Wow, im not a NAR investigator but listing there company name here is not a great idea.

According to NAR,  there were 59 billion dollars of volume for foreign buyers purchasing residential real estate from April 2021 – March 2022 (2.6% of $2.3 trillion of the dollar volume of existing home sales)..... and that was only foreign national purchases. 

Housing Affordability - up slightly- The NAR nationwide housing affordability index increased a few points into January, with the Midwest region remaining the most affordable in the nation.

I am interested in the other costs, like membership fees (NAR I am guessing is a requirement), MLS access (or is that through the brokerage?)

Just "keep your chin up" given the NAR statistics on agent drop out rate...Hope this helps.  

There is a lot of incorrect information floating around the Internet, by the NAR and various misinformed sources; this site tries to clear up the confusion.

If you haven't already, get to your local board and pay them for MLS fees, NAR, state, and local dues.

This list may be helpful to some, many will already be familiar with these organizations listed below.Property Management Builders Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) www.boma.orgInstitute of Real Estate Management (IREM) www.irem.orgBrokerage and Real Estate ProfessionalsCCIM Institute (CCIM) www.ccim.comSociety of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) my.sior.com/homeCommercial Real Estate in Women (CREW) crewnetwork.org/homeNational Association of Realtors (NAR) www.nar.realtorKansas City Regional Association of Realtors (KCRAR) kcrar.comCorporate Real EstateCorenet www. corenetglobal.orgInternational Facility Management Association (IFMA) www.ifma.orgAppraisalswww.appraisalinstitue.orgLand DevelopmentUrban Land Institute (ULI) uli.orgMany of these organizations have networking events monthly sometimes even weekly.

In CA you can receive a gift but unless you are a member of NAR and broker.

All of this information can be sourced from online platforms, the local news, the NAR, etc.