Real Estate Systems Reset — Fix What Broke in 2025

Feeling scattered, reactive, or like you’re starting from scratch every transaction? You’re not broken — your systems are.

In this episode, we’re walking through a full CEO-level systems reset to help you:

• Identify what broke (and why) in 2025
• Understand the 4 levels of real estate business systems
• Set realistic systems as a newer agent (no fancy tools required)
• Simplify your weekly CEO habits, client experience, and marketing
• Fix your most frustrating system — step-by-step

This isn’t about making things prettier. It’s about making your business smoother, simpler, and more supportive in 2026.

Let’s clean it up — and build a business that actually works for you.

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Chapters

• 1:42 Holiday Chaos And Today’s Focus
• 3:15 Why Systems Break As You Grow
• 4:54 Spotting Red Flags In Your Business
• 6:51 The CEO Systems Pyramid Overview
• 7:11 Level 1: Foundational Habits
• 8:44 Level 2: Client Experience Tools
• 10:07 Level 3: Growth And Nurture Rhythms
• 11:36 Level 4: Delegation And Automation
• 13:02 Starter Kit For Newer Agents
• 15:18 Five Questions To Fix Any System
• 16:51 Real Examples: CRM And Updates

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:08

Hello, friends. Happy Christmas week for those who celebrate. I know it is like peak chaos in my house right now with my three kids. They are just rip roaring and ready to go. We are continuing our end of the year series, and today we are going to be talking about systems, which is literally like I just can't even express to you how much I love systems. They're like what keeps me grounded and keeps me running. So I want you to look back on your 2025, and how many times did you say, oh, I meant to follow up with that person, but I forgot yet again, or they fell through the cracks? My CRM is not updated. I was not consistent in my marketing. I just posted when I felt like it, or I just sent something when I felt like it, or every transaction felt like I was winging it, or like I was starting from scratch. And if you have said anything of this nature to yourself, it is a red flag or a little hint that you need some systems. And it is not your fault. No one really teaches real estate agents how to build systems. Like we focus so much in this industry on lead generation and marketing that we do not talk about systems and how to build support so you can show up consistently in your business and not lose your mind while doing it. So today I am going to give you a CEO level systems reset to clean up maybe what's broken, definitely rework what's clunky, and hopefully make 2026 feel smoother, lighter, and more supported, which is what we're all about. I want to talk about why systems break in the first place. So if your business felt clunky in any areas or exhausting or maybe reactionary, there is a reason. Systems typically break, or the need for systems typically arises when you grow, when you grow faster than expected, or maybe you're in a season of your life that's draining your time and your energy. Like you had a new baby. Maybe you have to take care of an aging parent. Maybe you're just burned out from growing faster than you expected, or could just be moving. Like maybe you actually physically moved. So whatever caused your bandwidth to be limited, that is a place where systems can sometimes break. Maybe you've been working too much in your business and not on your business, which happens to so many real estate agents. Like we're putting out fires, we are dealing with like the client stuff that comes up. Um, the other is that you've never built a rhythm, you haven't built a cadence, you haven't built a routine, and you're just running on fight or flight. You're just winging it by the seat of your pants. Um, or honestly, what I was saying earlier was like, we just have never learned what a real system even looks like. And that's not your fault. Like you just haven't been taught. And I feel like systems aren't necessarily something that reflects your worth, but they're just a reflection of like the season of life you're in. Like sometimes you need them more than other seasons, and that's totally fine. And they're something that you're always going to be tweaking. So before we fix anything, we have to name it and dive into it. So I want you to ask yourself in 2025, what felt chaotic? Just like what felt insane? Pants on fire, hair on fire in your business. Um, what did you keep avoiding? That's a really big one. Like, what did you keep procrastinating on? What kept coming up for you? Like I the shoulds? What did you should all over yourself about? Like, I oh, I should do this, and then it just never happens. Um, what did what kept slipping through the cracks? Again, this kind of leans back to shoulds, but no matter how many times you promised you would do it or you'd fix it, it just didn't happen. Or what felt like you were doing it for the first time every single time? So here's some of the common culprits that I see with real estate agents is this is where basically your systems are breaking down. It could be your lead follow-up, your CRM habits. So either using it or keeping it up to date, content batching, showing up consistently with your marketing, um, transaction management, that's a big one. Client communications, are they inconsistent, or is it just reactive, not proactive? Money