I was reflecting on James Clear’s 3-2-1 ideas from last week, and here are the key lessons I wanted to share with you:
1. The Power of Joyful Effort: Your Competitive Edge
The quickest way to gain an edge is to work on what genuinely interests you. When you’re having fun, you’re more likely to stick with it when the hard parts hit. Your passion is your persistence.
2. Stop Analyzing, Start Doing
Stop waiting. Go do it. The paralysis of analysis is a productivity killer. The most powerful small habit is the one of immediate action. Don’t talk yourself out of it—just start.
3. Run Your Own Race: Internal Progress is All That Matters
Problems arise when you compare your journey to others with different constraints (age, family, experience). Play your own game. Judge your progress internally: Are you getting a little better today? Focus on gradual, personal improvement and embrace where you are right now.
Simple Takeaway
Find the joy in the work, act on your intent, and accept your unique circumstances. That’s the formula for sustainable success.
What’s one small action you can take right now to Go do it?
Have you ever had a day where you worked tirelessly, but by the evening, you realized nothing significant got done towards your most important goals? That, my friends, is the Whirlwind – the constant barrage of urgent but often unimportant tasks that conspire to pull us away from what truly matters.
We’ve all been there: staring down a big sales goal, a new lead generation strategy, or an office expansion target. The motivation is high, but the daily grind can be exhausting. This is precisely why we champion the power of daily, proactive growth activity.
Remember the 80/20 rule: 20% of your effort drives 80% of your results. Your daily 30-minute block is where that critical 20% lives.
Whether it’s prospecting, lead follow-up, client nurturing, or skill development, the principle is the same: dedicate 30 minutes a day to the one activity that moves the needle most, before the Whirlwind takes over.
Our experience over the last 25 years has proven one undeniable truth: daily consistency is the key to building and nurturing a robust, long-term pipeline.
The Wrong Question vs. The Empowering Mindset
When we implement this powerful 30-minute block, a common question always surfaces: “How long do I have to do this?”
Let me ask you this in return: Does the mindset of “when can I stop this activity” propel you closer to your goal or hinder your progress?
The challenge for you now is to shift your focus from duration to mastery. The mindset you bring to your daily work determines your results.
Instead of asking, “How long do I have to do this?” ask yourself these empowering questions instead:
“How can I improve my performance during these 30-minute blocks, so they have maximum impact against the Whirlwind?”
“What systems and leverage points am I currently underutilizing to maximize my time and protect my focus?”
Breakthrough Your Resistance
If you find yourself resisting the daily commitment—skipping your critical 30 minutes, feeling drained before you start—stop and ask why.
Resistance is rarely about the 30 minutes themselves. It often masks a fear of rejection, a lack of clarity on the next step, or simply an old, comfortable habit fighting a new, powerful discipline.
Break through that resistance! Use that moment to ask one of the empowering questions above and immediately pivot back to action. That 30 minutes is your shield against the Whirlwind.
The Engine of Success and Accountability
Every top-tier sales professional and business leader achieves growth through one constant: discipline.
This isn’t a temporary strategy; it’s the fundamental engine of your success.
If your goal is sustainable, consistent growth, the daily 30-minute commitment is a non-negotiable investment that prevents future crises. It’s a career-long discipline that ensures you’ll always have a robust pipeline.
We’re not aiming to complete a race; we’re constructing a machine that consistently generates success month after month and year after year.
To ensure that machine is running at full capacity, we must adhere to a core truth:
“What gets tracked and measured, improves. But what is tracked, measured, and reported—subject to accountability—exponentially improves.”
Don’t let your efforts disappear into the void. Make sure your numbers are posted, tracked, and reported. That simple act of accountability turns effort into exponential results.
Go build your machine and conquer your Whirlwind. The extra mile is never crowded.
Previously, I posted about the core truth behind agent retention: it’s not the market or the broker; it’s the behavior and the habits. Knowledge about the 7 D’s (Death, Divorce, Diplomas, etc.) is only powerful when it’s translated into action.
The biggest challenge for most agents isn’t knowing where the business is; it’s consistently creating conversations that lead to appointments.
That’s why we are launching a focused, results-driven challenge for our entire team: The 90-Day New Appointment Hustle.
This challenge is simple, measurable, and designed to install the single most powerful habit an agent can have: Consistent Prospecting that Leads to Face-to-Face Opportunities.
What Is the 90-Day New Appointment Hustle?
For the next 90 days, what if we collectively focusing on one key leading indicator of success: The number of new appointments created.
The Goal: To create a minimum of [Insert Specific Number Here, e.g., 12] new, qualified appointments over the next 90 days.
