When the market slows, most people freeze. The smart ones build.
That’s the theme that ran through a recent BAM interview between Byron Lazine and Michael Valdes, CEO of LPT International and the former eXp executive who helped scale that company from 20,000 to nearly 90,000 agents worldwide.
Here’s what both would tell you: today’s housing slowdown is temporary, but the groundwork you lay now will determine whether you dominate the next market surge, or get buried by it.
As Valdes put it, “2026 is going to be an incredible year for the agents that prepare now.”
This is how to make sure you’re one of them.
The Cycles Always Come Back
If you’ve been in real estate long enough, you’ve seen the movie before. The booms bring easy listings, fast buyers, and inflated egos. The busts bring humility. They also bring opportunity.
Valdes reminded Lazine that 2008 and 2009 were, surprisingly, his best years ever in real estate.
“You have to figure out who the buyer is now,” he said. “The price is determined by the market, not you. The moment ego enters the room, you lose.”
He pivoted from selling multimillion-dollar penthouses to representing investment funds snapping up distressed properties. While others waited for conditions to improve, he adapted to what the market was offering.
That’s the first lesson: stop waiting for the storm to pass. Start learning how to operate in it.
Why “Waiting It Out” Is a Losing Strategy
As Lazine noted, a lot of today’s agents are hesitating to take listings because of the upfront costs and longer days on market. But Valdes pushed back. In his view, inventory is power.
“You want the listings,” he said. “Because when the boom returns, you want to be the one controlling the conversation.”
Waiting for things to “go back to normal” is a form of denial. There is no going back, only forward. The agents who maintain consistency during the low points will already be in position when activity picks up.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Stick to your routine. Prospect daily, even when conversions lag.
- Track your progress. Focus on effort-based goals (contacts, follow-ups, videos posted) instead of outcomes you can’t control.
- Stay visible. When competitors go quiet, your consistency compounds.
Success in a slow market isn’t about surviving. It’s about being remembered.
The Psychology of Staying Consistent When Results Lag
Momentum is psychological. During downturns, it’s easy to equate low production with failure. But consistency is what bridges market cycles.
Valdes compared the agents who thrived during COVID to those who didn’t. Many of the latter were “order takers,” not business builders.
“They saw eight offers by dinner time and thought that was skill,” he said. “But when the shift came, they didn’t know how to work the market.”
If you want longevity, focus on skill development instead of short-term gratification. Use the downtime to master pricing conversations, objection handling, and negotiation.
- Study market data weekly.
- Record your listing presentations.
- Join masterminds that challenge your assumptions.
Slow seasons are where you refine your craft while everyone else rests on reputation.
Build Brand Equity While the Competition Sleeps
With the industry consolidating and luxury brands blurring together, your personal brand is the only one you can control.
Valdes put it this way:
“If you haven’t built your own brand, then the card you carry matters more than it should.”
Now is the time to make sure clients know who you are and what you stand for, regardless of brokerage. Audit your online presence, update your bio, and start producing content that speaks directly to your audience.
To build durable brand equity:
- Block time each week for content creation, market updates, or client education.
- Use video to simplify complex market stories; transparency builds trust.
- Reinvest at least 10% of your income into marketing, education, or systems that enhance your visibility.
- Create a “market prep checklist” that covers CRM clean-up, follow-up scripts, and lead-nurture campaigns.
As Valdes told Lazine, “You can’t build a future on a borrowed brand.”
Prepare for the 2026 Boom
When Lazine asked what 2026 could look like, Valdes put it simply:
“I think 2026 is going to be an incredible year for the agents that prepare now,” he said. “You prepare for the boom in the bust and the other way around.”
He described today’s environment as a “suppression of transactions,” but emphasized that cycles always normalize. Those who treat this as their build phase by strengthening systems, investing in content, and reconnecting with clients will own the next upturn.
The playbook is simple, though not easy:
- Reinvest, even when it hurts. The ad dollars and hours you put in now will pay off exponentially later.
- Track local indicators, including inventory shifts, mortgage rate trends, and price cuts, so you can speak with authority before everyone else catches on.
- Educate instead of sell. Market leadership comes from clarity, not hype.
To further Valdes’s point, Lazine offered this analogy:
“It’s expensive to buy Tesla stock today. But it wasn’t ten years ago.”
That’s how the next cycle works. When 2026 hits, everyone will want back in. But by then, the top producers will already have built the systems, audience, and brand equity that make them impossible to catch.
The agents who build in the bust will own the boom.
