Industry News

71% of Agents Closed Zero Homes in 2024: AI Trends

Feb 5, 2025
12 min read
US Tech Automations Research Team
Research Analysts

This comprehensive analysis of the real estate industry for 2024-2025 reveals
critical agent challenges, emerging AI trends, and market opportunities. Data is
drawn from authoritative sources including the National Association of
REALTORS® (NAR), Inman, and other industry reports.

1. Real Estate Agent Pain Points (2024-2025)

Real estate agents face several significant challenges impacting productivity,
client retention, and business success.

Manual Lead Nurturing & Client Retention Crisis

The industry faces a staggering productivity challenge:

  • 71% of active realtors did not close a single home in 2024 (Inman/Redfin
    survey)

  • Losing touch with past clients remains an expensive mistake

  • Manual follow-up processes lead to clients choosing different agents for
    subsequent transactions

Solution Need: Automated, personalized client re-engagement strategies are
crucial to maintain relationships and secure repeat business.

Administrative Burden & Productivity Drain

Agent TypeTime on Admin TasksTime on Revenue Activities
Average Agents60-70%30-40%
Top Performers25-30%70-75%

This dramatic difference reduces time available for:

  • Direct client prospecting

  • In-person listing presentations

  • Negotiating offers

  • Nurturing past client relationships

Listing Overload Challenge

Market activity creates unprecedented management challenges:

  • New listings increased 14.8% YoY (February 2024) - the most significant
    gain since May 2021

  • Unsold listings increased by 10.3% YoY

  • Agents managing increasingly complex portfolios

Solution Need: Tools for automated property descriptions, virtual staging,
and efficient content management.

FSBO Market Insights

The difficulties faced by "For Sale By Owner" sellers underscore agent value:

  • FSBOs accounted for only 6% of home sales (2024)

  • FSBO homes sold for $380,000 vs. $435,000 for agent-assisted sales

  • Most difficult FSBO tasks:

    • Getting the price right (17%)

    • Selling within planned timeframe (13%)

    • Understanding/performing paperwork (10%)

The industry increasingly embraces AI and digital tools for enhanced efficiency
and client experience.

AI Adoption Rates & Impact (2025 NAR Technology Survey)

Current Usage:

  • 46% of agents use AI-generated content (e.g., listing descriptions)

  • Among AI users:

    • 20% use it daily

    • 22% use it weekly

    • 27% use it a few times monthly

  • 32% have not yet used AI

Business Impact:

  • 17% report significantly positive impact

  • 33% see moderately positive impact

  • 46% report no noticeable impact yet

Popular AI Tools:

  1. ChatGPT by OpenAI (58%)

  2. Gemini by Google (20%)

  3. Copilot by Microsoft (15%)

Primary Motivations:

  • Save time (66%)

  • Enhance client experience (64%)

Key AI Applications and Features

Client Re-Engagement & Nurturing

  • Automated personalized follow-ups at 1, 3, 6, 12 months post-closing

  • Pull client/property details from CRM

  • Send market updates

  • Book calls automatically

  • Keep agents "top-of-mind"

Listing Enhancement & Management

  • Automated property descriptions

  • AI-powered image enhancement

  • Virtual staging

  • Content optimization

Client Experience & Search

  • Property suggestions based on preferences

  • Chat-based search interfaces

  • Personalized recommendations

Market Analysis & Pricing

  • Predictive pricing insights

  • Market trend analysis

  • Competitive positioning

Lead Qualification & Automation

  • Automated lead scoring

  • Voice features for real estate apps

  • Intelligent routing

Other Digital Tools Adoption (2025 NAR Survey)

TechnologyAdoption RateLead Generation Impact
eSignature79%-
Social Media75%39% of leads
Drone Photography75%-
CRM Systems-23% of leads
Local MLS-17% of leads

Technology Investment:

  • 34% of agents spend $50–$250 monthly on technology

  • 82% of clients respond positively to technology integration

3. Key Real Estate Statistics (2024-2025)

The market shows dynamic changes with fluctuating sales, prices, and behavior
shifts.

