Growing a real estate brand
US homes sold at a 3.99 million yearly pace in September 2026, and the typical first-time buyer is now 40. Reach buyers on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
How big is the real estate industry?
Existing US homes sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million in September 2026, at a median price of $417,500.
| Measure | Figure | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Existing-home sales, annual rate | 3.99 million | 2026 |
| Median existing-home price, Sep 2026 | $417,500 | 2026 |
| US homeownership rate | 65.0% | 2026 |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate | 7.32% | 2026 |
| Real estate broker and agent jobs | 530,600 | 2025 |
The sales and price figures come from NAR's existing-home sales report for September 2026.[1, 3, 4, 5]
Who are real estate buyers?
First-time buyers are rarer and older than ever: they made up a record-low 21% of purchases in NAR's 2025 survey.
| Group | What the figures show |
|---|---|
| First-time buyers | 21% of buyers, a record low |
| First-time buyers' median age | 40, a record high |
| Repeat buyers' median age | 62 |
| Bought through an agent or broker | 88% of buyers |
The figures come from NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, covering purchases from July 2024 to June 2025.[2]
Which platforms should a real estate brand grow on?
YouTube reaches 84% of US adults and Facebook 70%, and both reach most people aged 30 to 64.
| Platform | US adults | Ages 30 to 49 | Ages 50 to 64 |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 84% | 91% | 85% |
| 70% | 78% | 71% | |
| 51% | 64% | 41% | |
| 31% | 37% | 32% |
Google counts real estate services as housing ads. In the US and Canada, housing ads on Google and Meta can't target by age, gender or ZIP code. Meta also requires a radius of at least 15 miles. Put listings on the .com; for domain endings and NAR's rule on REALTOR®, see naming a real estate brand.[6, 7, 8, 13, secondary]
Checks the .com, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn in one search.
Who are the top real estate creators?
Three real estate creators to know are brokerage head Ryan Serhant, speed-tour agent Trent Miller and home-tour creator Caleb Simpson.
| Creator | Known for | Named by |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Serhant | Head of the SERHANT. brokerage, followed by Netflix's Owning Manhattan | HousingWire (opens in a new tab), 2024 |
| Trenton (Trent) Miller | An eXp Realty agent in San Antonio known for his "speed tours" | NAR REALTOR® News (opens in a new tab), 2026 |
| Caleb Simpson | House and apartment tours that ask people what they pay in rent | Fortune (opens in a new tab), 2023 |
NAR's 2026 profile says Miller has more than 1.7 million TikTok followers. Fortune put Simpson at close to 7 million on TikTok in 2023.[9, 10, 11, secondary]
Which sites are the authorities on real estate?
The National Association of REALTORS®, the Census Bureau, Freddie Mac and HousingWire are the main authorities on US real estate.
| Site | What it is | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| National Association of REALTORS® (opens in a new tab) | An American trade association covering residential and commercial real estate | Monthly home sales and yearly buyer profiles |
| Census Bureau: Housing Vacancies and Homeownership (opens in a new tab) | The US government's quarterly housing survey | Homeownership and vacancy rates |
| Freddie Mac (opens in a new tab) | Chartered by Congress in 1970 to support US housing finance | Weekly mortgage rates |
| HousingWire (opens in a new tab) | A source of housing market data, insights and connections | Industry news and interviews |
Sources (13)
- PrimaryNAR: existing-home sales for September 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryNAR: 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, news release (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryUS Census Bureau: Quarterly Residential Vacancies and Homeownership, Second Quarter 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryFreddie Mac: Primary Mortgage Market Survey (opens in a new tab); and About Freddie Mac (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryUS Bureau of Labor Statistics: Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents (opens in a new tab), Occupational Outlook Handbook
- PrimaryMeta for Developers: Special ad categories (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryGoogle Ads: Personalized advertising policy (opens in a new tab), housing, employment and consumer finance in the US and Canada
- SecondaryPew Research Center: Social Media Fact Sheet (opens in a new tab), survey of US adults
- SecondaryHousingWire: Ryan Serhant talks life after Netflix and brokerages in a post-settlement world (opens in a new tab); and About HousingWire (opens in a new tab)
- SecondaryNAR REALTOR® News: profile of agent Trent Miller (opens in a new tab)
- SecondaryFortune: profile of home-tour creator Caleb Simpson (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryNAR: About NAR (opens in a new tab)
- PrimaryGoogle Ads: Update to personalized advertising policies: housing, employment and credit (opens in a new tab)