The real estate market has become considerably more competitive over the past few years, and all economic indicators point to that trend continuing through 2026 and beyond.
In most markets, home prices are declining, and despite mortgage rates dropping to 6.06% this month—the lowest we’ve seen since 2022, affordability is now worse. Combined with statement wages, growing consumer debt, and rising unemployment, we’re facing a proverbial perfect storm. Home buyers simply can’t afford what they could just a few years ago while many sellers feel painted into a corner because market prices aren’t enough to pay off their loan balance.
This puts real estate professionals—both agents and investors, in a tough position.
With fewer transactions to go around and the financials behind each one tighter than ever, the competition in today’s real estate market is a battleground. On the agent/broker side, this is showing up in the form of fewer closed transactions which means less, or in many cases, no revenue. While 2025 data has not been completed by NAR, the organization reports a modest 5.1% increase in overall transaction volume but no data on how many agents haven’t closed a transaction that year yet, and a 2024 report showed that 71% of agents didn’t close a single deal. On the investor side, it’s showing up in the form of fewer opportunities with enough margin to make a profit which also means less or no revenue.
The landscape is bleak, with most deals gravitating to those at the top of the food chain, leaving everyone else to starve.
But all is not lost. Hard times don’t necessarily mean certain failure. They just mean that real estate professionals need to adapt to thrive in today’s market conditions. The truth is that uncertainty in the market leads to opportunity for the bold, and we’ve seen this play out time and time again, with the 2008 housing collapse being the most recent.
I believe I have a better idea of the vast opportunities that we all have access to, and I’ve seen the alternative because I grew up in Russia, where life was far more difficult than most outsiders could possibly comprehend, and I came to America as an immigrant to pursue the American dream. For me, changes in the market are just something to adapt to rather than an existential crisis.
So in this article, I’m going to outline what real estate professionals need to do to thrive in 2026, both on the agent and investor side.
Learn how to work the retail and investor side of the industry
Most real estate professionals work either as an agent or an investor, but few do both. That’s a huge missed opportunity because while a transaction may not work on one side of the table, it may be viable on the other side.
For example, as an agent, you may have a hard time moving a property at a sellers price point, but as an investor, you may be able to acquire the property under an owner financing or sub-to arrangement, hold it as a rental generating revenue while it appreciates in value, and over time, pay the owner out at the full asking price or even more in some cases.
On the other hand, if you’re an investor, a particular property might not make financial sense as an investment, but you may still be able to list it as an agent and generate a commission.
I want to emphasize that this approach doesn’t mean you’ll be able to do something with every opportunity. Some transactions are just bad no matter what, and trying to force them will result in wasted time, energy, and often, a financial loss. So don’t treat this as a silver bullet because it’s not. Instead, treat it as additional leverage that gives you additional opportunities.
Learn how to close different types of real estate transactions
We all tend to stick to what we know best, and while there’s a lot of merit to that, it also carries the risk of painting us into a corner because we become a proverbial one trick pony.
For agents, this manifests in only being able to close transactions using traditional bank financing or focusing on only certain types of properties, and for investors, it manifests in only using certain tactics, like wholesaling, buy and hold, or land entitlement. This severely limits our options and puts us at a greater economic risk.
We absolutely should specialize in a niche, both because that’s how we build the kind of brand that attracts our ideal prospects and because it helps us to build a deep expertise that helps us to outperform competitors. But we shouldn’t limit ourselves to only that niche.
Agents can shore up this weakness by learning more about other types of properties. That might mean that if you specialize in residential homes in the mid-price point, you also learn how to sell luxury homes, land, or even commercial properties so that you can pivot to more lucrative segments of the market.
Investors can do the same by learning more about other investing tactics. For example, if you primarily wholesale entry-level properties, you might start looking at properties you can buy with owner financing to hold as rentals, land entitlement, or even ground up development. The idea is to add more options to your repertoire.
When you have more ways to close a deal, you’ll be less subject to the whims of the market and build a more resilient business that better withstands economic uncertainty.
Build a personal brand that attracts prospects and supercharges your marketing
When it comes to Realtors, let’s be honest—we’re a dime a dozen. There are currently just shy of 1.5 million members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in the U.S., and most of them do a poor job of differentiating themselves.
When a home buyer or seller is seeking an agent, they’re not just looking for someone to handle some basic paperwork. They’re looking for certainty. They want someone who knows what they don’t and can act as a trusted guide through the process. They want someone who can help them avoid costly mistakes and complete their transaction quickly and efficiently. And most of all, they want someone who can ensure they get the best price for their side of the transaction.
Your personal brand is what shows prospects that you’re the agent who can do all of that for them by creating content that demonstrates your expertise, process, and connections.
The same applies to investors, but in a different way.
If you’re trying to buy their home from them, they want to know that you’re legit and can close quickly at a fair price—not just another scammer trying to make a quick buck off their unfortunate situation. And if you’re trying to sell them a home, they want to know that you do things properly and that you’re honest and transparent. They don’t want to be blindsided six months down the road because a contractor took a shortcut during your renovation.
Your personal brand is what shows buyers and sellers that you’re honest and transparent by creating content that demonstrates your expertise, workmanship, and integrity.