Don’t you wish you had a crystal ball that could tell you exactly what buyers want? We may not be able to predict every buyer’s wish list, but new research gives us a pretty good glimpse. And it turns out buyers may care more about how well a home works for their everyday lives than how impressive it looks. |
Of course, knowing what buyers want is only half the battle. You also have to get their attention. One Realtor found a hilarious way to do exactly that, using AI to turn a very real reason someone might need a new home into a satirical social media ad. |
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Here's what you need to know today: |
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A new Homes.com survey of more than 3,000 recent and prospective new-construction buyers gives us a useful look at what buyers actually want in 2026, and the results are practical, not flashy. The average buyer’s sweet spot is a four-bedroom, 2.5-bath home between 2,000 and 2,500 square feet, but the bigger theme is flexibility. Buyers want homes that work for everyday life, with home offices, extra kitchen storage, private backyards, security features, hobby rooms, multigenerational space, and energy-efficient systems ranking ahead of many traditional luxury amenities.
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This matters for agents even if you’re not selling new construction. The same preferences can help shape how you market existing homes. If a property has a dedicated office, flexible bonus room, separate workspaces, strong storage, a private yard, updated security, or energy-efficient features, those may deserve more attention in the listing copy, photography, and showing strategy. For example, with 64% of surveyed buyers working remotely at least once a week, an extra bedroom may be more compelling when buyers can clearly picture it as an office rather than simply seeing it labeled “Bedroom 4.”
The broader takeaway is that buyers appear to be prioritizing how a home performs over how impressive it looks on paper. Only a tiny share of respondents prioritized amenities like clubhouses or golf courses, while practical features tied to privacy, security, space, and daily convenience ranked much higher. For agents, that means marketing should focus less on generic luxury language and more on showing exactly how a property can make a buyer’s everyday life easier.
What this means for agents: 🌳 Private outdoor space has real appeal: A usable backyard may resonate more with today’s buyers than shared community amenities.
🏠 Market the function, not just the room: Show buyers how a flex space, spare bedroom, or finished basement could support remote work, hobbies, guests, or multigenerational living. 💻 Home offices still matter: With remote work remaining common, dedicated workspaces and even the potential for two offices can be meaningful selling points. |
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What mistake do you see other real estate agents make most often? |
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Do you think it’s too easy to become a real estate agent? |
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E-commerce may be at a record high, but physical retail still accounts for more than four-fifths of consumer spending, and shoppers are giving stores another advantage. Using Census Bureau data, JLL found that 83% of consumers enjoy discovering products they never would have searched for online, while 45% feel online recommendations are narrowing what they are allowed to like. For commercial real estate investors, that suggests physical stores still have something valuable that e-commerce can’t easily replicate: a place to browse, discover, and experience products in person.
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This is good news for retail real estate, but not necessarily every retail property. JLL found that 71% of consumers would shop more often in quieter, lower-stimulation stores, while 60% said a store’s atmosphere influences whether they would recommend it even if they didn’t buy anything. Investors should consider whether a property gives tenants the flexibility to create that kind of environment. Good layouts, adaptable floor plans, comfortable spaces, and locations that encourage people to spend time there may become increasingly valuable to retailers trying to give customers a reason to leave their screens.
For commercial investors, the opportunity is to think beyond how much retail space a market needs and consider what kind of space retailers will want next. Properties that support experiential concepts, easy reconfiguration, strong foot traffic, and a compelling in-person environment may be better positioned to attract and retain tenants. Online shopping isn’t going away, but if consumers increasingly want physical stores to provide what algorithms cannot, well-positioned retail space could become more important, not less.
What investors are prioritizing now: |
- Experience-friendly properties: Spaces that allow tenants to create memorable environments can offer something online shopping cannot.
- Foot traffic and dwell time: Investors can look for locations where consumers already have reasons to walk around, browse, dine, and spend time.
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Strong tenant concepts: Investors should consider whether prospective tenants give customers a clear reason to visit in person instead of simply purchasing online.
