Get Your Real Estate Business Ready for 2026

We’ve reached that point in the year when the pace eases enough to think clearly. The inbox quiets down, showings slow and for a brief moment, there’s time to step back. Use this pause to put a few fundamentals in place before business picks back up in January.

Here are three ways to maximize the downtime:

1) Getting started in real estate in 2026? Put your business mission into one clear paragraph. Write it the way you’d explain it if someone asked what kind of real estate agent you plan to be. What market will you serve, who will you work with and what problem will you help solve? If the explanation keeps expanding, the mission may need some tightening.

2) Already practicing real estate? Get your Q1 plans in place now. Be specific about what you want in place for the first quarter. Pick one clear outcome. That might be building a consistent lead source, tightening your follow-up process or refining how you present yourself to buyers and sellers.

3) Schedule and stick to one planning check-in. Block off an hour in early January to review what’s working in your real estate business, what isn’t and what needs adjusting. Treat it like any other business meeting.

Make these three moves now and you’ll head into January with a defined real estate mission, a specific Q1 priority and a progress check-in date reserved on your calendar. Want more productivity tips? Check out New Agents: Don’t Wing It. Do These 3 Things Today and Real Estate Feeling Harder Than You Expected? Start Here.

This is just a snapshot of what I cover in the 20^th Anniversary Edition of The Real Estate Agent’s Business Planner. The book lays out the complete framework and is available to preview on Amazon.