Two associations, one Central Texas market.
The decision is yours.
The Highland Lakes Association of REALTORS® and the Austin Board of REALTORS® are proposing to combine association and MLS services by the end of the year. If both memberships approve, HLAoR will continue as the Highland Lakes Chapter of the Austin Board of REALTORS® — with the Highland Lakes name, the Marble Falls office, local staff, a Highland Lakes Chapter Council, dedicated advocacy and events, and a permanent seat at the ABoR and Unlock MLS Board tables
The HLAoR Board brought this forward and negotiated its terms to preserve Highland Lakes’ local identity and long-term sustainability. Everything we have published is on this page so that you can cast an informed vote.
ABOR BYLAWS VOTE
Aug. 24-26, 2026
HLAoR MEMBER VOTE
Proxy voting: Aug. 28 – Sept. 4
Member Vote: Sept. 8
HLAoR ANNUAL MEETING
Aug. 31 at 10:00 a.m. | HLAoR Office
START HERE
Why now — and why from a position of strength
This was a choice, not a rescue. HLAoR's board looked at where the numbers were heading — the same squeeze every small association faces, with rising platform and technology costs spread across a declining membership — and decided to go find a partner while HLAoR still had something substantial to bring to the table.
In this message, HLAoR President Courtney Wing explains why acting today, from a position of strength, allowed HLAoR to negotiate a partnership on its own terms.
THE TWO VOTES
Both have to pass. Neither board can do this alone.
Find your association below. If you're a member of both, you vote in both.
HLAoR MEMBERS
Combine with ABoR and continue as the Highland Lakes Chapter
Annual Meeting & Town Hall Aug. 31 | Proxy Voting Aug. 28 – Sept. 4 | Member Vote Sept. 8
The Highland Lakes name, the Marble Falls office we own, local staff, and local advocacy, community outreach, and events all continue.
A Chapter Council, seated by HLAoR's 2026 Board, oversees local Chapter business and programming.
A permanent seat on the ABoR and Unlock MLS Boards of Directors, held by an agent with a Burnet or Llano County business mailing address, ensures a local governing voice.
The 65% of Highland Lakes members who already serve both markets save between $575 and $745 a year.
ABoR MEMBERS
Bylaws amendment authorizing the chapter framework
Voting Period: Aug. 24-26 | Informational Bylaws Webinars Aug. 21 and 24
Authorizes ABoR to establish geographic Chapters
Creates a permanent Chapter Director seat, held by an agent with a Burnet or Llano County business mailing address.
Sets how the Chapter Director seat is filled and how successors are designated.
Makes conforming amendments to Articles III, X and XII to ensure that Chapter Directors follow the same term limits, Company limits, and requirements as At Large Directors.
Following the ABoR Bylaws amendment, the ABoR Governing Policies are updated to include a Highland Lakes Chapter.
FOR HIGHLAND LAKES MEMBERS
What changes, and what doesn’t
Nothing about your membership, MLS access, key or billing changes on the day of the vote. Changes happen on a published schedule, with notice before each one.
What Stays
The Highland Lakes name, carried forward as the Highland Lakes Chapter of ABoR.
The Marble Falls office and a local staff presence.
Our current staff, who transfer with the combination.
Your Supra eKEY access and lockboxes, including key reciprocity with SABOR.
Local Association dues of $175, paid at the end of every year.
The same twice-a-year MLS billing, due March 31 and September 30.
The Forewarn REALTOR® safety app.
Local advocacy, community outreach, volunteer opportunities, and dedicated Chapter events.
Governance that stays close to home. Your 2026 Board of Directors continues as the Highland Lakes Chapter Council, and Highland Lakes holds a permanent seat on the ABoR and Unlock MLS Boards of Directors.
What Changes
Your MLS platform. Your MLS service moves to Cotality's Matrix, and Paragon is sunsetted in our area. A full conversion would not take place until 2027, and you will have several months of dedicated training and support — here in Marble Falls and online — before migrating.
