business

3 Things Real Estate Agents Should Do Before the New Year

By Joe Lins
December 26, 2025

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is a great opportunity for real estate agents to get some important work done. Things tend to slow down, inboxes are quieter, and there’s a little more breathing room in the schedule. I’m going to share three simple things you can do during this in-between week that will help set you up for success in the coming year while also creating a less cluttered, more focused start to January.

1. Reach out to your sphere of influence (SOI).
Call your SOI, yes, actually pick up the phone and call them. When they answer, keep it simple. Here are three easy questions to ask:

“How was your holiday?”
“What are your plans for New Year’s?”
“What are you most excited about for the coming year?”

After you ask the question, be quiet and listen. Really listen to what they’re saying and respond with thoughtful follow-up questions. Make the call about them, not you. The conversation may or may not turn to real estate, and that’s okay. This is simply a check-in call to see how they’re doing and where they’re at. These relationships matter, and staying connected without an agenda goes a long way.

2. Clean out your emails.
Use this quiet time to tackle some of the tedious work you avoid all year long. Go through your email and clean it out. If your inbox looks anything like mine, it’s probably bursting with junk. Somewhere along the way, you got added to countless email lists, and now your inbox is paying the price.

As you go through the process, unsubscribe from emails you never read or don’t need. Be sure to stay connected to emails from your brokerage, REALTOR® association, and Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This can take some time, so don’t feel like you have to do it all at once. Set aside an hour or so each day to click that “Delete” or “Unsubscribe” button. You’ll be amazed at how much lighter your inbox feels.

3. Commit to showing up.
A new year means a blank slate. Whether you use a paper planner or a digital calendar, pull it out and start marking important dates now. Add your office sales meetings and any regularly scheduled events that support your business and professional growth. Check your association’s calendar and plug in classes, networking events, and meetings you know you should attend, even if you don’t always feel like it.

Showing up consistently is one of the simplest ways to stay connected, informed, and top of mind. When these dates are already on your calendar, you’re far more likely to follow through. Treat these commitments like appointments with your future self and protect that time.

By putting these simple ideas into place, you will set the tone for the new year and hit the ground running.

About the author: Joe Lins is President, CEO and Co-owner of CENTURY 21 Discovery. If you are interested in becoming part of the CENTURY 21 Discovery team or would like more information about our services, training and coaching we provide, contact Joe at 714.626.2069.

Five Easy Ways to Stay Connected with Clients This Fall

By Suzy Lins
September 21, 2025

The month of September marks a natural reset for our schedules. Our routines get reestablished with summer vacations over and kids back in school as we look ahead to the holidays. Fall is a perfect time of year to reconnect with past clients and stay top-of-mind. Here are five easy ways to nurture those relationships.

Seasonal Check-In

Checking in with your past clients and sphere of influence does not have to be elaborate. A simple call, text, or email with a friendly “Hope your fall is off to a great start!” is a great place to start. Keep it personal. Ask how the family, kids, new home, etc., are doing. If the conversation flows naturally to your business, ask if they would like a market analysis of their home or offer a market update of their neighborhood. Providing value without “selling” will allow your relationship to continue to develop.

Back-to-School Community Connection

Fall is the perfect time to position yourself as the go-to person in town. Highlighting local school events, sports schedules, or fundraising efforts shows you are plugged in to the community. Consider becoming a sponsor for a team or event in the area. Your name on a banner or in a program is a great way to show your commitment to the community and also create an awareness of you and your real estate business.

Seasonal Home Maintenance Tips

There are other ways you can show your value beyond the transaction. Consider creating a quick checklist of seasonal home maintenance tips, such as gutter cleaning, HVAC service, or preparing your home for cool weather. This list can be in the form of a postcard, blog post, or a downloadable PDF that you can email or text to your past clients.

Client Appreciation Gesture

There are many low-cost, high-impact things you can give a client to show your appreciation and stay top-of-mind during the holidays. A pumpkin spice baked treat or a note with a gift card to the local coffee shop is a nice nod to the cooler weather of fall. Another idea to kick off the fall season would be to drop off a small pumpkin adorned with a festive ribbon with your business card attached. Simple gestures like these are often the most memorable.

Social Media Engagement

The holidays are the perfect time of year to ramp up your social media. Encouraging interaction and making light-hearted connections on social media is an easy way to engage with your clients and sphere of influence. Share a personal story or tradition your family does this time of year. A fun idea that shows your community spirit would be to spotlight a local pumpkin patch or coffee shop that sells fall-themed beverages. Another idea is to post fall-themed polls asking your followers to share their favorite things to do during the holidays.

In the end, we all know that this business is about relationships. Small, intentional gestures this time of year will help that relationship grow. Choose one or two of these touchpoints that feel authentic to you and get going. Consistent connection with your clients and sphere of influence now will lead to referrals later.

About the author: Suzy Lins is the Communications Director for CENTURY 21 Discovery and a Business Etiquette Consultant. For more information about CENTURY 21 Discovery you may call (714) 626-2000.

From Likes to Listings: The Real Estate Agent’s Guide to a Social Media Audit

By Suzy Lins
January 21, 2024

Are you ready to be audited? Not by the IRS, but by yourself. It’s time for a social media audit! A social media audit is a review of all your business’s social media platforms, looking at various factors. I will break down the process here.

Make a List

Open a spreadsheet, Google Docs, or Notepad and write down all your social media accounts. List the name or handle of your account. The handle is your @[name of account]. It’s best to keep all your social media handles the same or as similar as you can. Sometimes that won’t be possible if your handle is taken on a specific platform. Consider changing any handle that does not match the others.

