Tidying Up for the New Year

By CRMLS

The way you start 2024 will be different from how you started 2023.

As we're now in the thick of autumn, it's commonplace for some real estate professionals to see a general slowing in business, so it's a great time to consider the actions you can take to end a year’s worth of work on a positive note. It’s a bit like an early New Year’s resolution, but one that you’re vowing to accomplish before the calendar flips. Let's use the opportunity to take stock, reflect, and plan for our impending future. Here are some ways to clean up after 2023 and look towards 2024 with a refreshed mindset.

Real estate is a dynamic industry; change is the only constant; and this year has featured some real doozies, from market shifts to inventory issues, to legal challenges, and more. So much more! As your MLS, we recommend going back through the year’s news and changes, to not only recap it for yourself, but to reflect on how your business may have changed since last January (a great way to start is to go over your collection of OC REALTOR® magazine, wink wink). The way you start 2024 will be different from how you started 2023.

Getting a picture of the year’s market changes will help you understand not just what has happened, but what could be coming. Market trends, like all trends, work in cycles, and knowing the past can better prepare us for the future. Most importantly, it will keep us from repeating the same mistakes. It's the same thing your high school history teacher was always going on about.

Take some time to review the year's markets and the associated data. We offer a product solution called InfoSparks that is a great way to succinctly gather all the data you need. It'll also help to have it on hand for when clients start coming in at the top of 2024. You'll be prepared to show them just what things look like in your area.

On a more personal level, you can also take stock of your own dealings and review what your transactions and sales looked like. Be self-critical, take a measurement of yourself, and figure out how you can build from here. Our MLS system will allow you to easily search through your listings and see how your business looked this past year. Plus, the Knowledgebase on go.crmls.org stores more details on getting the most out of your MLS system's functionalities.

Lastly, it’s important to take a second and think about not just the numbers, but the people you’ve worked with, for, and near this past year. Real estate is a business all about managing connections and relationships, and there's great opportunity in the fall and winter seasons (or at least as wintry as Orange County gets) to reconnect. Maybe consider sending holiday greetings to stay in touch with your clients and expand your network. It doesn’t need to be anything major, but a little bit of communication can go a long way.

If you’ve had a particularly busy year (like so many of us have), take a moment to pause and show some gratitude to whoever has helped you along. Maybe it’s an officemate, maybe it’s a client who referred you, but whoever it may be, tying up your year with a little bit of heart will help you greet the next year with a smile.

Overall, the end of the year is a great time to remind yourself how far you’ve actually come. Nothing in this business is a given and it's easy to get bogged down in it, but you made it through one more year as a proud REALTOR®. That deserves a pat on the back, even if it's from your own hand. Take a breath from all the craziness, enjoy something flavored with cinnamon, and look back on all the things you've accomplished.

Who knows what the next year will bring? We're sure you've already got some big plans and ambitions. CRMLS is hard at work to bring more new products and services to all our users, and we look forward to debuting them to you. Before we get cracking on all our future plans, we are taking that moment to be thankful for all that’s happened in 2023.

Be well, have a safe holiday season, and we’ll see you at work in 2024!