I used to own horses. I can tell you about their feed, their gait, their temperament, why they crib and the best way to clean a stall. But if you asked me to sell a 50-acre ranch in Kern County? I’d be out of my depth. That’s a specialist's game, and those specialists are about to get a lot harder to find.
The rural real estate specialist shortage
That’s because the new NAR rules that kicked in this past August aren’t just changing the game in cities—they’re threatening to break the entire playing field in small towns and farm country, where the economics of real estate were already hanging by a thread.
It gets to the brutal, mathematical heart of the problem. Rural agents aren't necessarily harder to find yet, but the new NAR rules create powerful economic hurdles that will make them significantly scarcer in the very near future.
I love country life, but I would be out of my depth in the rural market where water comes from wells, electricity needs to be partially generated on site (that’s what windmills are for?!?) and the size of your home is calculated on the size of your septic weep field? No thank you.
New NAR rules threaten rural market economics
The new requirement to negotiate fees before a buyer even sees a property forces a rethinking on the economy of the business. The elimination of MLS-displayed buyer compensation isn’t just an inconvenience out here it can potentially make it unfeasible for agents to serve such widespread, low-value areas, as the time and travel costs may exceed what buyers are willing to pay.
Country cousin
I spoke with Allison Cassity, broker/owner of a Coldwell Banker franchise in Burney, California, who has 29 active listings spread across Shasta, Modoc, and Lassen Counties. She put it bluntly: When you’re covering three counties and driving an hour between a $150,000 listing and a $200,000 one, the new requirement to negotiate fees before a buyer even sees a property can make the math no longer work.
When asked about how sellers are adjusting to the settlement’s changes, Cassity, primarily a listing agent, explained, “95% of people need the settlement explained—it still trickles down (commission) just takes a different path.” In our price point we might have to sell, “30 homes to make what someone else makes selling four.” The result? “There’s not a lot of new people lining up to sell real estate.
Double-ending in a one-horse town
In cities, buyers have options. But in rural AG country, you have large commercial brokers and then everyone else. The residential price points don’t attract many agents. As Cassity notes, the nearest buyer’s agent might be in the next county over. The trend toward "double-ended" transactions—where the listing agent represents both sides—isn’t just a trend in rural markets; it’s becoming the primary option.
When the seller’s agent is the only game in town, true buyer representation evaporates. The consumer loses an advocate, and the agent wears two hats in a deal that desperately needs a referee. Cassity calls it a “disservice to the buyer,” emphasizing that the net impact is fewer choices and weaker representation.
Formality vs rural trust-based business
Rural business runs on trust and word-of-mouth. A buyer often starts their search by calling the agent who sold their cousin’s property or helped their neighbor last year. Now, that casual, trust-based conversation requires a formal written agreement before they can even step foot on a property. This injects a layer of legal friction into a process built on relationships. It’s a square peg in a round hole, and the hole is getting smaller.
Rural America remains invisible in settlement data
The national coverage of this settlement has a glaring blind spot: rural America. The National Association of Realtors forecasts a 9% increase in home sales for 2025, but these projections are built on metropolitan data [Source 5]. T
The real story—unfolding in towns under 50,000 people—isn’t being told because nobody is collecting the right data. To understand the true impact, we’d need to track county-level MLS participation rates, transaction volumes in small markets, and buyer representation rates. Without this, we’re flying blind while rural communities bear the brunt of these changes.
Settlement creates unintended rural consequences
The settlement aimed to increase transparency and reduce costs, but in rural markets, it’s achieving the opposite. With fewer agents and higher operational costs, those who remain must charge more or double-end deals to survive. The loss of even one agent can eliminate professional representation for an entire community. That’s not progress; it’s isolation.
Sources:
1. How NAR’s Settlement Impacts Homebuying
2. What the NAR Settlement Means for Home Buyers and Sellers
3. All your need to know about the $418 Million NAR Settlement
4. How the NAR Settlement Impacts Home Buyers and Sellers
5. Real Estate in 2025: A Promising Path Forward
