About LAAR

In November 1944 a group of Gregg County real estate agents formed an organization with the intention of applying for a charter from the National Association of Real Estate Boards (NAREB). Their petition was successful and in January 1945 the NAREB issued a charter which formally granted the group the right to designate itself as a “Board of Realtors®” and approved their requested name of the Longview Board of Realtors® (LBOR).

From January 1945 until June 1994 real estate offices with principal places of business located within the territorial jurisdiction of the board had to join the LBOR if they wanted to join the NAREB and be authorized to use the term Realtor®. In June of 1994 the National Association of REALTOS® (formerly known as the NAREB) introduced a change in membership policy known as “Board of Choice”. The essence of the Board of Choice policy was that real estate offices located within the territorial jurisdiction of a local board were no longer required to join that particular local board first. As a result of this policy change the Longview Board of Realtors® began accepting members whose principal place of business was outside its territorial jurisdiction. The subsequent growth in members from surrounding areas prompted the Board of Directors to consider changing its name to one that more accurately reflects its membership area. In November 1999 the Board of Directors approved a motion to change the board’s name to the Longview Area Association of REALTORS® (LAAR).

Since its beginning LAAR has been dedicated to bringing professionalism and integrity to the real estate industry in the East Texas area. We are strong advocates for the extension and preservation of private property ownership rights and continually strive to afford our members with the most current tools and knowledgeable assistance possible so that they may better service their clients and customers.