Join as a Realtor

At CTAR, we are committed to helping you build a strong and successful business. With Realtor® membership, you’ll have access to all the essential tools that support your business and let you focus on what you need to focus on—building your business and increasing your bottom line.

Think of us as your behind-the-scenes support structure. We’re here for you, your business and dedicated to your success.

Realtors® are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the transactional process of buying and selling real estate. You are setting yourself apart from your competition, and we look forward to having you as a Realtor® member.

Becoming a Member - Step by Step

Dues Investment Information

Realtor® dues are $535 per year.
Dues are prorated for new members depending on the date they become active.
CTAR accepts cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express.
You can pay online, here.

How Your Dues are Distributed

As a member of your local Association, you also hold memberships at the state and national levels with the South Carolina Realtors® (SCR) and the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). This three-way agreement provides you with a wide variety of member benefits that support the work you do each day.

Through this agreement, CTAR distributes portions of your dues to the state and national organizations. NAR receives $201 of your dues investment, SCR receives $155 and $179 stays with CTAR to support the membership programs, services and benefits that we provide throughout the year. We maximize your dues investment by providing no-or-low cost opportunities like the annual Residential Market Update, Summer Conference, RPAC events and lunch and learn programs.

Please contact us with any questions at 843-760-9400.

STEP 3 Complete your courses

The online ethics course MUST be completed before you complete orientation. Course information will be emailed to you once your application is accepted.
Orientation is held virtually and is available on-demand.
You will receive a link to the orientation once steps 1 + 2 are complete.
Once you have submitted your application, you have 2 (two) months to complete orientation. Failure to complete the application and orientation process within 2 (two) months will result in forfeiture of the application fee.

CTAR FAQs

I am the Designated Realtor® (BIC). What am I responsible for paying?

As the Designated Realtor® of your office, you are responsible for payment of your annual Realtor® dues as well as the annual nonmember assessments for each licensee under your supervision that are not Realtor® members.

What is a nonmember assessment?

As the Designated Realtor® you are billed for your own annual Realtor® membership dues plus an annual non-member broker assessment for each non-member licensee in your office. These licensees are not Realtors® butyou are still responsible for them. You are not billed for your Realtor® licensees’ annual dues because they are billed directly. They have attended Orientation, taken the oath of membership and sworn to uphold the Code of Ethics. This not only eliminates the non-member assessment from your bill, but may help decrease the likelihood of ethics complaints and may save on your errors & omissions insurance by increasing the number of your agents with the Realtor® certification. Not all licensed agents are Realtors®. Your non-member agents may not use the Realtor® designation, and they are missing these benefits too.

Free or discounted education.
Access to the REALTOR® legal hotline.
Access to the REALTOR® Federal Credit Union, health and dental insurance.
Professional Standards support.
More on our website www.charlestonrealtors.com.

Would you like to have the non-member assessment removed from your bill? Do you want all your agents able to take advantage of the benefits of membership? Have your non- member agents become Realtors®. Start here: Non-Principal Application.

How do I pay my bill?

If you have MLS access, you can log in and click “bill pay” from your MLS launchpad. From there you can view invoices and make any online payments.
You can also visit https://ims.charlestonrealtors.com and login using your MLS member number (do not include “chs.”). If you do not know your password, click “forgot my password” and type in your MLS member number (login ID). A password reset link will be sent to the e-mail address on file.

Do you offer auto draft for annual Realtor® dues?

No. The auto draft function is not available for annnual Realtor® dues. However, you can keep a credit card on file.

What do I do if there is an agent on my invoice, but I no longer want to be responsible for them?

Please contact the Real Estate Commission at contact.rec@llr.sc.gov and let them know that the agent will no longer be licensed under your supervision. Once you receive confirmation from the Real Estate Commission, please forward it to Memberservices@charlestonrealtors.com or support@chsmls.com. Once received, we will update the agent account and adjust your invoice. To veiw the updated invoice, please click “billpay” from your MLS launchpad or visit https://ims.charlestonrealtors.com.

What if I don’t want to renew my Realtor® membership?

If you decide not to renew your Realtor® membership, please email MemberServices@charlestonrealtors.com and we will cancel your membership. Your record will reflect that you are a non-member. As long as you have an active license, you will still be able to practice real estate and will have MLS access. However, you will no longer be a Realtor® member or have Realtor® benefits. Please note that your BIC’s Realtor® dues are based on the number of non-members licensed under their supervision. Should your status change to non-member, your BIC will be invoiced $520.

What if I’m the BIC and I don’t renew my Realtor® membership?

If you decide not to renew your Realtor® membership, please email MemberServices@charlestonrealtors.com and we will cancel your membership. Please note that one of the Realtor® benefits for a Designated Realtor® is MLS access.

I belong to another Realtor® Association and pay my NAR dues through them. What do I need to do to get my/ my BIC’s record/ invoice updated?

Please provide a letter of good standing from your Primary Realtor® Association, including your M1 number, verifying that your annual Realtor® dues were paid. We will then be able to update our record and adjust any invoices.

I submitted the property management waiver or MLS of Choice waiver for my agent. Why are they being billed for annual fees?

The Property Management waiver and MLS of Choice waiver only pertain to the Charleston MLS fees.

CHS MLS FAQs

I am the MLS Participant (BIC). What am I responsible for paying?

As the MLS Participant of your office, you are responsible for payment of the quarterly MLS fees & fines of all agents licensed under you, regardless of usage. The agents are not able to pay MLS fees directly.

Are my agents able to pay their MLS fees directly?

No. Payment for MLS fees and fines must be paid by the MLS Participant for all agents in the office.

What if my agent subscribes to another MLS and doesn’t want to subscribe to the Charleston MLS?

Your agent may be eligible for MLS of Choice (MOC) waiver. Please contact support@chsmls.com to receive the MLS of Choice waiver form. Once the form is complete, please submit it to support@chsmls.com along with a letter of good standing from there primary MLS, verifying that they are subscribers.