For decades, the physical office was considered the backbone of a real estate brokerage. Prime locations, polished conference rooms, and rows of desks were symbols of credibility, culture, and success.

That model is no longer the default.

No matter where you are in your real estate career—three weeks in, three years in, or three decades in—repeat and referral business will always be a major driver towards your long-term success. Here’s why this matters: the typical experienced real estate agent earns over 42% of their revenue from repeat and referral clients, and 25% of agents earn more than 50% of their income this way. That’s not accidental. It’s the result of intentional systems, service, and relationships.

With interest rates beginning to come down, something interesting is happening across the country: commercial brokers are getting more calls from people asking how to get started in commercial real estate investing. If you’re one of those people, you’re not alone—and hopefully you’re asking the right questions.

If you’ve been in real estate for more than five minutes, you’ve heard the phrase “your network is your net worth.” It sounds good. It looks great on Instagram. And yet, if we’re being honest, most agents don’t actually know how to network in a way that produces real results.

Notes from 20+ years in the trenches