More AI? A big recovery? Real estate heavyweights predict 2026

Leaders including eXp’s Leo Pareja, REMAX’s Erik Carlson and top-selling agent Ben Caballero envision more tech, more change and perhaps a mixed recovery next year. The past 12 months in real estate have been a bumpy ride. Years of high rates and low sales caught up with more people, new battles erupted over various industry rules, and technology — particularly artificial intelligence — continued evolving in eye-popping ways. But with the year wrapping up, Inman wanted to know what might lie ahead. Will the market recover? Will AI take over? Will 2026 be a good year, or a bad one? No one has a crystal ball, of course, but to make sense of the months ahead, Inman in recent days asked a sample of real estate industry leaders for their 2026 predictions. The question was open-ended, meaning respondents could focus on any topic they wanted. The predictions ultimately ranged from a market recovery to the rise of better technology and beyond. But one thing was clear: No one expects 2026 to be quiet. What follows is a sampling of leaders’ responses to Inman, lightly edited for style and clarity. Leaders were divided on how good or bad the market might be in 2026 — though at least some believe a recovery could gain momentum. Twenty twenty-six marks the real estate comeback. Lower interest rates reignite demand, bringing back multiple offers — especially in affordable markets, with 20 percent-plus transaction growth — and luxury following at similar levels. Capital rotates out of volatile stock market and into tangible assets. Housing is back in favor. Wealth creation over the next two to three years will be meaningful for those positioned early. Real estate headlines return. New agents flood in. The winners won’t be the loudest — they’ll be the best-coached, most disciplined and most human. Markets reward clarity, consistency and culture. Noise fades. Execution wins. Pricing is likely to stay flat in 2026. Even if interest rates come down, that doesn’t automatically push prices higher. What it does bring is more people back into the market. More participation leads to more transactions, not inflated pricing. Homes priced correctly will sell; those priced incorrectly will wait. The story of 2026 isn’t about price growth; it’s about increased activity. We are currently in year three of a five-year reset. The dual shock of the 2020 price surge and the 2022 rate hike crushed affordability, and the market is still recalibrating. For 2026, I am pessimistically pragmatic: We will see a neutral market with four to five months of supply, where neither buyers nor sellers hold the upper hand. While sales will nudge up slightly from the bottom, a meaningful recovery is likely still a year away. This year demands disciplined execution; success belongs to agents who can counsel clients through a slowing economy. Some of the biggest stories of 2025 had to do with industry rules — things like Clear Cooperation or MLS access. Others had to do with structural topics — so things like big mergers or portal policies — that determine who sets real estate’s normative behaviors. Leaders who focused on these types of topics in their predictions envisioned many of these stories carrying into the new year, potentially meaning more change on the horizon for those in real estate’s trenches. In 2026, Google is likely to continue its expansion of listing information in search, prompting Zillow to buy a major mortgage servicer to strengthen its post-closing relationships and compete head-to-head with Rocket. The Compass/Anywhere merger should close, and the dispute over displaying “private exclusives” on Zillow will likely be resolved in a way that allows display. Finally, NAR’s recent MLS policy changes and antitrust concerns will lead many local associations and MLSs to drop the Realtor membership requirement for MLS access, resulting in more firms and agents leaving NAR. The 2026 advantage will belong to those who own the roads, write the traffic laws and collect the tolls. It’s not about being the loudest or biggest anymore. MLSs will have to prize their data and pride themselves on the quality of their data. They will have to focus on subscriber (member) loyalty, data quality and access control. All the rationales of “why” we need this kind of deliberate focus will be evident in 2026 for those who are paying close attention. The most common topics real estate leaders brought up when asked for 2026 predictions had to do with technology. Most envision AI, specifically, continuing to make inroads into real estate, with the winners tending to be those who learn how to harness new tools. Real estate will remain a relationship-driven business in 2026, with exceptional client experience still a key differentiator. The year will bring a shift in how agents combine high-touch service with intelligent, AI-powered engagement. More agents will rely on AI to streamline marketing, social media and brand building — and as market dynamics evolve, the value of these systems will grow. A strong global network and expanding referral platform will create additional opportunities. While technology will boost efficiency, trusted professionals with strong systems and relationships will boost effectiveness and continue to drive the industry forward. Twenty twenty-six will be the year of “The Race for AI Discoverability.” As AI chatbots and generative search redefine how consumers find real estate expertise, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is becoming the new gold standard. Our December 2025 survey highlights this shift: 79 percent of agents believe being discoverable via AI is critical to their success. In 2026, the competitive edge belongs to brokerages that prioritize GEO to ensure their agents’ unique expertise is surfaced, cited and recommended by AI. Success now depends on being the “local expert answer” in an AI-driven world. In 2026, AI will be the common thread driving the biggest changes in residential real estate. Profitable brokerages will acquire AI-lagging competitors, top teams will dominate a rebounding resale market by working smarter, and franchises will feel pressure as traditional tech and training lose relevance. At the same time, scrutiny around NAR dues will continue to grow. After 25 years of building B2B software and marketing solutions for this industry, I see AI as the defining force separating adaptable leaders from those slow to evolve. In 2026, the biggest shift in new-home sales won’t be more technology; it will be who controls it. Builders are moving beyond surface-level digital upgrades and demanding systems that deliver accuracy, speed and real accountability across every sales channel. As margins tighten, many will discover that fragmented tools and custom-built solutions create more friction than advantage. The winners will be builders who rely on proven, purpose-built technology that integrates data, marketing and distribution, empowering their teams to sell faster, price smarter and stay focused on what matters most: moving homes, not managing tech. In 2026, the real estate technology industry will begin to accept that search and discovery are more about user experience and less about raw distribution scope. The options for finding homes for sale are plentiful. The winning strategy is making that search accurate, comprehensive and timely. It doesn’t matter how many search and AI engines a listing platform is available on. The loyalty created in consumers based on their positive interaction within a platform will continue to drive the industry’s technology toward better consumer focus. The real question for 2026 in real estate is not if a Realtor is using AI. It’s actually, “Is their AI powered by trusted, enterprise-grade data?” At Cotality, we are actively seeing first-time and Gen Z homebuyers using AI to validate, visualize and assess risks in their biggest financial decisions. Agents won’t be replaced — they’ll evolve into strategic advisors, freed from manual tasks by automation and predictive insights. Our prediction for 2026 is that Realtors who rely on high-quality, property-level datasets will look like superheroes in an often stressful process.