The market has changed. Also.
The agents who continue to win today are not necessarily the loudest, loudest, or most visible online. They are the first to adapt to a market where confusion, vanity, and aggressive fighting no longer pays off.
Trading volumes remain historically low. Interest rates have changed consumer psychology. Sellers are mentally stuck in 2021, but buyers are negotiating like it’s 2009. Everyone feels busy. Even fewer people are actually productive.
Top producers have changed the way they operate. It’s not a flashy reinvention. Be disciplined.
7 things top agents are doing now
1. It’s intentionally small.
For years, the industry has glorified growth at all costs. Bigger team. Bigger salary. The office footprint will be larger. Bigger ego.
Then the market changed.
Many top production agents and teams are now doing the opposite. Rather than chasing false headcount numbers, they are cutting bloated operations, cutting underperformers, and protecting margins.
The difference is intentionality. Top agents no longer act passively. They only build around true leverage.
2. Be quick to say no to bad business.
Things are looking hopeless in this market. And ironically, that gives top agents an advantage. They have the experience, confidence, and discipline to say no even when others are saying yes out of fear.
Top agents are becoming ruthless about qualifications. They are trying to walk away from overpriced items and unrealistic sellers and buyers with no sense of urgency or direction. They understand that protecting their time and reputation is more important than chasing every deal.
A recent USA Today report on unrealistic seller expectations shows just how wide the divergence has become, while Fortune’s report on the rise in delistings further highlights the growing conflict between buyers and sellers.
3. You treat your business like a luxury brand.
Consumers do not see any backend systems. But when you interact with agents who operate at a higher level, you absolutely feel the difference.
Agents working today are obsessed with details that most consumers don’t think about directly, such as response times, consistency of communication, quality of presentation, follow-up systems, transaction coordination, and client experience.
This operational sophistication has become a real competitive advantage.
According to a recent lead response study by AgentZap, the average response time to online leads is now over 15 hours. In my experience, it’s generous. In a market where consumers are already anxious and skeptical, such delays can quickly cause friction.
Great agents do the opposite. We’re strengthening our systems, refining our communications, and creating an experience that feels seamless from the first interaction. Operational consistency and client experience continue to separate top producers from others.
4. You’re rebuilding your referral network.
Top producers don’t network for appearances. They actually have a relationship.
Good agents spend less time chasing random leads on the internet and more time strengthening relationships with the people closest to their real estate decisions, including real estate attorneys, divorce attorneys, financial advisors, CPAs, contractors, and probate professionals.
In a depressed market, trust is more important than reach.
Top producers understand that life transitions create deals, and the professionals who guide those transitions are often the strongest long-term referral sources. But these relationships aren’t built through typical coffee meetings or transactional “remember me” conversations.
These are built through consistency, value, and relevance.
The smartest agents are co-hosting educational events, sharing market insights, creating resources for their partners’ customers, and becoming truly useful within the referral ecosystem. Strategies like those discussed in this industry conversation about probate and attorney partnerships are becoming increasingly valuable as relationship-driven businesses outpace cold lead generation.
5. They guard their energy like inventory.
There was a time when crammed calendars were impressive. It almost seems inefficient now.
Agents who survive in this market have become ruthless in guarding their time, energy, and attention. Reduce unnecessary meetings. Fewer reaction days controlled by notifications. There will be fewer “self-determined” coffees that go nowhere.
More intentional white space. Because burnout has become expensive.
Top producers recognize that energy management is just as important as time management. Many companies now use aggressive time-limited systems where revenue-generating activities, client services, strategic work, and administrative tasks all have clear boundaries.
The goal is not to work less. It’s about reducing waste.
6. Acting like a media company without calling itself a creator
Consumers can now smell high-performing content. Especially in real estate.
The agents gaining momentum today aren’t necessarily the most vocal online. Those are the most obvious. Rather than following trends or algorithmic tricks, we consistently document our expertise, share our market perspective, and create content that actually helps consumers make decisions.
Performance will be degraded. More authority.
The strongest agent brands in 2026 will feel less like advertising and more like trusted media sources. Market Insights. Neighborhood expertise. true opinion. Clear guidance. Consumers are attracted to agents who are not only visible but also sound informative.
And importantly, good agents build consistency without becoming full-time influencers. AI tools, streamlined content systems, and reuse strategies can help you stay relevant without burning out.
This shift is reflected in a recent 2026 real estate marketing trends analysis, which notes that expertise-based content outperforms general promotion. Authority and trust have become much more valuable than attention alone.
7. Return calls, texts, and emails promptly
This sounds painfully obvious. That’s exactly why it’s important.
Responsiveness is once again one of the most powerful competitive advantages in real estate, in a business flooded with automation, slow response times, and expert focus.
78% of buyers work with the first agent who responds. However, average response times across the industry are still shockingly slow. If the agent responds. A good agent won’t leave an opportunity overnight while it “comes back tomorrow.”
they respond immediately. Even if it’s short. Even if it’s imperfect. Because responsiveness is an indicator of competence.
More importantly, make people feel important. And in a slow, trust-poor market, that sentiment matters more than most agents realize. The market no longer rewards pure effort as it once did.
It rewards discipline. accuracy. Selectivity. Excellent operability.
In June, Inman takes a deep dive into the real estate team. What it takes to join a team, how to build a team worth joining, and yes, when to quit. For Teams Month, we invite some of the best team leaders in the country to bring you insights, frameworks, and hard-learned lessons that don’t typically make their way onto highlight reels.