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Your Move This Week: 🛍️ Revisit retail opportunities. 🔄 Identify adaptable spaces. 🏢 Evaluate properties through a tenant’s eyes. |
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Forget the bus bench. Realtor Lou Testa found a much more unexpected place for a real estate ad: the pregnancy test aisle. In an AI-generated image posted to social media. Testa created a fake ad hanging directly next to pregnancy tests in a pharmacy. The message? “Uh-oh, looks like you need another bedroom.” His caption continued the joke: “Plot twist… The pregnancy test came with a Realtor referral.”
The concept is ridiculous, but it has a smart marketing idea underneath. A growing family can prompt someone to think about moving into a larger home, and Testa turns that familiar life change into a joke. Instead of creating a traditional post about needing more space, he puts his real estate message where no one expects it. The result feels more like something you’d send a friend than an advertisement from an agent.
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The post also gives people something to talk about. In fact, I first saw it because someone sent it directly to me, which is exactly the kind of reaction agents want from social media content. Rather than scrolling past another real estate graphic, followers can react to the absurdity of the fake ad, joke in the comments, or send it to someone who would appreciate it. The goal isn’t necessarily to convince someone to call an agent immediately. It is to create something memorable enough that people actually want to engage with and share.
AI makes ideas like this much easier for agents to experiment with. Testa doesn’t need to convince a pharmacy to let him advertise next to the pregnancy tests to make the joke work. He can create the scenario digitally and use it as social content instead. It’s probably not an ad you’d actually want hanging in the pharmacy aisle, but that’s precisely why it works as a satirical post. The broader marketing lesson is that agents can use AI to visualize funny, exaggerated ideas that would be impractical in real life, while still connecting the joke back to a very real reason someone might need their services.
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Your brokerage website is often one of the first places a potential client or recruit will go to learn more about your business, so take a look at it through their eyes. Is it modern, easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and clear about the markets and services you offer? Can visitors easily find your agents, listings, contact information, and resources? If the site hasn’t been updated in years, it may be time for a refresh. |
Then look at your agents’ digital presence. Depending on your brokerage model, it may make sense to encourage agents to build their own websites, especially as they develop personal brands, niches, teams, or specific markets. Brokers can help by setting branding and compliance guidelines and educating agents on what a useful website actually needs. The goal shouldn’t be for every agent to build another generic website. It should give potential clients a reason to find, trust, and contact them.
I’d make website strategy part of your marketing conversations with agents. Audit the brokerage site regularly, identify agents who could benefit from building their own online presence, and give them resources to get started. If you’re not sure what a strong real estate website should look like, I recently compiled a list of real estate website templates I recommend that agents and brokerages can use for inspiration.
What’s working right now: |
- Run a website audit: Review your brokerage site as a buyer, seller, or agent considering joining. Look for outdated information, broken links, weak calls to action, and difficult navigation.
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Identify who needs a website: Agents building a team, niche, or recognizable personal brand may benefit most from investing in their own site. Help them decide when that investment makes sense.
- Website workshop: Use an office meeting to review strong real estate website examples and templates, then have agents identify one improvement they can make to their own digital presence.
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📈 Housing supply hits a six-year high: Redfin reports new listings jumped in August while demand remained flat, giving buyers more negotiating power as nearly 3 in 5 homes sold below their original asking price.
🚨 Seller impersonation lands couple in prison: Realtor.com details how a husband and wife used forged documents and fake identities to sell San Diego homes they didn’t own for nearly $1 million.
🏖️ Martha’s Vineyard sale shatters Massachusetts record: Homes.com says a 32-acre waterfront estate sold for $43 million, setting a new record for publicly marketed home sales on the island and across the state. |
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Sophia Doyle is a staff writer at The Close and a licensed New Jersey real estate agent with hands-on experience in residential real estate. Sophia brings real-world insight into today’s housing market, combining on-the-ground agent experience with a strong background in communications. She understands the full transaction lifecycle, from lead generation and client relationships to marketing strategy and deal execution. Through her writing, Sophia delivers clear, practical guidance to help agents navigate an evolving industry with confidence and creativity.
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