Happy New Year! After the grind of the last few years, I think we can all feel a shift in the air. If you felt like you were running on a hamster wheel just to stay in place, you’re not alone. The data confirms it: transactions were down significantly, creating market conditions that felt a lot like the pain of 2008.
But here’s the good news. The market is moving in a different direction. There is significant pent-up demand from both buyers and sellers who have been waiting on the sidelines. As conditions improve, we’re not just going back to normal; we’re heading toward a surge of activity in 2026.
The big question is, are you ready for it? Recently, I had a fantastic conversation with my friend and real estate powerhouse, Chris Heller, about this very topic. With our combined decades of experience, in selling real estate and real estate coaching, we’ve seen a few market cycles, and we know that fortune favors the prepared. This isn’t the year of random. This is the year to get intentional, build predictable systems, and position yourself to not just survive the shift, but to thrive in it.
Understanding the 2026 Market Shift: A New Era of Opportunity
For the last four years, the real estate market has been soft, my real estate coaching clients have felt this too. The number of home sales went down dramatically, and every agent felt that pressure. But 2026 is shaping up to be the first year in a long time where we’re going to see the number of home sales go up. While it might not be a massive floodgate opening overnight, it will feel like a profound relief.
What’s driving this change? It’s a combination of factors:
- Pent-up Demand: Sellers who felt “rate-locked” and buyers who were sidelined by affordability issues are ready to make a move. Life events don’t stop, and as interest rates creep down and prices soften in some areas, more activity will be generated.
- Increased Opportunities: As more homes come on the market, it creates more opportunities for everyone. This is especially true for listings. More properties staying on the market longer means more expired listings, which is a golden opportunity for proactive agents.
- Demographic Shifts: Our population is aging, and major life events often trigger a real estate transaction. These natural transitions will continue to feed the market with inventory and demand.
Navigating these changes requires more than just waiting for the phone to ring. It requires a strategic approach, and this is where high-level real estate coaching becomes a critical advantage, helping you interpret the market and build a customized action plan.
The Foundational Mindset: Are You Ready to Capitalize?
When the market changes, why do some agents thrive while others get left behind? After years as a top agent myself combined with thousands of real estate coaching sessions with top producers, I know it boils down to two things: how you think and the conversations you have.
Some agents are so busy running their day-to-day business that they aren’t even paying attention to the larger shifts. They aren’t looking for the new opportunities. To be successful, you have to get your head in the game first.
Protecting Your Mindset for Peak Performance
You cannot be in a state of fear, anger, or frustration and see opportunities at the same time. Those emotions act like filters that block you from seeing what’s possible.
How do you do it? I personally don’t watch the news or listen to negative talk radio. It distresses me, and I can’t do anything about most of it anyway. Instead, I choose to listen to great podcasts or simply enjoy the quiet. Chris has a similar approach. He focuses on two things: limiting the negative and infusing the positive.
“There’s a finite amount of space up here,” Chris says, “and it’s gonna be filled with negative stuff or positive stuff, so I’m constantly putting in positive stuff.”
This means being intentional about who you talk to, what you listen to, and your daily routines. Think of a professional athlete like Tom Brady. He was ready to go back on the field at any moment because he never stopped his daily discipline. We need that same professional mindset. We can’t afford not to have it. Taking care of your health, energy, and happiness isn’t selfish; it’s the engine that drives your success.
The Power of Proactive Conversations
The second key is mastering the conversations for this market. The way you talk to a buyer or seller today is different than it was two years ago. Your skills must evolve with the market. The number of real, human-to-human conversations you have will directly dictate the amount of business you do.
This is the perfect time to reach out to your database, even if you haven’t spoken to them in a while. You have a fantastic reason to call:
“I know we haven’t spoken for a while, but you’ve been on my mind. We’re heading into a different phase in the market, and I just wanted to show up and answer any questions you might have. I’m curious, what are your real estate-related plans for the next couple of years?”
You don’t have to be overly salesy. Just position yourself as their wise advisor. They probably haven’t been counting the minutes since you last called, but they will appreciate you showing up with value now.
Operational Readiness: Building Systems for Scalable Success
As opportunities increase, you have to be ready to handle them efficiently. In his book The E-Myth, Michael Gerber wrote, “A predictable process will produce a predictable result.” This is the core of operational readiness.
Embrace Predictable Processes
I often hear agents say, “I’m great at building relationships, so I just wing it on my listing appointments.” They might get 80% of the listings they go on, which sounds great. But my question is, why aren’t you getting 95%? When you have a predictable process, you can audit it, refine it, and improve your results. Without a system, your success is just random.
