If you wait for September, it’s too late: Spring campaign starts now

He said the biggest mistake agents made was treating spring as a season rather than a campaign that needed to start well before the market gained momentum.

"I think it’s very clear that an agent understands that the spring campaign doesn’t actually start in September. It starts in August," Shiner told REB.

"The appraisals you do in August will have a direct impact on the amount of properties you list in September."

In August, Shiner said agents should be re-engaging prospects, starting vendor conversations, and building the pipeline that would fuel spring listings.

Before chasing new leads, he also encouraged agents to look back at the opportunities they had already created, particularly with the homeowners they had appraised throughout the year.

Most agents don’t have a database; they have a list

While many agents pride themselves on the size of their database, Shiner said that quantity meant little without consistent engagement.

He said that many agents did not have a database but a list, often confusing the two.

"There is a massive difference between a database and a list. A lot of agents say they’ve got a database, but what they’ve actually got is a list."

He said the distinction was simple: a list was dormant, while a database remains active and frequently engaged with people.

Yet he said that many agents avoided contacting their database altogether because they were worried about annoying people, receiving unsubscribes or damaging relationships.

"There’s so many agents who are fearful about communicating with their database or sending them a text or sending an email because they’re fearful that the person might unsubscribe."

That hesitation often leaves thousands of contacts sitting idle.

"If you don’t end up sending anything to anybody because you’re fearful of the unsubscribe, it’s basically you’re treating the whole database like they’ve all unsubscribed because none of them gets something."

Instead, Shiner said consistent communication is what transforms a contact list into one of an agent’s most valuable business assets.

"A database is when they know you, then they start to like you, and they trust you. And that’s always through frequency."

Give your database a reason to engage

For agents looking to revive dormant contacts before spring, Shiner said the solution was not another appraisal request or generic "just touching base" email.

"No one wants their base touched by a real estate agent,” Shiner said.

"I think we want to avoid red flag phrases like, ’Do you want to sell? Do you want an appraisal? Do you want a market update? Just reaching out, just touching base.’"

Instead, Shiner said agents should lead with value, using August to launch a "beat the spring rush" campaign that showed homeowners why selling before the market becomes crowded could work in their favour.

To stay front of mind throughout the season, Shiner said agents should build a consistent communication plan rather than relying on one-off messages.

He said that agents should distribute a spring performance report featuring local market insights, comparable sales, case studies and recent results.

Then in September, they should follow up with a short market update video reviewing current conditions, highlighting successful campaigns, sharing expectations for the remainder of spring and finishing with a strong call to action.

"Every agent should be doing some sort of spring market update video; it doesn’t have to be long, between 60 seconds and 90 seconds."

Sell in August, buy in September

Once contact is initiated, Shiner said that agents have an opportunity to reframe the typical “waiting until spring to sell” mindset by educating their clients.

He said agents should position August as the ideal time to sell before competition intensifies, and remind them that spring offers the greatest choice when it comes time to buy.

"The best time to actually sell is in August isolation and the best time to buy is in spring saturation," he said.

"So if an agent could easily develop what I call a two-step selling system or a two-step moving system: step one, you sell in August. Step two, you buy in September because that’s where you always see the most inventory, most stock, and the most amount of listings hit the market in the year."

He said the strategy also tackled one of the biggest objections agents hear from prospective vendors.

"The biggest objection an agent gets throughout the year is, ’If I sell, I’ve got nowhere to go.’"

Historically, Shiner said the spring market brought more listings, stronger buyer activity and greater confidence, making it easier for sellers to secure their next home once they’ve sold.

He said that agents can also negotiate a longer settlement period to reassure their sellers.

Vendors want proof you can sell

As market conditions become more competitive, Shiner believes agents also need to rethink how they market themselves.

"Over the last few years, real estate has been an attention-based industry," he said.

"But we’re transitioning from an attention-based market back to a skills-based market."

Rather than focusing on who is winning listings, he said that vendors increasingly wanted evidence that an agent can deliver results.

"Prospects aren’t as interested in knowing who can list properties. Prospects now want to know who can actually sell properties."

Rather than simply showing the sold price and collecting testimonials, Shiner said agents should build detailed case studies that showcase the client’s journey, the strategy implemented and the final outcome.

For agents still hesitant to reconnect with prospects before spring, he reminded them that they had nothing to lose.

"As long as you ask in a polite way and you add value, there’s very little downside and a tremendous amount of upside."