Brand Review

Next, write down how many followers you have and review the accounts for brand consistency. Look to see if you have the same information across all your profiles. This includes the profile photo, logo, bio, and any other information allowed in the profiles. Update accounts to create a uniform look across all your social media platforms.

Note any accounts that you do not post to or engage on. If you have an account you haven’t posted on in a while, consider deleting the account. If you’d rather not delete it, you can post to inform your followers that it’s not an active account and direct them to the platform where you are active. This allows you to keep the account handle if you decide to start posting to it in the future.

Content Review

Next up is to review the content of your social media accounts. Include the type of content you are posting and the frequency. Make note of the content that is getting engagement. This is not just the number of likes. Look at the comments and how many times a specific post was shared. Look for patterns. Are your video posts getting more engagement than a photo post, or is it the opposite? If you really want to see what’s working and what is not, take a deep dive into the metrics of each post to analyze the impressions, reach, and engagement.

Audience Insight

Check the insights on your account to understand your audience’s demographics and what type of posts resonate with them. You will be able to see your audience’s gender, age range, and top locations. You can also see what days of the week and times they are most active.

Once you have an idea of your audience, create a “persona” of your ideal client. A persona is a fictional character that represents a target client. Personas help you understand your customers’ needs, behaviors, and pain points. This persona will guide you as you develop your social media strategy and the types of posts you will create.

Competitor Review

Take a look at what your competitors are doing on social media. Identify what types of content are resonating with their followers and see if you can incorporate something similar into your social media content.

Goals

Once you’ve got a handle on where you are right now in your social media journey, you need to decide where you want to go. What are you trying to accomplish with your social media? Below are suggestions for types of goals that will help your career. Pick the ones that will help your business and that you will actually do. Then, develop your social media strategy around those goals.

Build a Strong Personal Brand

Showcase your expertise and personality to stand out in a competitive market.
Establish trust and relatability with their audience.

Generate Leads

Attract potential buyers and sellers through engaging content.
Use targeted ads or organic reach to expand their network.

Showcase Listings

Highlight properties for sale or rent through visually appealing posts.
Use video tours, before-and-after staging photos, or carousel posts to engage potential clients.

Educate Your Audience

Share market updates, home-buying tips, and selling advice.
Post content that addresses FAQs, such as “How to Get Your Home Ready for Sale.”

Engage with the Community

Build connections by promoting local businesses, events, and neighborhoods.
Position yourself as the community expert.

Increase Referrals and Word of Mouth

Stay top of mind with past clients and encourage them to share content or refer others.

Establish Credibility

Share testimonials, reviews, and success stories.
Highlight certifications, awards, and years of experience.

Humanize Your Business

Post behind-the-scenes content to show the human side of your work.
Celebrate milestones or share personal stories to connect with the audience on a deeper level.

Foster Client Relationships

Use direct messages and comments to engage one-on-one with clients and prospects.
Offer quick responses to inquiries or questions in a professional and friendly manner.

Leverage Visual Content

Use Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, or Facebook Lives to showcase dynamic, short-form content.
Post high-quality images and videos to make a lasting impression.

Ideally, a social media audit should be done quarterly if not monthly. I realize that sounds like a lot of work, but now that you’ve done all the heavy lifting, it’s just a matter of revisiting your content to see if it’s aligning with your goals and performing. If not, you can make adjustments to optimize your strategy. Incorporating this into your workflow or delegating it to an assistant will ensure that your social media is working in your favor and those “Likes” are turning into “Leads”.

About the author: Suzy Lins is the Communications Director for CENTURY 21 Discovery and a Business Etiquette Consultant. For more information about CENTURY 21 Discovery you may call (714) 626-2000.

Questions To Ask at the Listing Appointment

By Joe Lins
January 21, 2024

Selling a home is a big decision that involves various factors. For some sellers, this may be the first time they’ve sold a home. As the professional, you will need to ask questions and guide them through this often emotional and stressful process. When meeting with a potential seller make sure to ask them these questions before they decide to put their home on the market:

Real estate agent talking to clients at her desk

Why do you want to move?

Ask them what is triggering the move. Are they downsizing, upsizing, relocating for work? Understanding their “Why” will help in your communications with them.

How much equity do you have in your home?

You will need to ask your Seller some questions that may be considered a bit personal. To find out how much equity they have in their home you need to prepare a net sheet for them. To do this, you will need to ask if they have a mortgage or any other liens on the home.

Are you prepared to get your home ready to sell?

An important part of selling a home is getting it ready to be put on the market. You as well as the seller want the home to look it’s best to potential buyers in order to get top dollar. A simple question asking if they are prepared to make updates to the home to get it ready to sell is an important part of the listing appointment. If necessary, ask if they will be able to make any home improvements or repairs needed. Remember to ask about home staging and if they want the home staged, as well as how much they are willing to pay for that service. It’s a good idea to have tiered levels of home staging pricing to meet every budget and situation.

Are there any Legal or Regulatory considerations?

Ask them if there are any legal obligations or disclosures that will need to addressed when selling the home. Make sure to ask if they have all the necessary paperwork and documents in order. You may need to refer them to their attorney or accountant for some of the information.

What is your timeline?

You will need to know their timeline for selling and moving out. This will dictate how flexible they are with closing dates and potential contingencies. Also, make sure to ask if they have made plans for their new housing situation after the sale. Offer to assist them in finding a new place if they are not already working with another agent.

Having these questions ready to go in a Word or Google Doc to print out, will make your job easier as you go off to a listing appointment. Taking the time to ask these questions at the beginning will set the stage for a smooth transaction and more successful home-selling experience for everyone.