When I attended my first Inman Connect New York in 2018, I remember feeling completely overwhelmed. Thousands of some of the sharpest minds in real estate were packed into one venue, all debating the forces shaping housing, capital, technology, and brokerage at the highest level. As a young and relatively new real estate reporter at the time, it felt like trying to absorb the entire industry in just a few days.
Eight years later, returning to Inman Connect New York in 2026 feels very different. Not because the conference has become smaller or quieter, but because experience changes how you listen. You start to recognize which conversations matter, which announcements signal real change, and which companies are positioning themselves for the next cycle rather than reacting to the last one.
Inman Connect has always been a mirror for where the real estate industry is heading. This year, that mirror reflects an industry in the middle of consolidation, technological recalibration, and a deeper rethinking of how value is created across brokerage, portals, and platforms. For anyone attending this year, the opportunity is not just to network, but to leave with clarity about what actually matters next.
How to Get Real Value Out of Inman Connect
Inman founder Brad Inman shared advice ahead of the conference that was refreshingly simple. Do not be afraid to ask questions.
That advice sounds obvious, but at a conference like Inman Connect, it is easy to forget. The scale alone can be intimidating. You might find yourself standing in a coffee line next to an executive from Zillow, CoStar, Compass, Keller Williams, RE MAX, eXp Realty, or Serhant. Many attendees default to either pitching too hard or staying silent altogether.
Neither approach works.
After years of attending Inman as both a reporter and now as a communications leader, one thing has become very clear. The most influential people in the room are often the most open to real conversation, as long as you respect their time and show genuine curiosity.
Here are three principles that consistently make the difference.
- First, keep introductions short and intentional. Not everyone needs your full resume or your entire backstory. A clear sentence or two explaining who you are and why the conversation is relevant is more than enough. The goal is to create space for dialogue, not to perform.
- Second, ask questions that might feel obvious or even unsophisticated. Many people assume they need to sound impressive. In reality, thoughtful curiosity leaves a stronger impression. Asking clarifying questions often leads to insights that never make it onto a stage or into a press release.
- Third, be present. Put your phone away. Conferences are filled with people scrolling through emails and social feeds while physically occupying the same space. The ones who actually engage get far more out of the experience.
Inman Connect is not about collecting business cards. It is about collecting perspective.
The Anywhere and Compass Merger and What It Really Means
One of the most anticipated topics at Inman Connect New York 2026 is the continued fallout and integration from the Anywhere Real Estate and Compass merger.
On paper, the benefits for Anywhere are clear. The company gains scale, technology, and an even stronger data position across its portfolio of brands, including Coldwell Banker, Sotheby’s International Realty, Corcoran, and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. Compass, in turn, solidifies its position as a dominant national brokerage with deeper infrastructure and broader reach.
But the most interesting story is not about the merged entity itself.
The real question is how independent brokerages are responding.
Firms like The Agency, Howard Hanna Real Estate, Serhant, and other regional and luxury focused players now operate in a landscape where size and capital concentration matter more than ever. At Inman Connect, pay close attention to how these firms talk about differentiation. Are they leaning into brand? Technology? Agent experience? Niche specialization?
This is where the next generation of brokerage strategy is being tested.
Independent firms that survive and thrive will not do so by trying to out scale the giants. They will do it by being sharper, faster, and more intentional about where they compete. Listening closely to how leadership teams describe their positioning will reveal who is building defensible businesses and who is simply reacting.
Who Is Actually Using AI to Gain a Competitive Advantage
Artificial intelligence is everywhere in real estate marketing. Almost every company claims to be powered by AI or enhanced by AI or transformed by AI.
The real question is who is actually using it in a way that drives measurable advantage.
Real estate has historically been a risk averse industry, especially when it comes to adopting new technology. While generative AI is already transforming sectors like media, software, and finance, adoption in real estate has been slower and more cautious.
At Inman Connect New York 2026, this gap between promise and practice will be impossible to ignore.
A growing number of startups are building genuinely interesting AI driven tools. Companies like BrokerBot, ReChat, Inside Real Estate, Scout, MoxiWorks, and others are embedding generative AI into workflows that touch marketing, lead qualification, CRM systems, and agent productivity.
But technology alone does not create advantage. Adoption does.
Listen carefully to panels and conversations that focus on agent behavior rather than features. Are agents actually using these tools daily? Are they saving time? Closing more deals? Improving client experience? Or are these platforms simply being added to already crowded tech stacks?
The companies that win will not be the ones with the flashiest demos. They will be the ones that reduce friction and integrate seamlessly into how agents already work.
The Changing Portal Wars and the Evolving Landscape
Another major storyline at Inman Connect New York 2026 is the evolving competitive landscape among real estate portals.
CoStar’s recent announcement that it is easing spending on Homes.com changes the dynamics significantly. For years, aggressive marketing and capital deployment made Homes.com a serious challenger. Pulling back raises important questions about return on investment and long term strategy.
Does this signal a clear victory for Zillow in the portal wars? Possibly. Zillow remains deeply entrenched at the top of the consumer funnel, with strong brand recognition and habitual user behavior that is difficult to displace.
But the story does not end there.
Realtor.com continues to reposition itself, while Rocket Mortgage’s acquisition of Redfin introduces an entirely new strategic angle. The integration of search, brokerage, and mortgage under one roof could reshape how consumers move from browsing to transacting.
Then there is Lower’s acquisition of Movoto, another signal that the portal space is still very much in flux.
At Inman Connect, listen for how portal executives talk about consumer acquisition costs, agent relationships, and monetization models. With reduced spending from Homes.com, the industry may be entering a phase where efficiency matters more than sheer visibility.
This shift could create opportunities for smaller platforms and niche players who understand specific consumer segments better than the giants.
Why Inman Connect 2026 Feels Different
What makes Inman Connect New York 2026 stand out is not one big announcement or headline moment. It is the fact that several long building shifts in real estate are now happening at the same time.
Consolidation is no longer a future possibility. It is actively changing how power, capital, and influence are distributed across the industry.
AI is no longer just something companies talk about. It is being tested in real workflows, even if adoption is uneven and still evolving.
And real estate portals are no longer only competing for traffic. They are competing for control of the full consumer journey, from first click to closing.
Together, these changes are forcing companies to be more intentional. The companies that perform best over the next few years will be the ones that are clear about where they compete, how they differentiate, and how they communicate that clearly to agents, consumers, and partners.
In that sense, Inman Connect is no longer just a conference about what happened last quarter. It is a place to understand how leaders are positioning themselves for what comes next. The most telling moments often happen off stage, inside conversations and small group discussions, where strategy is discussed more honestly.
For anyone paying close attention, Inman Connect New York 2026 offers more than insight. It offers a preview of which companies are preparing to lead the next phase of real estate, and which ones are still catching up.
That difference will matter more than ever in the years ahead.