The new year is approaching fast, and with it comes fresh opportunities and new challenges. For real estate agents, 2026 promises continued market shifts, evolving client expectations and intensifying competition.
The question isn’t whether change is coming; it’s whether you’re ready for it.
Audit your 2025 performance
Before charging into 2026 with new goals and ideas, successful agents know the value of looking back. Conducting an honest audit of your 2025 performance isn’t about dwelling on mistakes.
Rather, it should be about analysing your performance throughout the year to gain insights that can give you even more of a competitive edge.
Review your wins and losses
Start by analysing what actually worked. Which marketing channels delivered the most qualified leads?
Were referrals your strongest source, or did open homes convert better than expected?
Equally important is acknowledging what fell short. Maybe you ran an expensive ad campaign that failed to deliver the expected results.
Or maybe there were listings that didn’t move due to pricing miscalculations.
Both successes and failures can hold valuable insights, the evidence of which can be used to refine and strengthen your 2026 strategy.
Identify skills gaps
An honest self-assessment of your professional capabilities can be tricky, but it’s essential for growth. Are you maximizing digital marketing opportunities, or do Google Ads and SEO still feel intimidating?
How confident are you in high-stakes negotiations when multiple agents are competing for the same listing? Is your social media presence polished and consistent, or sporadic and unfocused?
Identifying these gaps early gives you a critical advantage.
You’ll have time to enrol in targeted courses or workshops, seek mentorship from top performers, or invest in training programs before the spring market heats up.
Build resilience for market uncertainty
A number of things could impact the market in 2026, including interest rates, market affordability, and initiatives like the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme.
Planning ahead for various scenarios can help you ensure your real estate business remains resilient, even if the market unexpectedly shifts.
Invest in client relationships
Repeat business and referrals are the foundation of sustainable success, yet many agents treat past clients as closed files.
But your existing client network could become your most valuable asset.
You can begin to instigate client retention strategies that can provide you with repeat future business. Schedule regular check-ins with past clients to see how they’re settling in or how their investment is performing.
Send quarterly market updates demonstrating your continued expertise and local knowledge. Remember property purchase anniversaries with a thoughtful message or small gift.
These small but meaningful gestures can help to keep you top of mind with your clients – and strong relationships create stability regardless of external market conditions.
Strengthen your business foundations
The difference between agents who build sustainable success and those who struggle often comes down to infrastructure—the behind-the-scenes systems and protections that support growth when opportunity strikes and provide stability when challenges emerge.
Update your business plan
If you haven’t revisited your business plan since last year, now’s the time. If your business plan hasn’t been reviewed since last year, it’s already outdated.
Start by setting concrete, measurable goals for 2026, such as revenue targets, listing numbers, client retention rates and market expansion.
Next, review your business structure. Analyse profit margins across your service offerings and identify which activities generate genuine profit versus those that simply keep you busy.
Budget realistically for the upcoming year, including things like marketing campaigns, technology subscriptions, professional development and operational costs.
Review your insurance policies
Preparing for the business shutdown period and gearing up for the new year can be a stressful time for many businesses, including real estate agencies.
But in the lead up to 2026, don’t overlook your insurance policies.
Reviewing your insurance policies on a regular basis can help to make sure you aren’t overlooking any insurance gaps, and that you’re not paying more than you need to.
- Professional Indemnity insurance: Depending on where you’re based, you may be legally required to hold Professional Indemnity insurance in order to operate as a real estate agent. For example, NSW requires a minimum level of indemnity coverage of not less than $1 million for any one claim¹; and not less than $3 million in the aggregate.
However, even if it’s not a legal requirement, Professional Indemnity insurance may still be worth considering, as it is designed to respond to claims against businesses for losses as a result of actual or alleged negligent acts or omissions in the provision of professional service or advice. - Public Liability insurance: Do you work out of a public office, or meet clients in public? Then you may wish to consider Public Liability insurance. This covers you if a third-party claim that your negligent business activities caused them injury
or property damage.
- Cyber Liability insurance: Real estate agents make prime targets for cybercriminals, which is why you may wish to consider Cyber Liability insurance. This type of insurance covers losses from claims arising from data breaches, business interruption and remediation costs following an actual or threatened data breach.
- Management Liability insurance: Many real estate agents choose Management Liability insurance as part of a Business Insurance Package. This covers claims of wrongful acts in the management of the insured business and can include directors and officers liability, employment practices liability, crime, statutory liability and tax audit.
- Theft insurance: This is another type of insurance commonly taken out by agents as part of a Business Insurance Package. Theft insurance covers you against loss of contents and stock as well as damage to your business premises, as a result of theft or attempted theft involving forcible or violent entry from your business premises.
Prepare for 2026 and review your insurance today
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Visit BizCover.com.au to quote and compare insurance policies today.
This information is general only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It should not be relied upon as advice. As with any insurance, cover will be subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions contained in the policy wording or Product Disclosure Statement (available on our website). The scenarios described are for illustrative purposes and do not guarantee coverage or outcomes. Coverage is subject to the terms, conditions, and exclusions of the policy issued by the insurer. Please consider whether the advice is suitable for you before proceeding with any purchase. Target Market Determination document is also available (as applicable).
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Source¹: https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/noindex/2025-06/professional-indemnity-insurance-information-sheet-september-2022.pdf