MLS and KEY fees. Your MLS and Supra eKEY fees will be higher than what you pay HLAoR today. Local Association dues stay at $175 and billing dates don't change. The annual difference depends on your role and whether you serve one market or both:
Broker, Highland Lakes & Unlock MLS: $745 less per year
Agent, Highland Lakes & Unlock MLS: $575 less per year
Broker, Highland Lakes only: $6 more per year
Agent, Highland Lakes only: $177 more per year
How you pay for Supra. Today you pay Supra directly each month. Starting in March 2027, your key subscription will appear on your Unlock MLS invoice, billed twice a year instead of monthly. We'll coordinate with Supra to make that transition as smooth as possible.
VOTING & UNIFICATION SCHEDULE
What Happens When
ABoR member vote on the Bylaws amendment authorizing the chapter framework
Aug. 24-26
Aug. 28 - Sept. 4
HLAoR proxy voting window
HLAoR Annual Meeting & Town Hall — presentation and open Q&A
Aug. 31
HLAoR member meeting and ratification vote
Sept. 8
Administrative approval received by National Association of REALTORS®
Mid-November
Highland Lakes Chapter of ABoR fully operational
December
MLS migration from Paragon to Matrix.
Mid-2027
READ THE DOCUMENTS
Everything, in the Open
HLAoR Member FAQs
HLAoR Financial Package
Fees Comparison PDF
HLAoR Annual Meeting Registration
ABoR Bylaws Vote
FAQs for Highland Lakes Members
The Questions We’re Hearing Most
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No. It takes effect only if both memberships vote to approve it and NAR grants administrative approval. The HLAoR and ABoR Boards have completed thorough due diligence and planning so that you have a real scenario from which to cast an informed vote.
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Highland Lakes is not in crisis, and that is the point. Like every small association, HLAoR faces rising platform and technology costs and slowing membership, and our recent budgets reflect that. Acting while the association is healthy — with reserves, a valuable MLS and a name that means something in this market — is what earned the terms we got. Waiting until our options narrowed would have been the mistake. The full financial package is published above so you can judge for yourself.
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The schedule is set by a hard deadline: the combination must be approved by NAR in time for 2027 dues billing in December. Missing that window costs dual subscribers another full year of duplicate fees. Diligence was thorough, counsel on both sides was engaged, and nothing is final until HLAoR members vote.
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HLAoR will not have an independent NAR charter, and the HLAoR board becomes a Chapter Council rather than a sovereign board. In addition, HLMLS will transition from Paragon to Matrix in mid-2027 after months of training and hands-on support.
We understand that these are meaningful changes. What HLAoR negotiated to keep is the name, the Marble Falls office, local staff, local programming, a Chapter Council, and a permanent seat at the ABoR and Unlock MLS Board table. Plus, long-term sustainability and strength. That is the trade, and it’s yours to weigh.
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Nothing is sold, and nothing is cashed out. The Marble Falls building stays open as the Highland Lakes Chapter office. HLAoR reserves, expenses, and liabilities are combined with ABoR’s. The specifics are in the financial disclosure package published on this webpage.
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Any licensed agent can already work anywhere in Texas — the Highland Lakes market was never fenced off, and combining does not change who can list or sell where. What changes is the cost structure and the back office behind you, not who your peers are.
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Both associations continue to operate exactly as they do today — no immediate change. But the pressures we described above don't reverse on their own just because the vote fails. Absent this agreement, your Board would be facing real decisions on its own: adjustments to dues, to member benefits, and to staffing, on a timeline we don't control as well as we do today. We're not telling you the outcome is decided — it isn't, and the vote is genuinely yours. We just want you to decide with the full picture, not a partial one.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
Your question isn’t here? Send it.
We’re committed to answering all of your questions, openly and transparently. Every submission gets a direct reply, and recurring questions are added to the FAQ on this page daily.