Q1 2026 Survey Now Open

The independent voice of the
real estate industry

Agents don't choose a brokerage once. They stay until something shifts, then they leave, and someone else recruits them. REIS has been tracking that cycle since 2021, through market changes, technology shifts, and the natural progression of individual careers. Five years of continuous data on the decisions that move this industry.

Survey at a glance
Five years
of continuous quarterly data collection, beginning in 2021
Two tracks
separate instruments for agents and broker owners, questions designed for each role
One dataset
longitudinal, independent, and not influenced by any brokerage or vendor
2021
Continuous data since
Quarterly
Same questions, every cycle
Five years
Of decisions tracked
Independent
No vendor influence
How it works

Research you can use, not noise you have to filter

01

Agents complete the survey

A five-to-ten minute instrument covering career outlook, satisfaction across six dimensions, current challenges, and brokerage history. Completely anonymous unless the respondent chooses to opt in to direct contact.

02

Data builds over the quarter

Responses accumulate throughout the quarter. The cohort closes at quarter end, producing a statistically meaningful picture of where the industry stands, benchmarked against every previous quarter since 2021. Each cycle adds to the record rather than replacing it.

03

Reports publish at close

Respondents receive a personalized career report. Brokers receive market-level intelligence and a match pool analysis for their footprint. Industry-wide findings publish as a summary report available to all.

Why REIS exists

To build the factual record of why agents choose their brokerages.

Agents don't choose a brokerage once. They stay until something shifts, then they leave, and someone else recruits them. Understanding that cycle requires more than a snapshot. It requires tracking the same questions across the same population over time, through market changes, technology cycles, and the natural progression of individual careers.

That's what five years of continuous quarterly data produces. Not just where the industry stands today, but the record of how it got here.

About the Survey

"Of 1,847 respondents this quarter, 34% rated brokerage satisfaction below 3. Of those, 201 are located in your market, have more than five years experience, and rank culture and training in their top three priorities."

Sample output — Q4 2025 Broker Report

Who REIS serves

Two audiences. One dataset.

For agents

Understand where you stand

Complete the quarterly survey and receive a personalized career report benchmarked against the full respondent pool. See how your satisfaction scores compare, where your priorities align with high-performing peers, and how your trajectory has moved over time.

The survey takes about ten minutes. Your identity is never shared.

Take the Survey
For broker owners

Understand what agents in your market truly value

Every quarter, agents across the country tell REIS what they value about their careers in real estate. Our reports help brokerage leaders understand what agents in their markets truly value when choosing a brokerage.

Market intelligence delivered by email when each cohort closes.

Broker Information
Q1 2026 cohort is open

Your responses are part of the record

Every agent who completes the survey adds to a record that has been building since 2021. Complete it once and receive your personalized results benchmarked against the full pool. Complete it each quarter and build a career trajectory that reflects how your career has moved, and what was happening in the industry when it did.

Take the Survey Now
About the Survey

Five years of continuous data on the people who drive this industry

REIS is an independent quarterly research instrument that has been tracking the decisions agents make about their careers since 2021. Not just where agents stand at a given moment, but how their satisfaction, priorities, and brokerage relationships change over time and in response to what the market is doing around them.

What the survey measures

Each quarter, REIS asks agents and broker owners a consistent set of questions across five areas: professional background, satisfaction across six career dimensions, current challenges, priorities, and brokerage history. The questions have remained stable since 2021, which is what makes the longitudinal dataset meaningful. Changing the instrument every cycle produces trend lines that cannot be trusted. REIS does not change the instrument.

Satisfaction is measured across personal performance, brokerage, technology, training, brand affiliation, and overall career. The overall score is the composite used in the published report and the shareable career card available to each respondent.

Collection cycle
Quarterly, with a cohort that opens at the start of each quarter and closes at the end. The annual report combines all four cohorts and publishes each January.
Instrument design
Two tracks: a full agent track covering fifteen questions across four sections, and a broker owner track covering eight questions specific to brokerage operations and recruitment.
Data storage
All responses are stored in a longitudinal dataset indexed by cohort and respondent. Returning participants build a personal trajectory record over time.
Report delivery
Reports are not generated immediately on submission. They publish when each cohort closes, so every respondent's results are benchmarked against the full quarter's data.

