Real estate broker Ryan Serhant believes 2026 will finally spell the end of the post-COVID-19 property sales slump.
Serhant, 41, the CEO of global luxury brokerage and star of Netflix reality show Owning Manhattan, predicted the year ahead will mark the end of the American housing market crisis.
His positive outlook comes as mortgage rates stuck above six percent at the end of 2025.Â
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail ahead of the arrival of season two of Owning Manhattan, which premiered December 5, he shared his hopes that the market will change for the better across the next 12 months.
He said: ‘I think that rates will come down slightly, but not enough to cause a flood.
‘After three years of the COVID-19 rates locked in effect, people have to move, so I think we’ll see somewhere between 10 and 15 percent more home sales than we have over the past three years, which we are sorely in need of.
‘I think you’ll see a modest increase in median pricing, just because we still are historically low in inventory.’
Only 2.5 percent of US homes changed hands between January and August 2025, according to Redfin.
Ryan Serhant (seen earlier this month) has shared his real estate predictions for 2026 – including how mortgage rates will change
The Owning Manhattan star (pictured here with colleague Chloe Tucker) believes mortgage rates will ‘come down slightly’ after three years of COVID-19 ratesÂ
That is just 25 per 1,000 and is the lowest in at least 30 years. During the 2021 pandemic boom, that figure was closer to 40 per 1,000.
Earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported the average entry-level house in 233 cities across the US is now $1 million.
That’s nearly three times the average from just five years ago.
The disappearance of affordable homes has become central to the American housing crisis – and is hitting first-time buyers the hardest.
With that in mind, Serhant said he also believes the real estate market will adapt to keep up with the rise of friends banding together to buy property.
Thanks to limited liability companies (LLCs), individuals can invest in property with friends or business partners with ease because it can be structured to allow all parties to sell shares and distribute profits.
‘I think you’re also going to start to see greater discussions on different forms of ownership,’ he continued.
‘Owning a home is expensive, renting a home is also expensive.’Â
The disappearance of affordable homes has been central to the American housing crisis (stock image of Denver)
Owning Manhattan season 2 premiered on Netflix on December 5. Pictured is the cast at the premiere on December 5
He added: ‘New York City is a little bit tough to do, but in most states, you can have multiple LLC owners.Â
‘If you move, you can just buy your share or sell your fraction to somebody else.
‘So, I think you’ll start to see that too. The American Dream doesn’t go away for home ownership at all, I think it’s just adapting to the new world.’
Serhant also revealed the trend that has captured wealthy prospective buyers in New York City.
He said that wellness has taken the property search by storm and that his uber rich clients desire state of the art saunas and similar amenities in their dream homes.
Serhant added that on top of buyers now being more health-focused, there has also been a decrease in demand for ample space in which to host lavish parties and dinners.
He said: ‘I’ve never had more people ask for infrared saunas and cold plunges at the same exact time. You know, it’s even the younger generation.’
Serhant revealed that before wellness became a hot commodity, wet bars in homes were all the rage.
‘I remember 10 years ago, it was “Is there a wet bar in the bedroom?”, “Is there a wet bar upstairs?”, “Is there a wet bar over here?”
‘As the buyer base gets younger and younger, no one cares about wet bars. They’re like, “Where am I going to put my sauna?”, “Where’s my meditation cocoon?”, “Oh, I could I put my peloton here in the corner, “Where’s my gym?” It’s a totally different world.’