16 Best Real Estate Movies You Need to Watch Right Now
If you’re planning a movie night with your friends or colleagues and you haven’t had enough of the industry during the day, why not catch a real estate or business movie?
We promise you, we won’t spoil anything. Prepared for you are the best movies about real estate and sales.
After going through this list, choose the genre or theme you feel like tonight and pop some popcorn. The laughs and feelings are on their way!
The Best Choice #1 - the Big Short (2016)
2016. The Classic deemed Best Picture award of the year really had our hearts racing. The story of this movie focuses on a crash we all felt in 2008. We are talking about the economic crash, and the housing crisis that followed.
They based the movie on the life of a real estate agent that worked through the burst of the real estate bubble back in the day. It’s a book adaptation, and we can freely say that in this case, the movie is better. Actors Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt outdid themselves, making the sad everyday life of a crisis into relatable comedy. We loved it because it’s motivational and relatable for any real estate agent facing challenges in their work.
Runnerup #2 - Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
Number two on our list is a movie that gave us the ABCs of real estate. Always Be Selling! We are still living up to these words today. That’s how this old real estate movie affected both the film and real estate industry with its pure genius. The plot focuses on two real estate salespeople that have to make sales, and the tactics they use will definitely make you burst out in laughter. This motivating movie will definitely be an impressive addition to your relator movie night.
Best New Movie #3- The Banker (2020)
A new movie that came out in 2020., focuses on the American Dream, and the fight for the position of African-Americans in it. The Banker is situated in the 60-ties and tells us a story about two men just starting out in the housing market. So, if you’re interested in the history of real estate, or just love dramas, you need to watch it! Besides this, it’s quite motivational, offering viewers a tad of encouragement, just enough to get them through the week.
Best Heartwarming #4- I Love You, Man (2009)
Imagine you have it all: A flourishing real estate business, a beautiful fiancee, and your dream car. What you don’t have is the best man for your wedding. The worst part is that you don’t have that many friends to begin with. The Movie “I love you, man”, focuses on one of the most important journeys a real estate agent can venture on: The story of friendship. Even though this film isn’t purely about the real estate niche, it will surely make you laugh. If you’re watching it with your friends, it will warm your heart.
Best Family-Friendly #5- Money Pit (1986)
Ever had a deal too good to be true? The Money Pit, another one on our list of movies about real estate, showed us what lies beneath the facade. This is a comedy-drama but family-friendly movie featuring a home whose paid value outweighs the hidden defects it holds. Imagine a couple blindly purchasing it, and learning about them only later on. If you’ve ever had a problem like this, it might even hit too close to home.
Best Educational #6- Inside Job (2010)
The first documentary on our real estate movies list is the amazing Inside Job. A true story, telling you what actually happened during the financial crisis of 2008., exposing the before unseen corruption in banking. This real-life story proves the collapse was not an accident, and we recommend you watch it too, if you want to fully understand the real estate bubble of the time. The movie features a broker openly talking about his position, every one of us could be in, in a time where housing prices were skyrocketing. This is a must if you’re into real estate documentaries!
Best Motivational #7 - The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
It’s not a typo, the Pursuit of Happyness is a heartwarming film about a father searching for a better life for his son. We believe that this is one of the best real estate movies because it tells viewers how hard parenting can get, but it makes you realize it’s absolutely worth it. This movie will keep you motivated for that next sale, it doesn’t matter whether you have kids yourself.
Best Hollywood #8 - 99 Homes (2014)
Another new movie in the realtor niche is 99 Homes, a story about family and ruthless evictions. Even though it doesn’t offer an actual picture of real estate agents, 99 Homes is quite popular in the business. It shows real agents in an unpleasant light, at first, and then humanizes them, by putting the main character in the same position. A classic Hollywood take on our business, one would say, but still worth a watch.
Best Horror #9 - Pacific Heights (1990)
On the verge of horror and thriller, rests the amazing Pacific Heights. If you don’t remember this movie, it’s time to rewatch it because we truly enjoyed it. The best part of this story is that it’s absolutely possible. After renting their apartment, a tenant makes a couples’ life hell. A relatable story for some of us, isn’t it?
Best Parody #10 - Closing Escrow (2007)
If you love mockumentaries or parodies, this is the best choice for you. The plot comprises three families that collide when they wish to purchase the same property, and they (with their agents) get into a bidding war. If you want to laugh, this underground 2000s type of film should fit perfectly into your next marathon.
#11 - Arizona (2018)
Ever had a homeowner blame you for everything wrong in their life? Tell me, who hasn’t? That’s exactly what happens in the comedy Arizona. With a name that’s easy to forget, but with scenes you will laugh about for the whole next week. On the other hand, what you won’t laugh about is the reocurring theme of the housing market collapse, which they based this movie on.
#12 - Pocket Listing (2015)
Let’s be realistic here, all of us have heard about pocket listings, and some of us even encountered them in our work before. Becoming a successful real estate agent is based on learning from other’s mistakes. That’s why we recommend this movie, so you know what can go wrong. Pocket listing is a crime-comedy mashup, showing a real estate agent’s worst nightmare: A sale that is literally life or death.
#13 - Parasite (2019)
You probably read about phrogging, the art of living in a home without the owner or other residents knowing about it. The movie is exactly about this phenomenon, and believe us when we say it’s creepy. A wealthy family hires another to take care of their home and child but regrets it once they move in, unbeknownst to them.
#14 - The Queen of Versailles (2012)
If you want to know more about the biggest single-family home in the U.S., here is a documentary you have to watch. A billionaire couple, who based their home on the beautiful Versailles or residence of the French kings, starts experiencing troubles with the build. This mega-mansion movie shows you what some agents in this business dream about.
#15 - Promised Land (2012)
A small town affected by the economic crash in recent years, tried to sell its land for fracking. The two agents in charge of the company’s land ownership soon find their leads opposing the business and backing out. This drama shows what every real estate agent is afraid of, both losing good leads and even worse, being held accountable for actions that are not their own.
#16- Baby Boom (1987)
There is literally nothing we don’t like about this movie, and even though it’s from the last century, we had to enroll it in our list as last (but not least). The plot focuses on a successful business woman working as a real estate broker, stuck with a child that is not her own. She soon loses her job, the boyfriend she loved and moves away. Even though only the first part of the movie is really about real estate, we still loved it because it reminds us of what’s important in life.
Conclusion on the Best Real Estate Movies
That was our short list of our favorite movies about real estate. We sure enjoyed both watching and writing about this topic, because some movies can motivate you to keep fighting and stay strong. On the other hand, others can make you laugh out loud.
Our favorite pick so far is The Big Short because it shows you how the life of a real estate agent was, back in the time of the real estate bubble in 2008. It’s both funny and dramatic, and while we loved the runner-up and other movies on our list, this is the one we loved the most.