Drop it: 22 bad habits real estate agents need to give up before 2022

Discover all Inman’s end-of-year coverage here.

Exhaustion, angst, and bitterness steal the peace and joy many agents felt when building careers. The candid conversations with my industry peers have left me less sentimental and more focused on helping those around me get through the noise and make meaningful choices with their businesses.

This year, we need to take our to-do lists and ruthlessly edit them to make room for rest and dining so that we can rekindle our passion for helping consumers achieve their real estate goals. Lists, business plans, and resolutions can be great motivators, but they can also be a waste drawer of ineffectiveness and unrealistic expectations.

As another heavy year draws to a close, instead of piling more on your to-do list, we’re going to lighten your load. Here are 22 things to let go before 2022.

22 things to let go before 2022

1. Saying the “new normal” – it’s changing fast, and calling this crazy period of history normal (even jokingly) minimizes the significant impact of the direction our industry is heading.
2. Have a full voicemail: clean it up.
3. Be angry with the non-professional people who still work in our industry. If you want to see real change, get involved at your association, state and national association level – and be a part of the change.
4. Complain about a problem – without offering a solution.
5. Don’t call back your prospects if you don’t think you can help them.
6. Automatically post generic content to your social media accounts without adding your personality or voice.
7. Gossip about colleagues or customers online. Also, throw people “under the bus”.
8. Excessive online (and off) sharing.
9. Compare your business to that of others.
10. Feeling the pressure of being a “boss babe”, “hustle bro” or any gendered and dated stereotype that has absolutely nothing to do with being a professional, helpful and knowledgeable real estate agent. Be you.
11. Having outdated sales goals and practices that are unrealistic with current market conditions.
12. Having bad websites – no one goes there and it’s too expensive to maintain.
13. Strengthening of third-party real estate platforms and technologies.
14. Go to any meeting that could have been an email.
15. Write text messages that are novels.
16. Write emails that are novels.
17. Feeling bad that you don’t have a CRM. Get one already.
18. Say “I have worked in real estate for ___ years and have never seen ______” in any conversation.
19. Have portraits over five years old.
20. You feel bad about this lousy heartbreaking review.
21. Be attached to what someone else has told you success should look like.
22. Don’t ask for help. You don’t have to do everything.

Letting go can be very uncomfortable. Breaking bad habits is tedious work. Accept the people in your life and business for the real imperfect humans that they are and not let it affect you? It might take you another year to get there.

One thing I trust: There are so many people in our industry who not only improve it, but also wholeheartedly care about improving even more. Celebrate the small wins, fight for the change your local market needs, and keep looking towards the horizon.

What are you releasing this year? Please share in the comments section below.

During the day, Rachael Hite helps agents develop their business. At night, she tweets and blogs. Don’t hesitate to tweet @rachaelhite.