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The Best Real Estate Movies

Jerry Norton

Aug 8, 2024

turned on LED projector on table

If you’ve been focused on all things real estate — finding leads, looking over contracts, reading books — you may want to take some time to relax. 

But if you’re like me, you probably want to relax with something real estate related — and that’s where the best real estate movies come in!

What I love about today’s best real estate movies is that not only can you watch them for entertainment; you can learn something from each of them, something you may not have already picked up on. 

Whether you're a new investor, experienced investor, agent, or simply looking to enjoy a good film, here are the best real estate movies to date — and what you can learn from them.

The Best Real Estate Movies

99 Homes

An expose on the foreclosure process during the 2008 financial crisis, Andrew Garfield plays a single father who, after losing his home, starts working for the real estate broker who evicted him.

The real estate movie shows how real estate investing isn't about numbers or even profit — it's about people — and why you should never lose sight of this.

The Big Short

One of my all time favorite real estate movies, "The Big Short" looks at the housing bubble that led to the 2008 financial crisis.

Packed with an all-star cast including Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt, the film makes the complexities of the housing bubble and housing economics simple. 

The biggest lesson from this real estate movie: if you over-leverage yourself in real estate, it can all come crumbling down in the blink of an eye and not only affect you, but many others.

Margin Call

Another real estate movie worth mentioning is Margin Call.

Starring Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, and Zachary Quinto, the film follows a group of employees at an investment bank as they uncover the ethical dilemmas behind their firm's financial practices.

The film will have you questioning the price of Wall Street's profits.

Promised Land

When two corporate sales representatives — Matt Damon and Frances McDormand — arrive in a struggling rural town to secure drilling rights for a natural gas company, they question the exact mentality that provides their own paycheck.

Pocket Listing

Pocket Listing is a real estate film that welcomes you to the world of exclusive Los Angles property deals. Jack Woodman gets a shot to sell a luxurious Malibu house, but the deal spirals into "double crosses, adultery, and even murder" — proving that sometimes, you never know what you're getting involved with in a given real estate deal.

The Queen of Versailles

Documenting the life of a billionaire couple as they build their dream home — a mansion inspired by the Palace of Versailles — the housing market crash forces them to face the consequences of their extravagant lifestyle, and may do the same with you as you watch.

Glengarry Glen Ross

This real estate movie, released in 1992, is as relevant as ever.

It focuses on a New York City real estate sales office, where the staff is told that only the two top performers keep their job.

Featuring Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin, the film shows what real estate salesmen will do with when they have their backs to the wall — and shows just how important buying and selling real estate the right way truly is. 

Tiny: A Story About Living Small

Ever wondered about the tiny home movement? You know, those tiny homes that people actually live in?

You can take a deep dive into this world with this real estate movie as you follow Christopher Smith on his journey to build a tiny house in the mountains of Colorado. 

The film breaks down the rewards and challenges of living in a tiny home, and will leave you rethinking the concept of home.

The Bottom Line: The Best Real Estate Movies

There you have it: the best real estate movies today. 

Not only can you unwind and be entertained; you can learn from these real estate movies. 

And that’s what separates a profitable real estate business, whether you're an investor or realtor, and one that struggles to make money: a mind that is constantly growing and learning.