About Us

The Omaha Area Board of REALTORS® (OABR) is a professional association that supports the real estate market, defends private property rights, and advocates homeownership for all.

OABR is a non-profit, dues-funded membership organization. REALTOR® members are Registered, Licensed, or Certified Appraisers, or Licensed Real Estate Brokers and their affiliated agents licensed as Real Estate Salespersons or Associate Brokers.

REALTORS® may choose to affiliate with a licensed Broker who has opted in as a regional MLS Participant. Great Plains Regional MLS (GPRMLS.com) serves the greater Omaha-Lincoln area.

The multiple listing system was developed and is privately funded by its users. Participation in the MLS benefits sellers by exposing their property to the largest audience of potential home buyers. Buyers benefit by having the latest information and open access to all homes listed for sale in the region. All properties are offered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ethnic origin, familial status, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), handicap, or disability.

All REALTORS® agree to cooperate with other brokers and to abide by the REALTOR® Code of Ethics, which states, “REALTORS® shall cooperate with other brokers except when cooperation is not in the client’s best interest. The obligation to cooperate does not include an obligation to share commissions, fees, or to otherwise compensate another broker (Article 6).

Without this cooperation – the sharing of property information – the organized real estate market, as we know it today, would not exist. In the MLS system, property information is collected, standardized, stored, and provided for use by other REALTORS®, lenders, appraisers, and consumers.

Virtually all consumer-accessible real estate websites are powered with property information amassed at the expense of the local MLS operation.

OABR and GPRMLS do not provide real estate services directly to the public, and the office staff are not licensed to act in that capacity. Neither OABR nor GPRMLS involve themselves with commissions or the division of commissions between real estate licensees. The real estate commissions charged are determined individually by the real estate broker and their client – a seller or a buyer – in a negotiable written agreement.

OABR and GPRMLS do not establish, publish, or otherwise suggest standard charges or a range of service fees for real estate transactions. A broker’s business model and the professional fees they negotiate are never discussed in formal meetings or casual gatherings of OABR or GPRMLS.

A broker may elect to offer compensation to another broker that helps facilitate a transaction. The brokers and their clients solely determine the level of compensation for this participation in the transaction. The fees charged may be a fixed dollar amount, a percentage of the gross selling price, or any other arrangement that is agreed to by those involved. This process of sharing commissions is authorized by state law and supported by federal housing policy; however, OABR and GPRMLS are not engaged in the process and do not collect data regarding professional fees or commissions.

The REALTOR® Code of Ethics states, “REALTORS® shall not accept any commission, rebate, or profit on expenditures made for their client, without the client’s knowledge and consent (Article 6).

In a transaction, REALTORS® shall not accept compensation from more than one party, even if permitted by law, without disclosure to all parties and the informed consent of the REALTOR®’s client or clients (Article 7).

REALTORS®, for the protection of all parties, shall assure whenever possible that all agreements related to real estate transactions, including, but not limited to, listing and representation agreements, purchase contracts, and leases, are in writing in clear and understandable language expressing the specific terms, conditions, obligations, and commitments of the parties (Article 9).”

Consumers are always encouraged to seek legal advice when buying, selling, or leasing real estate.

Strategic Plan

REALTOR® Code of Ethics