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If you’re making business decisions based on news headlines and interest rate announcements, I need you to pause.
Take a breath.
And rethink how you’re running your real estate business.
I’ve seen too many agents riding the emotional rollercoaster of news cycles.
One day the headlines scream “Housing Market Crash!” The next day it’s “Record Home Sales!” And there you are, caught in the middle, unsure how to advise your clients or plan your business strategy.
But what if I told you there’s a better way? A path to clarity, confidence, and control that has nothing to do with what the talking heads are saying on TV?
Let me walk you through how building a data-driven real estate business changed everything for me — and how it can transform your business too.
The Problem: News Media Is Designed For Clicks, Not Facts
Let’s get real about something.
The news isn’t what you think it is.
News outlets don’t get paid for accuracy. They get paid for attention. For clicks. For views.
And what gets attention? Fear. Dramatic headlines. Extreme predictions.
When you hear “The market is crashing” or “Interest rates are skyrocketing,” your natural reaction is anxiety. You start doubting yourself. You hesitate to make calls. You change how you talk to clients.
I had a coaching client who was watching the news so religiously that she started telling all her seller clients to “wait until the market gets better.” Meanwhile, homes in her area were selling within days at 3% over asking price. Her perception didn’t match reality because she was getting her information from the wrong source.
The truth is, relying on news media for your business strategy is like asking a vegetarian for the best steakhouse in town. They’re just not equipped to give you the information you actually need.
The Solution: Data Is The Antidote To Fear
I love what Jay-Z said: “Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t.”
When I first started as a real estate agent, I was working 10-hour days, struggling to get clients under contract, and constantly stressed about where my next commission check was coming from. I was reacting to every little market shift I heard about on the news.
Then my coach asked me a simple question that changed everything: “What does YOUR data tell you?”
I realized I didn’t have any data. I was running my business on feelings and headlines — not facts.
So I started tracking. Studying. Analyzing. And something amazing happened.
I started having better client conversations. I became more confident in my pricing strategies. I knew exactly which neighborhoods had inventory and which ones didn’t. I could predict how long it would take to sell a home within days of accuracy.
Data became my superpower. It grounded me in reality and made me less reactive to the market.
As I always tell my coaching clients: you don’t follow the market, you determine it. But you can only do that when you understand what’s really happening.
Six Essential Data Points Every Real Estate CEO Must Track
If you’re serious about becoming the CEO of your real estate business, here are the six data points you need to start tracking today:
1. Months of Inventory
This tells you about supply and demand — the fundamental law of sales. If there’s less than 3 months of inventory, you’re in a seller’s market. If there’s more than 6 months, you’re in a buyer’s market.
Why this matters: In a seller’s market, I lead generate for sellers because they’ll sell faster, which means I can get to my profit faster. In a buyer’s market, I focus on finding buyers. The market determines my lead generation strategy.
2. Days on Market
This reveals buyer demand and pricing accuracy. In my market right now, homes are sitting for 90-120 days. That tells me I need to be aggressive with pricing from the start.
Real talk: I won’t take a listing if the seller won’t accept my pricing recommendations. The data shows that overpriced homes in this market will sit for 6-8 months, and I don’t want to waste my resources or my client’s time.
3. List to Sales Price Ratio
This helps you develop a pricing strategy that works. If homes in a neighborhood start at $500K but consistently sell at $470K after 90 days and multiple price reductions, I’m starting at $470K.
I had a client who insisted her home was worth $500K because that’s what her neighbor listed for. But the data showed me that homes in that area were selling at 94% of list price. I showed her the numbers, and she agreed to list at $475K. We sold in 28 days with no price reductions.
4. New Listings versus Pending Sales
This determines market movement. If a subdivision has had 15 new listings come on every month for six months with no pending sales, that’s a red flag.
I recently declined a listing because nothing in that subdivision had sold for six months, despite 82 active listings. I told my potential client: “Let’s watch the market and check in every two weeks. When we see movement, we’ll know buyer confidence has increased or supply has changed.”