This isn’t about closing deals; it’s about creating the pipeline.An appointment is defined as a confirmed, scheduled meeting (virtual or in-person) with a prospective client about buying, selling, investing or referring to your real estate practice. An appointment could also be a meeting with a referral source such as a CPA, financial planner, probate & divorce attorney or executives in your area that relocate employees.
Why This Hustle Matters Now
In any market—especially this one—the agents who win are the ones who control their activity, not the market conditions. This challenge achieves two things:
Installs the Winning Habit: It forces consistency. For 13 weeks, you will be intentionally working your database and prospecting for new opportunities, transforming sporadic effort into a non-negotiable routine. This is the definition of Atomic Habits in action.
Fills Your Future Pipeline: Appointments made today are closings three months from now. This challenge guarantees that you are building a robust business for the next quarter and beyond.
How We Will Support Your Hustle
We know that changing behavior requires support and accountability. We are implementing structures to ensure you succeed:
Support Mechanism
Description
When & Where
“Pizza, Prospecting, and Profit”
Dedicated 90-minute sessions for calling, follow-up, and role-playing in a focused, high-energy group environment.
Every [Day of the Week, e.g., Tuesday] at [Time] in the [Office Location]
Weekly Accountability Check-In
A quick 15-minute 1:1 meeting with your team leader/broker to review your progress, celebrate wins, and tackle roadblocks.
Individual scheduling
Actionable Scripts & Systems
Providing proven call scripts and follow-up templates specifically tailored to target the 7 D’s.
Available [Platform, e.g., on our internal portal/intranet]
The Celebration
Every agent who hits their appointment goal will be celebrated and rewarded.
[Date of Celebration, e.g., January 31st]
It’s Time to Act on Your Instinct
We know you have the instinct and the insight. Now, let’s translate that into judgment and action. This is the moment to stop hoping for business and start hunting for it.
The market is full of opportunity for those who are willing to execute. Let’s make the decision, starting today, to own our daily habits and dominate this next 90 days.
Are you ready to commit to the 90-Day New Appointment Hustle?
For Broker-Owners, CEOs, and Top Agents like us, the 40-hour workweek is irrelevant. Our schedules are dictated by one thing: serving the client.
I was inspired by Wall Street Journal reporting by Andrew Blackman on the workweek’s history. The 40-hour standard is a 1930s relic—not a performance strategy. It’s time we acknowledge this and pivot to the real leadership challenge: What are we doing to ensure our agents do not burn out?
The Core Problem: The Unseen Cost of Client Service
We embrace the hustle, but we must confront its price.
The Client’s Schedule is the Killer: Your clients work 9-to-5, so our crucial activities (showings, open houses, contract reviews) must happen evenings and weekends. This is non-negotiable superior service.
The Cost of “Always On”: This dedication to the client—fueled by smartphones and a relentless market—comes at a heavy price. It entirely erases the boundary between work and home. The unavoidable result is a cycle of burnout and talent churn, damaging even your high-performing agentsand spiking replacement costs for the firm.
The Retention Imperative: In the 1920s, companies like Ford proved that greater efficiency led to agent loyalty. We must prioritize a structure that fights burnout, making our firm the clear choice for the best talent.
The Solution: Building a Burnout-Proof Brokerage
If the Cost of “Always On” is talent churn, the solution is building systems that intentionally restore boundaries and time.
1. Tech Triage: AI as the Boundary Builder
The most effective way to protect an agent’s weekend is to eliminate their administrative chores.
Automation is Protection: We must aggressively leverage AI and smart automation to handle lead qualification, document generation, and initial client communication outside of business hours.
Purpose: This is not just efficiency; it’s a proactive defense against burnout, allowing agents to focus on the high-value client interaction they are needed for, not the low-value admin tasks they dread.
2. Staff Support: Designing Intentional Time-Off
Your administrative structure must directly counter the agents’ weekend sacrifice.
The Buffer System: Can we implement client care coordinators or dedicated transaction teams whose schedules create a buffer, allowing agents to truly unplug during their scheduled time off?
The Four-Day Option: For salaried staff, embracing the 100% output for 80% hours model (the 4-day workweek) is a powerful, proven retention tool that shows your firm values their time.
3. Culture Shift: Valuing Rest over “Busy”
As leaders, our messaging sets the tone.
Stop Glorifying the Grind: We must actively promote, model, and reward results and efficiency over mere hours logged or visible exhaustion.
