This brings me back to my earlier days in real estate.

I used to buy into all the negativity.

Rates are too high. Buyers aren't buying. Sellers aren't selling. The market is terrible.

But what I've learned over the years is that when everyone is afraid and running away, that's usually when the wolves come in.

And whether we like it or not, we are wolves.

When I started ROGLH in 2023, the COVID "easy money" years were already behind us. We didn't build this company when rates were 3% and houses practically sold themselves.

We built it during one of the more challenging real estate markets we've seen in a long time.

Rates went up and down. Affordability got worse. Home prices continued hitting record highs.

And guess what?

We continued to grow year after year, almost doubling the amount of business we did each year.

At the same time, I've watched agents leave the business because they weren't able to adapt.

I'm sure all of you know someone who has said, "Real estate isn't working for me anymore," or "I'm taking a break."

I think a big part of the problem is that a lot of people got into real estate without ever really learning how to run a business.

Running a business means connecting with people.

Your past clients. Your prospects. Your colleagues. Your friends and family. Your community. Your circle of influence.

And doing it consistently.

Social media absolutely works too. But the smart agents understand that likes, comments and DMs are only the beginning. Eventually you have to turn those online conversations into real-life connections and relationships.

That's really what this business is about.

Wherever you meet people — online, at an open house, at your kid's soccer game, at an event, at the gym, or just walking down the street — we're in the business of building connections.

And honestly, that's part of what makes this business so rewarding.

The statistics continue to show it. 88% of buyers purchase through an agent or broker. 91% of sellers use an agent. 66% of sellers use either a referral or an agent they've worked with before. And 87% of sellers say they would probably or definitely recommend their agent again.

Relationships matter.

And that's also why I believe so much in our COOLTURE.

Cool + Culture.

It's not just about having events or having fun together. It's about who you surround yourself with.

We share ideas. We share what's working. We collaborate. We help each other solve problems. And hopefully we push each other to become better.

That's the wolf pack mentality.

One wolf can only cover so much territory.

A pack can cover a lot more.

That's the opportunity I see for us right now.

If we work together, we can achieve more together.

There are economies of scale in what we're building. Our relationships, our knowledge, our marketing, our technology, our partnerships and our collective presence in the marketplace become more powerful as we grow and actually work together.

That's where I think the next level of ROGLH comes from.

Not 80 individual agents operating under the same logo.

ONE group of people working together to capture more market share.

I'll touch more on what I mean by that next week when we get together for our October Market Edge Summit on the 15th.

Because while other people are looking at this market and thinking about what they're losing, I want us thinking about what we can gain.

When others pull back, that's our opportunity to move forward.