Featuring the perspectives of:

Shant Banosian
President, Rate

Bryan Pacholski
Senior Managing Director, Compass

How do you think buyer and seller expectations will evolve in 2026 compared to what we’ve seen over the past few years?

Bryan Pacholski: In Dallas-Fort Worth, the last 24 months have been marked by a market that’s been sporadic and highly responsive to both political and financial climates across the U.S. While DFW has remained somewhat insulated due to continued relocations, we’ve still felt real pressure around pricing accuracy, inventory levels and tougher negotiations in most transactions.

As we move into 2026, I see a growing sense of optimism and renewed expectation from buyers, sellers and Realtors. It feels like DFW is beginning to return to a more normal housing cycle — moving away from the post-COVID instability and sharp market swings. With that shift comes a greater ability to forecast outcomes with more certainty.

I expect to see increased seller willingness to negotiate and buyers regaining a stronger voice in the process. With inventory where it is, DFW appears to be moving toward a more balanced market — one where buyers and sellers are aligned on value, communicate more effectively and ultimately drive a stronger, healthier selling season.

What role do you see AI, data analytics and emerging tech playing in how agents serve clients and run their businesses by 2026?

Pacholski: In Dallas-Fort Worth, because of the size, pace and competitiveness of the market, AI and data will become even more impactful for both buyers and sellers in 2026. Agents here manage pipelines across multiple submarkets, price points and client profiles, and AI is already being used to interpret pricing trends neighborhood by neighborhood, anticipate buyer behavior, automate communication and stay ahead of inventory shifts.

The agents who will be truly successful in 2026 will use technology to simplify complexity for the client — offering not just charts and data, but clear interpretation and perspective. And I stand by this: Technology won’t replace the agent — it will expose who knows how to lead a client through uncertainty, while delivering a more informed and elevated level of service.

What steps will the industry need to take in 2026 to strengthen consumer trust and reinforce the value of Realtor representation?

Pacholski: In Dallas-Fort Worth, trust is built — or lost — at scale. The real estate industry must be far more intentional about how representation is explained and delivered, particularly in a market with sophisticated consumers and a constant flow of relocations.

As we move into 2026, agents must clearly articulate every aspect of the transaction process for both buyers and sellers — compensation, pricing and value, and clear expectations around service, timelines and outcomes. With so much information available to consumers, it’s critical that qualitative insight is supported by quantitative data that is accurately and clearly interpreted.

The value of a Realtor in DFW isn’t access to private exclusives — it’s local market fluency, negotiation skill and fiduciary discipline. When we consistently lead with those principles, consumer trust follows.

Where will your clients purchase homes in 2026? Where will they buy new construction?

Pacholski: In Dallas-Fort Worth, growth will continue to move outward in 2026, but with greater intentionality. Buyers will follow affordability, school districts, infrastructure investment and commute patterns — driving demand into the established growth corridors north, west, and southeast of the urban core.

New construction buyers in DFW will continue to gravitate toward areas where builders can offer value and certainty — rate incentives, faster delivery timelines and thoughtfully planned communities. Buyers will be less focused on whether a home is “new” and more focused on livability and monthly payment reality.

I also expect continued sprawl into areas with room for expansion, alongside ongoing redevelopment — where older homes or designs that no longer meet today’s lifestyle needs are replaced or reimagined to align with how buyers live and work now.

What is being done in the DFW area to assist first-time buyers? Is enough being done?

Pacholski: Dallas-Fort Worth does have resources to support first-time buyers — down payment assistance programs, builder incentives and specialized lender products — but the reality is those incentives are fragmented and difficult to navigate without professional guidance. This is where an experienced Realtor can truly make the difference.

The larger challenge in DFW is affordability pressure. Rising property taxes, insurance costs, interest rates and overall carrying costs have fundamentally changed buying power. Nearly every neighborhood across the Metroplex is significantly more expensive than it was five years ago, even when home prices stabilize. This raises an important question about how we support affordable homeownership — not just subsidized housing, but working professionals returning to Dallas after college who are trying to enter the workforce and own a home.

Is enough being done? Not yet. We need stronger coordination between municipalities, lenders, builders and employers, along with better consumer education. Until that happens, affordability will continue to dictate access, potentially pricing entire segments of first-time buyers out of certain areas of Dallas-Fort Worth altogether.

How will the CCP/private listings debates evolve in 2026?

Pacholski: In Dallas-Fort Worth, this debate will continue to evolve toward intentional use, rather than an ideological competition between brokerages or agents. At Compass, private exclusives are shared as broadly as possible, with listings made available for public viewing across our offices. For agents, private exclusives can no longer serve as gateways to relationships — they must serve a defined client purpose.

That said, private and pre-market strategies — such as Compass’ 3-Phase Marketing Pre-Listing Strategy — have proven extremely valuable for both buyers and sellers in DFW, particularly in luxury, relocation and timing-sensitive situations. Any inventory strategy must be clearly explained, fully documented and aligned first and foremost with the client’s goals.

The future isn’t about banning options, as we’re seeing debated in the broader industry. It’s about ensuring every seller in Dallas-Fort Worth understands the trade-offs between exposure, privacy, leverage and timing — and that the strategy always serves the client, not the agent.

What do you expect to see in the mortgage rate environment in 2026, and how might policy or Fed decisions shape consumer borrowing power?

Shant Banosian: Heading into 2026, I expect mortgage rates to stabilize in the high-5% to low-6% range as the Fed transitions from a restrictive stance to a more neutral one. Inflation has cooled, but the job market is flashing warning signings, so the Fed will remain cautious and data dependent, wanting to ensure long-term stability before aggressively cutting rates.

The real opportunity lies in spread compression, which could improve borrowing costs even if the Fed moves slowly. For consumers, that means a noticeable increase in buying power, and for lenders, an opening to re-engage both new and existing clients. The key is being ready to move fast when economic data shifts. 

Which loan products or financing structures do you believe will rise in popularity by 2026, and why?

Banosian: By 2026, affordability and creativity will drive product demand. Buydowns will continue leading the way, especially 2-1 and 1-0 structures, giving buyers early payment relief without hurting seller proceeds. We will also see growth in portfolio and [non-qualified mortgage] products such as [debt service coverage ratio], bank-statement and asset-depletion loans as more borrowers fall outside traditional income documentation. Second-lien and blended-rate options will help homeowners unlock equity without losing their low first mortgage. On the access side, down-payment assistance and multilingual lending platforms will expand reach to first-time and Spanish-speaking buyers. 

How do you see the lender-Realtor relationship evolving in 2026 to better serve clients in a competitive market?

Banosian: The most successful lender-Realtor partnerships in 2026 will be data-driven, proactive and co-branded. Agents do not just need a loan officer; they need a business partner who brings tools, insights and solutions that help convert more buyers and move stale listings. That means providing instant buydown analyses, equity alerts, loyalty tracking and property marketing assets automatically and at scale. The traditional referral-for-referral model is being replaced by a shared growth model where both sides win when deals close faster and pipelines stay full. Technology will handle the automation, and human connection will handle the trust.