59 per cent of buyers research homes on REALTOR.ca before they contact a REALTOR^®.

60 per cent of Calgarians are likely or very likely to recommend their REALTOR^® to a friend.

35 per cent of consumers say the most important role that REALTORS^® play in a home transaction is protecting buyer or seller interests.

These are some of the findings of consumer research that CREB^® did in April of 2026. The survey was part of the work behind our 2026-2030 Strategic Plan’s objective of reinforcing the “CREB^® REALTOR^®” as the leading consumer option. 

This work also includes the Defining our edge: Shaping the CREB^® REALTOR^® brand micro-summit on May 25, where we asked members everything from how their clients view CREB^® and REALTORS^® to what they thought CREB^® should do to promote them, and a session on strengthening public trust at the 2026 Professionalism Summit on Sept. 25.

Conducted by Framework Associates between April 14 and April 30, 800 consumers from Calgary and region were surveyed. Key insights include: 

• 59 per cent of buyers used REALTOR.ca to research homes before contacting a REALTOR^®
• 83 per cent of those who had bought or sold a home previously had worked with a REALTOR^®
• 77 per cent of those who had worked with a REALTOR^® were satisfied or very satisfied
• The top five drivers of satisfaction when working with REALTORS^® are service quality (40 per cent), agent knowledge (29 per cent), general positive experience (17 per cent), communication (seven per cent), and commission/fees (seven per cent)
• Of those who had worked with a REALTOR^®, 60 per cent said they were likely or very likely to recommend that REALTOR^® to a friend; 11 per cent were unlikely or very unlikely
• When asked what one word they’d use to describe REALTORS^®, the top response was “professional” at 17 percent; trustworthy ranked eleventh at one per cent
• 39 per cent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I trust REALTORS^® in general”
• 62 per cent of those who have worked with a REALTOR^® agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I trust the REALTOR^® I used”
• The three most important roles that REALTORS^® play in a home transaction are protecting buyer or seller interests (35 per cent), helping navigate paperwork and contracts (32 per cent), and helping find suitable homes (29 per cent)

Now that you’ve read what consumer think, what are your thoughts on how to build consumer trust of REALTORS^®?