National Association of Realtors President Tracy Kasper resigns over blackmail threat

Jan. 9 (UPI) -- National Association of Realtors President Tracy Kasper announced her resignation, citing a blackmail threat made against her.

The NAR said in a statement said the alleged blackmailer threatened to disclose a "past personal non-financial matter" about Kasper if she did not "compromise" her position. The NAR said Kasper, instead, informed law enforcement about the threat and resigned.

"It is with a mix of gratitude and a heavy heart that I submit my resignation as your president effective immediately," Kasper said. "In doing so, it gives our leadership team the ability to take the reins and forge forward in effecting the change that we all have worked so hard over the past few months to begin."

The NAR did not provide any further details on the threat but said Kasper felt that under the circumstances "it was best for the organization that she step down."

"As president and a long-time member of NAR, I always have put the interests of NAR first," Kasper said in a statement. "As a result of the recent threat and given the significance of this moment for myself, my family and the organization, it is again time for me to put the interest of the NAR first."

The NAR said Kevin Sears, the association's current president-elect, would replace Kasper as president.

Kasper, an Iowa realtor, took on the role after her predecessor Kenny Parcell resigned in mid-2023 after a media report documented charges that he sexually harassed female coworkers.

In November, NAR CEO Bob Goldberg resigned following a ruling by a Kansas City jury that found that the NAR and several of the nation's largest real estate brokers colluded to inflate real estate commissions.

The NAR, which was ordered to pay $1.8 million in damages to homeowners, said it would appeal the ruling.