tracking. So this could be mileage, your receipts, your profit and loss. Um, how about just time blocking or time management? Like really just figuring out when you can show up for your business. And again, I'm not a huge fan of time blocking in the traditional sense, but like making time for the things that are important in your business when working on your business. And then lastly, delegation. Maybe it just was non-existent, or maybe you didn't delegate enough. So, really taking a look at these areas because this is typically where you are going to see that you need systems. I want to introduce you to the concept of the CEO systems pyramid. There are four levels. So the first level is foundational systems, second level is client experienced systems, level three is your growth systems, and level four is your scaling systems. So let's get into each one of those. Level one foundational systems, these are your lifelines. These are really what is going to keep you on track on your day-to-day, your week to week, your month to month. So there are four things that I highly recommend. It's your weekly CEO hour. If you can only do 30 minutes, that's totally fine. But this is where you are going to review all of the different aspects of your business, your pipeline, your leads, whatever is going to keep you on top of your business for that week. If you can't do it weekly, do it monthly. But having intentional time to work on your business, not in your business, is crucial. The next foundational system is money. Money check in. So this is reviewing your profit and loss. This is all the stuff we talked about in the money episode. So if you want to go back two episodes, you can go do that one. But checking in on your money. The other is reviewing your calendar. Like, where did it get away from you? Where do you have pockets of time? Um, where do you need to show up? Like, what's important for you to show up and making time for that? So reviewing your calendar. And then my favorite is a weekly planning ritual. So this is outside of your CEO hour, but this is taking time on Sunday night or Monday morning and intentionally planning your week every single week. This has been something I've done for years, and it honestly really helps me show up consistently and not like my hair is on fire in my life and my business. Now, level two of the pyramid is your client experience systems. So, this is what makes your service to your clients smooth and scalable. So, we're talking about having buyer guides, we're talking about having seller guides, CMA templates, or a way that you do your CMAs, anything that is a deliverable or enhances the experience to your client. This could also be showing templates, offer templates, literally anything that is templated or collateral or marketing that is part of your client experience. Also, templating, your weekly update emails, any kind of emails that you're sending to your client on a consistent basis, making sure you have those templates ready to roll. Also having an actual system for your post-close follow-up. This could include gifts if you want, but you at least have your check-in points in your calendar, in your CRM, whatever you're going to use to be organized. And then really just like any checklists. So this could be your buyer process, your seller process, but having all of those client experience systems in place so that every client gets the same consistent experience because that is really crucial to getting referral-based business. Now, level three of the pyramid is growth systems. And this is what keeps your pipeline full throughout the year. It removes that like peaks and valleys. Now, yes, we are always going to have seasonality in our business, but having a repeatable marketing rhythm is super important. And this is showing up consistently and making sure that if you commit to sending a monthly postcard, that monthly postcard is going out. If you are committing to a monthly or weekly newsletter, that newsletter is going out. So that is really important. Having that repeatable marketing plan for the year. The next is your hot, warm lead touch points. So having a process or a system for staying in touch with your pipeline, making sure that those people who have come in are being nurtured and you're really helping them get to the next logical step towards buying or selling a home. And then the other growth system is your referral system. So this is not getting referrals, this is acknowledging referrals. So this is your thank you system, your gratitude system, your VIP system. So anyone who sent me a referral is on my VIP list. And so my VIP list has a separate nurture plan or appreciation plan. So your growth systems are just as important as your client experience and also as your foundational. Now, level four of the pyramid is your scaling systems. So when you start to feel like you have too much business that you can't service at all, this is your support squad. So delegation, this is a big one. And you can start with one piece of marketing. You could start with hourly, you can start with whatever, but starting small is wonderful and it gives you practice. It gets your training wheels going on starting to release control. Now, this can be your marketing, transaction coordination, admin support. But delegation can also be showing agents. It can also be people who help you with inspections, it can be listing prep. Um, so