H5game8

Broker Zac Kennedy shares why 2026 is the year new real estate agents win big by trading flash for fundamentals.

Inman Connect

Invest in yourself, grow your business—real estate’s biggest moment is in San Diego!

For the past six years, real estate has been in a state of flux. Historically low interest rates and high transaction volume created a market where demand often outpaced skill. Deals were easier to close, and volume covered a lot of mistakes.

That period is over.

As rates rose and transactions slowed, many established agents experienced whiplash. The systems and habits that worked in an easy market stopped producing results. However, agents licensed in the past three to five years are entering a moment unlike any other.

They are not burdened by outdated habits or assumptions formed in an unusually forgiving market. This dynamic mirrors a turning point in professional baseball.

When the Oakland A’s adopted sabermetrics in the early 2000s, they couldn’t compete with the New York Yankees’ $125 million payroll.

So, they changed how winning was measured. They focused on the specific actions that produced runs rather than paying for reputation.

5 reasons new agents have the edge in 2026

In 2026, new real estate agents face a comparable challenge. Here’s why focusing on fundamentals gives emerging agents a Moneyball edge.

1. You can’t compete on budget (and you shouldn’t try)

Top producers built their advantages over time through volume and repeat business. Their marketing spend is a byproduct of that success, not the cause of it.

New agents who try to match advertising budgets or team infrastructure too early often spend money before they understand where revenue actually comes from.

The Oakland A’s avoided this mistake by identifying undervalued actions that produced wins without requiring star salaries.

For agents, this means shifting focus away from “buying attention” and toward building opportunity deliberately. The work should center on activities that create conversations, not on trying to look established before the business exists.

2. Tradition often obscures reality

Baseball’s scouting culture relied on intuition and assumptions about what a winning player “should” look like. Real estate has similar traditions.

New agents are often told that success comes from cold calling or door knocking simply because those methods have always been used.

A clearer approach starts with understanding the actual structure of the business. Every real estate business operates through three core functions:

Marketing creates opportunities
Sales converts opportunities
Operations manages opportunities

When you understand this framework, problems stop feeling random. A lack of leads is a result of a marketing problem; poor conversion is a result of a sales problem.

This ability to self-diagnose is critical for agents without large margins for error.

3. Appearances are not progress

The A’s roster did not look impressive by traditional standards, fueling skepticism even as results improved.

New agents face similar pressure to appear successful early through polished branding or visible busyness. Those signals can create the illusion of momentum without producing actual closings.

Marketing should not exist to impress peers; it should exist to create opportunity.

The most reliable approach is content that consistently demonstrates value across four areas: listings, community, expertise and branding.

This builds the familiarity and trust required so that sales conversations do not begin cold.

4. Control matters more than access

The A’s had to succeed inside a system built to favor wealthier teams. Agents today face a similar reality where large platforms influence how consumers search for homes.

While these platforms provide access to opportunities, relying entirely on rented attention creates risk. Sustainable businesses are built on systems agents control: their marketing message, their sales process and their operational support.

This requires using tools in service of a clear strategy rather than outsourcing the strategy itself.

5. Measuring movement over effort

The Moneyball strategy did not deliver immediate validation; results followed only after consistency. Sales improve when agents measure movement instead of just effort.

Every prospect follows the same progression: conversation, appointment, client, contract and closing. Tracking that movement highlights where improvement matters most. Operations exist to support this flow, reducing friction rather than adding complexity.

In 2026, as the market stabilizes, flash matters less than fundamentals.

The agents who succeed will not be the biggest or the loudest. They will be the ones who understand how opportunities are created, converted and managed.

The Oakland A’s did not win by trying to outspend the Yankees; they won by changing the game. New and emerging agents who focus on these fundamentals are positioned to punch above their weight at a level the industry hasn’t seen in years.

Zac Kennedy is a qualifying broker with RealtySouth, serving buyers, sellers and agents across the Birmingham–Hoover, Alabama, metro. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Topics: new agent Show Comments Hide Comments Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments Sign me up By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman. Success! Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines. Read Next revive your failed YouTube channel