Mandated Breaks: Encourage the use of vacation & down-time and ensure agents are protected from contact during these breaks. This demonstrates that valuing their time is a core principle, not a suggestion. For agents on a team, this is easier. For your solo agents, create a backup buddy system.
Challenge to Leadership
The 40-hour week is dead. Let it stay buried. The future of the successful brokerage is built on Efficiency, Service, and Sustainability.
Ask yourselves as leaders: Are we just watching the talent churn, or are we actively designing a system that protects our high-performing agents from the cost of “Always On”?
Be the leader who defines the New Hustle: where service is relentless, and burnout is obsolete.
The narrative of the 2025 housing market is no longer defined by a standstill. We are at a strategic turning point. Our mission between now and year-end is to be the expert voice that translates complex data into actionable client advice, allowing us to discard the spreadsheets and speak with clarity and confidence.
The Critical Starting Point: Low Turnover
The core issue has been low sales volume. We must acknowledge a Redfin study that shows only 28 out of every 1,000 US homes sold in 2025—a 30-year low.
This is primarily due to the “Lock-in” Effect, where 70% of current homeowners have a mortgage rate under 5% and are understandably reluctant to move. Affordability was the national political theme for a reason.
But here is the crucial reality check: despite this, the market is not frozen. Nationally, over 16,240 homes are still selling each working/closing day. The transactions are simply being led by life events, not rate-chasing.
The Pivot: Why the Market is Shifting Slightly
We are entering a strategic window because affordability is improving and inventory is rising, activating latent demand:
Affordability is the Turning Point: This is the most compelling news for buyers. The monthly median mortgage payment has dropped over $300 since its peak in May 2025. This significant financial relief, combined with rates trending down for most of the year, is the essential catalyst drawing buyers back to the table.
Inventory is Returning: The “lock-in” is cracking due to life events (jobs, family, retirement). Active inventory is climbing back to pre-COVID levels (2017-2019), which means buyers finally have more options.
You can see inventory levels and more metrics in your area—just type in your Zip Code—on my Altos Research Link:
High performers win by leveraging this data to position their clients strategically:
Coach Sellers: Embrace Strategic Pricing Precision We must help sellers move past the past bidding war mentality. The market now rewards precision. Use the fact that 20% of listings in October had a price cut to set realistic expectations upfront. If a home is overpriced, it will sit, and it will reduce.
Manage Buyers: Master the Normal Pace of Sale The frantic pace is over. The median time on market is now 63 days, returning to a normal pre-COVID rhythm. Coach buyers this is historically a more normal pace.
Mitigate the “Wait-and-See”: The Cost of Waiting on Equity Address the fear of “waiting for prices to crash.” The demand is strong, driven by the Millennials, the largest adult generation in their peak household formation years. This powerful and sustained demand mitigates the crash narrative. The bigger challenge will come to light near 2035 when household formation drops to a 100 year low.
The data shows prices are forecasted to continue rising nationally by 2% in 2026. Waiting simply costs the buyer lost equity; a median-priced home is projected to gain $61,000 in value over the next five years.
Be the Knowledge Broker
Arm your team with specific data points for holiday conversations. Our job—Retention, Attraction & Recruiting—is to provide the certainty required to execute a move in an uncertain world.
The skills-based market is here. Are we ready to lead it?
If you are a KCM member, you’ve seen the data; if not, the slides are linked here. Share with others as you see fit.
95% of respondents express a desire to own a home.
Beyond the Win: The System for Non-Stop Elite Growth
I’m still reflecting on my time spent last week with one of the largest franchise operations of a worldwide real estate brand, diving into conversations about next-level growth and development.
I knew they already perform at a high level—they’re like the “Blue Angels” of their footprint. But even the top 1% understand that sustained High Performance is both a process and a mindset. You don’t get to the top and then stop refining.
We used a structured approach to guide the conversation, ensuring their legendary execution is backed by renewed clarity and intention. It’s about taking the best and moving to the next level of execution.
To refine that repeatable process and ensure continuous domination, we guided our conversations around four powerful phases:
Alignment (Shaping the right Belief and Vision): If the goal isn’t clear, the execution will be muddy. We solidify why we win.
Preparation (The detailed Brief and planning): Execution is easy when preparation is hard. We map out the mission with surgical precision.
Accountability (Solidifying the Commitments and Contracts): Every top performer is accountable to the process, not just the result. We lock in the non-negotiables.
Learning (The critical Debriefing and Reassessment): The best feedback loop wins. We don’t just review what happened; we engineer what happens next.
This cycle is how the best stay the best—and one that I used to earn the Inc 5000 fastest growing firms 5 years in a row. Ready for the next breakthrough!
