Real Estate Listings

Residential real estate listings form the primary interface between property inventory and the professionals, buyers, and researchers navigating the housing market. This page describes the structure of listings held within the National Residential Authority directory, how geographic coverage is organized, what information each entry contains, and how verification status is determined. The directory serves as a reference point for locating residential real estate service providers across the United States, organized by market and service category.

Geographic distribution

The directory spans all 50 U.S. states, with listing density concentrated in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB designates 384 MSAs nationally, and the majority of active residential listings in this directory correspond to those high-activity markets. Secondary coverage includes micropolitan statistical areas and rural county-level markets, though entry volume in those areas reflects actual service provider density rather than uniform national fill.

Listings are organized first by state, then by metropolitan area or county, and finally by service category (e.g., residential sales brokerage, property management, appraisal, mortgage origination). This structure mirrors the geographic licensing hierarchy imposed by state real estate commissions, which are the primary regulatory bodies governing residential real estate practice in each jurisdiction. For a full explanation of how the directory scope was constructed, see the Residential Directory Purpose and Scope page.

How to read an entry

Each listing entry follows a standardized field structure. A complete entry contains the following elements:

1. Business or practitioner name — the legal or registered trade name on file with the relevant state licensing body
2. License number and type — references the license classification issued by the state real estate commission (e.g., broker, salesperson, property manager)
3. Jurisdiction — the state or states in which the license is active
4. Service category — aligned to the classification framework described on the How to Use This Residential Resource page
5. Geographic service area — the county or MSA range the provider covers, as self-reported or publicly documented
6. Contact and office information — physical address, phone, and website where available in public licensing records
7. Verification status — a machine-readable flag indicating the source and freshness of the license verification (see the Verification Status section below)

Entries do not include consumer reviews, performance ratings, or subjective quality assessments. The directory is a structural reference, not a ranking system. Comparing two entries of the same service type within the same MSA is a function of reading license type and jurisdiction coverage — not of any score assigned by this platform.

What listings include and exclude

Listings in this directory are limited to residential real estate service providers operating under a state-issued license or registration. The following categories are in scope:

• Licensed real estate brokers and salespersons (covered under each state's real estate license law, typically enforced by the state real estate commission)
• Certified residential appraisers and licensed appraisers (credentialed under the Appraiser Qualifications Board standards published by the Appraisal Foundation, as authorized under Title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989)
• Mortgage loan originators holding an active NMLS (Nationwide Multistate Licensing System) registration under the SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act
• Residential property managers operating under a state-issued real estate or property management license

Excluded from listings:

• Unlicensed real estate wholesalers and assignment-contract operators
• Home inspectors (covered in a separate vertical)
• Commercial-only brokers with no residential license classification
• Contractors and builders (refer to the National Remodeling Authority directory for that vertical)
• Real estate attorneys operating in a legal capacity rather than as licensed brokers

The distinction between included and excluded categories is not editorial — it reflects the licensing framework. A provider either holds a qualifying credential issued by a named regulatory body or does not. The Residential Listings index applies these same filters across all active entries.

Verification status

Each listing entry carries one of three verification status designations:

Public Record Confirmed — The license number has been cross-referenced against the state real estate commission's public license lookup database. 43 state commissions publish machine-readable or searchable public license databases accessible without authentication. In those states, verification is performed against the official state registry.

NMLS Cross-Referenced — For mortgage originators, license status is verified through the NMLS Consumer Access portal (nmlsconsumeraccess.org), which is maintained by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) and reflects real-time license status across participating states.

Self-Reported Pending Confirmation — A subset of entries, primarily from states whose licensing databases are not publicly searchable in structured form, carry this designation. These entries contain information submitted or sourced from public-facing business records but have not been reconciled against a state license registry at the time of publication.

Verification status is not a warranty of current licensure. License status changes — through renewal failures, disciplinary action, or voluntary surrender — occur continuously. Consumers and professionals relying on license status for compliance purposes should consult the relevant state real estate commission directly or use the NMLS Consumer Access portal for mortgage originators.

The Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC), an independent agency within the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), maintains the National Registry of State Certified and Licensed Appraisers, which is used as the authoritative source for appraiser credential verification within this directory.