I’ve been in this business long enough to know the truth that most agents don’t want to hear: The road to real estate success isn’t paved with hacks or shortcuts. It’s built on consistency, accountability, and the willingness to do what’s hard, especially when you don’t feel like it.

So let’s talk about what’s hard, and why that’s exactly where your breakthrough is hiding.

The lie we tell ourselves: “I’m too busy”

Let’s be honest. When agents tell me they’re “too busy” to set up listing alerts, call their sphere, or send market reports, what they often mean is they’re practicing creative avoidance. These are the same agents who later say, “Ugh, I can’t believe my past client listed with someone else.”

The truth? You’re not too busy. You’re avoiding the repetitious boredom that comes with real, meaningful business-building. And if you want freedom, you must earn it by first embracing the routine.

Start by asking: What am I avoiding—and what would happen if I stopped?

What’s more powerful than motivation?

Let me tell you about Carol who has five kids and somehow, she nearly matched my production during my peak years as an agent, with no help at home.

How? She made herself accountable to her kids.

Every night, her kids ran out to the garage with a box of gold stars and a checklist of her daily business activities. If she hit her targets, the family got to go to Disneyland or buy a new PlayStation. If not, she had to face those disappointed little faces.

The takeaway? The easiest person to let down is yourself. So tie your business goals to someone else, whether that’s your real estate coach, your kids, or a trusted friend. Make it matter.

Time Is money. Track it like you mean it.

You have the same number of hours as the top-producing agent in your housing market. So why are they crushing it while you’re spinning your wheels?

Probably because they track their time.

Try this: For one week, write down what you do every 15 minutes of your workday. Then, highlight the income-producing activities like listing appointments, calls to qualified contacts, follow-ups, etc.

If less than 30% of your day is spent on those things, you’ve found your problem. Now fix it. As you grow, aim for 50%. Build a team, and shoot for 80%. That’s how you scale. That’s how you win.

Structure your day or your day will structure you

One of the best gifts my real estate broker ever gave me was a default daily schedule. Noon wasn’t “flex time.” It was preview-properties-and-knock-doors time. If something got canceled, I didn’t go golfing. I connected with more prospective real estate clients.

Don’t let blank spots in your calendar become wasted time. Fill them with your “default activities.” Not every afternoon will go according to plan, but you’ll always have a plan to fall back on.

Pro tip: Front-load your mornings with your most critical business development work. That’s your appointment with your future.

Energy is a business tool

This one’s big — you are your own most important asset.

You’re the golden goose. So treat yourself like a pro athlete. That doesn’t mean drinking kale smoothies if you hate them, but take the walk. Eat lunch. Unplug when you need to recharge.

Burnout is not a badge of honor. It’s a business killer.

Fear = opportunity in disguise

Every time you feel that little pit in your stomach — that hesitation before doing something uncomfortable — you’re staring at an opportunity for massive growth.

Nervous to ask for referrals? Perfect. That means you’re about to step up.

You can do what’s easy and have a hard life… or do what’s hard and have the life you want.

Debbie DeGrote is the co-founder and CEO of. Forward Coaching

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of HousingWire’s editorial department and its owners.

To contact the editor responsible for this piece: tracey@hwmedia.com

After the weekend’s global events, many expected that the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities would influence bond yields, either up or down, today. However, the real surprise came from Michelle Bowman, Federal Reserve Vice Chair of Supervision, who talked about a potential rate cut in July.

In a speech she gave at a research conference on Monday, Bowman said: “Should inflation pressures remain contained, I would support lowering the policy rate as soon as our next meeting in order to bring it closer to its neutral setting and to sustain a healthy labor market.” 

The comment means that Bowman doesn’t want to wait for more data on tariffs, which could result in no rate cuts in 2025, and is instead advocating for moving the Fed policy to neutral, since we have made good progress on inflation.

This is a stark difference from Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s take during the last Fed press event, where he talked about the labor market being rough for people looking for work, but he wouldn’t cut rates since he hadn’t seen layoffs yet. We discussed the aftermath of the Fed press event in this podcast. 

Earlier this year I joked that Bowman joined “team Logan,” meaning labor over inflation should be the concern, as she noted on March 7:  “Although the FOMC has been focused on lowering inflation in the past few years as we continue to make progress on approaching our 2% target, I expect that the labor market and economic activity become a larger factor in the FOMC policy discussion.” 

Bowman’s statement today had a significant impact on the 10-year yield, which remained relatively stable early Monday morning despite the weekend bombing. In fact, at the start of the day, the stock market was up, oil prices did not increase from their highs the previous night and the 10-year yield had only decreased by two to three basis points before Bowman’s headline hit the news.

On today’s episode of the HousingWire Daily podcast, I talked about Bowman and Christopher Waller as being better candidates for the next Fed Chair, as they have a focus on the labor market over inflation. This podcast gives an outlook on why I believe Waller or Bowman are better choices for President Trump than Kevin Warsh.

