34 Real Estate Social Media Statistics in 2026

Data-driven analysis revealing how top-performing agents turn social platforms into their most valuable lead generation channel

Social media ranked first among the technologies REALTORS® credited with producing their highest number of quality leads, yet many agents still treat it as an afterthought. The data makes the case: 39% of REALTORS® said social media produced their highest number of quality leads, ahead of CRM at 23% and the local MLS at 17%. For agents who want to build consistent visibility without the daily grind of content creation, Luxury Presence Social Media Management (Beta) creates two to three on-brand posts and Reels each week, manages captions and scheduling, and publishes approved content to Instagram and Facebook.

Key takeaways

• Social media leads the quality ranking: 39% of REALTORS® said social media produced their highest number of quality leads, ahead of CRM at 23% and the local MLS at 17%
• Buyers lean on video during the search: 37% of buyers used online video sites during their home search
• Social discovery of an agent is rare: only 1% of buyers found their agent by seeing the agent’s social page without an existing connection
• Social ranks ahead of paid digital for quality leads: 39% of REALTORS® picked social media as their top quality-lead technology, versus 12% for digital ad campaigns
• YouTube’s reach is broad: 84% of U.S. adults use YouTube, one of the widest audiences of any platform
• Brands post on a steady cadence: real estate brands published a median of three Instagram Reels and four carousel or image posts per week, based on July through December 2024 activity

Understanding how real estate social media is changing in 2026

1. 71% of U.S. adults use Facebook

Facebook still reaches the widest consumer audience of any legacy social platform, with 71% of U.S. adults using it. That figure reflects general consumer usage rather than agent adoption, but it explains why the platform remains central to real estate marketing and paid advertising, thanks to mature ad tools and strong demographic overlap with buyers and sellers.

2. 75% of REALTORS® use social media for business

Three in four REALTORS® now incorporate social media into their marketing, according to NAR’s latest technology survey, which reports that 75% use social media in their business. That makes social one of the most widely adopted marketing tools in the profession, a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator.

3. 50% of U.S. adults use Instagram

Instagram’s visual format aligns naturally with real estate, and its consumer footprint is substantial: 50% of U.S. adults use Instagram. The platform’s emphasis on photography and short-form video makes it well suited to showcasing properties and building a personal brand.

4. 37% of U.S. adults use TikTok

TikTok’s audience keeps expanding: 37% of U.S. adults use TikTok in 2025, slightly higher than the preceding year and up from 21% in 2021. This is consumer reach rather than agent adoption, but it signals where younger buyers increasingly spend their attention.

5. 22% of sellers had their agent use social networking to market the home

Social platforms are now part of the listing playbook. In NAR’s current data, 22% of sellers said their agent used social networking websites to market the home. That makes social a standard marketing channel sellers expect their agent to work, not an optional extra.

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6. Real estate brand accounts see 3.1% engagement on TikTok

Short-form video drives real engagement for real estate. In Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark, real estate brand accounts averaged a 3.1% engagement rate on TikTok, along with 75 shares per post. Note that this sample covers global brand handles with at least 1,000 followers rather than individual agents, and the report analyzes activity collected from July through December 2024.

7. 37% of buyers used online video sites during their home search

Video has become part of how buyers shop. NAR reports that 37% of buyers used online video sites during their home search, and 29% of internet-using buyers rated videos a very useful website feature. Agents who supply video meet buyers where their attention already is.

8. Real estate YouTube accounts average 2.8% monthly subscriber growth

YouTube rewards consistent real estate content. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark found that real estate YouTube accounts averaged 2.8% monthly subscriber growth and two shares per post, based on July through December 2024 activity. That steady audience gain shows the platform’s value for building a durable, searchable video library.

9. Short-form video shows no verified Instagram engagement uplift for real estate

Reels are worth posting, but the widely repeated claim that they generate a specific percentage more engagement is not supported by current real estate data. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark reports approximately 0.3% overall Instagram engagement for real estate brand accounts but does not provide a Reels-specific uplift, so agents should focus on consistency rather than chasing a headline multiplier.

