Nearly half of real estate agents said it was unlikely for them encourage others to join their profession, according to the 2025 Industry Survey published by Redfin (NASDAQ: RDFN).
In a survey that polled 500 agents between last December and January, 49.8% of respondents said they would not encourage people to begin a real estate career, while only 21.2% of agents said they would advocate for joining the profession. The unpredictability of income and difficulty of finding customers were cites as the major drawbacks to the profession, while entrepreneurial independence was the main reason for job satisfaction among surveyed agents.
The survey found housing affordability was the biggest challenge that agents anticipated facing in the next five years, with 64.2% rating it as a major concern. The ongoing lack of inventory (42.8%) and declining commissions (42%) were also mentioned as top challenges.
Discrimination was also highlighted by agents, with more than one-third of women (34.5%) reporting they encountered sexism in the industry and 38% of nonwhite agents stating they were on the receiving end of racial discrimination.
As for attitudes regarding the National Association of Realtors (NAR), most agents (51%) have an unfavorable view of the organization, up substantially from 19% in 2023. Furthermore, 38% believed the NAR settlement changes negatively impacted their business, compared to 5.2% who claimed there was a positive impact. And while 47.8% of agents said the average buyer’s agent commission has remained about the same since the NAR settlement changes took effect in August, more than half (51.2%) expect commissions will decline over the next 12 months versus 4.6% who predict they will increase.
I am soooooo not surprised that such a high number of us don’t recommend others to become a realtor. I certainly would not recommend it. I have been in for over 20 years and I am happy that I am on this end of my career and not just starting or midway through.
after 25 years in the Marine Corps, I started my career in real estate.. I’ve, and still at it, enjoyed my years of helping people find a home, and/or sell their home when needed. Yes, you time is not really your own, you are “there” to help others achieve their goals in life, it’s not easy, it can be fun…. it how you feel your is to be! You and your other, have to realize that your “job” is help others, by being honest with them…you’ll be rewarded..
Too many part timers and too many Brokers overload their offices more agents and not enough business . Brokers have nothing to lose.