NAR’s 2026 profile: sellers now stay 12 years, so your past clients need a follow-up plan
On November 5, the National Association of REALTORS® released its 2026 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the annual survey of people who bought a primary residence between July 2025 and June 2026. The headlines were about first-time buyers. For agents, the bigger story is quieter: repeat buyers made up 78% of purchases, the typical seller had lived in the home a record 12 years, and 88% of buyers said they would use their agent again or recommend them. Your next deal is probably already in your contact list. The question is whether you are still in touch in year five, eight or twelve.
What NAR found
According to NAR’s release, the share of first-time buyers rose to 22% from last year’s record low of 21%, and their median age held at an all-time high of 40. A record 10% of first-time buyers paid all cash, and 10% used an inheritance toward the purchase, also a record. NAR deputy chief economist Jessica Lautz said that share is “still about half the historical norm of 40% seen before 2008.”
Repeat buyers carried the market. They accounted for 78% of purchases, with a median age of 62, a 19% median down payment, and 30% paying all cash. “Repeat buyers are driving the housing market,” Lautz said, adding that their moves “are often moves by choice rather than necessity.”
On the seller side, NAR reported a median of 12 years in the home before selling, an all-time high. The top reason for selling was to move closer to friends and family (22%). Nearly half (47%) bought a newer home. Realtor.com’s write-up noted that 12 years tops last year’s 11.
Agents also got good news: 90% of buyers used an agent or broker, and 92% of sellers used an agent, an all-time high.
What this means for agents
Put those numbers together. Most buyers are repeat buyers. Most of them already worked with an agent. Nearly nine in ten say they would hire that agent again or recommend them. But the typical seller waits 12 years to move. That is a long time to stay remembered, and the agent who is still checking in during year eleven is the one who gets the call.
The data also tells you what to talk about. People are moving to be near family, trading into newer or bigger homes, and, for many first-time buyers, getting help from family money. Those topics come up naturally in check-ins with past clients and their grown kids. The market is also slow right now: NAR’s latest existing-home sales report showed a 3.99 million annual pace in September, and October numbers come out Thursday, November 12. In a slow market, the relationships you already have matter even more.
A real estate CRM is what turns “I should check in with them” into an actual date on your calendar for every past client, not just the ones you happen to remember.
4 follow-up moves this week
1. Sort past clients by the year they bought
Anyone who bought 8 to 12 or more years ago is now in the range where NAR’s typical seller moves. Put them at the top of this month’s check-ins. Keep it a friendly hello, not a pitch.
2. Ask the family question
Moving closer to friends and family was the top reason for selling. Ask past clients how the family is doing and where everyone lives now.
3. Remember the grown kids
Repeat buyers have a median age of 62, and NAR says 25% of first-time buyers used gifts or loans from family and friends. Your past clients’ children may be your next first-time buyers. Offer a no-pressure first-time buyer chat.
4. Ask for the referral you have earned
88% of buyers say they would use their agent again or recommend them. After a good check-in, ask if anyone they know is thinking about moving.
Talk about it today
Copy, tweak and send. Each one sticks to the NAR numbers above.
Make the follow-up automatic
Twelve years is a lot of birthdays, home anniversaries and “just checking in” texts to remember. That’s what TouchTempo is for. It’s a simple real estate CRM in Google Sheets: every lead and past client gets a follow-up schedule, ready-to-send texts and emails, and a spot on your Today list when they’re due. Log a touch and the next date sets itself.
Want help with the writing too? The AI follow-up assistant drafts your follow-ups each morning. You review them and click send, and nothing goes out without your OK.
See it in action
Watch the narrated demo (about 8 minutes, no sign-up) to see how TouchTempo keeps every buyer, seller and past client on a follow-up schedule—so you are still the agent they call in year twelve.
Watch the demo See pricingQuestions? Book a call with Bradley (5–8 PM ET).