BAM Key Details:
- NAR’s 2026 Realtors Technology Report finds 96% of Realtors use the MLS and 79% use e-signature tools.
- 46% use a CRM, and 51% want to use CRM tools over the next 12 months.
- 36% spend an average of $50 to $250 a month on tech, and saving time is the top reason for adopting new tech by 81% of surveyed Realtors.
Drone photography is more common in agents’ tech stacks than a CRM, according to NAR’s 2026 Realtors Technology Report.
NAR surveyed a random sample of active Realtors in June 2026 and got 1,165 usable responses. The results show which tech tools agents use in their business and which ones they want to add.
Here’s what the survey found, from the full tool rankings to what agents spend on tech each month.
The Tech Tools Agents Use in Their Business
NAR asked Realtors which technologies they use in their real estate business. The answers fall into three tiers.
The Tools at the Top of the List
96% of Realtors use the MLS, which maybe sounds less surprising than the fact that 4% don’t. Here are the four tools used by more than half of the Realtors surveyed.
- MLS: 96%
- E-signature: 79%
- Showing scheduling tools: 68%
- CMA and pricing tools: 59%
NAR doesn’t say why 4% of Realtors don’t use the MLS. Sales agents make up 62% of survey respondents and associate brokers make up 12%, and the report breaks out the rest by business focus, including commercial, land, property management and new construction.
The Middle of the Pack
- Drone photography and video: 48%
- CRM: 46%
- AI-generated content (ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, etc.): 41%
- Transaction management: 36%
- Social media scheduling and content tools: 32%
- Virtual tours: 29%
- Personal website using IDX: 26%
- Lead generation: 21%
- Marketing automation: 16%
Fewer than half of the Realtors NAR surveyed use a CRM. At 46%, it ranks sixth among the tools agents use, two points behind drone photography and video.
A bigger share of agents, 51%, want to use CRM tools to grow their business over the next 12 months.
The Tools Few Agents Use
Two tools rank at the bottom of NAR’s list:
- Predictive analytics: 6%
- Chatbots for lead capture or client communication: 5%
“Other” tools ranked 3%, and only 1% ranked “none of the above.”
What Agents Plan to Add Over the Next 12 Months
NAR also asked Realtors which technologies they want to use over the next 12 months to grow their business.
Generative AI for content creation leads the list.
- Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) for content creation: 54%
- Client relationship management tools: 51%
- AI-powered lead generation and follow-up: 48%
- Marketing automation workflows: 34%
- Agent safety and secure showing management solutions: 32%
- Smart home integration marketing strategies: 18%
- AR/VR tools for immersive property listings: 18%
- Predictive analytics for lead scoring: 17%
- Blockchain for streamlined title and contract processes: 8%
- Digital twins for property visualization: 7%
- Cryptocurrency-enabled real estate purchases: 5%
Crypto-related tech ranks near the bottom. Elsewhere in the report, 9% of Realtors say clients have discussed using cryptocurrency in a real estate transaction, and 2% have been involved in a transaction that used it.
“Other” took last place at 3%. And 8% of surveyed agents say they’re “not interested in emerging technologies.”
What Agents Spend on Their Tech Stack
NAR asked Realtors what they’ve spent on tech tools for their business each month, on average, over the past 12 months.
- Less than $50: 18%
- $50 to $250: 36%
- $251 to $500: 19%
- More than $500: 22%
- Not applicable: 6%
A separate question asked agents why they adopt new tech. Saving time tops the list.
- Saving time: 81%
- Improving client experience: 71%
- Closing more deals: 57%
- Less manual work: 54%
- Staying ahead of competition: 44%
- Better insights: 41%
- Reducing overhead or team size: 12%
- Other: 5%
Cost ranks as the second-biggest challenge agents face when they adopt new tech, with 59% naming it. The learning curve comes in first at 63%.
Building Your Tech Stack for the Year Ahead
NAR asked Realtors how clients respond to tech in the buying and selling process.
- 40% say their clients respond “very positively.”
- 37% say clients find it helpful and have some reservations.
- 2% say clients prefer traditional methods and find tech difficult.
Combined, 77% of Realtors say clients respond positively to tech in the transaction. Improving client experience ranks second on agents’ list of reasons for adopting new tech, so your clients’ reactions give you a good way to judge any tool you’re thinking about adding.
Which tool would you add or upgrade next?
