R
ecent surveys of agent sentiment suggest a general optimism heading into the new year, despite potential discrepancies with economic forecasts.Key findings include:Most agents expect home sales to rise in 2025, with nearly a quarter anticipating a 10% increase.A majority believe home price growth will continue, albeit at a slower pace, consistent with economic projections.Most surprisingly, over half of respondents think mortgage rates will dip below 6% next year, contradicting many economists' forecasts.Agents expect more sales in 2025A Real Brokerage survey of 900 agents found that 89% anticipate an increase in transactions compared to 2024, with 60% expecting a 5% improvement and 23% anticipating a 10% bump.Real Brokerage CEO Tamir Poleg believes this signals the end of the most difficult period of the cycle and the beginning of a new upcycle.A separate John Burns Research survey found that agents have an increasingly positive outlook on the near-term market, with their Resale Home Sales Index reaching its highest level since February.Home prices will continue to riseAccording to the John Burns survey, 75% of Real agents expect home prices to rise in 2025, with 44% forecasting a 2-5% increase and 31% anticipating minimal growth.Nearly all economists agree that price growth will continue at a slower pace in 2025, with several predicting growth in the 3-4% range.Mortgage rates may dip below 6%A Real Brokerage survey found that 90% of agents anticipate mortgage rates falling from current levels by the end of 2025, with 37% expecting rates to land between 5.5% and 6%, and 21% believing they could fall as low as 5-5.5%.