Clarity is King, Queen and Bishops!
A System Will Produce What A System Will Produce, Nothing Less and Nothing More!
Why Your Fatigue is Irrelevant and the Market Demands Flawless Execution
I recently heard two quotes from an elite competitor—a closing pitcher, Will Klein of the LA Dodgers, who mastered the high-stakes environment of extra innings. His words strike me as the perfect distillation of the winning mindset we need to scale and dominate in real estate.
The Commitment: Anything Less Than Victory is Unacceptable
The first quote defines the required standard of effort—a refusal to quit until the job is flawlessly done:
“We weren’t losing that game, and so I had to keep going back out there… I was going to keep doing that and doing all I could to put up a zero.”
Think about that level of commitment. In real estate, this translates to relentless focus and flawless execution that prevents any loss of ground, any misstep, or any failure to serve your client at the highest level.
For the Broker/CEO: It’s refusing to lose the culture war, the recruiting battle, or the market share fight. It’s the constant decision to step back out there and dominate the competition.
For the High-Performer: It’s refusing to let a single lead slip, a negotiation crumble, or a closing get derailed due to lack of preparation. You maintain that level of intensity until the signature is on the final line.
High Performance is a Selfish Act of Discipline
The second quote drives the point home by stripping away all emotion and embracing absolute ownership:
“No one else is going to care that my legs are tired right now. The hitter doesn’t care, so why should I?”
High Performance is a Selfish Act of Discipline.
The market doesn’t care about your feelings. The competitor doesn’t care about your fatigue. The client doesn’t care about your busy schedule. They only care about the result.
If you’re a broker owner letting your foot off the gas in recruiting because you had a tough month—the market doesn’t care.
If you’re a top agent skipping lead generation because you’re “too busy” with existing business—the competitor doesn’t care.
The standard is yours to set. The responsibility for the outcome is yours alone. Stop outsourcing your motivation and start owning the relentless pursuit. That’s how we win the day and the game.
The headline from Altos Research for the week ending October 26 is a National Market Action Index (MAI) of 34, signaling a “Slight Seller’s Advantage.” This metric, which compares the rate of sales to inventory, is stable from the prior week. Note – the links included below update in real time, so at the time you review a link provided they will likely differ from this one snapshot in time.
However, a closer look at the data for the nation’s key markets reveals that this “advantage” is anything but uniform, especially when you factor in price. The National Median List Price is $439,900, yet a 42% of all listings have seen a price reduction. This is the clearest indication that buyers are actively resisting inflated prices, forcing sellers to adjust their expectations.
Here’s a concise breakdown of four major states and how their metrics are shaping the U.S. market:
Markets with the strongest seller leverage (MAI 38) are those with the tightest inventory.
New York is the most extreme example. With the smallest available inventory (22,400 units) and the lowest percentage of price cuts (32%), competition is still intense. The sheer lack of supply means sellers have a dominant position, despite a $599,000 median list price.
California is similar, with a high MAI of 38 and an even steeper median price of $775,000. Listings are moving fast, with a Median Days on Market of just 70 days, well below the national average of 113 days.
2. The Buyer’s Opening: Texas and Florida
Texas and Florida are the best representations of the market softening, with MAIs indicating a balanced market with no significant advantage to buyer or seller.
Texas (MAI 30) offers the most affordability in this group, with a median list price of $375,000. More importantly, it shares the highest price reduction percentage at 44%. This is the market where overpricing is being punished the fastest.
Florida (MAI 31) also sees 44% of its listings cutting price. Its high Average Days on Market (139 days) is the highest of all regions profiled and signals a much slower pace of sales, putting pressure on sellers.
Market Insights for Real Estate Professionals and Investors
Real Estate Agent Insight
Your Focus: Accurate Pricing and Inventory Generation
For Seller Clients: The national 42% price reduction rate is your essential presentation slide. In Texas and Florida (44% reductions), this is a non-negotiable conversation. Do not overprice. Your goal is to price at the market’s leading edge to avoid the longer days on market (DOM) and the inevitable price cut that follows. Focus on the Median Price of New Listings as the most relevant comparable for new-to-market properties.
For Buyer Clients: The high DOM in Florida (139 days) and Texas (126 days) represents a strategic opportunity. Target homes with price reductions and higher DOM for increased negotiating power. In high-MAI markets like NY and CA, your buyers need to be pre-approved, ready for competition, and focused on homes that have already passed their Median DOM (70 days in CA, 63 days in NY).
