It’s October. Interest rates dipped in September. Another drop is widely expected at the end of this month, and speculation is that we could even see a third before the end of the year. Economists are cautiously optimistic. And here’s what this means for you.

Now is Your Window

It’s not going to be obvious. You won’t suddenly wake up to headlines screaming “It’s back!” You’re not going to feel it until long after it’s already passed. But for the agents who are paying attention – the ones putting in the work right now – opportunity is already forming.

The question is: Will you be ready when it fully arrives? Or will you still be waiting for permission to go?

The Writing’s on The Wall

I’ve spoken one-on-one with three different economists over the past few weeks: Benjamin Tal, Sherry Cooper, and Jason Mercer. All of them – from different backgrounds, using different data – said a similar thing: we’re roughly 12 months out from a healthier housing cycle. One even suggested it’s coming sooner.

Sure, there are still headwinds – tariffs, the federal government changing our Canadian landscape and making it unrecognizable, plus buyers who are skeptical and sellers who are still emotionally stuck in 2021. But interest rates are slowly creeping down, and consumer confidence will return as that momentum builds.

Which means your moment to start making moves is right now. Not six months from now. Not after the holidays. Now!

Stop Waiting. Start Doing.

Agents love to tell me they’re waiting.

Waiting for the market to stabilize.
Waiting for their clients to make a move.
Waiting for a sign that now’s the right time.

But success doesn’t come to those who wait. It comes to those who build and work their pipeline now, so that when confidence returns, they’ve already positioned themselves as the trusted expert who never disappeared.

Here’s Your Checklist of Action Steps :

Pick Up The Phone

If you haven’t called your database in the past 30 days, you’re already falling behind. Your past clients, your warm leads, your sphere – they need to hear from you. Not a social media post. Not a random ad. You!

Call to educate, not to sell. Update them on rate changes. Help them understand market conditions. Ask how you can support them.

Don’t overthink what to say. This isn’t about having the perfect script. It’s about being present.

Pro Tip: The more you track the notes from each of your calls and communications with each person on your list, the easier it will be to carry the conversation the next time you see them. That leads to stronger rapport building, which leads to trust, which then sets you up for the opportunity to earn their deal.

If you say you don’t know what to say, I’ll say you don’t want to work hard enough to run your business the way you should be running it. And if that’s the case, get out of the business because you can’t last that way.

Audit Your Marketing

Marketing isn’t what you do when you’re busy. It’s what you do so you can be busy.

Too many agents are running marketing plans based on hope – sporadic social posts, a few templated emails, maybe a postcard if they remember.

Do you have a campaign running? Do you know your budget? Are you tracking conversions?

If you’re not treating marketing like your main driver for growth, you’re not serious about actually growing.

Every piece of content you put out – from a video to a CMA to a coffee meeting – is either building MindShare or it isn’t. And if it’s not? You’re just wasting time.

Fix Your Follow-Up

This one’s blunt : most agents are garbage at follow-up.

They make a call once. Maybe twice. Then they move on because the client didn’t call them back.

In a recent conversation, someone actually compared Realtors to sharks. Realtors swim around and bump into stuff, asking, “Are you ready to buy/sell yet?”. And when the answer is no, they move on, and then at some point down the road, maybe, they swim back around and ask the same question again.

But deals don’t happen on the first call, or because of a random sales call. Most buyers or sellers don’t convert until at least the fifth to twelfth touchpoint. Remember that!

You need a system. A real one. With CRM notes. With scheduled check-ins. With value built into every follow-up.

If your process is “hope they call me back,” then your pipeline will always be empty, and you will always be stressing about where your next deal is coming from.

Train Your Clients

A lot of the frustration in this market isn’t about economics. It’s about expectations.

Buyers think they can afford more than they can. Sellers still want 2022 prices. And agents feel stuck in the middle.

But you’re not stuck – unless you refuse to lead.

Your job is to communicate to educate. To set realistic expectations. To coach your clients through the process, not just show up and say “okay.”

If you don’t train your clients to understand the market, the media will train them for you – and you will continue to find it harder and harder to get those deals done.

Plan for 2026

That’s right. 2026.

What you do right now sets the tone for how you finish your year, and just as importantly how your new year will start off.

The most successful agents aren’t just winging it – they’ve got an engineered plan that helps them see what their next quarter will look like, and what their year ahead looks like. That’s a plan. So –

• What does your brand look like a year from now?
• What will your marketing campaigns be for the spring?
• What are you doing today to ensure income consistency in 2026?

Planning that far out doesn’t mean having every step figured out. It means knowing the destination – so you can reverse engineer your daily behaviour to align with where you want to go.

Don’t just plan a little harder. Think bigger. Think longer. Make time to work on your 2026 business plan now so your pipeline is always full.

Final Word : Your Market is Coming Back — But Only If You Show Up First

You don’t need a crystal ball. You just need to pay attention.

Yes, the past 18 months have been hard. Yes, the market’s been sluggish. But all signs are pointing to a shift.

So if you’ve been waiting for the go-ahead, this is it!

This is the time to rebuild your habits.
This is the time to reinforce your marketing.
This is the time to show up for your clients and re-establish trust.

Opportunity is already forming. And the people who’ll win in 2026 are already doing the work today.

Make your calls. Work on your business plan. And build your MindShare because it equals market share.

Don’t wait for the market to come back, be the reason it does!

The Housing Market is Returning – But Only for Those Who are Ready by David Gerrnspan | Real Estate Magazine