Private Listings Gain Industry Attention, But Remain Rare in Practice

The Real Brokerage Inc. (NASDAQ: REAX, “Real”), a leading real estate technology platform redefining the industry through innovation and culture, today released results from its March 2026 Agent Survey. The findings suggest that while private listings and off-market strategies have become a growing topic of industry discussion, their actual use remains limited for most agents and clients.

The data highlights a gap between industry narrative and on-the-ground behavior, with most agents reporting minimal client demand for private listings and reserving them for limited, specific use cases rather than broad adoption.

The survey also reflects a cooling in agent sentiment following February’s peak, even as transaction activity shows signs of stabilization.

“There’s clearly more conversation happening across the industry around private listings, but the data shows adoption is still quite limited,” said Jason Cassity, Chief Growth Officer of Real. “Agents are ultimately focused on what drives the best outcome for their clients, and today that often means maximizing exposure — while still keeping flexibility for more tailored strategies when needed.”

Key Survey Findings: Market Trends and Insights

• Agent Optimism Moderates but Remains Positive: Real’s Agent Optimism Index, which measures agents’ 12-month forward outlook, registered at 62.0 in March, down from 70.3 in February. Despite the month-over-month decline, the index remains well above 50, indicating a net positive outlook. Fifty-three percent (53%) of agents reported feeling more optimistic than the prior month, though only 12% described themselves as significantly more optimistic.
• Transaction Activity Shows Modest Improvement: Real’s Transaction Growth Index, which tracks home sales activity reported by agents within their local markets, increased to 50.3 in March from 48.1 in February. While 34% of agents reported fewer transactions compared to March 2025, another 34% reported a year-over-year increase, and 32% reported stable activity.
  Note: This index reflects agents' perceptions of local market trends and is not indicative of Real's company-specific transaction volume. Index scores are weighted on a 0-100 point scale, with scores above 50 indicating year-over-year growth and below 50 signaling a decline.
• Buyer Advantage Persists but Continues to Narrow: Forty percent (40%) of agents said their local market favors buyers, down from 45% in February. Meanwhile, 25% reported sellers hold the advantage, and 35% described their market as balanced.
• Affordability Remains the Primary Constraint: Affordability continues to be the most significant challenge for buyers, cited by 45% of agents, up from 41% last month. Economic uncertainty remained largely unchanged at 27%, while inventory concerns declined to 16%, suggesting some easing in supply conditions.

Key Survey Findings: Agent Perspectives on Private and ‘Coming Soon’ Listings