One closing in a month.Then 10 to 16.
In January 2025 my family's real estate business closed one home. I left my corporate job to fix it. This book is what I rebuilt over the next eighteen months, and what I'd do at your level.
In January 2025 my family's real estate business closed one home. I left my corporate job to fix it. This book is what I rebuilt over the next eighteen months, and what I'd do at your level.
Same family, half the agents, a harder market. These numbers are ours. They aren't a promise of yours.
| When I stepped in, early 2025 | October 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes closed a month | 1 | 10 to 16 |
| Appointments that convert | 13% | 60 to 70% |
| Agents | 8 | 4 |
| Monthly overhead | $130K to $145K | $70K to $80K |
Three generations in one business, and the three fundamentals I learned in living rooms: be direct, keep it simple, build the relationship first.
The systems, in the order I built them. You fix the pipeline before you buy more leads.
The right system depends on your level. Copying someone at a different one is how agents go broke or stay stuck.
Pick the sign that fits your business today. It'll tell you which chapter to open first.
One card, two sides. The front takes a listing from signed to live in about a week. The back runs the open house.
Welcome call, agreement signed, owner names checked, welcome packet out.
Photos ordered, sign in the yard, lockbox on, prep list walked with the seller.
Listing written, flyer made, coming-soon posts up, mailer ready for the neighbors.
Listing active, seller called, just-listed out, neighbors circle prospected.
Do you have a home to sell first?
The back of the card is built around that one question. Ask it of every visitor at every open house, and the answer tells you what to do next.
Derek Royse Middlebrook is a third-generation Arizona real estate agent. He runs his family's team in Tempe, the business his grandmother started, alongside his mom and dad.
He is also the founder of Real Estate OS, where he builds the systems described in this book for other agents and teams.