57 crucial real estate statistics that explain the 2025 market by Gina Baker, Emile L’Eplattenier for HousingWire

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There is an endless supply of real estate statistics out there, but what the heck do you do with all of them? Well, the old saying “knowledge is power” rings very true here. Stats are the fuel to the fire of the real estate market and will make you exude confidence in conversations with potential clients–making them feel confident in hiring you to represent them. Think about it: Would you get surgery from a surgeon who can’t explain the procedure? I think not.

We’ve diligently dug through the depths to find you the most crucial and relevant stats so you don’t have to. They have been gathered from reputable and distinguished sources, including Altos Research, the National Association of Realtors, Zillow, the Census Bureau and more to guarantee they are the most up-to-date, expert opinions in the biz.

So read through these real estate statistics, commit them to memory and use them as fuel in your real estate conversations.

Why are real estate statistics important for agents?

Before we give you the real estate industry statistics, we want to provide a little more food for thought about what you can do with them. As mentioned, the knowledge is powerful, but there are other ways you can use these stats to boost your lead generation and nurturing, marketing and street cred.

While you’re reading through the stats, think about how you can incorporate them into these ideas:

Gain knowledge and expertise in a specific area (and how it compares to the US market overall)
Have a confident answer for “How’s the market?”
Compete with other agents by highlighting your knowledge
Understand client behavior and perceptions
Share statistics with clients to educate and stay on top of mind
Post on social media and email to engage your target audience
Add to personal website to build authority and provide value

General statistics

These statistics will give you a general overview of the national US real estate market. While you want to know the stats specific to your area, it is important to know how your location stacks up against the rest of the country. This proves your expertise to clients and allows you to provide them with knowledge about the real estate market.

The median list price of homes in the US is $435,000; the median price of new listings is $435,900.
The average days homes stay on the market is 117 days; the median days on market is 77 days.
There is currently an inventory of 642,359 properties.
The price per square foot is $216, increased from $213 in March 2024.
34% of properties have seen a decrease in price; 3% of properties have seen a price increase.
10% of properties have been relisted.
The market action index is 37, indicating that there is a slight seller’s advantage.

Graph showing the median list prices from September 2020 to March 2025. — Median list price of homes from September 2020 to present (Source: Altos)

If you want more statistics like these that are specific to your location, check out Altos–that’s where all the stats above are from! Sign up for free to get up-to-date zip code and county numbers. Is there a better way to make yourself the go-to agent in your area? Plus, these reports are weekly, unlike other sites that typically do reports once a month or once a year.

Visit Altos Research

Sources: Altos Research

Buyer statistics

Part of being a great buyer’s agent is getting inside the mind of a buyer. You can do just that by reviewing real estate statistics that quantify the behaviors, decisions and trends of the mass buyer population. Also, understanding the behaviors of different demographics will let you get into the psyche of the buyer clients you want to target with your marketing efforts.

The largest number of homebuyers, 24%, are Gen Xers aged 44 to 58 years old. This is followed by Older Gen Y/Millennials aged 34 to 43 (21%), Younger Boomers aged 59 to 68 (19%), Younger Gen Y/Millenials aged 25 to 33 (17%) and Older Boomers aged 69 to 77 (12%).
32% of buyers are first-time buyers, and 75% of those first-time homebuyers are aged 25 to 33.
The primary reason for buyers to purchase a home is the “desire to own a home” (26%), 12% had the “desire to be closer to family/friends/relatives” and 11% had a “desire for a larger home.”
19% of homebuyers between the ages of 44 to 58 own a multi-generational home that houses themselves plus adult silbings or children, parents and/or grandparents.
28% of homes purchased were 1,501 to 2,000 square feet.
83% of homes bought were three bedrooms or more, and 59% had two full bathrooms.
The most important environmentally friendly features buyers desired are heating and cooling costs (33%) and commuting costs and energy-efficient appliances (both 31%).
33% of buyers compromised on the price of the home, while 26% of buyers compromised on the condition of the home.
45% of buyers spend 16 or more years in their homes.
Buyers spent 10 weeks searching for a home, two weeks searching before contacting an agent and viewed seven homes during their search.
Homebuyers found photos to be the most valuable feature found on a listing website (66%).
80% of buyers financed their home purchase, and 23% of people financed 80% to 89% of the home.

Sources: Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, NAR; Profiles of Home Buyers and Sellers, NAR

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Seller statistics

Similar to knowing buyer clients, if you choose to work with sellers, you need to know what makes them tick. Your ultimate goal is to get their house sold, but learning why people want to sell will give you a leg up in connecting with your clients as well as how to get their home sold.

89% of sellers used an agent to sell their home.
The largest number of homesellers, 26%, are Younger Boomers aged 59 to 68 years old. This is followed by Gen Xers aged 44 to 58 (23%), Older Boomers aged 69 to 77 (19%), Older Gen Y/Millenials aged 34 to 43 (17%) and Younger Gen Y/Millenials aged 25 to 33 and Silent Generation aged 78 to 98 (both 6%).
70% of sellers are repeat sellers, 30% are first-time sellers.
Most sellers sold a larger home to purchase a smaller home, with a difference of -200 square feet.
The primary reason for selling a home was to move closer to friends or family (23%), the home was too small (13%) and change in family situation because of marriage, birth of child or divorce (10%).
25% of sellers spent 21 years or more in their home before selling.
68% of people did not reduce their asking price; 19% reduced the price one time.
44% of sellers were not urgently selling their home and waited for the right offer, 43% were somewhat urgent and had to sell their home in a reasonable time frame and 13% needed to sell their home as quickly as possible.

