What Got You to 2026 May Not Work in 2027
When it comes to real estate marketing, there is always a good excuse to wait. Wait for mortgage rates to move. Wait for inventory to improve. Wait for buyers to feel more confident. Wait for sellers to become more realistic. Waiting can feel strategic because it appears to be like patience. But sometimes what looks like patience is simply an old habit operating in a new market.
Marshall Goldsmith’s book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There is built around a simple observation: the behaviors that helped us become successful are not necessarily the behaviors that will help us reach the next level. That idea has particular relevance in real estate.
It’s no secret that the market has changed. Buyers have changed. Sellers have changed. Technology has changed. The way people communicate, research and make decisions has changed. Yet it is easy for an agent who has been successful to continue doing what worked before.
This doesn’t mean that in 2027 you have to change everything! Your experience matters. Your relationships matter. Market knowledge matters. But in a changing market, it is prudent to reexamine what we have done and ask a more important question: What am I doing today simply because it worked yesterday? The answer may reveal where the next opportunity is.
Stop Waiting for the Market to Give You Permission
One of the easiest habits to develop in an uncertain market is waiting. AKA procrastination. One thing that waiting will never do is create momentum.
Markets are always changing. It is important to have this quote in mind when it comes to marketing:
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man,” the Greek philosopher Heraclitus
No agent can predict the market’s trajectory all the time. What agents can control are their systems, relationships, knowledge, and communication while increasing their value with every transaction. So let’s do a deeper dive into how this will be translating into 2027 and beyond.
1. From Reporting the Market to Understanding It: Helping others apply the information. Clients already have access to listings, headlines and national housing statistics. What the agent delivers is what the numbers mean for the person on the phone or sitting across the table.
The agent who has traditionally built credibility by knowing the market numbers may need to take the next step: becoming better at interpreting the market numbers. Don’t stop reviewing inventory, days on market, pricing trends and recent negotiations in the neighborhoods and price points you serve. Now go beyond to explain what those numbers mean for a particular buyer or seller.
A strong market perspective answers the question clients are really asking, such as, What does this information have to do with me?
2. Going From More Leads to Deeper Referral Relationships: When business slows, the natural reaction is to look for more leads. But what you will need may already be buried in your database?
Past clients. Sellers who postponed their plans. Buyers whose circumstances changed. Referral partners you have not contacted recently. People who know you but have simply lost touch. One of the habits worth examining is the tendency to measure activity by the number of new prospects rather than the quality of existing relationships. Start reaching out with something useful. Share a neighborhood update. Offer a fresh valuation. Ask whether their plans have changed. Have an actual conversation. Fifteen thoughtful conversations a week may be more valuable than hundreds of names sitting in a database. Be more intentional about becoming more relevant to the people who already know you.