CIREA Successfully Held the 2025 Annual Conference of Real Estate Brokerage on
“The Development of the Real Estate Brokerage Industry under New Era and New Demands”
On October 29th, China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents (hereinafter referred to as “CIREA”) successfully held the 2025 Annual Conference of Real Estate Brokerage in Beijing. Themed “The Development of the Real Estate Brokerage Industry under New Era and New Demands”, the event featured opening remarks by Mr. Zhou Tao, Level I Bureau Rank Official of Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of PRC (hereinafter referred to as “MoHURD”), Dr. Chai Qiang, President of CIREA, and Mr. Lu Huide, President of Macau Commercial Association for Building Development (ACFPM).
In Mr. Zhou Tao’s speech, he emphasized that MoHURD attached high attention to the development of real estate brokerage industry, continuously strengthens administration of the industry and refines the regulatory framework. The implementation of the Regulations on Housing Leasing (hereinafter referred to as “The Regulations”) from September 15th, 2025 has promoted the standardization of real estate brokerage practices to the level of national administrative regulations for the first time. To implement Anti-Money Laundering Law, MoHURD and the People’s Bank of China issued Administrative Measures of Anti-Money Laundering Work for Real Estate practitioners on July 25th, and instructed CIREA to enact the Guidance of Anti-Money Laundering for Real Estate Intermediary Agencies to fully leverage the industry’s crucial role in identifying suspicious transactions and preventing illicit funds from entering the real estate sector. Real estate agencies and practitioners should thoroughly study, fully grasp and strictly implement The Regulations and related requirements of anti-money laundry for real estate industry. At the same time, they should further leverage their professional advantages - including access to supply and demand information, familiarity with policies and regulations, and expertise in transaction processes - to play a greater role in stabilizing the real estate market and promoting its high-quality development. Each real estate brokerage association at all levels should strengthen self-administration, establish and improve the standards and norms, and implement industry credit evaluation systems. This will foster a new phase of mutual trust and win-win development within the industry, between the industry and consumers, and between the industry and regulatory authorities.
Dr. Chai Qiang emphasized in his speech that “new era” in the theme referred to the significant shifts in China’s real estate market supply-demand dynamics, which are closely tied to the brokerage industry; “new demands” referred to that following the implementation of the Regulations, the real estate brokerage sector has entered a phase of strict regulation governed by law. In the new era, real estate brokerage agencies and related online platforms, especially senior management staff, not only need to handle a relationship well with internal stakeholders like shareholders, owners, and agents, but also broader interests by fostering connections with the public, clients, developers, industry partners, government departments, and professional organizations, becoming the “guardian” of the fair real estate transactions, “motivator” of a stable healthy market development. Under the new demands, it is crucial to recognize that the provisions of The Regulations represent the baseline. There must be a reverence for laws and regulations, strict implementation of requirements, voluntary acceptance of supervision, and maintenance of a standardized development environment for the industry. At present, the industry still suffers from a lack of integrity and professional service. It is imperative to reform and improve existing foundational rules or systems. In the absence of a professional qualification access system for agents, their economic interests must be closely tied to their integrity and professional service. In the long term, agents and senior management staff should become professionals, treating real estate brokerage as a long-term or even a lifelong career, to further drive the establishment of a professional qualification access system for agents.
Mr. Lu Huide pointed out in his speech, in recent years, real estate markets of Hong Kong, Macau regions and mainland China are in the period of adjustment, which has consequently impacted the scale of Macau’s real estate industry. Meanwhile, benefiting from the appliance of AI and other new technologies, real estate brokerage services have become more efficient, and transaction disputes have also decreased. With the appliance of new technologies in real estate brokerage industry, the deepening exchange between mainland and overseas, the continuous improvement in professional and the refined service levels up, the transformation of the real estate brokerage industry would accelerate, injecting new momentum into its development. Drawing from the development experiences of countries and regions such as the United States, establishing a real estate brokerage licensing (access) system facilitates has enhanced industry regulation and promotes professional development, making it a model worth adopting for mainland China’s real estate brokerage industry.
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Experts and scholars, such as Professor Chang Peng’ao from Peking University Law School, Professor Wu Jing, Dean of School of Civil Engineering of Tsinghua University, Ms. Cao Yunzhen, Research Supervisor of Asia Department of Japan Real Estate Institute, Mr. Zhao Qingxiang, Vice President and Secretary General of Beijing Real Estate Agency Association, and leaders of representative real estate brokerage agencies, relevant online information platforms, such as KE Holdings Inc., 58 ANJUKE, CENTURY 21 China, Centaline Group, XHJ.COM, Shenzhen Leyoujia Holding Group Company Limited shared insights on interpreting The Regulations and related content, the value of real estate brokerage services, the current status and trends of AI technology application, and lessons learned from overseas experiences. The guests noted that while the requirements of real estate brokerage services continue to rise, the recognition and acceptance of their value remains insufficient. AI and other new technology have significantly enhanced service efficiency, streamlined processes and improve customer experience, yet they cannot replace the core value of brokerage industry. The guests suggested that real estate brokerage agencies and online platforms not only need to hold on to the policy, clarify “mandates and prohibitions”, actively adjust for compliance, but also discern market demands, uphold professionalism, practice long-termism, innovate service and management models, and continuously broaden and deepen professional brokerage services. This will facilitate a shift from “transaction-oriented” and “scale expansion” to “customer-oriented” and “quality enhancement”.
Ms. Zhang Yuan, President of Shenzhen Real Estate Intermediary Association, Ms. Fu Lingling, Secretary General of Wuhan Real Estate Brokerage and Leasing Association, Mr. Wu Chen, President of Guangzhou Association of Real Estate Agents, Mr. Liu Haiqi, Vice President of 5i5j Group, Mr. Song Shan, Chairman of Tangshan Qianjia Real Estate Brokerage Co., Ltd., Mr. Zeng Fuhu, popular content creator, Mr. Mo Weiren, Principal of Juzhe (Beijing) Information Technology Co., Ltd. engaged in a roundtable discussion centered on the theme of “Building Sustainable Real Estate Brokerage Rules”. The guests agreed that standardizing the professional conduct of real estate agents requires enterprises to establish reasonable incentive and constraint rules and assessment mechanism. Industry associations should develop integrity evaluation system, standardized service procedures, and complaint handling mechanism. Regulatory authorities should set up fundamental policies like industry access and unilateral representation to strengthen the oversight and law enforcement. Through collective efforts, a healthy new ecosystem for real estate brokerage industry would be fostered.
Mr. Zhao Xinming, Vice President and Secretary General of CIREA, and Dr. Wang Xia, Vice Secretary General of CIREA presided over the Annual Conference. More than 200 attendees, including representatives from real estate brokerage agencies, relevant online platforms, local brokerage associations across mainland China, as well as overseas delegates, experts and scholars, participated in the Conference.