Agent confidence up as market approaches ‘healthier balance’ 

While many economists are predicting that the housing market will improve in 2026 — while falling short of a full rebound — a new survey suggests a growing share of real estate professionals are confident that sunnier skies are ahead.

Agent optimism jumped at the end of 2025, according to The Real Brokerage's latest agent survey, which was conducted from Dec. 30 through Jan. 9. and included responses from 567 North American agents. This kind of uptick isn't unusual around the winter holidays, noted Real Chairman and CEO Tamir Poleg, but "the current enthusiasm feels different."

"Our agents are seeing the market move toward a healthier balance," he said in a news release.

"Affordability is still the biggest hurdle, but we're seeing that pressure start to ease, which is exactly what needs to happen for a broader recovery to take shape in 2026," Poleg added.

Hope for a better year: After hitting a record high of 76.4 at the end of 2024, Real's Agent Optimism Index dropped slightly to 74 in early 2025 and hasn't hit that level since. But it came close as 2025 wound to an end, rising from 66.6 in November to 70.8 — the highest level in 11 months — in December.

The index, which measures how hopeful agents feel about the 12 months ahead, found that 70% of respondents felt more optimistic and 19% were "significantly more optimistic" in December than they had been the previous month. Only 5% described themselves as more pessimistic, and 24% felt no different from November to December.

Signs of a shifting market? The housing market moved slowly in buyers' favor over the course of 2025. By the end of December, some economists were projecting that the buyer-friendly market would last "for the foreseeable future."

But the share of agents who believe they are working in a buyers market has dropped. While 54% of Real survey respondents described their local market as favoring buyers in November, only 49% did so one month later — and just over 1 in 3 agents believe their market is balanced.

Affordability strain still top of mind: While a slightly smaller share of agents flagged housing affordability as the primary concern among buyers in December than in November, it remains the big-ticket issue for 50% of respondents.

Economic uncertainty and housing supply — both of which are linked to larger affordability challenges — were the second- and third-most cited concerns among survey respondents at 26% and 18%, respectively, with buyer competition trailing behind at 2%.