans Talk to a BrokerCBAR & Texas Ally — FAQ
What's the difference between CBAR and CCAR?
They're the same organization. CCAR (Corpus Christi Association of REALTORS®) has been rebranding as CBAR (Coastal Bend Association of REALTORS®) to reflect the regional scope of its service area. Both names still appear across the board's materials, logo, and URL (ccaronline.com). Treat them as interchangeable.
Do I have to join CBAR to practice real estate in Corpus Christi?
You don't have to be a REALTOR® to practice real estate — a Texas license from TREC is what's legally required. But to access the local MLS, use the REALTOR® trademark, and operate under the NAR Code of Ethics, CBAR membership (or membership at another Texas board) is effectively necessary. Most working agents in the region are CBAR members.
Can Texas Ally sponsor my CBAR membership?
Yes. Texas Ally is a CBAR member broker, which is the prerequisite that lets our agents join the board. Once you're sponsored at Texas Ally, you apply to CBAR directly and pay dues to the board. We don't mark up or administer those fees.
Do I have to join CBAR specifically if I work with Texas Ally?
No. Every Texas Ally agent joins a local REALTOR® board of their own choice — not one we assign. CBAR is the natural choice for agents working Nueces County and the surrounding counties in its service area, but if your territory calls for a different Texas board, that's fine. We're member brokers at the other major associations (Austin, Houston, DFW, San Antonio, Bryan–College Station) and can sponsor you accordingly.
What does CBAR membership cost?
Annual CBAR dues plus MLS participation fees. Exact amounts change year to year and are set by the board — not by Texas Ally. The authoritative source is CBAR's membership page at ccaronline.com.
What counties does CBAR actually cover?
Seven: Nueces, San Patricio, Kleberg, Jim Wells, Live Oak, Brooks, and Kenedy. Note that this service area is narrower than the full regional definition of the "Coastal Bend" — Aransas County (Rockport–Fulton) and a few other inland counties are covered by different boards and MLS systems.
Can I belong to CBAR and another MLS at the same time?
Yes — many working agents do, especially those whose territory straddles markets. Texas Ally has access to the major Texas boards (Austin, Houston, DFW, San Antonio, Bryan–College Station, and others), so if your book of business crosses regions, we can usually get you sponsored at multiple.
Does CBAR offer continuing education?
Yes. CBAR offers TREC-approved CE courses required for license renewal, plus the coursework pathways for NAR designations like ABR, SRS, and GRI. Schedules are published on the board's website.
How is this different from just joining any random Corpus Christi brokerage?
The board access is the same — any CBAR-member broker can sponsor you. The difference is what the brokerage keeps from your commission checks. At most traditional brokerages in this market, it's a meaningful percentage. At Texas Ally, it's zero. That's the core of what we do.
Coastal Bend Association of REALTORS®
Reach CBAR Directly
4825 Everhart Rd., Suite 1 · Corpus Christi, TX 78411
(361) 991-8221
This page is maintained by Texas Ally Real Estate Group as a resource for prospective agents. For authoritative information on membership, dues, governance, and policies, always refer directly to CBAR at ccaronline.com.