Happy Agent Co. — Real Estate Podcast for Women hosted by Lindsay Dreyer, Real Estate Coach

Real Estate Success in Messy Markets

• Lindsay Dreyer

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Let’s be real: the market is messy right now. Buyers are stalling, sellers are nervous, rates are up, and confusion is everywhere. But guess what? You can still grow, still serve, and still win—even when things feel uncertain. In this episode, Lindsay gives you the ultimate pep talk and tactical game plan for staying grounded, strategic, and successful in any market cycle.

You’ll learn how to step fully into your CEO energy and lead with clarity, calm, and confidence—because messy markets don’t break great agents, they build them.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why predicting the market is not your job (and what is)
  • The mindset shift that builds your confidence
  • How to talk to clients when you’re not sure what’s coming next
  • What to say in market updates that builds trust and authority
  • Simple questions to pull you out of a spiral and back into action
  • Why messy markets are the perfect time to refine your systems
  • How to double down on strategy, not stress

This episode is your reminder that you are the constant in a messy market—and your clients are counting on that.

Let's stay connected!

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📲 Let's Connect on Instagram or Facebook – Daily tips, inspiration, and behind-the-scenes of what it really takes to create success with joy.

Speaker 1:

Hey, hey, it's Lindsay, and today we are diving into something a lot of agents are thinking about, but not enough people are talking about with honesty, which is what do you do when the market feels messy? We are 100% in the mess right now, and we are talking about when buyers are pausing their searches, sellers are hesitating, listings are sitting on, the market Rates are up and down roller coaster, the stock market is super scary. Add on top of that the battle between all of the players with clear cooperation, and everything is feeling a little uncertain. But here's the thing At first, I want you to know you are not alone, and second, you are not powerless. There are still things that we can do. So today I'm going to break down how to lead your business like the CEO that you are, because we are all about stepping into your CEO era at Happy Agent Co. When the economy feels like a giant question mark, what do we do? We're going to talk about what actually matters when the market is messy how to talk to your clients without sounding unsure or shaky, and how to focus on what you can actually control. The first point I want to dive into is that you do not need to predict. You do not have to have a crystal ball, you just need to be prepared. No one knows exactly what's going to happen with this market Not the experts, not the economists, not even your broker. So let's just take that pressure off of our shoulders. We are not real estate psychics as much as I would love to be one, that would be incredible. Your job is not to predict the market. Your job is to guide your clients through the market, and that starts with getting calm, clear and confident in yourself.

Speaker 1:

You probably know that real estate is always cyclical. I have been in the real estate industry since 2004. And it is always going through something. It is like always dealing with some kind of upset or downturn or upswing. So it isn't new, it is just uncomfortable. I really think one of the biggest strengths of top producing real estate agents is that they are resilient and that they embrace change and they embrace the chaos. So just keep that in mind. It is never going to stay the same, because as soon as you feel stable, something's going to change. So you really need to get used to playing through all of the change that's happening.

Speaker 1:

Keep in mind people buy and sell in all markets hot markets, down markets, I know in 2008. When the mortgage markets absolutely collapsed, affordability came back to the Washington DC area and first-time buyers were back in full swing and I built a business completely off of that. So people are buying and selling in all markets. You just need to figure out who those people are. The other thing is you need to know your market inside and out. This is where previewing property, knowing market data, really knowing what's going on is so crucial. I don't know about you, but the markets that I'm active in it is very pocket by pocket dependent, so we have sub markets and then sub sub markets. So maybe it's condominiums in a certain price point versus single family homes in a certain price point versus single family homes in a certain price point. Those can be wildly different in terms of market data. So really knowing your market inside and out can help you build a resilient business and not just a reactive one, Not only because you have good information, but it's also because you can chase where the activity is.

Speaker 1:

Here's the thing Fear loves vagueness, so the more specific you can get, the more informed you are, the more clear you are, and from clarity comes confidence. Point number two to do when the market is messy is talk to your people. Don't hide from them. The worst thing you can do when things are feeling uncertain is to go quiet. Your clients think you are the expert, so they want to hear from you. They want the real talk, they want your take on the market. They want your leadership, and the best definition I have ever heard of leadership is your job is to remove fear and confusion. Whether you lead people, whether you are leading your clients, removing that fear and removing confusion is the best thing you can do. So how do you do that? The number one thing is to be the voice of facts and strategy, not panic. And this goes back to point number one, which is know your shit. People need concrete information to make good decisions. So in removing that fear and confusion, you need to know what's going on and you need to be able to advise on strategies that are best for your clients.

Speaker 1:

Example here's what we're seeing in the market. Here's what this means for you. Here's what we can do about it. I love using Real Talk weekly market updates. This is not just days on market percent price increase, no, it's really breaking it down into plain talk language about what it means for you. So an example in the DC market, the months of inventory are going up in the condo market. So that is a very interesting stat that we can break down to our client. For example, a balanced market is six months of inventory. That means buyers and sellers have equal standing position in the market. So right now, the condo market is at six months of inventory. So that means that it's neither a buyer or a seller market. But that means that our strategy for listing a condo needs to be on point. We need to be priced properly, we need to be prepped properly, we need to be staged and we need to market this appropriately to our target markets. So that's an example of taking some market stats and then breaking it down into. Here's what we're seeing. Here's what it means for you. Here's what we can actually do about it. You can also do this in client stories. You can tell stories of your client's experience in the market. Or you can do short videos, which are always great. Not only can we use those on social media Instagram, YouTube shorts but you can use those in your email newsletters as well. You can repurpose all that information but really being a translator of what's going on in the news, the media, the market statistics, to remove that fear and confusion goes a long way. I like to say that I'm not here to sugarcoat anything, but I'm here to guide you in this market and I've got your back. And that's really what clients want from us. They don't want to be lied to. They just want to be told the truth and they want honest facts and strategy on how they can be successful in this market.

