A recent report from The Globe and Mail examines how slower home sales are causing some Canadian realtors to reduce their activity, find additional employment or step away from the profession altogether. The report reflects a wider reality: real estate agents are generally paid only when a transaction closes, while the costs of remaining active continue even during a slow market.
For consumers, this is more than an employment story.
Changes within the real estate profession can influence the level of service buyers and sellers receive, how agents compete for business and why choosing an experienced, active professional may matter more in a difficult market than during a housing boom.
Why Are Some Realtors Taking a Step Back?
Most real estate agents in Canada work as self-employed, commission-based professionals.
They generally do not receive a regular salary simply for holding a license. Income is earned when a purchase, sale or lease successfully closes.
At the same time, agents may still have ongoing business expenses, including:
- Brokerage and board fees
- Licensing and insurance costs
- Marketing and advertising
- Technology subscriptions
- Transportation
- Photography and staging support
- Client events and lead generation
- Professional education
When transaction volumes decline, an agent can work for weeks or months without receiving commission income.
This makes the profession particularly sensitive to slower housing activity.
Canadian home sales fell by 1.9% in 2025 to approximately 470,000 transactions after economic and trade uncertainty caused many households to delay major financial decisions. CREA later revised its 2026 outlook and forecast approximately 463,000 sales, representing a modest decline from the previous year.
Although activity has improved in parts of the country during 2026, the recovery has been uneven. Agents who entered the industry during the pandemic may now be experiencing their first prolonged period of slower transactions, longer sales cycles and more cautious clients.
A Large Industry Is Competing for a Limited Number of Transactions
The GTA has one of the largest concentrations of real estate professionals in Canada.
TRREB describes itself as serving more than 73,000 REALTOR® members in and around the Greater Toronto Area.
To understand the level of competition, compare that membership figure with the number of completed transactions.
In 2025, GTA REALTORS® reported 62,433 residential sales through the TRREB MLS® system, down 11.2% from 2024. At the same time, 186,753 new listings entered the market, an increase of 10.1%.
This does not mean each transaction is divided evenly among agents. A single sale may involve both a buyer’s representative and a seller’s representative, while some agents complete many transactions and others complete none.
However, the comparison illustrates an important point:
Having a real estate licence does not guarantee regular business.
Agents must continuously earn trust, generate leads, understand changing market conditions, and provide enough value for clients to choose them over thousands of competitors.
The GTA Market Is Improving—but Challenges Remain
Recent GTA numbers show signs of recovery.
In June 2026, GTA home sales reached 6,770 transactions, an increase of 9.4% compared with June 2025. New listings declined by 12.9% year over year, while seasonally adjusted sales also increased from May. These changes suggest market conditions tightened during the spring.
Across Ontario, June sales increased by 5.5% compared with the previous year. However, year-to-date sales during the first six months of 2026 remained 1.9% below the same period in 2025 and 12.3% below the province’s ten-year June average. Ontario’s benchmark home price was also 4.6% lower than a year earlier.
This means the market is not simply “good” or “bad.”
Sales may be recovering from weaker levels, while buyers remain price-sensitive and properties still compete for attention. Some homes sell quickly when their pricing, presentation, and location align with demand. Others may remain available for longer or require price adjustments.
For realtors, that environment demands more work per successful transaction.
Why a Slower Market Requires More Skill
During a strong seller’s market, rapid price growth can hide weaknesses in an agent’s strategy.
When demand is intense and inventory is limited, even an average listing may attract multiple offers. Buyers may also feel pressure to move quickly because they fear losing the property.
A slower or more balanced market is less forgiving.
Listing agents may need to:
- Study recent comparable sales carefully
- Understand active competition
- Recommend a realistic pricing strategy
- Improve the property’s presentation
- Build a stronger marketing campaign
- Follow up with interested buyers
- Review showing feedback
- Adjust the strategy when necessary
- Negotiate beyond the sale price
Buyer representatives may need to:
- Identify genuine value instead of relying on asking prices
- Review comparable sales and listing history
- Recognize seller motivation
- Evaluate conditions and risks
- Explain different neighbourhood trends
- Negotiate repairs, deposits and closing dates
- Help clients remain patient and disciplined
In other words, a slower market does not eliminate the need for real estate professionals.
It increases the importance of choosing one who is active, informed, and capable of managing a more complicated transaction.
What Does This Mean for Home Buyers?
More agents competing for fewer clients can give buyers greater choice when selecting representation.
However, buyers should not choose an agent only because that person is a friend, offers the largest rebate or promises to find an “off-market deal.”
Important questions may include:
- How active are you in the current market?
- Which communities do you regularly work in?
- How do you evaluate whether a property is fairly priced?
- What risks do you look for before preparing an offer?
