For decades, my team has trained and guided real estate agents through the industry’s most turbulent times, from market crashes to booms, regulatory overhauls to changing consumer expectations. This long-term, on-the-ground perspective led us to ask questions that most industry reports don’t attempt to answer directly. It’s about how confident the agents themselves actually are.
To explore this question, we partnered with SurveyMonkey to conduct the 2025 Agent Trust Index, a national survey driven through email outreach, social media, and targeted Facebook ads. Over a 45-day period, 629 active real estate agents from across the country completed the survey, providing first-hand insight into how real estate agents feel about their business, their skills, their current market, and the year ahead.
The Agent Confidence Index is designed to capture the real-world experience of agents who work with buyers and sellers on a daily basis, rather than focusing solely on transaction volume, inventory levels, or interest rates.
The findings reflect a practitioner’s perspective, rather than broker forecasts, economist models, or analyst commentary, and provide a clearer picture of how agents are navigating today’s markets from within their businesses.
What the data reveals is sobering and instructive.
Agents are significantly more confident in themselves than in the market, and that difference in confidence could decide the winner in 2026.
Markets that feel weak and agencies that do not
By traditional measures, the housing market remains in difficult conditions. Buyer and seller activity remains below normal at this stage of the cycle, inventories remain tight in many regions, and interest rates continue to impact consumer hesitation.
Almost half of the agents surveyed said current market conditions are weak or very weak. More than 60% reported that buyer activity was lower than usual, and just over half said seller activity was also below typical seasonal levels.
Still, agent confidence tells a very different story.
Approximately 65% of agents have a positive outlook for a career in real estate, and more than 86% expect to continue operating next year. Almost two-thirds believe their income outlook is stable or improving.
This disconnect, a weak market and strong personal confidence, is one of the most important signals in the entire report. This suggests that agents do not think the market is broken. They see it as selective.
The real problem isn’t skill. It’s a pipeline
One of the most obvious conclusions from the Agent Confidence Index is what is causing the agent’s anxiety.
Despite a year defined by legal settlements, compensation scrutiny, and new buyer representation requirements, agents report strong confidence in their professional abilities.
Over 80% are confident in explaining compensation changes Nearly 87% are confident in using correct forms Over 86% are confident in accurately advertising and representing real estate
In other words, agents don’t see professionalism or compliance as weaknesses.
The struggle lies elsewhere.
Across all experience levels and business models, lack of qualified leads and low inventory ranked as the top two business concerns and top two training priorities. That adjustment is important. Agents know exactly where you need help. It’s not about understanding the rules, it’s about accessing the opportunities.
A profession that trusts itself more than the organization
Another finding that has caught the attention of the industry is that agents are increasingly trusting themselves rather than traditional organizations.
Although satisfaction with MLS remains moderate, more than 70% of agents said national association membership is not important to their business, and nearly one-third reported dissatisfaction with local association support.
This does not mean leaving the profession. That signals a shift.
Agents are positioning themselves as the primary source of clarity, reliability, and calm for clients navigating uncertainty. Rather than relying on organizational authority, they rely on personal expertise, local knowledge, and direct relationships with customers.
This independence helps explain why individual confidence remains high even though overall industry sentiment feels volatile.
Competition is real, but you can lose.
Despite ongoing debate about agent saturation and attrition, most agents do not believe that competition is overwhelming.
Nearly half said it was “difficult,” but the majority said it was manageable. Perceived advantage does not come from volume, brand size, or pricing. It comes from clear values and a consistent outlook.
Agents who believe they have a clear offer and a repeatable system feel they can still win business, even in a slower, more selective market. These represent important takeaways for brokers and team leaders planning for this new year. Success is less about adding more tactics and more about consistently executing fewer fundamentals.
Technology and AI: Quiet partitions
The report also highlights widening inequalities that have not yet fully surfaced.
Although most agents believe that technology and AI can provide meaningful benefits, relatively few agents use these tools on a regular basis. Among them, the benefits are clear: time savings, faster follow-up, and more efficient communication.
This gap suggests that early adopters are quietly moving forward, not by replacing relationships, but by removing friction from daily work. In a market where every conversation counts, efficiency is a weapon.
What the 2026 outlook actually suggests
The agency does not foresee a dramatic recovery. They predict a slow and steady rise. Slight rate relief. Gradual inventory improvement. Strong in new construction and relocation.
That realism may be the most encouraging signal of all. The industry is not waiting for a bailout. Preparing for execution.
conclusion
Here are the most important takeaways from the 2025 Agent Confidence Index:
The agents most likely to succeed in 2026 are not waiting for the market to get better. They are building systems that work even when they don’t.
The gap between market conditions and agency trust is not a denial. That’s differentiation. In a year defined by noise and uncertainty, the data points to something quieter and far more powerful: resilience backed by self-trust.
And this could be a leading indicator for the industry to keep an eye on as 2026 approaches.
Darryl Davis is the CEO of Darryl Davis Seminars. Connect with him on Facebook and YouTube.