President Trump has taken a hardline approach with Jerome Powell, demanding a 2.5% rate cut last week. I wrote about how this approach may not be practical, as he is seeking lower rates to improve the government’s budget in this article. Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has also been actively campaigning on social media, calling for Powell to resign.  

Although these strategies may not yield the desired results, an open endorsement of either Bowman or Waller from the President and Pulte could influence bond traders to consider the future of Federal Reserve policy. Powell is unlikely to be reappointed after his term ends next year. The endorsement of a new candidate would signal to the market the direction of future leadership at the Fed. If bond traders feel that future policy will be different than current policy, the ability for the 10-year yield to head lower will be easier. This doesn’t mean 3%, 4% or 5% mortgage rates anytime soon, but it does mean getting toward 6% and staying there would be much easier.

It’s been a hectic few days, but we need to stay focused on what matters as we discuss the future of mortgage rates and Fed policy. Approximately 65% to 75% of the direction of the 10-year yield and mortgage rates is influenced by Fed policy. What Bowman is suggesting might be a quicker route to achieving a neutral policy than Powell intends.

Powell will be giving testimony to Congress this week, which is bound to provide some dramatic and attention-grabbing moments. In any case, the situation just became even more interesting for the second half of 2025.

Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO) will incorporate Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) data into two of its credit scores set to launch in Fall 2025. The company, which owns the rights to the market’s most widely adopted consumer credit risk assessment methodology, announced the move on Monday.

The change will provide mortgage brokers, loan officers and lenders with visibility into what has often been called “phantom debt” — installment loans that previously did not appear on borrowers’ credit reports. BNPL is a type of short-term financing that gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among younger and underserved consumers shopping online.

The new scores, FICO Score 10 BNPL and FICO Score 10 T BNPL, will integrate BNPL installment loan data alongside traditional credit report information by aggregating multiple BNPL loans when calculating certain in-model variables.

According to FICO, the updated methodology captures additional predictive signals from BNPL data while boosting credit scores for some consumers. The company will offer the new versions alongside its current scores at no additional cost to ensure a smooth transition and added value for lenders.

BNPL products “are playing an increasingly important role in consumers’ financial lives,” according to Julie May, vice president and general manager of B2B scores at FICO. “We’re enabling lenders to more accurately evaluate credit readiness, especially for consumers whose first credit experience is through BNPL products.” 

In the mortgage space, loan officers and lenders have expressed concern about the lack of transparency and guidance around BNPL loans, though most do not view them as a systemic risk. Industry experts note that approaches to BNPL vary depending on secondary market investors, with many calling for greater clarity and consistency.

“Our clients tell us that FICO’s initiative to include BNPL data in credit scoring is a progressive step that acknowledges the evolving landscape of consumer financing,” May said. “By capturing a broader view of consumer credit behavior, lenders believe they can make more informed decisions, ultimately benefiting both the industry and consumers.”

With their combined forces, the companies will have about 65 agents to serve the greater Houston real estate market, Inman has learned.

Given the animosity between Compass and Zillow over the portal giant’s listing standards policy, it came as little surprise when the Robert Reffkin-helmed firm filed a lawsuit against Zillow Monday morning. 

While the complaint contains many of the anticipated claims, including that Zillow enacted the policy, which bans listings that are publicly marketed for more than 24 hours before being input into the MLS, to protect its bottom line and “market dominance,” there were some other intriguing insights. And lots of great color. 

The history of Clear Cooperation

As this fight between Compass and Zillow has its roots in the debate surrounding the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP), the complaint naturally takes some time to dissect the rule’s history. Voted on in November 2019, CCP went into effect in May 2020. In the complaint, Compass claims that the rule was first proposed as a response to its adoption of an “inventory-based” strategy, which it says it developed to “differentiate itself from competing brokerages in 2018-2019 by experimenting with Coming Soon listings and later Private Exclusives.” 

“Private Exclusives were marketed exclusively within the Compass brokerage to other Compass agents and their clients. Coming Soons were displayed publicly on Compass’s website and other areas on the internet, but not in local MLSs,” the complaint states.

Compass claims that in response to this, NAR’s Board of Directors adopted CCP, which requires agents to enter a listing into their local MLS within one business day of publicly marketing the listing. The policy does, however, contain a carve-out allowing for “office exclusives,” which Compass claims its Private Exclusives qualify as. 

“It was widely known in the real estate industry that NAR’s CCP efforts—supported by Zillow and other competitors of Compass—were targeted at Compass’s early innovative efforts,” the complaint states. “In its early formulation, the CCP was even referenced as the ‘Compass Rule’ within the industry, clear retaliation against Compass for challenging industry trends.”

According to Compass, Zillow did not feel that the rule went far enough, petitioning NAR in September 2024 to strengthen CCP, arguing in a letter that “NAR should expand CCP to prohibit office exclusives.” While NAR did change CCP in launching its new Multiple Listing Options for Sellers (MLOS) Policy, which created delayed marketing exempt listings, the office exclusive carve-out remains. 

