We are the professional Association for REALTORS® in Nova Scotia.
NSAR, the voice of real estate in Nova Scotia. Empowering REALTORS® by providing leading edge tools, outstanding services, and active advocacy while staying at the forefront of the rapidly evolving real estate industry.
For over 60 years, REALTORS® have played a vital role in Nova Scotia’s real estate market, facilitating more than $2 billion in transactions annually. This activity is grounded in public trust built through decades of organized, professional real estate practice.
Organized real estate in Nova Scotia began in 1943 with the founding of the Halifax–Dartmouth Real Estate Board (HDREB). That same year, 17 Canadian real estate boards formed the Canadian Association of Real Estate Boards, now the Canadian Real Estate Association, which introduced the term REALTOR® in 1944.
Many of the boards that would later form the Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® (NSAR) were established in the 1950s. In 1957, Nova Scotia introduced the Real Estate Agents’ Licensing Act, formally regulating the profession. The HDREB was incorporated in 1958, enabling it to act as a provincial advocate for real estate.
The profession continued to evolve in the 1960s with the introduction of the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) System. In the 1970s, Nova Scotia’s boards began working more closely together through the Nova Scotia Real Estate Association, a REALTOR® led regulator.
By the 1990s, boards across the province began to amalgamate to strengthen advocacy and efficiency. This process culminated in the formation of the Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® on April 14, 2000.