Your new real estate agent first 90 days decide whether you're still in the business next year. Here's the pattern I see: agents who get set up fast and get on the phone by week three tend to make it. Agents who spend two months "getting ready" tend to quit. I break the first 90 days into four stages. Each one has a short list and a clear finish line. Here's how I run it with new agents.
The short answer
Week one: get your accounts working and your training started. Weeks two to four: get on the phone and shadow working agents. Days 31 to 60: run showings and an open house yourself. Days 61 to 90: write your own contract and close something. The whole time, aim for 50 real conversations a week. That number drives everything else.
Step by step
Week 1: get switched on
- Send your brokerage what it needs. A professional headshot, a short bio, the name you want on your cards, and a simple business plan for the year.
- Get your accounts working. Your MLS login, your showing app, your lockbox key, your contract software, your CRM, and your brokerage's systems. Test the lockbox key before you're standing at a door with a buyer.
- Use one business phone number. Put it on your cards and your email signature. Make your lead calls through your CRM so they get logged.
- Take the MLS new-member class. Skipping it is how new agents rack up fines in month one.
- Start contract training. Take your contract software's classes in order. Read Colorado contract basics.
- Learn your CRM by doing. After each training video, go do the thing in your CRM. Watching isn't learning.
- Shadow a working agent for a full day. Sit through their calls, not just their coffee.
You're done with week 1 when you can open your CRM, find a lead, check their saved search and set their stage without asking anyone.
Days 8 to 30: get on the phone
- Load your sphere into your CRM. Everyone you know. Tag them so you can find them. See sphere of influence marketing.
- Call new leads fast. Five minutes or less. See how to call internet leads and the new lead call script.
- Give every lead a stage, a note and a next task the same day.
- Shadow two showings and one listing appointment.
- Do 20 role plays. Out loud, with a partner or a coach.
- Ask for your first reviews from people you've truly helped, even before a deal. Never write one for them.
You're done when you've had a real conversation with a lead and booked an appointment from it.
Days 31 to 60: run it yourself
- Run showings on your own. Get the buyer agreement signed first, every time.
- Hold your first open house. Knock on 40 neighbors' doors and invite them first. See open house lead generation.
- Sit down with a loan officer so you can explain how a payment is built. You still send every rate question to the lender.
- Do 20 more role plays.
You're done when you have a signed buyer agreement and can describe your pipeline in ten seconds.
Days 61 to 90: close something
- Write and negotiate your own contract. Have your managing broker or team leader review it before it goes out.
- Hand off cleanly to your transaction coordinator if you have one.
- Handle an inspection objection with an experienced agent watching. See handling the inspection objection.
- Go on a listing appointment with a mentor backing you on price. See the listing appointment flow.
- Ask for a referral, out loud, to a real person.
- Plan your next 90 days with your leader.
You're done when you've closed one and know exactly what you did to make it happen.
The weekly numbers I watch
| What | Weekly target | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Phone time | About 4 hours a day | Conversations come from volume |
| Real conversations (2 minutes or more) | 50 | This number predicts appointments |
| Appointments set | Track your own ratio | Shows if your calls are working |
| Leads with a next task | All of them | A lead with no task gets forgotten |
These are activity goals, not income promises.
How to explain it to your family
"For the next three months I'm on a set schedule. Week one is setup and training. After that I'm on the phone about four hours a day, and I'm learning by shadowing other agents. By month three, the goal is my first contract. If I miss my numbers, I'll tell you, and we'll look at why together."
Watch-outs
- Don't hide in training. Training feels like work. Calls are the work.
- Don't run a showing before you've talked to the buyer. And get the buyer agreement signed first.
- Don't guess on contracts. Ask. A wrong date can cost a client their earnest money.
- Don't quote rates or payments. Send buyers to a licensed loan officer.
- Don't fake reviews. Platforms delete them and can punish the whole business.
- Tell your leader early when you're behind. A bad week is normal. A quiet month is the real problem.
Further reading
This is training for real estate agents. It isn't legal, tax or lending advice. Check with your managing broker.
Questions
How many calls should a new agent make?
Enough to have about 10 real conversations a day. Count conversations, not dials.
When should I expect my first deal?
It varies. My target is a first contract by day 90, but there's no promise. It depends on your conversations and follow-up.
Should I shadow other agents?
Yes. Shadow calls, showings and a listing appointment in your first month.
What's the most important class to take first?
The MLS new-member class and your contract training.
Do I need a buyer agreement before showing homes?
Get it signed before you tour, and follow your brokerage's current form and rules.
Brian Lee Burke is the founder of PadLeaders, a Colorado real estate broker licensed since 2003, team leader of The Kenna Group at Keller Williams DTC (formerly Kenna Real Estate Group) and the author of Mastering Real Estate and The Real Estate Playbook. More about Brian.