5 Habits of Top-Producing Real Estate Agents

After more than 15 years of training and leading high-performing real estate professionals, certain patterns consistently emerge among agents who produce results year after year. These habits are not just useful for property agents—they offer practical lessons that can be applied to life and business in general.

Interestingly, top agents are not always the smoothest talkers or the smartest individuals in the room. Yet, time and again, they outperform the market. Even during slow periods, reduced transaction volumes, or negative media sentiment, these professionals continue to close deals and maintain momentum.

Here are five key habits that set top-producing real estate agents apart.

1. They Master Their Inner Voice

Every one of us has an inner voice that narrates our daily experiences. It creates stories based on interactions, setbacks, and challenges we face.

For many people, this voice becomes a silent saboteur. It discourages effort, fuels self-doubt, encourages procrastination, and convinces us to cancel appointments or avoid difficult conversations.

As a result, these agents recover quickly from rejection, experience minimal downtime after setbacks, and remain emotionally resilient in competitive environments. They are confident without tying their self-worth to individual wins or losses.

2. They Take Selective, Consistent Action

Many real estate agents attend training sessions, stay late at the office, and talk extensively about their goals. They plan, strategize, and research—but stop short of doing the work that actually produces results.

The real estate industry is filled with distractions: endless learning, excessive admin work, over-planning, skepticism toward new methods, and waiting passively for referrals. While these tasks feel productive, they often delay meaningful action.

The truth is simple: only about 20% of activities generate 80% of results. Top agents focus relentlessly on that critical 20%.

They protect their time and energy, prioritize revenue-generating activities, and take consistent action. They are honest with themselves about how they spend their days—knowing that time, once gone, cannot be recovered.

3. They Don’t Run Rackets

“Rackets” are repeated complaints about people, situations, or events. While it’s healthy to acknowledge frustration occasionally, dwelling on it becomes unproductive.

Top-performing agents don’t linger there. They express what’s needed, then move on quickly. Instead of focusing on blame or frustration, they redirect their energy toward solutions, progress, and new opportunities.

This habit not only improves productivity but also strengthens relationships with colleagues, clients, and loved ones.

4. They Believe Done Is Better Than Perfect

Many agents delay execution in the name of perfection. A simple task—like preparing and sending monthly mailers—can drag on for weeks due to overthinking design, wording, or targeting.

Perfectionism often disguises avoidance. Top real estate agents understand this and choose momentum over flawlessness.

They take action early, knowing improvements can be made along the way. They also recognize that spending excessive time perfecting minor details rarely produces proportional results.

Their focus stays on real work—the actions that move their business forward.

5. They Operate with a Sense of Urgency

One surprising difference between average and top-producing agents is responsiveness.

Some agents delay returning calls, replying to messages, or confirming appointments. This may stem from poor discipline or internal assumptions that a client or deal isn’t serious.

Top agents act differently.

This sense of urgency compounds over time, creating a significant performance advantage.

Final Thoughts

These habits are not innate talents—they are learned behaviors. Through training, self-awareness, and a willingness to improve, anyone can develop them.

By consciously raising our standards and benchmarking ourselves against top producers, we naturally grow into better, more effective versions of ourselves. While these principles are powerful in real estate, they often enhance other areas of life as well.

Excellence, after all, is built one habit at a time.

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Stuart Chng, Executive Group District Director at Huttons Group, is a renowned leader and personality in the real estate industry.

He adores music and can play a few instruments decently without upsetting his neighbours. When not doing so, he enjoys pillow fighting with his son and coming up with silly puns which barely amuses his wife.

Professionally, he is a licensed real estate agent, an avid stocks, options and real estate investor, business owner, team leader, speaker and columnist for several property newsletters and blogs and is often quoted in media interviews on 938FM, Channel 8, PropertyReport, PropertyGuru and other publications.

Throughout his career, he has helped many investors grow their wealth through selecting great real estate investments and managing their portfolios actively. Read his clients' reviews here.

Stuart has also coached many top million dollar producing realtors from various real estate agencies in Singapore. Read his agents' reviews here.

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