When these unknowns become overwhelming, there are steps you can take to regain emotional balance, find a healthy sense of control, and reestablish confidence without simply ignoring the reality of the challenges at hand.
Press Pause
24 hours is barely enough daylight for ambitious Realtors® seeking both success and personal fulfillment in their work, especially agents looking for an edge in a slower market. But burn-out doesn’t play favorites. Remember the adage, “You can’t help others until you help yourself.” Don’t let the stress of unknowns derail your work/life balance or disrupt your self-care routine. Shutting off your phone for an evening, getting out into nature, seeing a movie, taking a bath, meditating, and spending time with family and friends are a few meaningful ways to recharge.
Whatever activity, or lack thereof, helps you press pause on the frenetic world around you—try to work those moments into your daily schedule. You’ll be surprised how reenergized you’ll feel upon returning to work, with a renewed focus and drive to serve your clients and generate new leads.
Get Educated
One of the things within your control as a Realtor® is the depth of your knowledge and understanding of the housing market. Educating yourself might seem like a heavy lift at first but doing so will pay dividends for your business later. Though there’s a difference between education and pessimism when it comes to reading about the market online.
Due to the high competition for clicks, sensationalist media headlines often lean too heavily on the doom-and-gloom, and too light on historical context and facts. The reality of our current market is far more nuanced than suggested by attention-nabbing language like “crash,” “recession,” and “housing bust.”
For instance, despite home price declines across the nation, the Midwest remains stable by comparison. The Twin Cities metro area, in particular, has weathered fewer peaks and valleys historically than other similar-sized metropolitan areas across the U.S.—a fact that can serve to comfort both buyers and sellers. In a recent Star Tribune article about home pricing in today’s market, experts suggested we likely won’t see significant declines in home prices in the future.
Understanding up-to-date statistics local to your area or region will help you deliver quality information to your clients and gain an advantage in your business. Read as much local news as you can about housing, inflation, and the economy. Follow the MNR Monthly Housing Reports and NAR’s Newsroom. You’ll feel more empowered and emboldened to help buyers or sellers understand their situations and make the best decisions.
Stay Connected
Even if you take time to unplug, now is not the time to check out. Stay connected to your brokerage, discuss business strategy with colleagues, and look for new ways to generate leads. This might involve reviving traditional ways of connecting with prospective clients, like cold-calling or door-knocking. Devote some of your work week to goal setting for the coming new year.
Consider this slower market as an opportunity to reconnect to yourself, celebrate what you’ve accomplished, and find time to volunteer in your community. Doing good for others can help you gain a clearer sense of your place in the world.