10. Real estate brand accounts average 99,800 TikTok views per post

Reach on short-form video can be sizable. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark found that real estate brand accounts averaged 99,800 TikTok video views per post. Because these figures come from brand accounts observed from July through December 2024, individual-agent results will vary, but they show the ceiling short-form video can reach.

11. 40% of younger sellers had an agent use social networking to market their home

Social marketing skews toward younger sellers. NAR reports that 40% of sellers ages 26 to 34 and 40% of sellers ages 35 to 44 said their agent used social networking websites to market the property. For agents working with these cohorts, a visible social presence is part of what sellers expect from a listing strategy.

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12. Instagram engagement for real estate brands averages 0.3%

Engagement on Instagram runs lower than many older benchmarks suggest. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark puts average Instagram engagement for real estate brand accounts at about 0.3%, based on activity observed from July through December 2024. Setting expectations against a current, real estate specific figure helps agents judge their own performance accurately.

13. Top real estate Instagram brands reach 0.6% to 0.9% engagement

The best accounts pull well ahead of the pack. In Dash Social’s 2025 sample, three highlighted top real estate Instagram brands, Savills, Brookfield Properties, and Transwestern, recorded engagement between 0.6% and 0.9%, versus the 0.3% industry average. These are three named standouts rather than a range that every high-performing account falls within, and the gap comes from consistent, high-quality content rather than any single tactic.

14. 14% of buyers value an agent being active on social media

Social presence matters to a meaningful slice of buyers, though not a majority. NAR reports that 14% of buyers overall, and 18% of buyers ages 26 to 34, considered an agent being active on social media an important communication attribute. For younger buyers especially, showing up on social is part of building trust.

15. 3% of buyers first contact their agent through social media

Social platforms play a real, if focused, role in first contact. NAR data shows that 3% of buyers’ initial contact with their agent occurred through social media. It is a modest share, but it confirms that social is a genuine first-touch channel for some buyers.

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16. Real estate brands publish a median of three Instagram Reels per week

A steady posting rhythm separates the accounts that grow from the ones that stall. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark found that real estate brands published a median of three Instagram Reels per week, based on July through December 2024 activity. Sustaining that cadence by hand is the hard part, which is exactly where AI-assisted tools earn their keep.

17. Real estate brands publish four Instagram carousel or image posts per week

Reels are only part of the Instagram mix. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark found that real estate brands published four Instagram carousel or image posts per week, based on July through December 2024 activity. Pairing carousels and static posts with Reels keeps a feed varied without piling more production work onto an agent’s week.

18. Real estate brands publish two TikTok posts per week

TikTok rewards presence, not perfection. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark found that real estate brands published two TikTok posts per week, based on July through December 2024 activity. Two well-made posts a week is an achievable target for most agents, and AI-assisted drafting makes it easier to hit consistently.

19. Real estate YouTube accounts publish one video per week

YouTube rewards a slower, steadier pace. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark found that real estate YouTube accounts published one video per week and averaged 2.8% monthly subscriber growth, based on July through December 2024 activity. One strong video a week is enough to build a durable, searchable library over time.

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20. 39% of REALTORS® say social media produces their highest number of quality leads

For lead generation, social media leads the field. NAR’s 2025 technology survey found that 39% of REALTORS® named social media as the technology producing their highest number of quality leads, ahead of every other tool measured. That ranking is why paid and organic social deserve a central place in an agent’s marketing.

21. Real estate Meta lead campaigns average a $16.61 cost per lead

Paid social can deliver leads efficiently. WordStream’s 2025 dataset shows that real estate Meta lead campaigns averaged a $16.61 cost per lead, giving agents a concrete benchmark for what a Facebook or Instagram lead should cost.

22. Real estate Meta lead campaigns average a 3.75% click-through rate

Real estate performs well on Meta’s ad platform. WordStream reports a 3.75% average click-through rate for real estate Meta lead campaigns. Because this benchmark is tied to the lead campaign objective, it should not be compared directly with traffic campaign benchmarks, which measure a different action.