Team Leader and Broker Owner Insight
Your Strategy: Recruitment, Retention, and Training
Training Focus: Shift your training away from “bidding wars” to “pricing consultations.” Your agents need to master the data, specifically the MAI, Price Reductions, and DOM, to win listings. The 44% reduction rate in Texas and Florida is a liability for ill-prepared agents.
Recruitment/Retention: The fragmentation of the market (NY vs. TX) means a hyper-localized skill set is crucial. Agents succeeding in Texas (selling affordability) will need different training than those in New York (managing scarcity). Provide data-driven tools, like the full Altos reports, to help your agents prove their local expertise against the national narrative.
Investor Insight
Your Target: Cash Flow vs. Appreciation
Cash Flow (TX & FL): These markets are rapidly normalizing, with inventory and price cuts giving investors a chance to enter at better values. With high price reduction rates (44%) and lower list prices $375,000 in Texas), look for opportunities to negotiate aggressively for properties that have been on the market for over 100 days.
Appreciation (CA & NY): These markets are too expensive for most new investors, but they remain high-barrier-to-entry, high-appreciation zones due to chronic under-supply. The extremely high Median Rent in New York ($4,700) indicates strong rental demand and potential for premium rental income for those who can afford the initial purchase price.
In a world full of noise, fear, and fast-talking sales pitches, what is the single greatest asset you can possess? It’s not your database size. It’s not your market share. It is unwavering, undeniable integrity.
For nearly a century, the Rotary Four-Way Test has been the standard of ethical conduct. It was originally created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor to save a company facing bankruptcy by resetting its moral compass. It worked. It can work for you.
The Test is simple – just 24 words – but its depth will force you to examine every thought, word, and action. If you want to achieve success that lasts, you must measure yourself against these four questions.
1. Is it the TRUTH?
In a business where information is currency, truth is the bedrock of trust. This isn’t about avoiding a lie; it’s about eliminating even the slightest exaggeration or omission.
Are you presenting market data accurately, or are you cherry-picking stats to make a sale?
Are you fully disclosing a property’s known defects, even if it complicates the transaction?
Are your advertisements truthful, or are they relying on hype and vague superlatives?
If you have to pause for longer than a second to answer, you’re not operating with the integrity required for long-term survival. Trust is built with truthful actions; it is destroyed with a single deceit.
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
This is where many professionals trip up. Fairness is not about winning the negotiation; it’s about achieving an outcome that respects the interests of every party at the table—your client, the co-op agent, the buyer, the seller, and the vendors.
Are you pushing a client toward a decision that benefits your commission more than their bottom line?
In a multiple-offer scenario, are you managing the process with transparency, even when under pressure?
Are you respecting the time and effort of your competition, or trying to gain an unfair advantage?
Fairness is the difference between a one-time transaction and a lifelong referral. When you act fairly, you turn competitors into collaborators and clients into advocates.
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Professional life is relational. This question forces you to check the intent and tone behind your actions. A sharp business mind is valuable, but a mind that operates with malice, arrogance, or cynicism is an anchor.
Are you communicating with colleagues and clients in a way that fosters respect, even when delivering bad news?
Are you making a public comment that tears down a competitor, or one that elevates the industry standard?
Does your overall business presence create a feeling of respect and trust in the community?
Goodwill is your brand’s equity. It’s the invisible asset that brings repeat business and attracts the kind of high-quality people you want to work with. If your win comes at the cost of another person’s respect, you didn’t really win.
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
The final question elevates your thinking beyond self-interest and immediate profit. It asks you to consider the long-term positive impact on the client, the community, and the industry as a whole.
Is the advice you’re giving sustainable for the client’s financial future, or just expedient for a quick close?
Does your success contribute positively to the perception of your entire profession?
Are you just solving today’s problem, or are you helping set up a long-term solution that benefits everyone involved?
The most successful people don’t chase money; they pursue value that creates a tidal wave of benefit for others. When your focus is on the benefit of all concerned, you align your personal success with universal good.
The 4-Way Test is not a feel-good mantra for Sunday morning; it is a practical checklist for Monday morning. Every time you open your mouth, send an email, or make a decision, run it through the test.
If you can’t answer “Yes” to all four, don’t think it, don’t say it, and definitely don’t do it. Your reputation is all you have. Protect it fiercely.
My mindset today started with one simple question:
“Do I want today to be a success or a failure?”
Of course, the answer is SUCCESS!
That immediately leads to the next question:
“Am I willing to own it?”
My Accept, Reflect, and Redirect conversation today: When it comes to achieving any significant goal or overcoming a daily hurdle, sometimes the solution is simple: we just have to stop overthinking and “just do it.”
