The 3 Mistakes I See Agents Making in This Market (And What to Do Instead)

🚨 New on YouTube

Most-Asked Agent Questions (& Answers) with RRI Coach Braden Wheatcroft

One of the advantages of my role is perspective.

I don’t just work in one market or with one group of agents. I’m in the trenches with over 300 RE/MAX agents on Vancouver Island, I coach agents across Canada through Richard Robbins International, and I stay connected with top agents all over North America.

Why does that matter?

Pattern recognition.

When Jaimie Robbins asked me on The Richard Robbins Show what the top mistakes are that I see agents making in today’s market, I didn’t have to guess. I had receipts.

Here are the 3 biggest missteps I’m seeing right now, one with buyers, one with sellers, and one in the way agents are running their business, along with how to course-correct if any of them sound familiar.

🏡 Buyer Mistake: Not Qualifying Buyers Properly

“There are a lot of people out there shopping who aren’t fully motivated or qualified. And in a market like this, it's mission-critical to work with the right-now buyers.”
— Braden Wheatcroft

Let’s be honest. Agents are spending way too much time with buyers who aren’t ready to buy. Not because they’re bad people, but because they’re in the research phase, not the decision phase.

The fix is to ask better questions early on.
A simple one to start with:

“If I showed you the perfect home today at a great price in your ideal neighbourhood, would you be ready to write an offer?”

If the answer is no, treat them accordingly. Educate them, nurture them, and stay in touch, but don’t confuse “future opportunity” with “now client.”

🏠 Seller Mistake: Unsustainable Listing Expenses

“If your listing strategy costs you money every month, like recurring staging fees, it becomes a disincentive to even get listings.”
— Braden Wheatcroft

It used to make sense to spend aggressively on each listing when homes were flying off the shelf in seven days or less. But in today’s market, listings are sitting, and those recurring expenses add up fast.

Take a hard look at your cost-per-listing, not just to onboard, but to maintain. If it’s eating into your profitability or making you hesitate to take on more listings, it’s time to streamline.

The goal is to build a lean, scalable listing strategy that still delivers value without draining your bottom line.

📈 Business Mistake: Avoiding Digital Marketing (or Mailing It In)

“If you're not showing up on people’s phones, you're invisible. Social media isn’t optional anymore.”
— Braden Wheatcroft

Too many agents still treat social media and digital marketing like it’s optional or only for the under-40 crowd.

It’s not.
It’s how people consume information, build trust, and choose who to work with.

Start simple. Start small. But most importantly, start.
Whether you’re 33 or 73, your ability to stay relevant is directly tied to your willingness to adapt. Digital marketing isn’t a trend, it’s a skill set.