As Zillow expands into other facets of the home-buying and selling process, through a partnership with iBuyer Opendoor and the launch of Zillow Home Loans, in order to help these businesses grow, Compass claims that “Zillow must maintain its monopoly in the home search market.” 

“To protect and maintain its monopoly, Zillow is choosing to sacrifice short-term profits and terminate a profitable and pre-existing course of dealing with Compass, as well as all the other brokerages that currently list properties on Zillow after pre-marketing off Zillow but may now face listing bans under the Zillow Ban,” the complaint states. “The Zillow Ban thus represents textbook monopolistic conduct, through which Zillow is taking actions that otherwise would be to its detriment to enhance and maintain its monopoly power.”

Conspiracy claims 

In addition to the claims of monopoly creation, Compass also alleges that Zillow conspired with Redfin, which enacted a similar policy slated to go into effect in September, and eXp Realty, which was the first firm to sign on to Zillow’s policy. 

“Zillow’s plan eventually gave rise to promulgation of the Zillow Ban and a Zillow-led conspiracy with co-conspirator Redfin and co-conspirator eXp to boycott Compass,” the complaint states. “Zillow, co-conspirator eXp, and co-conspirator Redfin knew that these policies would harm Compass and hoped that slamming the door on Compass’s approach would arrest the wave of support and similar strategies that had started to spread.”

Compass claims that the opportunity for this alleged collusion came about via a deal to syndicate Redfin’s multifamily rental listings. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly investigating the relationship between Zillow and Redfin, which was acquired by Rocket Companies in March 2025. The FTC also investigated Zillow’s acquisition of Trulia, which closed in 2015.

Additionally, the complaint claims that just 41 minutes after Zillow announced its policy, Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman texted Reffkin requesting a call “despite the two executives seldom speaking with one another.”

In a roughly 45-minute call with multiple Redfin and Compass executives and counsel present on the line, Compass claims that Kelman revealed that while he agreed with some of Reffkin’s points “regarding pre-marketing and Zillow’s negative insights, Redfin had agreed to follow Zillow’s lead and would publicly announce as much.”

“During the call, Mr. Kelman revealed information suggesting that Redfin and Zillow had conspired,” the complaint states. “Mr. Kelman asked Mr. Reffkin whether Mr. Reffkin had spoken to Zillow’s CEO before Zillow’s announcement and implied that Mr. Kelman had spoken to Zillow before the announcement.”

The complaint claims that Kelman “pushed Compass to listen to Zillow,” suggesting that Zillow or Redfin “would reward Compass with pre-marketing options,” and that Zillow “ would make it up to Compass financially if Compass were to change or slow its pre-marketing strategies or follow the policies.” 

“Critically, Zillow then raised the same idea to Compass executives the next day on April 11, 2025,” the complaint states. “That Zillow suggested the same idea—so soon after Mr. Kelman told Compass that Zillow would do so—demonstrates the pre-existing conspiracy between Zillow and co-conspirator Redfin.”

As for eXp, Compass claims that Zillow also engaged in similar discussions with the eXp Realty executives. 

 “On information and belief, Zillow and co-conspirator eXp engaged in discussions about these policies and agreed to adopt them jointly, culminating in a public announcement,” the filing states.

Compass postulates that eXp’s interest in allegedly conspiring with Zillow on this policy is due to Zillow’s large audience and widespread consumer brand recognition.

Quid pro no

In addition to meetings with Redfin and eXp, the complaint also details a meeting between Compass and several Zillow executives, including Jeremy Wacksman, Lloyd Frick, Errol Samuelson, Jeremy Hofmann, Brad Owens and Jun Choo. 

“During the meeting, Mr. Wacksman and Mr. Hofmann warned Compass multiple times that Zillow ‘will not allow Compass to have listings that are not on Zillow,’” the filing states.

When told that other brokerage firms including Douglas Elliman and Sotheby’s International Realty, were launching their own private listing networks, the complaint claims that Hofmann said Zillow “would not allow that to happen.” He allegedly had the same response to information about the private listing network operated by Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) an Illinois-based, non-Realtor owned MLS. 

Additionally, during this meeting, Compass claims Zillow offered it “financial upside” if it abandoned its three-phase marketing strategy, which Kelman also allegedly referred to during Redfin’s call with Compass. 

“Like other monopolists trying to preserve their dominance, Zillow had offered to essentially pay off Compass not to compete,” the complaint states. “Nine days later, with Compass having refused the payoff not to compete, Zillow made good on its threat and announced the Zillow Ban.”

Compass is demanding a jury trial, so if not settled or dismissed beforehand, it may be up to a jury to decide how to view all of this. 

In an emailed statement, a Zillow spokesperson said the claims in the lawsuit are “unfounded,” but the firm has not yet responded to questions about the alleged collusion. 

eXp Realty CEO Leo Pareja wrote in an email that “any implication of co-conspiracy is categorically false. Our business strategies were developed independently in response to a rapidly evolving real estate market.”

Redfin did not return a request for comment.