Why the longitudinal record matters

A single quarter of survey data tells you where the industry stands today. Five years of quarterly data tells you where it has been, how it has moved, and which signals appeared before shifts that have already happened. That is not a capability that can be replicated by launching a new survey in 2026.

The REIS dataset includes responses collected during the post-pandemic market surge, the rate correction period, and the sustained pressure on agent economics that followed. The satisfaction scores, brokerage change triggers, and priority rankings from those periods are in the record. When an agent's scores shift today, there is context for what that shift has meant before.

How the timeline developed

2021
First cohort collected. Initial respondents drawn from a real estate professional network with national reach across agent and broker populations.
2022 – 2023
Quarterly collection continues. Broker owner track added. Instrument standardized for longitudinal consistency.
2024
Matching algorithm development begins. Broker report format established. Published summary reports launched.
2025
Annual flagship report published. Match pool intelligence delivered to broker subscribers. Respondent base expands beyond the founding network.
2026
Full site launch. Q1 cohort now open. Personalized career trajectory available to all returning respondents.

Independence and methodology

REIS is owned and operated independently. The instrument design, question set, and report framing are not sponsored or influenced by any brokerage, franchise, or technology vendor. Companies that purchase reports or matching intelligence are buying access to findings that already exist. They have no input into how questions are written, which metrics are tracked, or how results are interpreted.

The distinction matters. A sponsored study produces findings the sponsor can use. REIS produces findings the industry can use, and sells access to them. Those are different things, and the difference is what makes the data worth buying.

Agent identity is protected
Individual agent responses are never shared with brokers. The matching output surfaces profiles and counts, not names, contact information, or identifying details, unless the agent has explicitly opted in to direct contact.
Aggregate findings only
Published reports contain only aggregate data. No individual response is ever surfaced in any public-facing document. The dataset is used for research and matching intelligence, not for identifying or targeting individuals.
Reports

Research that reflects where the industry actually stands

REIS publishes two types of reports: a respondent version delivered to everyone who completes the survey, and a full research report available for purchase. Both draw from the same quarterly dataset. Only one requires completing the survey to receive.

Two ways to access REIS findings

Choose your path

Free — complete the survey

Your personalized respondent report

Complete the Q1 2026 survey and receive a personalized career report when the cohort closes at quarter end. Benchmarked against the full respondent pool and delivered by email.

What's included
  • Your career snapshot — all six satisfaction scores
  • How you compare against the full pool and your peer group
  • Your priority profile with interpretation
  • An honest look at where your scores sit relative to agents who have made brokerage changes in similar circumstances
  • Your trajectory (populates on second and subsequent completions)
  • A shareable career card
Take the Survey

No charge. Report delivers by email when Q1 2026 closes.

Paid access

The full quarterly research report

The complete industry-wide findings from each quarterly cohort. Aggregate satisfaction data, trend analysis, and benchmark comparisons across career stage, volume, and geography. Formatted for distribution and reference.

What's included
  • Industry-wide satisfaction scores across all six dimensions
  • Career outlook distribution and quarter-over-quarter movement
  • Challenge rankings and priority profiles by agent segment
  • Brokerage change triggers and decision factors
  • Regional breakdowns by respondent geography
  • Annual report includes all four quarters plus longitudinal analysis
$297 per quarterly report
Purchase Q1 2026 Report

Annual subscription (all four quarters) available. Contact reports@realestateindustrysurvey.com for details.


