The San Antonio Board of Realtors announced on Apr. 15 plans to merge with the Four Rivers Association of Realtors, which covers Caldwell, Comal, Gonzales, Guadalupe and Hays Counties. The merger is pending approval by board members and the National Association of Realtors.
This proposed consolidation follows a national trend among Multiple Listing Services (MLS) and local realtor boards as organizations seek to streamline services and expand their reach for members.
Ed Zapata, chairman of the San Antonio Board of Realtors (Sabor), said many realtors are already part of both associations. “A lot of our members in both regions were part of both. Real estate doesn’t just happen in association boundaries, so when we come together, a lot of our members are going to benefit from the expanded footprint,” Zapata said. He also noted that member approval is still needed: “We still need to talk to our members. If the members see there’s no value in this merger, it’s not going to go through.”
The merger will not directly affect Sabor’s MLS system known as Lera since it operates separately from Sabor itself. However, Wes Miller, president of Four Rivers Association (Frar), explained that listings from Frar’s MLS would eventually become available on Lera: “If you want to work effectively in the area, you’ve got to have both MLSs. It’s just not been what’s best for the clients, and that’s not what’s best for the Realtors, and it was just a flaw in the system that was long overdue to be corrected,” Miller said.
Both Miller and Zapata indicated that combining resources would allow for an increased budget supporting professional development programs and advocacy efforts at the state level. “We’ll be able to improve our education, professional development — all the different ways that we serve our members; we’ll be able to pour gas on that,” Miller said.
Sabor currently has about 10,000 members while Frar has about 1,000 according to Miller.
Some concerns remain among agents regarding geographic competency requirements under Texas law if service areas expand further after consolidation. Luxury agent Easton Smith commented: “The one thing that I think is not ideal is that it really opens people up to stepping outside of their geographical competence… especially in a down market.” A Sabor representative responded by stating geographic competency remains “the broker’s responsibility.”
Nationally, data shows ongoing consolidation within real estate organizations: The number of MLSs across America dropped from around 850 in 2015 down to 484 at end-2025 according T3 Sixty’s Real Estate Almanac. In Texas alone last year six MLSs and eight local associations closed or merged.
