The real estate market is hit by the cold winter. Taichung real estate agents have experienced a decline of 6.6% over the past few years, the worst among the seven cities.

In the first quarter of this year, the number of intermediaries nationwide excluding agency sales was 5,021, a net decrease of 167 from the same period last year, and an annual decrease of approximately 3.2%. (Picture/Information photo)

The cold winter in the real estate market continues, the purchase of existing homes is sluggish, and the real estate agents who rely on transaction commissions can no longer hold on! Experts bluntly said, "It is better to close down the store and speculate in stocks than to lose money every month." As the transaction volume shrank, the number of real estate agents also declined simultaneously. According to statistics from the Ministry of Interior, there were only 5,021 real estate brokerage stores in Taiwan in the first quarter of this year, a net decrease of 167 compared to the same period last year. Among them, Taichung dropped by 80 houses, a year-on-year decrease of 6.6%, making it the worst county among the seven cities. The trend of store closings in the market continues to expand.

According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, in the first quarter of this year, the number of intermediaries nationwide excluding agency sales was 5,021, a net decrease of 167 from the same period last year, and an annual decrease of approximately 3.2%. Among the seven cities, only New Taipei City and Tainan City had an increase in the number of agents compared with the same period last year, while Taipei City remained the same. The remaining four cities all showed declines, indicating that the transaction volume of the housing market has shrunk, which has begun to impact the agency industry that relies on transaction commissions to make a living.

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Among them, the situation in Taichung City is most obvious. In the first quarter of this year, the number of agents dropped to 1,128, a net decrease of 80 agents compared with the same period last year, and an annual decrease of approximately 6.6%. Not only did the number of agents decrease the most among the seven cities, but the annual decrease was also quite significant.

He Shichang, CEO of Xin Chuan Real Estate Think Tank, analyzed that in the past, the proportion of short-term transactions in Taichung's real estate market was relatively high. When the market conditions were warm, some buyers entered the market to trade, boosting agency performance. However, when short-term buying orders exited the market and market transaction volume shrank, agency operators that relied on transaction commissions faced greater pressure to survive. When performance cannot cover fixed costs such as store rent and personnel, some businesses have no choice but to close their operations.

Judging from the national trend, the number of real estate agents has increased year by year since 2018, reaching a peak of 5,188 in 2024, and then began to decline, with decreases in both 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. If the market transaction volume continues to be sluggish, it is estimated that the number of agents nationwide may fall below the 5,000 mark in the second quarter of 2026. The impact of the cold winter on the real estate market on front-line agents is still worthy of attention.