7 things real estate brokers should do before the end of the year

As we head into 2025’s final stretch, it’s time to start end-of-year planning for 2026. To start the year off strong, here are seven things brokers and managers should do before the new year.

Your end-of-year planning checklist

1. Update company finances

I work with a number of indie brokers, and a pattern I see regularly is a backlog when it comes to entering financial numbers. We get so busy coaching agents, helping keep deals together and putting out fires that it’s easy to get behind in balancing the books. Some broker-owners run the company by their checkbook — making decisions based on how much is in the bank. This isn’t ideal for planning and forecasting.

If your financials are not up-to-date, make it a priority to get caught up. Run a year-to-date profit and loss statement, and compare 2025 to 2024. Are there any categories that jump out where income or expenses deviate significantly from last year? Why? 

2. Call your accountant

After you have an accurate P&L, send it to your accountant. You should be communicating with your accountant throughout the year, not just during tax time. Ask your accountant to eyeball the numbers and ask for advice in pre-2026 planning. Are there any changes you should make? Any expenses you should hold off on, or pull into 2025 to pre-pay to assist with tax planning?

If your accountant hasn’t checked in all year, or if they cannot come up with ideas to help your finances, consider this a red flag. Your accountant should be an advisor, not someone who just files your taxes and sends you an invoice. 

3. Check autopays

In balancing the books, you should have reviewed credit card and bank statements. Are there any subscriptions you are paying for that you’re not using? Look at November, December and January statements from last year. Are there autopayments or renewals coming up that you should cancel?

Do this quarterly, before they show up as surprises on your statements. I forgot to do this recently and got billed for an annual subscription I haven’t used in over six months.

4. Agent check-ins

Your agents are being recruited. Right now. Some are on the fence, and others are planning to slide through the holidays and switch brokerages in January.

Meet with every agent in person if possible. Agents “check out” mentally before they leave. Red flags are agents who skip office meetings or won’t meet you for a one-on-one in person. If you want them to stay, take them for coffee or lunch and try to find out what is going on with them. 

5. Let them move on

There may be agents in your office who you actually don’t want under your roof anymore. It’s OK to release them to the universe. Here’s a quick exercise. Close your eyes and picture you walk into your office tomorrow and there’s a resignation letter on your desk. It could be from an administrative staff member or an agent. Who do you hope the letter is from? Trust your gut. 

Schedule a meeting and have an honest discussion. Are they underperforming, and do they need mentoring? Or do they have shady business practices and are harming the office? Make a decision whether to keep them and help them fit in better or let them go. 

6. Office meeting

Schedule an all-hands-on-deck meeting. December can be a terrible time to get agents into the office. Try a mid-November breakfast or luncheon to introduce goals and new programs for the upcoming year.

I bought each agent a business planner, gave it to them at the November meeting and asked each one to fill out a form outlining their goals and business focus for the next year. I used these forms to talk with each of them in December to set out a plan for how we could make those goals a reality.

7. Find out what worked (and what didn’t)

Finally, sit with the data you’ve gathered — income, expenses, agent goals from last year and the upcoming year.

• What did agents want last year, and did they attain their goals?
• What marketing programs worked and what did not?
• What office tech do agents use, and what are they not using?
• What can you change in 2026 to help your agents hit their goals and make the office even more profitable?

The end of the year is coming up quickly. If you take the time to complete these seven tasks, you will set yourself (and the office) up for a fast start to 2026. Don’t just coast through the next few weeks. Use them to get a jump on the next year. It’ll show up in the first quarter results.