The first several months of your real estate career are usually challenging. Among your first goals will be learning how to market yourself effectively, networking within the community, creating your ideal workflow, obtaining your initial deals, and finding the perfect niche for you. A further complication is the slow months: namely, the coldest, darkest, dampest months of the year.

Try not to panic when the slow season arrives, and you don’t have any deals in the pipeline. Even experienced, successful real estate agents fully expect their clients to fall silent around the holidays.

Still, there are plenty of ways that you can make the most of this time. Today, let’s discuss what to focus on in the off season to best leverage these weeks (perhaps even months) when it feels as though your usual workflow grinds to a halt.

Keep Working

Yes, this is when fewer people move compared to the hustle and bustle of May – August. However, homeowners are still going to be moving! They may be relocating for work, selling their home as part of a retirement transition, or downsizing; whatever the reason, you can be confident that people still need your skill set.

With that in mind, Parks Real Estate encourages each of our agents to keep working despite the reduced pace the cold months bring. If you aren’t confidently putting yourself out there, whether through cold calling, mailers, or skillful marketing, you won’t be present to snag motivated clients when they reach out.

Pursue Continuing Education

All real estate agents are required to take continuing education courses to maintain their licenses. The slow-down during the winter can be the ideal time to pursue yours. Instead of scrambling to find time when your calendar is already jam-packed, you’ll have plenty of time to study.

Hone Your Software Skills

Agents use a variety of software programs, each of which is at least somewhat complex. We recommend becoming as fluent in each of them as possible, and there’s no better time than when your office is quiet and mellow. Remember, the more you learn now, the more effective you will be when your business gets back to bustling in the spring.

Refine Your Business Plan 

You must ensure that your business plan is updated continuously. The frequency with which you fully review your progress, goals, and allocation of resources is up to you, but if you find yourself with more time on your hands during the off season, you are very likely to find that this habit will boost your income and patterns of success by a significant percentage.

Expand Your Marketing Efforts

Your marketing work is never complete as a real estate agent. Wintertime is an excellent opportunity to refine your marketing approach, expand your reach, and research new ways to attract your target audience.

You may wish to work on your videography, including capturing footage and editing it in enticing ways. You could connect with new staging professionals, reach out to potentially ideal cleaning services, interview landscapers, and even speak with house painters.

Market, network, sleep, repeat.  

Foster Existing Connections

When you read that heading, no doubt some names or faces flashed through your mind. Take time this winter to deepen your relationship with people who are part of your real estate journey. Ask them out to lunch, send a card thanking them for their recent help, send seasonal greeting cards, and ask if there’s anything you can do to help them in their own efforts.

These individuals may include fellow real estate agents, mentors, clients, or any member of your community you wish to keep within your orbit.

Pick Up Rental Work

It’s no secret that busier agents (usually those with more years of experience under their belts) are loathe to take on rental properties. As you might imagine, this leaves quite a bit of available work, even during the wintertime. Reach out to your mentor, agents within the community, and those who work with your office. Let them know you wish to expand your rental portfolio, and you may just be surprised at the amount of work that heads your way!

Volunteer to Help

Get out into the community and volunteer. Not only will you be doing something positive, but you’ll also boost your mood as well as your local visibility. You can find several articles on our Parks at Home blog that outline a wealth of volunteering opportunities here in Middle Tennessee, and of course, we appreciate your willingness to help!

Save Up Part of Your Income Year-Round

Once your work becomes steady for seven to eight months per year, do all you can to set aside 20 – 30% of your income as savings. A high-yield savings account will make your contributions go even further, but the most important thing is that you create sufficient funds to support you and yours should you hit lean times when the weather turns chilly.

Take a Vacation 

Over time, your savings will increase to the extent that you will be able to take a long vacation each winter. It’s not uncommon for thriving agents to leave town for two to four weeks at a time, leaving their junior colleagues to take care of any business that comes in.

This can be a motivating, positive goal at each stage of your career. No doubt you became a real estate agent in part to be your own boss, achieve financial independence, and enjoy a flexible lifestyle. Persist in your efforts, because the payoff will likely be precisely as you have been hoping.

The Takeaway

Ebbs and flows, ups and downs, and frantic flurries of activity are all perfectly normal within our line of work. Hopefully sharing your experience with your fellow agents will lead to positive conversations about even more steps you can take to further your career during the off season.

Stay positive, stay focused, and stay busy!