Kaplan's First Real Estate Trends Survey Highlights Client Growth Optimism, Competitive Pressures, and an AI Adoption Gap

Kaplan's 2025 Real Estate Survey: Client Growth Optimism, Competitive Pressure, and an AI Skills Gap

Kaplan Real Estate Education released its first Real Estate Survey of Trends, capturing feedback from 750 licensed agents polled between May and June 2025. The findings give a sharp read on client demand, competition, career plans, and how agents are (and aren't) using AI.

Here's what matters for brokers, team leads, and independent agents-and how to act on it.

Client Demand: Cautious Optimism

• 48% expect to grow their client base in the next 6-12 months.
• 44% expect no change. 8% expect fewer clients.
• Some optimism is tied to expectations of steadier or lower rates; track policy moves and mortgage spreads, not headlines. See the Fed's policy updates for context: Federal Reserve monetary policy.

Competition: More Agents, Tighter Wins

• 32% worry that a downturn could flood the field with new agents, intensifying competition for listings and buyers.
• 41% are unconcerned; 27% are unsure.
• Translation: differentiation and speed-to-lead matter more than ever.

Career Plans: Most Will Stay, But Risk Is Rising

• 42% definitely plan to remain agents over the next 3-5 years; 35% probably will.
• Nearly one-quarter are at risk of exiting. Retirement is one factor, but income instability, burnout, and uncertainty weigh heavily.

AI Adoption: Usage Lags, Skills and Support Are Thin

• 46% aren't using AI at work.
• Among users, the top tasks are social content, email marketing, and admin work.
• 52% say traditional brokerages aren't doing enough to prepare agents for a tech-driven future. Only 15% disagree; 33% are neutral.

Toby Schifsky, vice president, Kaplan Real Estate Education: "Success today requires more than passing exams-it demands continuous learning, market expertise, and strong client skills. We're committed to giving agents the tools and training to leverage AI, generate leads, and thrive, helping them turn industry change into opportunity and sustainable career growth."

What This Means for Agents

• Build a predictable pipeline. Commit to daily outbound, weekly open-house rotation, and one authority asset per week (market update, pricing guide, or neighborhood brief).
• Own a niche. Specialize by property type, geography, or life event (downsizers, first-time buyers, VA, short-term rental sellers). Specific beats general.
• Price for speed. Use weekly absorption and list-to-sale ratios to advise sellers. Reduce days on market with pre-inspections, transparent disclosures, and clear price bands.
• Compress response time. Route new leads to an always-on follow-up sequence (SMS + email) and same-hour call attempts.

What This Means for Brokers and Team Leads

• Close the training gap. Ship a simple 4-week playbook: lead gen, listing prep, buyer consults, and AI workflows for content, nurture, and admin.
• Standardize the tech stack. One CRM, one CMA tool, one marketing suite, and a shared content library with templates for bios, listing descriptions, nurture emails, and social posts.
• Install scoreboards. Track leading indicators (conversations, appointments set, signed agreements) weekly-then coach to the numbers.

Fast AI Wins You Can Deploy This Week

• Listing descriptions: Draft from photos + key features, then edit for local nuance. Build a template for property class (condo, single-family, luxury).
• Social content: Auto-generate a 30-day calendar from one core market update. Batch create captions, then schedule.
• Email nurture: Create three sequences-new buyer, new seller, past client. Include market education, financing options, and clear next steps.
• Inbox triage: Summarize long threads, extract tasks and dates, and draft replies for approval.
• CMA add-ons: Produce a one-page plain-English pricing brief with comps rationale, absorption rate, and a 30/60/90-day plan.

30-60-90 Day Plan

• Days 1-30: Pick a niche. Build three AI workflows (listing copy, social calendar, email nurture). Publish one authority asset per week.
• Days 31-60: Launch lead magnets tied to your niche. Add an appointment setter or automated routing for new leads.
• Days 61-90: Audit win rates by source. Kill what underperforms. Double spend and time on top two channels.

Upskilling Resources

• Practical AI training for agents and teams: Courses by job

Bottom line: Demand is holding, competition is real, and the AI gap is a profit gap. Ship simple systems, shorten response times, and upskill your team. The agents who execute on this will keep clients, win more listings, and protect their margins.