5 New Year’s Resolutions for Real Estate Agents

Believe it or not, 2022 is almost here.

For many of us, that means it’s time to set a few resolutions for the new year. Though it may sound kind of hokey, New Year’s resolutions can be a great way to refocus your attention on your business. With that in mind, below are five New Year’s resolutions for real estate agents. Read them over to gather inspiration for your own.

Resolutions for Real Estate Agents in 2022

1. Consistently try to organize your day.

To start, many real estate agents struggle with organization. In a certain light, that makes sense. After all, when you’re an agent, there’s usually no boss looking over your shoulder to make sure that you get your work done on a day-to-day basis. To that end, if you are having trouble self-motivating, making sure that you stay organized and productive is all the more crucial.

If you don’t have one already, the first step is to build a schedule for your day. While many people suggest that it should be the first activity you do in the morning, personally, I think there’s value in doing it at night. That way, if something doesn’t get done one day, it’s easy to remember to move it to the next day’s schedule. New Year’s resolutions for real estate agents should be realistic — so do what works for you.

As for what to put on your schedule, any appointments with clients should be the first priority. However, it’s what you do in your downtime that really matters.

On your new schedule, fill in the time between appointments with reminders to do lead generation and follow-up or to get caught up on office tasks.

2. Revamp your social media presence.

If you don’t have trouble sticking to a schedule, another option is to revamp your social media presence. Too often, agents think of their social media presence as a secondary element of their business. However, the data says otherwise.

The most recent Real Estate in the Digital Age report from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) found that social media was the most effective tool for generating leads among agents.

In this case, it may be a good idea to hire a brand manager to look into the specifics of your business and give you personalized feedback. That said, if you’re not at the point where you have established a brand yet, focusing on building your brand can be a good place to start.

Otherwise, if you think your brand is fine, consider taking a look at your social media strategy. If you are inconsistent in posting, one of the smartest resolutions for real estate agents is to schedule your social media posts ahead of time so that you have a regular presence on your network.

3. Work your lead generation and follow-up muscles.

Next, consider focusing on lead generation and follow up if you’re interested in more New Year’s resolutions for real estate agents. After all, lead generation is the main tool that real estate agents have to generate new business and to level up their income. With that in mind, it’s important that your lead generation strategy is on point.

Consider how you’re handling leads at the moment. Do you respond to them as soon as they come in? If a lead doesn’t book a meeting with you on the first try, do you have a system in place to nurture them and follow up with them later?

If you’ve answered no to either of those questions, those should be your first areas in which you look to improve. However, if you already have defined systems in place, you could consider hiring a business coach to help you streamline your approach.

4. Add a new income stream in the New Year.

On the other hand, if your goal is to make more money this year, one of the most common resolutions for real estate agents is to add another income stream to their business. In truth, having multiple income streams will not only help you increase your net worth, but it can also provide security if the housing market in your area goes through a rough patch.

If you don’t know where to start when looking at new income streams, here are a few examples to get you thinking:

• Property management
• Office management
• Home staging
• Business coaching/mentoring

While it will likely take some hard work and due diligence to get a new income stream off the ground, in the end, the effort is usually worth it. If you’re considering going this route, to take time to think about which aspects of the real estate business you enjoy the most and how you could leverage them into a new income-producing opportunity.

5. One of the most important New Year’s resolutions for real estate agents? Make time for self-care.

Lastly, if you’re happy with where you stand with your business at this point in time, consider making a resolution to invest more time in self-care this year. Too often, real estate agents find themselves burned out because they don’t take the time to invest in their own energy and well-being.

If you’re one of them, make this year about what you do when you leave the office. Instead of going home and thinking about your clients or catching up on paperwork, make an effort to invest your time in caring for yourself and doing things that bring you happiness.