If you’ve been in real estate long enough, you’ve seen the pattern. Brokerages cycle through vendors. Websites get rebuilt. Promises get made. Momentum gets reset. Then, a few years later, the process starts over.

That churn isn’t because brokers enjoy change. It’s because most vendors are built for short-term wins rather than long-term partnerships.

At Union Street Media, something different happens. When brokers find us, they tend to stay for a long time. Often for the rest of their careers.

We recently conducted an analysis of this phenomenon (which we all knew to be the case), but did not have a number to show for it. 

As of January 1, 2026, 56% of our active clients have been with Union Street Media for more than five years. In an industry where the average client lifespan is typically three to five years and where even best-in-class vendors see only 20–30% of clients reach the five-year mark, our 56% is exceptional.

In most PropTech and marketing SaaS businesses, the median client has already churned by year five. At Union Street Media, the majority are still active.

That didn’t happen by accident.

Built to Last From Day One

When I was 24, we intentionally chose the name Union Street Media. We wanted a name that sounded like it had already been around for a while and one that would still make sense decades into the future.

The word union mattered to us. A union brings people together. It implies commitment. It acknowledges that when issues arise, you don’t walk away; you work them out.

That philosophy has shaped how we operate from the very beginning.

I grew up with a simple lesson from my dad: if you take care of your client, they’ll tell another. If you’re bad to your client, they’ll tell ten others. That idea sounds obvious, but surprisingly few companies actually build their business around it.

We did.

Long-Term Relationships, Not Disposable Vendors

Things don’t always go perfectly. Projects hit bumps. Technology evolves. Markets change. What matters most is how those moments are handled.

I send handwritten thank-you postcards to every new client with my personal phone number on them. It’s not because I expect to step into every situation. I strongly believe that the person closest to the problem is also closest to the solution.

You can’t solve a problem you do not know about. I have found that sometimes simply knowing there’s a real human you can reach out to changes the outcome. It keeps conversations productive. It builds trust. It prevents small issues from becoming reasons to start over with a new vendor.

I believe that mindset of owning the relationship, even when it’s uncomfortable, is a big reason clients stay. 

We’re Built Like Our Clients

Union Street Media has more in common with the brokerages we serve than with most tech vendors.

We talk a lot about “our creed”: 

We believe in independence. 
We believe in real & genuine relationships.
We believe Brokers are the future of real estate.

Like real estate brokers, we’re also entrepreneurs. I’m third-generation in real estate, and as far back as I can trace, my family ran their own businesses. We understand what it means to build something that lasts, to protect your reputation, and to think in decades rather than quarters.

That alignment matters. When your technology partner sees the world the same way you do, you stop feeling like a line item and start feeling like a partner.

Why Retention Is the Real Signal

Our retention numbers aren’t just a nice metric—they’re a signal of how the platform actually performs over time.

Clients who stay long enough see SEO compound rather than restart. Brand equity builds instead of resetting. Data becomes an asset instead of being lost during migrations. Integrations deepen. Trust replaces transactions.

At that point, Union Street Media isn’t just a website vendor. It becomes a partner.

That’s also why our longest-tenured clients are the most successful and the most engaged. They’re not constantly re-platforming. They’re building momentum.

The Bottom Line

Most real estate vendors try to win the first contract. We focus on earning the last one.

That’s why more than half of our clients have been with us for over five years, and many stay with us until they retire.

Union Street Media was built to last because our clients are too.