September Shift: New Season, New Strategies

Happy Labor Day, Team. Backpacks are packed, NFL football starts for real this week, and pumpkin spice is quietly plotting a full takeover.

September always feels like a reset button, which is perfect because the market is shifting in small but meaningful ways.

In today’s edition we will prep your budget for cooler months and shorter showing windows, sharpen your cold-calling chops so conversations feel human instead of scripted, and install a simple improvement loop that makes you better week by week.

We are also launching a new book for September, Carol Dweck’s Mindset, which explains why some people plateau while others keep climbing.

Grab a fresh notebook, sip something warm, and let’s treat this week like the start of a new season. Because it is.

— Steve

ACCOUNTANT ANGLE

 Preparing for Fall Transactions

Fall brings fewer daylight hours and a different rhythm. Plan for it.

First, rebuild your weekly budget around earlier sunsets. Shift prospecting and showings to prime light, then move admin and marketing into evening blocks.

In your cash forecast, reduce average weekly closings to your three-year September-October baseline, not last month’s high.

Create two envelopes in your accounting software. “Must Run” covers MLS, E&O, CRM, fuel. “Momentum” covers ads, photographer, video editor. Fund Must Run automatically. Release Momentum in small increments tied to signed agreements or meaningful pipeline signals.

Add a “dark hour” cost. If you need supplemental lighting or weekend helpers to manage stacked Saturday tours, budget it now so it does not sting later.

Finally, schedule a mid-October review to re-balance for holiday lead times. Get ahead of the calendar and cash will stay steady while everyone else blames the sunset.

BUSINESS BOOSTER

Cold Calling Refresher

Cold calls do not have to feel cold.

Use a three-part opener. Normalize, offer value, ask a soft question. “I help neighbors track real prices, not headlines. Would a one-page update for your street be useful?”

Keep tone conversational, like you’re at a mailbox, not on a stage.

Build rapport fast with mirroring and specifics. If they say, “We are just curious,” reply, “Curious about timing or price?” Curiosity invites clarity.

Prepare two thirty-second stories that prove outcomes, not claims. “We adjusted list price based on nearby days on market and cut time to offer by six days.”

Close with an easy micro-yes. “Can I drop the sheet on your porch today or email it?”

Track attempts, connects, and appointments in one column each. Review daily for small tweaks to your opening line. Practice ten minutes before dialing so your first call is not your warm-up.

COACHES CORNER

Build a Weekly Improvement Loop

Mindset matters, but systems carry you on busy days.

Create a Weekly Improvement Loop that runs every Friday.

Step one, pick one moment from the week that felt messy, maybe a pricing discussion or a choppy follow-up.

Step two, write a tiny fix you can test next week, a tighter agenda, a new phrase, a checklist step.

Step three, rehearse it once out loud so it’s ready under pressure.

Step four, schedule where it lives on your calendar.

The secret is scope. Aim for a one percent upgrade, not a reinvention.

Keep a simple log with three columns, “moment, fix, result.” After four weeks you will have a personal playbook built from real work, not theory.

Momentum comes from evidence, and evidence comes from small experiments you actually run.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

“Mindset” by Carol Dweck

This month we’re reading Mindset because real estate rewards learners who adjust quickly.

Dweck’s core idea is simple. A fixed mindset treats skill as a ceiling. A growth mindset treats skill as a muscle.

Why this matters to you. Pricing, negotiation, and lead generation are trainable. When a deal stalls, a growth lens asks, “What did this teach me and how do I test a better approach next time?”

The book explores how feedback, effort, and strategy shape outcomes more than talent alone.

Try two applications this week. Replace “I am not good at cold calls” with “I have not built a script that fits my voice yet.” Then pick one tiny practice rep daily, perhaps a 60-second role-play.

Share the book with your team or lender partners and compare notes. A shared language around growth makes collaboration smoother and results bigger.

☝️ Go ahead and click the image to order the book from Amazon ☝️ 

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Pending Home Sales Down 0.4% in July — National Association of Realtors

Why You Should Read: Slight cooling affects timelines and urgency. Prep clients for realistic pacing.

Investor Market Share Dips, Still Elevated — HousingWire

Why You Should Read: Investor behavior shapes competition and pricing in specific sub-markets.

Why Mortgage Rates Are Hard to Predict — Real Estate News

Why You Should Read: Clear talking points help calm clients when headlines conflict.

TO-DO LIST

Your Next Move — Turn Insights into Action

✅ Build a September-October cash forecast using three-year baselines.

✅ Rewrite your call opener and practice for ten minutes before dialing.

✅ Schedule a Friday Improvement Loop on your calendar.

✅ Share one news link with your take in a client email.

✅ Order portable lighting for late afternoon showings.