5 Things Your Broker Is Too Nice to Say (But You Need to Hear Anyway)

Is a tough real estate market the right time for some tough love? It is if you're using the market as an excuse to be complacent, says Jimmy Burgess, CEO of BHHS Beach Properties of Florida.

"One of the most important things we can do is have people be real with us right now when the transaction is a little more difficult to come along," Burgess says. "Now is the time that you need somebody that's going to be honest with you, that's going to call you out on a few things."

Burgess shares a little tough love in the video below — five things you may not be hearing from your broker, but need to if you're going to thrive in the current market.

Read on for a bit of wisdom distilled from each of Burgess' five points (plus a few extras from us):

1. The Market Is Tougher, You're Getting Softer

When the real estate market rockets up like it has in recent years, it's easy to "get a false sense that we're better than we are. We can begin to just kind of accept what comes to us instead of going and making it happen."

The fix? Be proactive instead of reactive. Make calls, host open houses, cultivate a geographic farm if you aren't already.

2. You're Blaming the Market and Your Broker for Your Failure Instead of Taking Responsibility and Doing the Work

Ever find yourself falling back on excuses like these to explain lackluster performance? "If my split was just higher," "If I just had more support from a marketing team," "If I just did these things…"

The fix? Stop the excuses and realize that you're in control of your situation and take responsibility for your own success. Are you truly unhappy at your current brokerage? Don't wallow — consider switching.

3. You're Not Facing Your Fears

Are you letting your fear hold you back — the fear of being hung up on, the fear of what you look like on video, the fear of putting yourself out there and trying something new?

The fix? Stop playing small. "Those that push past their fears right now when everybody else is freezing or they're stalling or they're not sure what to do those are the people that are setting themselves up not just for success now, but to have a business that continues to grow not if, but when, [the market] takes off."

4. You're Reacting Incorrectly to Adversity

Some people freeze when faced with adversity. The successful, however, recognize adversity as an opportunity.

The fix? While other agents are pulling back, recognize that "now is the time to understand adversity creates opportunities to build long-term relationships." Turn to your database to deepen relationships and build business that bears fruit in future.

5. You've Got to Do Different Things to Get Different Results

"What got you success in the past is not going to get you success going forward," says Burgess.

The fix? "Hard work is absolutely 100% undefeated. If you'll work harder this year, if you'll take more action, if you'll do new things, you're going to get new and different results." This can include leveraging your MLS's public records system to find listing leads, texting, trying a new-to-you source of lead generation, and more.

The Road Ahead

Tough love doesn't have to be painful, and it doesn't necessarily even require big changes. Instead, Burgess says, "if you can just make a small adjustment, it can change everything and make sure that you're one of those people [who] is thriving, not just surviving, during this time."

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