Is it a buyer's market or a seller's market in real estate today?

If we look at the nation as a whole, we have about four and a half months of inventory. What does that mean? It means if every REALTOR stopped taking listings tomorrow, it would take about four and a half months to sell off the current inventory at the current sales pace.

Is that healthy? Is that where we want to be? Generally, a balanced market has about six months of inventory. So being slightly under that means sellers still have a bit more power overall. When a seller prices their home correctly and it's in good condition, they can still get plenty of showings and, in some cases, multiple offers — even in today's market.

This is also why home prices continue to rise, despite higher-than-normal interest rates and an economy that appears to be nearing a recession.

The limited supply keeps pushing prices up.

However, it's crucial to understand that real estate isn't just one giant national market. Real estate, like...

Hey guys, right now we have an incredible opportunity to talk to our clients. They’re nervous, frustrated, and anxious. What are they anxious about? They’re worried about the trade war, the stock market, their 401(k)s, their ability to retire on time, and even the possibility of losing their jobs.

There’s a lot of anxiety in the market right now.

You can sit back and hope everything gets better, or you can take action. Your game plan should be to reach out to everyone in your database this week—either with a call or a text. I prefer a call.

You can say, “Hey, I know you’re watching the stock market like I am, and you’re seeing all the turmoil with the trade war. How are you feeling about it? I’ve been talking to a lot of my clients, and some are thinking about diversifying their portfolios by investing in real estate. Real estate is a safe, stable, and secure investment. It went up 5.2% last year, and it has a baseline value. The baseline value is whatever you can rent the property ...

Okay, guys, if you're a brokerage owner or team leader and you want your team to remember one key market statistic this week, what would it be? Something like:

• "Home sales are up 10%"
• "Pending sales are up 6%"
• "Listings are up 55%"
• Or "Home prices are up X."

How do you get people to actually remember those stats?

I'll tell you what you shouldn't do. When you have your next office meeting, don't do a "data dump," which is what we often do as brokerage owners or team leaders. We throw out 25 different stats, and guess what?

Nobody remembers any of it.

Instead, share just a few key stats—maybe three to five—and then clearly state what you want them to remember.

When you tell them what to remember, they actually retain it because you've set the expectation.

At the beginning of the meeting, I might say, "Hey, I want you to remember this: The list-to-sell price in our market has dropped from 100% to 98%. That means sellers are getting 98% of their asking price, which is still ...

Quick question for you—since the beginning of the year, how much time have you invested in lead generation? Whether it's with your sphere of influence, open houses, FSBOs, expired listings, absentee owners, or geographic farming, where have you focused your efforts?

To maintain a consistent income without the ups and downs, you should be dedicating at least an hour a day to lead generation. But remember, we don’t do what we don’t schedule. If it’s not on your calendar, it’s unlikely you’ll actually do it. There will always be distractions pulling you away from this essential task.

Let me give you a simple strategy to ramp back up into regular lead generation. Because if you’ve been doing little to none for the past three to six months, jumping straight into an hour a day can feel overwhelming.

The solution? The Plus One Strategy.

It’s simple—just do one of these activities today:

• One call
• One text
• One video text
• One handwritten note
• One social media post

If you really wan...

Hey guys, I want to give you a strategy as we head into the busiest season of the year for listings—February, March, April, and May. This is when the most homes hit the market, so it’s the perfect time to ramp up your efforts.

I’ve got two strategies that can help.

1. Create a Real Estate Resume

A real estate resume highlights your background, skills, education, and successes. Keep it simple—just a one-page document. You can use Canva, where you'll find plenty of great resume templates. Pick one, customize it, and build out your real estate resume.

Once it's ready, send it out to your entire database with a cover letter. The letter should say something like:

"As we enter the busiest season of the year, I wanted to share my real estate resume in case you know any buyers or sellers looking for an agent. I’d love to interview for the job of helping them buy or sell their home."

This positions you as a professional and keeps you top of mind with potential clients.

