New agents often fall into the “busy” trap of confusing activity with income. You may become overwhelmed with boring tasks, which can leave you exhausted and less productive. Your first two years in real estate are about doing nothing more than that. It’s about doing the right thing over and over again.
5 New Agent Time Wastes to Avoid
Here are five ways new agents waste time (and how to avoid falling into those traps).
1. Follow every clue
If you’re a new agent, it’s easy to say yes to every inquiry that comes your way. We’ve all been there at first, driving across town for a $120,000 buyer outside of your area.
Or you may be working with an unmotivated, “maybe next year” outlook. New agents do this out of scarcity rather than strategy. Agents put unnecessary pressure on themselves to prove their legitimacy.
Agents can solve this problem by setting some boundaries early on. Must meet minimum pre-qualification criteria. Defining your main service areas will prevent you from wasting time in unknown markets. Knowing your client’s timeline is essential. Agents need to track conversions through conversations.
2. Show a house without structure
The first step that even experienced agents overlook in the buying process is the consultation. Consultation is essential to build trust and set expectations. This allows you to understand the buyer’s wants, needs, schedule, and budget, while also allowing them to get to know you a little bit.
Representation can be discussed along with how you will be compensated, so it’s no surprise if you later inevitably fall for a house that doesn’t offer co-op compensation.
Without consultation, you can quickly devalue yourself. You become a door opener, not a strategic advisor. Buyers start texting homes at 9 p.m. and feel free to add listings or cancel viewings at the last minute.
At first it feels like you’re keeping yourself busy, but as time goes on, the lack of structure gets worse. The consultation will set a clear direction for next steps before screening begins.
3. Excessive branding
Agents waste a lot of their time building branding instead of building business. We obsess over logo variations, brand colors, website layouts, headshot sessions, bios, and more, spending time tweaking, redesigning, and waiting until everything feels “ready.”
During that time, they avoid conversation. This happens because we feel safe. No rejections. Asking for business feels productive and looks impressive from the outside.
The reality is, no one will hire you because of the font you choose. You end up wasting time that could be spent reaching out to databases and space. Confidence in this business comes from conversations, promises, negotiations, and contracts.
The fix is simple. One pretty logo, one professional headshot, and one clear message about who you’re helping. Then, shift your focus to daily outreach, weekly follow-ups, and real-world experience in your business.
4. Social media without a strategy
Social media is constantly changing and finding the right strategy can be difficult. Agents find themselves posting trending audio, dancing without instructions, or posting listings without context. Comparisons will begin gradually, and before you know it, you’ll be re-recording, perfecting scenes, editing transitions, and updating your analysis.
Social media should support your business, but it cannot replace it. Define your ideal client as your audience. Clarity creates traction. This will give you clarity on your social media strategy. Define the three pillars of content. Information about the education, processes, and specific communities or niches you serve.
All posts should include a simple and clear call to action, such as “DM me,” “Comment on my guide,” or “Schedule a consultation.” Be sure to track conversations on views and batch content to save time.
New agents don’t have to be influencers. They need to be trusted advisors who happen to use social media.
5. Saying “yes” out of fear
New agents are afraid to say no, so they say yes. They take on overpriced properties, agree to work without clear expectations, and reach beyond their areas of focus not because they’re strategic but because they’re worried the next opportunity won’t come.
They train themselves to be reactive and teach their clients that their time has no limits. Clients expect unlimited access to you, leading to burnout and inconsistent results.
Agents need to replace fear with criteria and decide in advance what conditions they should treat as a client. Criteria such as pre-approval requirements, realistic price expectations, geographic focus, and communication boundaries must be met.
Clear criteria makes decision-making easier. Saying no is not arrogance. It’s about adjustment. The more intentional you are early in your career, the faster you’ll build a stable, not stressful, business.
New agents fail not because they aren’t working. They fail because they are working on the wrong thing. Being “busy” is not a badge of honor in this business. As for production. The sooner you learn how to be on time, the sooner you will reap the rewards in your business.
Ashley Jankovic is an agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices PenFed Realty in Clarksville, Tennessee. Connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.