23. Real estate Meta lead campaigns average a $1.57 cost per click

Click costs stay reasonable for the category. WordStream’s 2025 benchmarks put the average cost per click for real estate Meta lead campaigns at $1.57, a useful figure for budgeting and for evaluating whether your own campaigns are running efficiently.

24. 12% of REALTORS® cite digital ad campaigns as their top quality-lead technology, versus 39% for social media

Not all channels rank the same for lead quality. NAR reports that 12% of REALTORS® selected digital ad campaigns as their top quality-lead technology, compared with 39% for social media. These categories are not a clean split between organic and paid social, since digital ad campaigns can run on social platforms too, so read the two figures as separate survey responses rather than proof that one channel causes better leads.

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25. Only 1% of buyers found their agent through an unconnected social page

Social discovery of a brand-new agent is uncommon today. NAR’s 2025 buyer survey found that 1% of buyers found their agent by seeing the agent’s social page without a prior connection, while social-media crowdsourcing accounted for less than 1% overall. This suggests social presence may do more to support trust and repeat business than to drive cold discovery.

26. Real estate TikTok accounts average 75 shares per post

Shareable content extends reach beyond an agent’s own followers. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark found that real estate TikTok accounts averaged 75 shares per post, based on brand-account activity from July through December 2024. Every share puts a listing or an agent in front of a new audience at no extra cost.

27. 18% of buyers ages 26 to 34 value an agent’s social activity

The value placed on social presence skews younger. NAR found that 18% of buyers ages 26 to 34, and 16% of buyers ages 35 to 44, considered an agent being active on social media important to communications. For agents targeting these cohorts, consistent posting is part of meeting their expectations.

28. Top real estate TikTok brands reach 4.9% to 5.3% engagement

The strongest TikTok accounts pull far ahead of the field. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark found that the three highlighted top-performing real estate TikTok brands generated engagement rates of 4.9% to 5.3%, based on July through December 2024 activity. That is well above the category norm and shows the ceiling short-form video can reach with consistent, high-quality posting.

29. Real estate Instagram accounts average 1.0% monthly follower growth

Steady posting compounds into audience growth. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark found that real estate Instagram accounts averaged 1.0% monthly follower growth, based on July through December 2024 activity. It is an incremental gain each month, but sustained over a year it builds a meaningfully larger audience.

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30. 39% of REALTORS® rank social media as their top source of quality leads

Lead quality is where social media stands out. NAR’s 2025 technology survey found that 39% of REALTORS® ranked social media as the technology generating their highest number of quality leads, ahead of CRM at 23% and the local MLS at 17%. Social was the top-selected technology across the sample, ahead of every other tool measured.

31. 1% of buyers found their agent via social, and 3% made first contact there

Different stages of the buyer journey show different social touchpoints. NAR data shows that 1% of buyers found their agent through an unconnected social page, while 3% made their initial contact with their agent through social media. These measure different moments and should not be combined into a single new-client figure, but together they show social plays a real role.

32. Top real estate Instagram brands reach 0.6%, 0.7%, and 0.9% engagement

A closer look at the leaders shows how wide the gap can be. Dash Social’s 2025 benchmark found that the highlighted top real estate Instagram brands achieved engagement rates of 0.6%, 0.7%, and 0.9%, compared with the 0.3% industry average, based on July through December 2024 activity. Roughly doubling or tripling the category average comes from disciplined, consistent content rather than any single viral post.

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33. 39% of REALTORS® say social media generates their highest number of quality leads

Among all the technology agents use, social media tops the quality-lead ranking. NAR’s 2025 survey found that 39% of REALTORS® said social media produced their highest number of quality leads. This measures quality-lead generation rather than return on investment, so it is best read as a lead-quality signal, not an ROI figure.

34. Real estate Meta lead campaigns average a 9.53% conversion rate

Paid social converts at a healthy clip when built for lead capture. WordStream’s 2025 benchmarks show a 9.53% average conversion rate for real estate Meta lead campaigns. This is an ad form or action conversion rate rather than a lead-to-client conversion, so it should be compared against the ad-level funnel, not final closings.