Seven Best Real Estate Movies

American Beauty

Annette Benning plays Carolyn Burnham in this drama, a woman whose only care in the world is her success as a real estate agent. She’s so consumed with her job that she doesn’t realize her husband Lester is going through a serious mid-life crisis. Not only does he quit his professional career to work in a fast-food restaurant, but he also develops an inappropriate crush on a friend of his teenage daughter. This award winner also stars Kevin Spacey, Thora Birch, and Mena Suvari, just to name a few.

The Money Pit

In this remake of the classic film Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, a young couple on a limited budget purchases a sprawling mansion for next to nothing from a con-woman in Long Island. No sooner do they move in, the house begins to fall apart right before their very eyes. A series of expensive repairs and a train of interesting workers put their relationship to the ultimate test. If you’re thinking about buying a new home, you’ll probably want to think twice after seeing this hilarious comedy that stars Tom Hanks and Shelley Long.

Panic Room

If you’re looking for a thrilling movie involving real estate that will keep you on the edge of you seat, check out Panic Room starring Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Jared Leto, Forest Whitaker, and Dwight Yoakam. When Meg Altman, an extremely wealthy New Yorker, and her daughter are forced to look for a new home during the peak of a nasty divorce, their first night in their newly purchased brownstone turns into something straight out of a nightmare. It turns out that they aren’t the only ones that have interested in this unique piece of real estate that features an impenetrable “panic room.” Three burglars have had their eyes on it, too–and what they want lies in the panic room the mother and daughter assume is their safe haven.

Up

Disney and Pixar warmed the hearts of movie lovers the world-over with this delightful animation– a story of a man named Carl Fredericksen who wasn’t about to give his house up without a fight. This stubborn retired balloon salesman refuses to sell his home to city planners, even as it becomes surrounded on all sides by skyscrapers and new construction going up every day. One day he ties enough balloons to it to lift it up and away far from the city, headed for new adventures in a distant land. Watch as Carl and his young travel companion Russell face challenges neither one of them ever could have anticipated.

Poltergeist

Steven Spielberg produced this supernatural horror about a home in the suburbs of California holding some terrifying secrets within its walls. The middle class family living there is shaken up when strange things begin to happen. The hauntings continue for some time and ultimately leads to the disappearance of their young daughter Carol Ann. When they discover that she’s been sucked into another dimension, the family frantically finds a way to bring her back and find out once and for all what mysteries surround them.

Duplex

Alex and Nancy, played by Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore, think they’ve finally found the Manhattan home of their dreams–that is until they realize that the upstairs tenant in their duplex is completely and certifiably insane! On a mission to drive the couple to the brink of madness, this old neighbor isn’t so easy to get rid of. This dark comedy about the trials and tribulations of real estate and neighbors will make you want to look for a house out in the country!

Pacific Heights

Pacific Heights is yet another film that involves a problem tenant–and this one is a real estate agent! In this suspenseful movie starring Matthew Modine, Melanie Griffith, and Michael Keaton, a twisted real estate agent who rents out part of a Victorian home owned by an unsuspecting couple hoping to eventually turn a profit. Little do they know that their crazy tenant has an evil plan of his own–to break them down financially and drive everyone out so he can claim the place as his own. This real estate thriller is one you don’t want to miss.

As you can see, there’s no shortage of good real estate themes on the big screen. If real estate movies are what you’re looking for, this list contains some the best in nearly every genre.

Written by Bailey Harris. Bailey enjoys writing about real estate and cheap home insurance.