Inside the reports

What each report contains

Agent Report

Your Career Report

  • Career SnapshotYour six satisfaction scores and composite career satisfaction number
  • How You CompareBenchmarked against the full pool and your peer group by experience and volume
  • Your Priority ProfileYour Section Three rankings interpreted against what high-performing peers prioritize
  • Your Satisfaction GapAn honest look at where your scores sit relative to agents who have made brokerage changes in similar circumstances
  • Your TrajectoryQuarter-over-quarter movement in your scores (second completion and beyond)
  • What Agents Like You Do NextData-driven patterns from your peer group in the full dataset
Broker Report

Your Market Report

  • Market SnapshotRespondent demographics across your declared geographic footprint
  • Satisfaction LandscapeAverage scores across all six dimensions for agents in your market
  • Your Match PoolCount and profile of agents whose priorities align with what your brokerage offers
  • What Agents Are Looking ForPriority rankings filtered to agents in your market considering a move
  • Market TrendsQuarter-over-quarter movement in your market (second report and beyond)
  • Recommended ActionsThree specific actions based on your match pool data this quarter
Q1 2026 is open now

The Q1 report publishes when the cohort closes

Complete the survey before Q1 ends and your responses are included in the report. Brokers can subscribe to receive the Broker Report for their market at close.

For Broker Owners

Five years of data on why agents leave, what they want next, and where they are right now

Every quarter, agents across the country tell REIS what they value about their careers in real estate. Our reports help brokerage leaders understand what agents in their markets truly value when choosing a brokerage.

What the data shows you
  • How agent satisfaction in your market has moved quarter over quarter, not just where it stands today
  • Which satisfaction dimensions are driving dissatisfaction in your footprint right now
  • What agents in your market who are considering moving their license say they are looking for in a brokerage
  • Which competing brokerages in your market are showing decline signals this quarter
  • How your own agents compare to the market average, and how that gap has changed over time
Three ways to use REIS

Built for how brokers actually recruit and retain

Market intelligence

The Quarterly Broker Report

Receive the full broker report for your market footprint each quarter. Match pool count and profile, satisfaction landscape, trend data, and three specific recommended actions, delivered by email when the cohort closes.

$997 per quarter

Annual option: $2,997 (save one quarter)

Participate in the research

Complete the Broker Survey

Complete the broker owner track of the REIS survey and receive the quarterly broker report for your market at no charge. Eight questions, about three minutes. Your responses contribute to the industry-wide dataset.

Retention intelligence

Survey Your Own Agents

Deploy the REIS agent instrument to your own roster. See exactly how your agents score on satisfaction, what they identify as challenges, and how their priorities rank. Benchmarked against the industry-wide pool so you know where you stand.

How the matching works

Profiles and probabilities, not a list of names

The matching algorithm produces two scores per respondent: a profile score derived from career stage, volume, and priorities, and a satisfaction score from the six-dimension rating. Together they help identify which agents in your market share the priorities your brokerage is best positioned to meet, and how that picture has shifted over time.

Broker intake captures your market zip codes, your ideal experience range, and your top two or three recruiting value propositions. The algorithm filters the dataset by geography, career stage, satisfaction gap, and priority alignment.

No agent's identity is shared unless they have explicitly opted in to direct contact. What you receive is a count, a profile, and what that profile says it is looking for, which is enough to build a meaningful conversation.

Sample output — Q4 2025
1,847
total respondents in Q4 2025 cohort
34%
rated brokerage satisfaction below 3
201
in your market, 5+ years experience, culture and training in top three priorities

These are the agents in your market whose stated priorities align most closely with what your brokerage offers. The next report tracks how that picture has shifted since last quarter.

Agent identity protected
Individual agent identities are never shared with brokers. The matching output surfaces profiles and counts, not individuals, unless the agent has explicitly opted in to direct contact.
Geography by zip code
Agents enter the zip codes where they work at opt-in. Brokers declare their market footprint at intake. The match is geographic, not relational. There is no directory being built here.
No cold data sales
REIS does not sell agent contact lists. Broker clients purchase access to aggregate intelligence and profile-level matching. Individual contact only follows explicit agent opt-in.
Q1 2026 cohort is open

The Q1 Broker Report publishes when the cohort closes

Subscribe now and receive the Q1 2026 Broker Report for your market footprint when the cohort closes at quarter end. Or complete the broker survey yourself and receive it at no charge.