This means using checklists for everything: buyer consultations, listing appointments, price reductions. It means leveraging technology. I’m still shocked by how many agents call us for real estate coaching and admit they’re running their entire business off an Excel spreadsheet. A modern CRM is essential for being efficient and doing things faster with less effort.
Assemble Your “A-Team”
For team leaders, operational readiness means constantly recruiting talented agents. But even if you’re a solo agent, you have a team. It’s your network of vendors and affiliates. Is your lender the absolute best at educating and converting buyers? Is your escrow officer a rockstar? Are your inspectors top-notch?
You assemble people around you every day. The question is, are they as talented as they could be? Surround yourself with quality people who elevate the client experience. That’s a form of leverage that every agent can and should use.
Mastering Lead Generation in a Shifting Market
Let’s call lead generation what it is: talking to people. You need to have conversations every day, measure them, and have a daily goal. If you just wait for people to come to you, you’re going to be disappointed with your year.
Start with Your Greatest Asset: Your Database
So many agents want to call anyone except the people they already know. That’s crazy! Your sphere of influence is your most valuable asset. Look at your phone; you probably have several hundred contacts right there. You have no excuse not to be connecting with them.
Equally important is working daily to add to your database. Treat it like a bank account where you’re constantly making deposits. Chris shared a powerful story from his career. He built a “nurture” category in his CRM with 20,000 contacts from open houses, community events, and his radio show. These weren’t active buyers or sellers, but by staying in touch with automated plans, his team generated 7 to 9 listings a month from people who would simply call in and say, “I’ve been getting your information forever, and now I’m ready.”
Expand Your Reach with Untapped Lead Sources
Beyond your sphere, a solid business plan should include multiple lead sources. We recommend having at least five or six pillars. Foundational ones like your database and open houses are great, but what else?
Chris and I both had massive success with often-neglected groups:
- Expired Listings: In a market where more homes are staying on the market longer, this is a huge opportunity.
- Out-of-Area Owners: These landlords often don’t love the job and may have significant equity they could use elsewhere. Calling them often leads to a much warmer conversation with less rejection.
A focused real estate coaching program can help you identify which lead generation pillars align with your strengths and build a powerful, diversified plan.
Becoming the Wise Advisor: Your Ultimate Differentiator
In a crowded market, how do you stand out? You have to be more than just a door opener or an order taker. You must become the indispensable, wise advisor for your clients.
Lead with Data, Not Drama
You need to be the local economist of choice. When a client is confident that you truly know what you’re talking about, they will listen to your advice. Think about it: if you weren’t confident in your doctor’s diagnosis, you’d get a second opinion. It’s the same in real estate. We must instill confidence through our knowledge and the data we share.
A former CEO of Realtor.com once told me that most agent websites talk about service. He said that’s great, but service should be a given. A high-level attorney’s website talks about Experience, Expertise, and Results. That’s how we need to position ourselves. When someone at a party asks, “How’s the market?” you need to be ready with a powerful, data-backed answer that makes you stand out.
Your 90-Day Action Plan for the 2026 Surge
Knowing what to do is one thing; doing it consistently is another. Chris talked about creating a “90-day readiness sprint.” This is a focused period where you work on the business, not just in it. An action plan isn’t a vague idea like, “I’m going to call my sphere more.” It’s specific and measurable.
Here are the key actions you should focus on now:
- Audit Your Systems. Review your checklists and processes. Are they outdated? Where can you be more efficient?
- Evaluate Your Talent. Do you need to add agents to your team? Do you need to upgrade your lender or other vendors?
- Expand Lead Sources by 25%. If you have three sources, add a fourth. Then, increase your activity in each by 25%. More calls, more doors knocked, more meetings. It’s a simple but powerful formula.
- Review Your P&L. You are running a business. You must know your numbers. What are you spending money on, and is it delivering a return?
- Establish Accountability. Find an accountability partner or hire a coach. It’s too easy to let ourselves off the hook. True momentum comes from consistency, and a core function of real estate coaching is providing that structure and accountability.
The 2026 surge is coming. It represents a massive opportunity for agents who are prepared to play offense. It’s time to stop reacting and start architecting the business you truly want. Building a strong mindset, implementing predictable systems, and mastering client conversations are the keys to not just riding the wave, but leading it.
If you’re ready to build a concrete, customized action plan for the coming market shift, we’re here to help. Let’s explore how real estate coaching with the right systems and accountability can make 2026 your best year yet. Schedule a complimentary business strategy call with our team today.
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