Greenspan: Not everyone deserves to be in this business, and 2026 will make that clear

If 2025 has taught us anything, it’s this: the market won’t save you. Organized real estate won’t save you. And AI certainly won’t save you.

What will?

Your mentality. Your work ethic. Your professionalism. Your willingness to invest in yourself. Your ability to evolve.

But too many people in this industry don’t want to hear that, and that’s exactly why so many of them need to leave.

This industry is overcrowded – and it’s hurting the good guys

Let’s face it: our industry is full of people who should never have been here in the first place.

People who don’t call back.
People who don’t know the contracts.
People who think marketing is placing an ad and praying.
People who get into the business to ‘get rich quick’ and then blame the market when that fantasy collapses.

These substances are not harmless. They are not neutral. They actively damage the reputation of the entire profession.

They’re the reason some consumers ask, “What do I need a real estate agent for anyway?”
They are the reason discount brokers thrive.
They are the reason professionalism is questioned.

And they are the reason why the good agents, the ones who grind, who learn, who stand up for their clients, are forced to share a playing field with people who treat this industry like a hobby.

It’s time for a cleaning. Not out of hate. Not out of ego. But because the future of this industry depends on separating the professionals from the pretenders.

The optics are ugly – and they hurt us all

Let’s not ignore the elephant in the room: the online complaining, the infighting, the public fights between agents and associations – it’s getting embarrassing.

Every time another “industry leader” takes a shot at another board, organization, or association, or when agents shade each other in the comments, or when the media covers yet another organized real estate scandal, public trust is undermined.

Do you think homeowners don’t see this?

Do you think the average buyer or seller doesn’t see all this happening and wonder, “Why would I pay these people tens of thousands of dollars to sell my house?”

This kind of negativity – from one agent to another, from one broker to another, and from the top down – damages our collective credibility. It’s no wonder the public questions our worth. We do it to ourselves.

If you spend more time ranting on social media than refining your value proposition, improving your follow-up system, or improving your skills, then you’re part of the problem. Point.

Do you want to be a real professional? Then act like one. That means:

• Stop airing dirty laundry in public. Use your energy to educate customers and not to drag the sector through the mud.
• Support positive leadership. Back off when decisions don’t serve members, but do it in a constructive way, not with petty politics.
• Protect the reputation of your profession. If we don’t clean up our image, consumers shall find alternatives. They already are.

Unity does not mean that you agree with everything. It means that we fight together for a better industry, and not against each other.

Weak leadership at the top doesn’t help

This problem does not only occur on the street. Some of it also comes from the top.

There are leaders in the organized real estate industry who make decisions that benefit themselves more than the members.

Boards and associations remained stuck in the past for decades. Policies designed to maintain control rather than advance the profession. Executives who talk about ‘the future of real estate’ without once consulting the people who are actually in the trenches.

Meanwhile, the people in the trenches, the ones doing the work, making the calls and negotiating the deals, are left to figure it out on their own.

This discrepancy between leadership and reality is increasing. And if this continues, the industry will not only struggle; it will break.

Real estate does not fail from the bottom up. It fails from the top down when those in power stop listening and those at the grassroots stop demanding better.

The biggest problem? Too many officers think they know everything

Let’s talk about mentality.

Want to know the biggest difference between the cops who crush it and the ones who barely survive?

The winners know they don’t know everything, so they keep learning. The struggling officers think they know everything, so they don’t.

Too many agents think:

• “I don’t need any guidance.”
• “I don’t need any training.”
• “I can Google everything for free.”
• “I don’t need systems.”
• “I’m fine. I got this.”

No, you don’t.

If you haven’t invested in sharpening your skills, expanding your business knowledge, or improving your systems, you won’t save money. You’re losing money that you haven’t even earned yet.

This industry is changing too quickly to only reach coastal areas. And those who refuse to evolve? They are the ones who have to go.

There is still good news: if you are willing to work

Now let’s talk about the people who should stay.

The professionals. The students of the game. Those who show up, who communicate, who follow up, who invest in themselves, who want to be better for their clients and better for their families.

The future of real estate belongs to them.

Because while the unprepared are panicking, those who are prepared are making plans. While the weak blame, the strong build. While the industry is saturated with noise, the professionals rise above it by doing what most don’t.

And here’s the real point:

2026 will not reward hope. It will reward the preparation.

So let’s get ready – really

December is not the time to ‘kiss’. It’s not the time to relax. It’s time to design your entire 2026.

Not in January. Not if the market wakes up. Right now!

This is what real business planning looks like:

1. Check your grades

No vibrations. No guesses. Actual income, actual expenses, actual ROI. If you don’t know where your business comes from, you can’t grow it.

2. Build your marketing budget

Marketing is not optional. Marketing is oxygen. Use last year’s data to allocate real dollars to:

• Database communications
• Social content
• Lead generation
• Building brand
• Community events

Then commit monthly, not ‘when things get better’.

3. Create your marketing plan

What is your message? Who is your audience? What platforms will you appear on? How often? Consistency beats creativity every time. You need to build mindshare to get more market share.

4. Define your business and personal goals

You’re not building a business. You design a life. Overview:

• Production targets
• Income Goals
• Lifestyle goals
• Health goals
• Relationship goals

Then plan your time accordingly.

5. Map your daily actions

Big goals don’t matter. Daily action though. What should you do every day to achieve more success?

• To call to action
• Follow-up actions
• Prospecting
• Database hits
• Online visibility

This is where the winners separate themselves from the pretenders.

2026 is among those prepared

If this industry is to survive and thrive, we need fewer egos and more professionals. Fewer pretenders and more leaders. Fewer agents doing the bare minimum, and more agents raising the bar for everyone.

If you’re reading this and nodding, congratulations, you’re on the right side of the line.

And if anything in this article stings a little? Good! Growth only happens when the truth strikes a chord. Next year is coming, whether you’re ready for it or not.

The question is: are you one of the officers who survives…or one of the professionals who dominate it?

The choice is yours.

I wish you and yours a very happy and safe holiday season, and nothing but the best for the year ahead!