Coaching has become a significant part of real estate culture. At some brokerages, coaching may be mandatory for new agents. Or it may be an option for more experienced agents who want to take their business to the next level. If there isn’t an internal company option, agents may seek coaching from a well-established external program designed to help them develop the habits and mindsets that enable success in the industry. If they put in the work, the systems they learn from coaching can help boost their listing numbers and earnings and lend them an edge in succeeding in the field.

“Coaching is sought out by competitive people who know deep down there is a better way,” said Jim Miller, president and designated managing broker at Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, who also developed the company’s Take Flight training and coaching program. “The best in this business are never satisfied with their current level, and they are intentional about closing the gap between where they are and where they want to be.”

Tom Ferry, the founder, CEO and head coach of Ferry International, put the rise of coaching down to the growing complexity of the industry.

“Ten years ago, many agents could build a successful career by mastering lead generation and customer service,” Ferry said. “Today, they’re expected to be direct response marketers, manage pipelines, be content creators, expert negotiators, AI experts, business owners and leaders — all while navigating rapid changes in technology and consumer expectations. Coaching and belonging to an ecosystem of like-minded, growth-mindset Realtors and loan officers has evolved from a ‘nice-to-have’ for top producers into a strategic advantage for agents at every level.”

Brian Buffini, chairman and founder of the Buffini & Company coaching company, agreed.

“This is especially important as the industry, market and technology continue to change,” Buffini said. “An experienced coach, who is constantly receiving training themselves, and is supported by a company dedicated to agent success, is going to give an agent a huge advantage.”

Navigating challenges through coaching

According to Buffini, in recent years the market was overrun with “thousands” of agents who wanted to make a quick profit and were able to do so thanks to historically low mortgage rates. As the market returned to what he termed “normal conditions,” many have left or are considering leaving the industry. Coaches can help those agents navigate the burnout and stress associated with a more difficult market.

“A great coach helps the agent overcome those roadblocks and challenges,” Buffini said. “Every successful athlete and businessperson has had a coach or mentor by their side, guiding them and challenging them to be the best they could be. Why wouldn’t an agent want that same advantage?”

Miller sees social media as a reason for the growth of coaching in real estate. Ten years ago, a top producer’s business was largely private. The results may have been visible in their marketing, but the mechanism for creating that success was hidden, he explained. Agents today watch their counterparts run their businesses in real time.

“They see the listing videos, the client events, the team structure, the personal brand,” Miller said. “That visibility creates curiosity, and curiosity creates a very specific kind of frustration. Agents look at what the best are doing and think, ‘I’m just as talented, so why am I not there?’ The honest answer is usually that talent was never the gap. The gap is systems, habits and intentional daily execution.”

Ferry points to market volatility as driving many agents to seek coaching. Coaching helps them adapt faster and stay focused on what works, as well as helping them avoid distractions such as short-term trends.

“Whether it’s shifting interest rates, low inventory, changing commission structures or increased competition, agents have realized they can’t rely on the same strategies year after year,” Ferry said. “At the same time, technology and AI are changing how consumers search, communicate and make decisions.”

Coaching expectations

Coaching has “absolutely” become an expectation among agents and teams that understand that success doesn’t mean they no longer need guidance, Ferry said.

“They recognize that continuous improvement and a steady feedback loop is part of staying at the top,” Ferry said. “Coaching and quality feedback are becoming part of the culture of high performance, from the C-suite to sales managers and top-producing sales associates.”

Among the right agents, coaching is becoming an expectation, Miller said, but not every agent is coachable.

“Coaching only works when someone is willing to be honest about where they are, open to doing things differently and committed to the work between sessions,” Miller said. “Plenty of talented agents want the results of coaching without the accountability of it. That’s not coaching, that’s cheerleading, and it doesn’t move anyone forward.”

Agents need that “growth mindset” for coaching to work, Miller explained. Those agents already see themselves as professionals in the truest sense, and professionals in every serious field have coaches.

“What I see happening now is a quiet sorting in the industry,” Miller said. “On one side are agents who treat this as a job and react to whatever the market gives them. On the other side are agents who treat this as a business, hold themselves to a standard and invest in getting better on purpose. For that second group, coaching isn’t a luxury or a last resort. It’s simply part of how they operate. And that group is growing.”

Every stage in an agent’s career presents different opportunities to benefit from coaching, Ferry said. It might be time for an agent to try coaching if they have hit a performance plateau; they feel overwhelmed or lack focus; they know what to do but struggle to do it consistently; they want to build a team or scale their business, but don’t know where to start or how to do it the right way; they want to get organized; or they simply are ambitious and want to grow.

“New agents benefit from learning fundamentals and building consistency,” Ferry said. “Midcareer agents often need help scaling beyond a sales plateau. Top producers benefit from leadership coaching, team development and business optimization. Coaching isn’t tied to production levels — it’s tied to growth goals.”

Coaching doesn’t just change an agent’s career, Buffini said. The skills in goal setting, budgeting, time management and effective communication that they learn can improve their personal lives if they are willing to put in the work.

“If the agent expects a ‘magic pill’ that will take the place of hard work, then coaching is not for them,” Buffini said. “It’s also a commitment, financial and timewise. The best results come from agents who show up with an open mind, take action and stay consistent. If that’s you, coaching can be one of the best investments you’ll ever make, for your business and your life. You owe it to yourself to try.”

Benefits of coaching

Agents who are ready to learn, are open to change and are committed to taking action can benefit from coaching at any career stage, Buffini said. There’s always another level of growth that coaching can help them reach faster.

“Newer agents gain the skills, systems and confidence to build a strong foundation,” Buffini said. “Coaching helps them eliminate a lot of the common trial and error many agents face when they’re just starting out. For the more experienced agents, coaching helps them reinvigorate their passion, sharpen their skills, move beyond burnout and create momentum to reach the next level.”

An agent can build a successful career without coaching, but it will take longer, Miller said. Time is the real cost of going it alone. Agents working without coaches build their businesses through trial and error, solving problems others have already solved, building systems from scratch rather than using a framework, and repeating the same patterns because they lack someone to hold them accountable and help them clarify their knowledge and vision.

“I’m proof of that,” Miller noted. “Everything I learned, I learned the hard way: on the job, through trial and error and through thousands of hours of self-development. After 2008, I rebuilt my business from the ground up without a coach, and it worked. But it took five years of relentless effort, and I made every mistake in the book along the way.”

Ferry recommends looking for a coach with a proven track record, practical systems, relevant industry experience and a coaching style that aligns with agents’ learning preferences.

“It’s also important to evaluate the community, training resources and ongoing support —not just the coaching sessions themselves,” Ferry said. “Chemistry matters. Personality style matters. Experience helping other agents achieve what you want to achieve really matters. From there, a coach should challenge you while earning your trust. Look for someone whose communication style motivates you, whose experience matches your goals and whose philosophy aligns with the type of business and life you want to build.”

Whoever they choose, agents should remember that coaching is a partnership and they have to carry their half.

“I can bring the strategy, the systems and the experience of having solved the problem before,” Miller said. “What I can’t do is implement it. The agent has to do the work between sessions. They have to make the calls, build the habits, run the SOPs and hold the standard when nobody is watching. A strategy discussed is worth nothing. A strategy implemented is worth everything.”

Featured sources

Brian Buffini
Buffini & Company

Tom Ferry
Ferry International

Jim Miller
Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty