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Start with your local numbers, not the national headline
NAR’s 2026 coverage of its Member Profile describes more than three years of sluggish home sales, with existing-home sales hovering just above 4 million annually—the slowest pace since 1995, according to NAR. That is important context, but it does not establish that every market or brokerage is declining. Jessica Lautz, NAR’s deputy chief economist, said the market had been under suppressed conditions for more than three years while the typical REALTOR® continued to gain experience and remain in the profession (NAR newsroom, June 25, 2026).
Before changing the business, compare your own recent results with the local market and your brokerage’s historical baseline. Track:
- Local inventory, sales pace, days on market, and pricing shifts.
- Affordability and financing conditions affecting the buyers you serve.
- Lead conversion, repeat and referral sources, and time from lead to closing.
- Cost per transaction, agent production, and recurring operating expenses.
A slowdown in transaction volume can have different causes and implications in different places. Use local MLS and brokerage data to identify the actual constraint—fewer qualified buyers, listing scarcity, slower conversions, higher costs, or some combination—before committing to a remedy.
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Build the business around relationships that continue after closing
Past clients and referrals are substantial reported sources of business. In NAR’s 2025 Profile of Real Estate Firms, firms said 46% of sales volume came from repeat business and 44% from referrals by past clients. Those are firm-level measures and should not be conflated with the member-level statistic: in NAR’s 2026 coverage of the 2026 Member Profile, 28% of the typical REALTOR® member’s business came from past clients in 2025, up from 20% in 2024.
Make follow-up useful rather than merely frequent. A relationship system can include:
- Post-closing check-ins that ask whether the client’s stated needs have been met.
- Market updates tailored to a client’s location and goals, rather than generic claims about the whole market.
- Home-anniversary notes or client events that provide a natural reason to reconnect.
- Follow-up based on the client’s preferred channel and timing, with their consent.
NAR’s broker guidance recommends relationship-building beyond the transaction (NAR broker guidance). A consistent process makes it less likely that past clients are forgotten, but no particular cadence guarantees referrals or future sales.
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Equip agents to explain value in an affordability-conscious market
Affordability is not just a national talking point; it changes what buyers can reasonably consider and what sellers need to understand about pricing and demand. NAR’s 2026 Member Profile coverage reports that 56% of firms named housing affordability as a major challenge. Lautz described a divide between repeat buyers with housing equity and first-time buyers struggling to save for a down payment (NAR newsroom, June 25, 2026).
Brokerages can help by giving agents timely local information and plain-language ways to discuss it. That means current inventory and pricing data, financing conditions relevant to clients, and clear explanations of how those conditions affect a buyer’s choices or a seller’s likely time on market. Avoid turning national figures into a claim about a particular neighborhood; show agents where to find the local evidence and how to explain uncertainty without overstating a forecast.
Adopt technology to solve a defined workflow problem
Technology use is widespread, but adoption alone does not show that a tool is useful or profitable. In NAR’s 2026 REALTORS® Technology Report, surveyed agents most often said they adopted technology to save time (81%) or improve client experience (71%); 57% cited closing more deals. Reported use included MLS tools (96%), e-signature (79%), showing-scheduling tools (68%), CMA or pricing tools (59%), drone photography or video (48%), and CRM (46%). These are reported agent-use figures, not proof that every brokerage needs every category.
The same report identifies practical obstacles: 63% of surveyed agents cited the learning curve as a major challenge to adopting technology, and 59% cited cost. NAR’s deputy chief economist summarized the goal as time savings and a smoother client experience (NAR newsroom, September 22, 2026).
Before rolling a tool out broadly, put a simple adoption test in place:
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- Name the workflow. Identify the specific friction, such as appointment coordination, document signing, transaction visibility, pricing analysis, or client follow-up.
- Set a measurable outcome. Decide what improvement would matter: less staff time per file, faster response to clients, fewer missed appointments, or more consistent follow-up.
- Trial with a small group. Check total cost, integration with existing systems, data handling, support, and the time agents need to learn it.
- Assign an owner and training plan. A tool without someone responsible for implementation can add work instead of removing it.
- Review adoption and results. Compare the trial with the prior process before renewing, expanding, or replacing the tool.
NAR’s May 2026 trade coverage names Back At You as a CRM and marketing example, Rayse as a transparency platform, and Ethica AI as an AI-assisted task platform (NAR technology coverage). These are examples from trade coverage, not independent product comparisons or endorsements; assess each candidate against your own workflow and requirements.
Control costs without weakening service
Operating expenses deserve regular attention when transactions are slow. NAR’s 2026 Member Profile reports median business expenses of $9,530 for REALTOR® members in 2025, up from $8,010 in 2024; typical vehicle costs were $1,580. These are member-level figures, not a brokerage’s expense ledger. Separately, in NAR’s 2025 Profile of Real Estate Firms, 36% of firms cited industry costs as a major challenge and 35% cited local economic conditions. Lautz said firms were experiencing rising business costs, while most expected profitability to remain stable or improve (NAR release, November 19, 2025).
Review recurring spending against production and service quality. Include software subscriptions, office expenses, vehicle and travel costs, recruiting, and agent or transaction support. Check for overlapping tools and low-use subscriptions, but consider the operational value of a service before cutting it: a low-cost system that agents do not use may be waste, while effective transaction support may protect client experience and agent capacity.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Evaluate added services as local business cases
Adjacent services can create additional ways to serve clients or reach local demand, but they are not automatic fixes for a slow residential sales market. Possibilities include relocation, property management, commercial brokerage, land development, homeownership consulting, staging, and business brokerage. NAR’s firm reporting describes services offered in the industry; it does not establish that any one of them will be profitable for a particular firm.
For each option, assess local demand, the brokerage’s relevant expertise, staffing and startup costs, insurance, licensing, and compliance responsibilities. Also decide how the new service will be supervised and whether it strengthens an existing client relationship or distracts from the core business. Expansion makes sense only when the capability and likely demand justify the added complexity.
Support agents while setting realistic expectations
NAR’s 2026 Member Profile reports median REALTOR® member experience of 13 years in 2025, up from 12 years in 2024. Median gross income for members was $59,200 in 2025; for members with 16 or more years of experience, it was $88,500. These are member-level medians, not earnings promises or brokerage forecasts. In the same profile, 21% of REALTORS® worked on a team in 2025, and teams averaged four members. Team-based brokerage specialists reported a median of 32 transaction sides and $17.5 million in sales volume.
For brokerage leaders, the useful takeaway is not that every agent should join a team or that tenure guarantees income. Review agent production and support needs by experience, role, and business model. NAR’s 2025 firm profile says 38% of firms expected profitability to increase in 2025, compared with 30% in 2023; this was an expectation reported by firms, not a realized profitability result.
In a difficult period, agents benefit from practical coaching, accessible local market information, clear processes, and help learning tools that the brokerage has chosen for a reason. A brokerage can use production reviews to spot where follow-up, pricing conversations, lead conversion, or transaction support need attention, rather than assuming the same intervention suits every agent.
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