- How will you explain conditions and documents?
- Who handles the file if you are unavailable?
- What support does your brokerage provide?
A buyer’s agent should do more than arrange showings.
The agent should help the buyer understand the property, neighbourhood, market value, transaction process and potential risks without pressuring them into a decision.
In a market where homes may sit longer and sellers may be more open to negotiation, research and patience can create opportunities—but only when the buyer receives accurate guidance.
What Does This Mean for Sellers?
A slower market also changes how sellers should evaluate listing agents.
The highest suggested list price is not automatically the best recommendation.
Some agents may propose an unrealistic number simply to win the listing. If the home then remains unsold, the seller may lose valuable time and eventually make several price reductions.
Sellers should instead ask how the agent developed the pricing recommendation and what will happen if the initial strategy does not generate the expected response.
A strong listing plan should consider:
- Recent sold properties
- Current competing listings
- Expired and terminated listings
- Property condition
- Buyer demand in the area
- Marketing timeline
- Photography and presentation
- Showing feedback
- Negotiation strategy
In today’s market, sellers need honest advice—not only optimistic promises.
Are Fewer Realtors Necessarily Bad for Consumers?
Not necessarily.
Real estate has always experienced periods when the number of active professionals rises during strong markets and falls during slower ones.
A more difficult business environment may encourage agents who are committed to the profession to improve their service, training and market knowledge.
At the same time, consumers should be careful not to assume that years in the industry alone guarantee quality.
A newer realtor may be highly responsive, well-trained, and supported by a strong brokerage. A long-time agent may have significant experience but limited familiarity with current technology or neighbourhood conditions.
The more useful questions are:
- Is the agent actively working?
- Does the agent understand the current market?
- Is the information accurate and clearly explained?
- Is there a professional support system behind the agent?
- Does the agent communicate consistently?
- Is the agent willing to provide honest advice?
The strength of the individual agent and brokerage matters more than license status alone.
How the Role of the Realtor Is Changing
Consumers today can access listings, estimated values, neighbourhood information, and mortgage calculators online.
Artificial intelligence can also help organize information, create marketing content, and answer general questions.
This does not make real estate professionals irrelevant, but it changes what clients expect from them.
Simply sending listings is no longer enough.
A modern realtor must offer judgment, local understanding, negotiation ability, transaction coordination, and accountability.
Technology can identify data points. A professional must explain what those data points mean for a specific person, property, and decision.
For example, two homes may appear similar online but differ significantly because of:
- Street location
- School boundaries
- Renovation quality
- Lot shape
- Future development
- Building management
- Maintenance fees
- Property history
- Resale appeal
The agent’s value increasingly comes from interpretation and execution—not access to information alone.
What This Means for New and Part-Time Realtors
The current market may be especially difficult for newly licensed or part-time agents.
A slower transaction environment means it can take longer to build a client base and complete the first few deals. Without training, mentorship, marketing support and a clear business plan, new agents may struggle to remain consistent.
Anyone considering real estate as a career should understand that it is not simply a flexible side job.
Successful agents often spend significant time on:
- Prospecting
- Follow-ups
- Market research
- Content creation
- Open houses
- Client education
- Networking
- Administrative work
- Compliance
- Ongoing training
A licence provides permission to practise real estate. It does not automatically provide clients, income, or a sustainable business.
JDL Realty Perspective
The fact that some realtors are stepping back does not mean the real estate profession is disappearing.
It means the market is demanding more from the people who remain.
When homes sold quickly and prices rose rapidly, clients sometimes viewed realtors primarily as people who opened doors or uploaded listings.
A more complex market makes the professional role clearer.
Buyers need help identifying value, understanding risks and negotiating without emotion. Sellers need accurate pricing, effective marketing and a realistic strategy. Agents need reliable training, brokerage support, compliance guidance, and tools that help them serve clients consistently.
At JDL Realty, we believe long-term success in real estate should be based on professionalism, local knowledge, continuous education and genuine client service—not on short-term market excitement.
Final Thoughts
Slower home sales are putting pressure on Canadian real estate professionals, particularly those who depend entirely on commission income and entered the business during stronger market conditions.
At the same time, the GTA market is showing signs of improvement. June 2026 sales increased compared with both the previous month and the previous year, although activity across Ontario remained below longer-term averages.
For buyers and sellers, the most important lesson is not that there will be fewer realtors.
It is that the difference between having a license and providing professional value is becoming easier to see.
In a slower market, consumers should choose representation based on knowledge, honesty, responsiveness, negotiation ability, and brokerage support.
For real estate professionals, the message is equally clear: sustainable success requires more than waiting for the market to improve. It requires building trust, developing expertise and delivering value through every stage of the transaction.
Source: The Globe & Mail
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