5. Interest Rates versus Buyer Activity
This is your reality check on affordability versus perception. If interest rates jump from 4% to 7%, a buyer who could afford a $550K home might now only qualify for $450K.
This data helps you price homes appropriately and have honest conversations with buyers about their budget reality.
6. Showings per Listing
This reveals buyer behavior and urgency. Sometimes this data is available in your MLS, but I often call other agents directly.
“Hey, I noticed your listing was on market for 42 days. How many showings did you have? I see you had two price reductions — did showings increase after each reduction?”
This intelligence helps me position my sellers to win and gives me leverage when negotiating for buyers.
How Data Transforms Your Client Conversations
When you’re armed with data, you become an asset to your clients — not just another agent with an opinion.
I was working with a seller who was frustrated that her home hadn’t sold in 30 days. Rather than making excuses or suggesting a price reduction right away, I showed her the data:
“The average days on market in your neighborhood is 48 days. Homes that sold fastest had professional photos, were vacant, and were priced 2% below the last comparable sale. We’ve done two of those three things. If we adjust our price by just $5,000, we’ll be positioned perfectly based on the current market data.”
She agreed, we adjusted, and the home sold within a week.
With buyers, data helps me set realistic expectations from the start:
“Based on current inventory levels and your price point, we should expect to see about 8-10 homes before finding the right one. Homes in your target neighborhoods are selling at 98% of list price with an average of 5 showings before receiving an offer.”
This approach takes emotions out of the equation. It’s not about how I feel or what I think — it’s about what the data shows.
From Salesperson to Trusted Advisor: The Data Difference
Here’s the transformation that happens when you start using data in your business:
- You stop being a door opener and become a market expert
- You have more confident conversations with clients
- You can accurately predict outcomes, which builds trust
- You can justify your commission because you provide genuine value
- You make data-driven decisions instead of emotional ones
One of my coaching clients started tracking these six data points for just 15 minutes every morning. Within 90 days, her business completely transformed. Her listings sold 30% faster than the market average. Her buyers made winning offers with fewer counteroffers. And her referral business jumped because clients trusted her expertise.
She told me: “I used to be scared to talk about market conditions because I wasn’t sure if what I was saying was true. Now I speak with authority because I know exactly what’s happening in my market.”
Building Your Data-Driven Business Plan
So how do you actually implement this in your business? Here’s my step-by-step plan:
- Block 15-20 minutes every morning to review market data
- Create a simple spreadsheet to track the six key metrics we discussed
- Focus on one neighborhood or price point at a time to build expertise
- Create market snapshots to share with clients and prospects
- Develop talking points based on what the data tells you
- Practice explaining market trends without using fear-based language
Remember: when you run a data-driven business, you’re not depending on gut feelings or news headlines. You’re relying on concrete information that helps you serve your clients better.
A Final Word: Positioning Yourself As The Authority
When I walk into a listing presentation armed with data about the neighborhood, pricing trends, and buyer behavior, I don’t have to convince the seller that I know what I’m doing. The data speaks for itself.
I refuse to price a home without studying market trends first. I won’t advise a buyer without understanding inventory levels. Why? Because that’s not the highest and best use of my expertise.
Clients don’t hire me to open doors. They hire me to interpret data and position them to win in this market. And winning isn’t optional — it’s the only option.
As I tell all my coaching clients: if you want to stop feeling like the market is out of your control and start feeling like the authority your clients need, deserve, and desire — lean into data.
It will change how you do business forever.
Ready To Transform Your Business With Data?
If you’re tired of the emotional rollercoaster of real estate and ready to build a sustainable, profitable business based on facts instead of feelings, I want to help.
I’ve created a free Market Data Tracking Template that you can download HERE and start using today. This is just a fraction of what I offer my coaching clients, but it’s the perfect place to start your data-driven journey.
Remember, even with all the data in the world, sometimes you need help interpreting what it means for your specific business. If you’re looking to truly dominate in your market, consider working with a coach who studies market data and can help you use that information to empower your clients. Learn more here.
Are you ready to become the CEO of your real estate business? The journey starts with data.
