A proposal to merge three boards of Realtors in northwest Arkansas was defeated earlier this month, but the matter will be taken up again in February.

On Jan. 11, the Metro Area Board of Realtors met in Fayetteville and defeated a proposal to merge that board with the Bentonville-Bella Vista Board of Realtors, Rogers Board of Realtors. Members of the Metro Area Board defeated the proposal by 13 votes.

The matter will be taken up for another vote at a noon meeting of the Metro Area Board on Feb. 2 at the Clarion Inn in Fayetteville. According to a merger agreement  presented to members at the Jan. 11 meeting, the merger would result in a new entity called the Northwest Arkansas Board of Realtors.

Should the merger take place, the new organization will be the largest one in Arkansas with 1,518 members. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) , the Metro Area board has 883 members, the Rogers Board has 464 members and the Bentonville-Bella Vista board has 171 members.

The largest board in the state is currently the Little Rock Realtors Association with 988 members. There are 6,447 Realtors in Arkansas.

The three boards involved in the proposed merger are all located in Benton and Washington counties in extreme northwest Arkansas. The Metro Area board operates in Washington and the western half of Benton county and includes Realtors from Madison County. The eastern half of Benton county is covered by the Bentonville-Bella Vista and Rogers boards.

According to the Metro Area blog, some Realtors have questioned whether the matter should be again brought up for a vote because it was defeated just a couple of weeks ago. According to responses from the board, the NAR says such a vote is allowed under the association’s bylaws. For more information, click here to visit the Metro Area blog.