The Fort Wayne Area Association of Realtors and the Adams Jay Wells Board of Realtors have agreed to a merger that proponents say will result in better service to real estate professionals and their clients.

If the merger is accepted by the Indiana Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors, the new organization will be called the Realtors Alliance of Northern Indiana, said Rena Black, Fort Wayne association board president.

The Northeast Indiana Association of Realtors, which represents Realtors in DeKalb, Noble, Steuben and LaGrange counties, pulled out of merger talks last month, Black said.

The Realtors Association of Central Indiana, which represents professionals in Wabash County and several other counties southwest of Fort Wayne, also declined to participate in the merger because it was not viewed as a good geographic fit, Black said.

There is a longstanding trend of smaller Realtors’ associations merging with larger ones as metropolitan areas expand into rural areas, said Iverson Moore, spokesman for the National Association of Realtors.

But the prolonged slump in the real estate market also may be influencing mergers because some Realtors may have dropped out of the profession, making it more difficult to support professional organizations.

"People are looking for economies, especially right now," Moore said.

rsalter@jg.net