How do most home sellers choose a real estate agent?

Mostly through referrals and agents they have used before. Among US sellers, 66% used a referral or an agent they had worked with before, and 81% contacted only one agent before choosing (US, NAR, April 2025).

Is there a GCI at which to hire your first assistant?

No official source sets one. BLS in the US and Statistics Canada publish wage data for these jobs, and whether a hire pays for itself depends on how many of your hours it frees and what those hours bring in.

Earn

How do I grow my real estate business?

Updated October 2026. Figures as of September 2026.

Start with your past clients and the people who can refer you. Among US home sellers in NAR's newest public data, 38% found their agent by the route NAR calls "referred by (or is) a friend, neighbor or relative" and 28% reused an agent they had worked with before (US, NAR, April 2025). Then make more time for those people, with AI tools and, when the numbers work, your first hires.

The pages below take each step in turn, with US and Canadian figures where both exist: where listings come from, which AI tools agents use, what an admin, TC, ISA or buyer agent costs, and the rules on making money from an audience.

How many agents work on a team?

In NAR's 2026 member survey, 21% of REALTORS® worked as part of a team, and teams averaged four members (US, NAR, June 2026).

When to hire an admin, TC, ISA or buyer agent prices each hire in the US and Canada and shows the break-even sum. Should you build a real estate team? is our short presentation for agents weighing the move.

How many agents use AI now?

In the US, 23% of agents used AI daily and another 25% weekly in 2026 (US, NAR, September 2026). In Canada, 59.2% of workers in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing used generative AI tools at work in the 12 months to March 2026 (Statistics Canada, July 2026).

Which AI tools agents use has the tools, what agents use them for, and three of our members' stories.

Where can I go deeper?

These guides and presentations go further on each part of growing the business:

Should you build a real estate team?: a short presentation for agents deciding whether a team is the right next step.
Farming masterclass: choosing a farm area and working it with newsletters and postcards.
Luxury masterclass: the methods one team used to build a luxury listing business.
AI Back Office: set up Claude with reusable briefs for client emails and listing prep.
Seller Portal: one Claude prompt that builds a private page for a seller whose listing is sitting.
Get Found by AI: our hyperlocal content playbook for agents.
Reasons to Call: turning what your sphere posts on social media into a reason to call the same day.
Spot the AI scam: the AI frauds aimed at real estate deals, such as fake wire instructions, and how to protect your clients.
Presentation library: every deck in one place.

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Common questions

How do most home sellers choose a real estate agent?: Mostly through referrals and agents they have used before. Among US sellers, 66% used a referral or an agent they had worked with before, and 81% contacted only one agent before choosing (US, NAR, April 2025).
Is there a GCI at which to hire your first assistant?: No official source sets one. BLS in the US and Statistics Canada publish wage data for these jobs, and whether a hire pays for itself depends on how many of your hours it frees and what those hours bring in.

Sources

National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, April 2025
National Association of REALTORS®, Experienced REALTORS® Anchor the Industry as Housing Affordability Remains Top Hurdle, New NAR Report Finds, June 2026
National Association of REALTORS®, REALTORS® Adopt Technology to Save Time and Improve the Client Experience, NAR Report Finds, September 2026
Statistics Canada, Use of generative artificial intelligence tools among Canadian workers, March 2026, July 2026

Questions we answer here

At what GCI do I hire admin, a TC, an ISA, a buyer agent?
No official source sets a GCI for hiring. What an admin, TC, ISA or buyer agent costs in the US and Canada, and a worked break-even example.
Which AI tools do top agents use, and which ones changed a number?
NAR's newest data on which AI tools REALTORS® use and what for, the Canadian figures, and three of our member stories with Claude at work.
How do I get listings in 2026 without buying leads?
Most sellers hire an agent they know or were referred to. NAR's seller data, what it means for your sphere and past clients, and winning the appointment.
How do I make money from an audience as a real estate agent?
Clients, referral fees, platform payouts and brand deals, and the rules on each: RESPA, the FTC, YouTube's terms and Canada's Competition Bureau.