Early forecasts for 2025 painted an optimistic picture of significant drops in mortgage rates, sparking hope for real estate professionals and buyers alike. However, as the year begins, the outlook has become more measured. Experts now predict that rates will likely hover around 6%, reflecting a slower recovery than initially expected.

In the fast-paced world of real estate, staying ahead means working smarter—not harder. That’s why Handshake is the real estate app agents need to get in 2025.

Using social media during the holidays is a low-cost and easy way to maximize the awareness of your community-building efforts, create more top-of-mind awareness, and provide you a valuable reason to reach more members of your network. We unpack how to tastefully leverage your social posts to maximize awareness of your holiday philanthropy and more.

The Handshake referrals app for real estate agents is now available on iOS and Android! Download the app today and set up your profile in just a few minutes. Handshake makes exchanging referrals faster, easier and cheaper than ever before!

In part 4 of our 5-part series on generating more referrals this holiday season, we’ll explore philanthropy and how you can increase client interactions, leave a lasting and positive impression with your client-base, while making a positive impact in the community along the way.

While there is no shortage of client gift ideas you can provide throughout the year, the holidays are a natural time to have an intentional reason to shower your top 100 clients with a thoughtful and impressionable gift. Since home buying activity traditionally slows during the holidays, it also presents the perfect timing for you to switch from agent to Santa!

To maximize referrals this holiday season, host a budget-friendly holiday party that fosters personal connections and genuine appreciation for clients without direct solicitation. Focus on engaging meaningfully with guests, following the MITS strategy—Mingle, Inquire, Thank, and Schedule follow-ups—to build loyalty and organically generate referrals.

Gary Keller’s 5x ROI rule guides agents to seek a 500% return on marketing investments. This blog outlines a $7,500 holiday referral strategy using four key tactics—Party, Pop-By's, Philanthropy, and Posts—to secure more client referrals.

This blog post discusses how real estate agents can target high-intent relocation prospects, avoiding overly saturated lead generation channels like expired listings and FSBO. By focusing on small-to-mid-sized companies with rapid growth and specialized labor needs, agents can increase their success rate, using resources like LinkedIn, Crunchbase, Built-In, and Business Journals to identify potential clients needing relocation services.

In part 3 of our series on creating urgency in a declining rate environment, we introduce the strategy "date the rate, marry the home," emphasizing how buyers can leverage current market conditions to secure discounts before demand surges. By simplifying decision-making and focusing on long-term home satisfaction over short-term interest rates, agents can help clients avoid buyer's remorse and maximize their negotiating power.