When the market slows, it can feel like the walls are closing in on agents. But for Mark Choey, a top-producing real estate agent with Christie’s International Real Estate Northern California and founder of Highnote, the lull isn’t a crisis. It’s an opening. It’s the moment, he says, for agents to rethink, refine and recommit to the habits that set them apart.
Choey’s session at 2025 NAR NXT, The REALTOR® Experience in Houston offered a tactical roadmap for agents who want to win more listings. A focused approach—that relies on a few actions done consistently and with intention—wins out against do-everything-all-the-time, he said.
Drawing from his years selling San Francisco real estate and building an award-winning brokerage, he encourages agents to use this slower season to “upgrade everything,” from branding and social media to farming systems and listing presentations.
Rethink Your Funnel and Your Focus
Choey framed listing success as a classic sales funnel with three equally important segments: awareness, nurturing and conversion. Many agents spend the bulk of their time on middle-of-the-funnel activity—staying in touch with past clients, sending newsletters, hosting open houses—but they don’t devote enough energy to building wide visibility at the top or polishing the conversion experience at the bottom.
He advised agents to give every layer of their businesses a tuneup.
- Audit your website.
- Refresh your listing and buyer presentations.
- Reevaluate what’s working and what’s stale across social media, YouTube and local advertising.
And because the industry is shifting quickly, get comfortable experimenting with AI, even if you’re starting small. But, he cautioned, don’t get too in the weeds evaluating new tools. Now is the time to tighten your focus and home in on where you’re already excelling.
“You can’t be great at everything,” Choey said. “But you are world class at something.”
He challenged agents to zoom in: What is your specialty? Tech-forward sellers? New developments? Downsizers? Investors? First-time buyers?
Agents who avoid choosing a niche often blend into the background. Agents who choose one and own it stand out quicker.
Get Visible in Unexpected Ways
One theme Choey returned to repeatedly is that visibility compounds opportunity—even when it seems small or strange. Early in his career, he made a habit of walking his A-frame signs through the hallways of the 650-unit condo building he lived in, riding the elevator up and down with them so neighbors would see his name. It felt odd, he admitted, but it landed him a $3 million listing and the referrals that followed.
His point isn’t that every agent needs an elevator strategy. It’s that agents should capitalize on every low-cost, high-visibility opportunity available, especially now.
That includes signs—lots of them. Most agents put out one or two open house signs, Choey said. He puts out 10 or more, and he knows agents who do 20 or 30. It’s time-consuming, but in a slow market, “free marketing” is too valuable to underuse.
He takes the same approach with mailers. Yes, you should send postcards, he said, but you should also send letters. Stuffing envelopes is tedious, but people open letters. He also advocated for correcting the address on a mailer that was returned for a bad address. This extra step might make you the only agent who reaches that homeowner.
Small efforts multiplied over time create momentum, he said.
Host the Kinds of Events Sellers Remember
Choey encourages agents to think like marketers, not custodians of open houses. In markets where houses aren’t turning as quickly, you have some time to put the extra effort in. Twilight events, wine-and-cheese gatherings and neighbor previews give homeowners a memorable reason to associate you with quality and community. They also expand your face-to-face visibility, which is still one of the most powerful ways to build trust.
The through-line in all these tactics isn’t gimmickry—it’s intentionality. Listings are harder to come by in this market, so every listing should be treated as a marketing vehicle and maximized accordingly.
Master the Three-Step Listing Appointment
Where Choey’s advice becomes most tactical is at the bottom of the funnel: conversion.
When leads are scarce, your close rate matters more than ever. That, he argues, starts with reframing the listing appointment as a three-phase strategy:
- Pre-listing presentation
- In-person appointment
- Post-meeting follow-up
Most agents skip the first step entirely, then rely on the meeting alone to win the seller’s confidence. Choey said that approach leaves too much on the table. Sending a polished, personalized digital presentation before the meeting builds credibility early and differentiates you from other agents immediately. Following up with another strong presentation can seal the deal.
“Football is a game of inches,” Choey said. “So is winning a listing. You just have to be a little bit better than the other agents.”
Today’s market is slow, but slow is not stagnant. Slow is where reinvention happens. Make this a time of rethinking systems, increasing visibility and elevating your presentation game that will position you for success when momentum returns.