like think about think through your business and really think about where could you start delegating that would not only free up your time and energy, but would help you show up consistently. I also think another piece of delegation or scaling systems are your automations. So this could be email sequences, it could be just data input. Um, with AI, I feel like there's so many things that are helpful with automation. Um, this obviously can get pretty advanced, but if there are any automations like your calendars, um, sending out birthday texts, sending out birthday cards, like explore automations because that can also help save so much time. So this is a quick pause for agents who are maybe newer in the business. So you may not know where to start with systems, and you maybe just haven't been taught to build your systems yet. So you might be like one or two or three years in the business, but here's where I want you to start. So this is your system starter kit. The first is you need to set aside your weekly CEO hour to work on your business. The next is just start trying to implement a really simple CRM habit. So this means entering all of your contacts and setting follow-ups. So start building that habit of using your CRM or even a spreadsheet. It could be as simple as a spreadsheet. Um, or if your brokerage provides a CRM, great, use that. The next is coming up with your simple buyer-seller process checklist. And there are so many out there, but making your own buyer-seller experience checklist is super important. And part of that can include those email templates that you can work on. The next is set a consistent marketing rhythm. Start with one thing, get consistent at it, and then add another thing. Newer agents, and I mean honestly, experienced agents tend to really just bite off more than they can chew. And so getting consistent with one thing, let's just say it's an email newsletter, really get consistent with that, and then add on maybe a monthly postcard, or maybe it's social media post. But getting consistent on your marketing is super crucial to building your systems. And then maybe a post-close touch point. So this could be your thank you for working with me, or like a check-in after they move. Um, but really getting something systematized, so like getting it so you're doing it consistently. If you haven't like picked this up, systems are really about just being consistent. Um, you do not need fancy. So you don't have to necessarily spend money, if at all, but it's really just about making sure that it's easy to repeat your process, like make it easy to show up consistently. Because once it is out of your head, that is when you can actually scale it and you can start really showing up on a consistent basis. All right. So let's get into the five questions that I like to ask on how we can fix something. So pick one system that frustrated you the most this year. Let's just say it's your CRM. So what actually broke? Like what happened? Did you just not use it? Um, why did it break? Why did that system break? And just be honest, maybe it's like you don't know how to use it. That is totally honest, and you need some training. What's the simplest fix? You gotta get some training and actually start using it. Maybe you can automate or templatize it. So ask yourself, can I automate this? Can I templatize it? And the fifth question is what can you delegate even if it's just part of it? Maybe there's someone you can outsource your CRM to. So the questions are what actually broke? Why did it break? What's the simplest fix? What can I automate or templatize? And then what can I delegate even if it's just a little part of it? Another example is client updates once they're under contract, or listings once you've signed a listing agreement and gone live. So what broke? There's no consistent client updates. And why did it break? You got busy. You forgot. You forgot. That is honestly like a big one. Um, what's the fix? Add a weekly update reminder to your calendar, like block a time where you're just gonna get it done. Um, what can you automate or templatize? Template it. Have a template that you literally just fill out, or you could send it via email or a video. Um, and then what can you delegate? Maybe you could delegate this to your TC if it's possible. I know a lot of TCs will provide those weekly updates. So this is how systems start. They're simple, they're repeatable, they're realistic. They are not necessarily complicated. And I think that that is, whenever people hear systems, they think, ugh, complicated, but it really is not. So I have some homework for you. Pick the most important system priority that you have for Q1 and really dive into how you are going to fix it because it really is just as simple as picking one piece of your business and making little baby steps and improving it. I mean, I am like 22 years almost into this business. And I will tell you, I am always tweaking, always refining my process. But having a process to tweak and refine is where you are going to get started. Systems are here to support you, not necessarily stress you out. And the more consistent and the more repeatable your business becomes, the more it frees you up to do other things, whether that's work on your business or honestly just enjoy your life. So let's go make 2026 more smooth, more systematic, and hopefully make you feel more like the CEO of your business.