Speaker 1:

My third tip for surviving a messy market is focus on what you can actually control. There is so much we don't control as real estate agents. We can't control interest rates, unfortunately oh my gosh, I wish I could. Can we go back to 3%? You cannot control the Fed. You can't control the federal government. You can't control the stock market. What you can control your daily habits, how you are showing up in your business. You can control your marketing and your messaging. You can control your follow-up. You can control your content. You can control your mindset and you can control your offers that you are submitting. These are things that you can actually control.

Speaker 1:

So the next time you find yourself spiraling, ask yourself is this something that I can do anything about? And if it is not, it probably isn't worth your energy because it is just messing with your mindset. So if you're feeling stuck, here's a question I like to ask myself what is one thing I can take action on today that supports my business long term I can take action on today that supports my business long term. It can be anything, but this is how you build resilience, this is how you protect your peace and this is how you get through a messy market by controlling what you can control and really just putting the rest aside. Yes, we have to pay attention to what's going on to some extent. We need to know market statistics, we need to know unemployment trends, we need to know what's going on with the federal government, the stock market. Yes, you generally need to know that information. But there's a difference between being informed and being a doom scroller. And when you find yourself getting into that mindset of negative doom scrolling, take a pause, breathe and then focus on one thing that supports your business in the long term.

Speaker 1:

My fourth tip is double down on your strategies and your systems. Uncertainty or slow times or messy times are the best times to get organized. And why is that? Because when things feel unstable externally, stability internally becomes your superpower. It becomes something that you can actually lean on. So this is your moment to do some cleanup, do some systems, get some strategy in order. We're going to clean up your follow-up systems. So review all of those drip campaigns to clean up your follow-up systems. So review all of those drip campaigns. Clean up your CRM. Figure out if people have moved. I know you have some people in there that need their contact record updated. It happens. Get updated mailing addresses for people. Revamp your listing or buyer packets.

Speaker 1:

This is a really great opportunity to maybe add some information about the current market. Maybe you need to update some of your slides or your templates. Also, it might be time to rethink your messaging, because I know so many of us had hot market, limited inventory and things are possibly shifting in your market, so maybe we need to figure out how you're updating your messaging for this new messy market that we're in. The other thing is potentially automating your market, so maybe we need to figure out how you're updating your messaging for this new messy market that we're in. The other thing is potentially automating your marketing. This might be a fun time to dive into AI and see how it can help your business.

Speaker 1:

Here's the thing Stability is built in your back end and slow times are perfect for working on your business, because you are not putting out fires all the time necessarily. You are able to build calm into your business when you are working on your systems and your strategy. So let's recap when the market is feeling messy, here are my tips to stay sane. You do not need to predict. You need to be prepared because your clients are relying on you. Tip two talk to your people. Do not hide from them. They want your guidance because they are also scared and confused. So the best thing you can do is remove that fear and confusion by using your brain, by using those market stats, by using your marketing, by getting out there and controlling the narrative.

Speaker 1:

My third tip focus on what you can actually control, and this is a big one, because there's so much that we cannot control. Yes, we are on that roller coaster ride of real estate, but you absolutely have control over things and you need to make sure that you are focusing on the things that are going to support your business for the long term. The fourth tip is double down on your systems and your strategy. So this is a great time to get organized. Also, just revisit all of the pieces of your business your messaging, your marketing, your systems, your buyer packets, your templates.

Speaker 1:

Get in there, Build some calm into your business, Because when you're working on something you actually can control, it builds calm and it builds that confidence. So if you have been feeling wobbly, let me just say that is completely understandable, because we are in a very messy time and a very messy market right now. But I want you to hear this loud and clear you are the constant for your clients in this messy market. Your presence, your energy, your leadership that is what your clients are going to remember and that is what they are going to be leaning on. So get focused on what matters, simplify what doesn't and show up daily Work on your business. Get in there, make yourself better, because this is the best time to become a master of your real estate craft.

Speaker 1:

Messy markets make great agents, because we all know the market will shift. It will never stay the same. There's always going to be something that is messing with you, whether it's high interest rates, the economy, unemployment but you, you are grounded because you know what you can control and you are there to remove fear and confusion. And you're also a happy agent and happy agents are resilient. They outlast the other agents because they know how to focus on what matters when the market is a mess. So I hope that this was a little pep talk that you needed. It is easy to feel defeated. It is easy to feel like you are a victim of the market, but I want you to know that you are not. People buy and sell in all markets and you just need to find them and you need to take good care of them. So if you have an agent that you know who needs this pep talk, please feel free to share it with them and until next time, stay happy.

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Lindsay Dreyer

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