Overall Market & Sales Data

Current Market Snapshot (July 2025):

  • Existing home sales: 4.01 million units (seasonally adjusted)

  • Median price: $422,400

  • Housing starts: 1,428,000

  • New home sales: 627,000 (June 2025)

Market Trends:

  • Existing-home sales increased 2.0% month-over-month

  • Wage growth outpacing home price growth

  • Pending home sales decreased 0.4% month-over-month

  • Buyers remain hesitant despite improvements

Agent Demographics & Practices (2024 NAR Member Profile)

Typical REALTOR® Profile:

  • Age: 55 years old

  • Gender: Predominantly female

  • Experience: 10 years median

  • Income: $55,800 median gross (2023)

Communication Preferences:

  • Text messaging: 94%

  • Telephone: 91%

  • Email: 89%

Digital Presence:

  • Brokers with websites: 64%

  • Sales agents with websites: 73%

  • Facebook usage: 77%

  • LinkedIn usage: 55%

Home Buyer & Seller Profiles (2024)

Buyer Statistics:

  • First-time buyers: 24% of market (median age 28)

  • Repeat buyers: Median age 61

  • 88% purchased through real estate agent

  • 51% found home on internet

  • 90% found agent helpful

Seller Statistics:

  • Median age: 63 years

  • Time in home: 10 years

  • 90% used real estate agent

  • Homes sold for 100% of listing price (median)

  • Market time: 3 weeks typical

  • 72% would use same agent again

Mortgage & Competitiveness (2024)

Market Conditions:

  • 30-year fixed rate: 7.1% (May 2024)

  • Housing Affordability Index: 105.5

  • Most competitive cities:

    1. San Jose, CA

    2. Cary, NC

    3. Sacramento, CA

    4. Littleton, CO

    5. Richmond, VA

Global Context:

  • Worldwide real estate market: $637.80 trillion expected

  • Residential segment: $518.90 trillion projected

4. SEO Opportunities & Content Strategy

Leveraging identified pain points and trends creates strong SEO opportunities.

High-Value Content Keywords

Pain Point Keywords:

  • "real estate agent productivity hacks"

  • "automate real estate lead nurturing"

  • "client retention strategies realtors"

  • "reduce administrative burden real estate"

  • "FSBO vs real estate agent benefits"

AI Trend Keywords:

  • "AI tools real estate agents 2024-2025"

  • "real estate marketing automation"

  • "ChatGPT real estate listings"

  • "virtual staging AI benefits"

  • "predictive analytics real estate pricing"

Statistical Keywords:

  • "NAR statistics 2024-2025"

  • "real estate market trends 2025"

  • "agent demographics 2024"

  • "home buyer profile 2024"

  • "mortgage rate forecasts 2025"

Content Strategy Recommendations

  1. Address Critical Pain Points with solution-focused content

  2. Highlight AI Success Stories with measurable outcomes

  3. Leverage Authoritative Statistics for E-E-A-T optimization

  4. Create Local SEO Content with city-specific insights

  5. Develop How-To Guides for specific AI tool implementation

5. Key Takeaways for Real Estate Professionals

The 2024-2025 real estate landscape presents both challenges and opportunities:

Critical Challenges:

  • Unprecedented productivity crisis with majority closing zero homes

  • Administrative burden consuming 60-70% of agent time

  • Client retention failures due to manual processes

Technology Solutions:

  • AI adoption reaching critical mass at 46%

  • Proven ROI from automation and digital tools

  • Client preference for tech-enabled services at 82%

Action Items:

  1. Implement AI tools for immediate time savings

  2. Automate repetitive administrative tasks

  3. Focus on high-value client interactions

  4. Invest in proven technology solutions

  5. Develop systematic follow-up processes


Ready to join the 46% of agents leveraging AI to transform their business? US
Tech Automations specializes in implementing proven automation solutions that
address the critical pain points revealed in this research. Contact us to turn
these insights into actionable results.

Tags

Market Research
AI Adoption
Industry Trends

About the Author

US Tech Automations Research Team
Research Analysts

Providing data-driven insights for real estate professionals