2. Build & Share Y...

Other than your direct sphere of influence, what’s the second-best source of business for REALTORS? Let me share my perspective and see if it aligns with yours.

We know 70–80% of our business comes from our sphere. So, what should we focus on to generate the remaining 20–30%? In my 35 years of coaching, I believe the biggest opportunity lies in your buyer pool.

Buyers are the ultimate magnet for sellers. The question is, are you using your buyers effectively as a lure? I call this strategy In Search Of (ISO) ads. Here’s how it works:

Think of yourself as a fisherman. The lure on the end of your line could be a free CMA or tips on getting top dollar for a home. But the best lure is a live buyer ready to purchase.

For example, if I have a buyer interested in a specific neighborhood, I’ll let the neighborhood know:

• "I’ve got a live buyer moving from Sacramento. They’re ready to purchase within the next couple of months, but nothing on the market has met their needs. Would you consi
...

Are you running sales contests with your teams and brokerages?

If not, you're missing a big opportunity. Sales contests can generate energy and excitement, which drives performance. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to do a sales contest.

Here’s the wrong way: focusing the contest on results.

You might wonder, what else would you focus on?

Well, if you're tracking things like how many escrows were created or how many listings were taken, the same people will win every time. The problem with focusing on results is that you can’t control them.

What you can control is the work. So, instead of focusing on results, shift the focus to what actually creates results—the work itself.

For example, you might say, "We’re doing a contest this month on who adds the most people to their sphere of influence." Or, "Who can do five posts a week for the next four weeks?"

You could track how many unsolicited CMAs agents push out in three weeks, who does the most open houses, sends the most ha...

Hey guys, have you had a chance to talk to your social and sphere audiences about the importance of flood insurance?

This should be a priority, especially with what's happened with Helene and Milton—it’s on the top of everyone's mind.

Here's something interesting: typical homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover flooding. Since 1996, 99% of counties in the U.S. have experienced some kind of flooding event. What’s more, 20% of all flood claims come from homes not in traditional flood zones. And just one inch of flooding in your house can cause at least $25,000 in damage.

That’s a huge reason to encourage your clients to get flood insurance.

To help with this, there are a couple of things we can do:

First, partner with a local insurance agent who specializes in flood insurance. We could record a webinar or have them join a live stream to discuss the importance of flood insurance.

Another option is to direct people to the government website, FloodSmart.gov, which has a ton of information...

Hey guys, you know what everyone’s starting to get right now?

Their property tax statements.

When people get those statements, they rush to open them and think, "My home’s worth more than that," or "My property’s worth less than that," or something in between.

Here’s an opportunity for us. Why not reach out to all of your clients, your sphere of influence, and your social audiences with this message:

“Hey guys, you’re probably getting your property tax statements around now. If you look at that assessed value and disagree with it, or just want an updated value of your property, give me a quick call or text. I do this as a free service for all my friends and family, just to keep you in touch with your finances and your equity position.”

That’s it! That’s the messaging. People will absolutely take advantage of this, and it opens the door to conversations.

You might wonder, "Jim, why would I do this if they’re not interested in selling?" You’re doing it because friends refer friends...

Hey guys, did you know that only 5% of REALTORS reach out on the one-year home anniversary after selling someone a house?

Isn’t that crazy? Just 5%! And even fewer do it for the second, third, fourth, or fifth year.

But if you’re one of the 95% who haven’t done this, here’s your opportunity. Go back — not just this year, but 2, 3, 4, or even 5 years — and load up the contacts you’ve forgotten about. Give them a quick call today and say, “Hey, I just wanted to wish you a happy belated one-year (or two, three, five-year) anniversary on your home purchase.”

And by the way, take a couple of minutes to run an updated equity analysis for them. Say, “Here’s how much money you’ve made on your house in the past few years. I’m sending you the report so you can check it out.”

If you start doing this every year with all your past clients, your business will boom. This simple gesture can unlock so much potential.

At the end of that conversation, after delivering the home equity update, say thi...