Sources: Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, NAR; Profiles of Home Buyers and Sellers, NAR

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Rental market statistics

I worked in the fast-paced New York City rental market for years, and there are a lot of clients and a lot of money to be made. Plus, rental clients move quite often or are one step away from buying, which means more transactions and exposure to different transactions. These rental real estate statistics will help you understand the market and hone your expertise.

Line graph and text describing the homeownership and rental vacancy rates in the US. — *Vacancy rates from 2003 to 2024 (Source:* *Census Bureau*)

As of February 2025, the national median rent price is $1,375.
Quarter four of 2024 had a rental vacancy rate of 6.9%.
Rent prices are up 0.3% month-over-month (January to February) but down 0.4% year-over-year.
There are about 790,000 multi-unit properties under construction as of December 2024.
Rental units are staying on the market for a median of 36 days.
34.3% of the US are renters; homeownership rates are 65.7%.
The median age of renters is 42 years old, and 46% of renters are aged 40 or younger.
Millennials have the highest number of renters (31%), followed by Gen Zers (25%), Baby Boomers (25%), Gen Xers (19%) and Silent Generation members (1%).
57% of renters earn $50,000 a year or less, 29% earn between $50,000 to $100,000 and 15% earn more than $100,000.
58% of renter households have a pet of some kind; 37% have a dog and 30% have a cat.
The highest numbers of renters live in South (37%), then the West (24%), Midwest (20%) and Northeast (19%).
66% of renters said the most important item of picking a rental home was seeing the lease terms, rent amount and fees (66%). Other important items were taking a private tour (62%), meeting/speaking with the property manager or landlord (55%) and seeing reviews of the property manager or landlord (35%).
When choosing a rental property location, renters found their commute to be the top feature (56%), followed by a walkable neighborhood (55%) and proximity to shopping, services, and/or leisure activities.
58% of renters thought about buying during their rental search.
51% of renters would prefer to sign their leases electronically, but only 43% actually signed electronic leases.

Sources: Census Bureau, Apartment List, FRED, Zillow

Commercial real estate statistics

Diving into commercial real estate statistics is a bear because the commercial market is divided into a bunch of different sectors. Most times, commercial agents focus on one or two sectors as their niche so they can become an expert working with a specific type of client. I added several statistics by sector below to give you an idea of how each market is doing.

In the office sector, move-outs declined 3.5 times in 2024 compared to 2023, making the absorption rate -17.9 million square feet. Areas with the highest vacancy rates are San Francisco, CA (22.77%) and Houston, TX (19.02%); the lowest vacancy rates are in Wilmington, NC (1.43%) and Myrtle Beach, SC (1.82%).
The multifamily sector has seen a rental growth of 1% in the last year, but there is an 8% vacancy rate. The absorption rate in the past 12 months has grown to 70%, reaching 557,121 units.
Over the past year in the retail sector, the absorption rate has fallen by 54%, rent growth has declined to 1.9% and the vacancy rate has stayed steady at 4.1%. Texas cities Dallas-Forth Worth and Houston have the strongest net absorption over the past year at 3.11 million and 2.29 million, respectively.
The industrial sector has seen a decline in absorption in the past year to 35%, reaching 115.4 million square feet. Rent growth is 2.2%, which is higher compared to other sectors. Dallas-Forth Worth, TX (20.7) and Houston (19.53) have the strongest absorption rates, while Los Angeles, CA (-12.82) and Winston-Salem, NC (-3.57) have the lowest, all measured as millions of square feet.
At 62.9% occupancy, the hotel/hospitality sector remains below pre-pandemic levels by 2.9%. However, the revenue per room ($100 per room) and average daily rates ($158 per room) are above pre-pandemic numbers.

Sources: Commercial Real Estate Market Insights Report, NAR

Real estate agent statistics

While these real estate statistics encompass information about buyers and sellers, they center on how the agent is directly impacted. These stats show the effect that agents have on the real estate buying and selling process and the importance that they play at all stages of a transaction. Take these into account when strategizing your lead generation and how you work with clients.

88% of homebuyers used a real estate agent as their information source in a home search, and 89% found their home with a real estate agent or broker.
25% of homebuyers were presented with the agent representation disclosure at the first meeting; 41% were within a written arrangement.
The top benefits agents provided to homebuyers was helping understand the process (61%), pointing out unnoticed features/faults with property (58%) and negotiating better sales contract terms and providing a better list of service providers (e.g. home inspector) (both 46%).
43% of buyers and 39% of sellers found their agent through a friend, neighbor or relative.
The most important factors when choosing a buyer’s agent are the agent’s experience (21%), honesty and trustworthiness (19%) and the agent’s reputation (15%). The most important factors for seller’s agents were the reputation of the agent (33%), honesty and trustworthiness (21%) and the agent being a friend or family member (14%).
73% of buyers thought personal calls to inform them of activities was the most important agent communication strategy; 71% found text messages with property info and communication was most important.
81% of sellers contacted only one agent to assist with the sale of their home.
46% of sellers used the same agent to sell their home and purchase a new one.
Sellers were most interested (22%) in an agent who could sell their home in a specific timeframe. They also wanted an agent who could help price their home competitively (21%) and help the sellers market the home to potential buyers (20%).
75% of seller’s agents were paid by the seller; 52% of buyer’s agents were paid by the seller.

Sources: Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, NAR; Profiles of Home Buyers and Sellers, NAR