Only 21% of Agents Would Recommend This Career…Here’s Why That Matters
Only 21% of Agents Would Recommend This Career
There’s a stat from Redfin’s 2025 Industry Survey that hit me hard:
Only 21% of real estate agents say they’d recommend this career to someone else.
That’s less than 1 in 4.
In an industry that’s been marketed for years as the ultimate path to freedom and financial potential, this should be a wake-up call for all of us.
The Dream vs. The Reality
Real estate is often sold as a dream career. Be your own boss. Make your own schedule. Unlimited income. And yes, those things can be true.
But for a lot of agents, the day-to-day experience looks very different. They get licensed, sign with a brokerage, and suddenly they’re expected to build an entire business from scratch.
That means:
- Branding themselves
- Generating leads
- Managing transactions
- Negotiating deals
- Creating content
- Building trust online
- And somehow staying profitable — all without a clear plan or support system.
The Problem Isn’t Grit. It’s Structure.
Most agents aren’t lacking motivation. They’re not lazy. They’re just trying to succeed in a system that hasn’t evolved to support what the job actually requires today.
We now expect agents to:
- Show up like content creators
- Close deals like top producers
- Manage operations like business owners
…but without giving them the mentorship, tools, or strategy to pull that off. So when agents say they’re struggling, it’s not about effort. It’s about clarity. It’s about sustainability.
The Emotional Toll Is Real
Let’s be honest: this career takes a toll when the foundation isn’t there. Constantly shifting markets, interest rate changes, lawsuits, new policies, agents are forced to adjust on the fly, often without guidance. That leads to decision fatigue, burnout, and eventually, disillusionment. When confidence drops, so does performance. When agents feel unsupported, they either leave the industry or focus only on short-term income like chasing higher splits, because that’s the only lever left to pull.
So… How Do We Fix It?
It starts with how we bring people into the business. Here’s what needs to change:
- Structured onboarding – Not just “here’s your login and a list of scripts.” Give new agents a framework to assess their strengths and build a model that fits them.
- Real mentorship – Not just group Zooms. One-on-one guidance, accountability, and strategy.
- Ongoing marketing education – Because let’s face it: if you don’t know how to show up online today, you’re invisible.
- A real sense of community – A place where agents feel seen, heard, and supported.
Brokerages need to move past vague value propositions like “training,” “tech,” or “culture.”
Support needs to be specific. Tactical. And built for the realities of 2025, not 2015.
The Bottom Line
That 21% stat doesn’t just reflect the market, it reflects a bigger issue in how we set agents up to succeed.
This career still has massive potential. But if we don’t evolve how we support agents, we’ll keep watching good people leave an industry that needs them.
Let’s be the ones who change that.
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