Biggest Waste of Time for Real Estate Agents (time management tip): Stop Researching Before Calls

If you want more personal time (and fewer late-night laptop sessions), here’s one habit I see agents do all the time that quietly destroys your day.

Looking people up and “researching” them before you make the call.

I get it. It feels productive. It feels responsible. Most importantly you feel like you’re preparing.

But most of the time? It’s just procrastination.

This week’s episode — "Why Being "Busy" is costing real estate agents their best work" is all about why real estate agents often feel overwhelmed yet under-effective—and how certain habits quietly steal time.

Why this is a trap (and why it feels so convincing)

When you research someone before you call, you’re usually chasing one of these things:

• Certainty (“If I learn more, I’ll feel ready.”)

• Control (“If I know everything, I won’t sound awkward.”)

• Comfort (“If I scroll long enough, I can delay the moment of dialing.”)

The “60-Second Rule” for real estate agent time management (use this and move on)

Here’s the quick real estate agent time management trick that can avoid this trap:

You get 60 seconds max before a call.

In that 60 seconds, you’re allowed to check:

• Your CRM notes (last conversation, family/kids/job, timeline)

• The reason they’re in your database (open house, referral, past client, internet lead)

• Any immediate context you already have

• Don't do any outside research

That’s it.

No deep LinkedIn dives. No Instagram scroll. No county records rabbit hole.Because once you start “just checking one more thing,” you’re not preparing — you’re avoiding.

What to do instead (that actually saves time)

1) Call first. Capture details after.

Make the call, then take 30 seconds after to log:

• What you learned

• What matters to them

• The next follow-up date

That’s how your database gets richer—without stealing your whole afternoon.

2) Use a simple opener that works for anyone

Try this:

“Hey [Name], it’s Kathryn. Quick question—are you still in the market, or are you staying put for now?”

You can tailor this to the lead source of course but the point is you don’t need their life story to make the initial call. In the end they might not even answer!

3) Batch your calls

If you’re serious about creating personal time, you have to protect the blocks that create it.Set a call block, run your list, keep moving.

Momentum creates confidence.Research creates… more research.

Candy Bag challenge for this week

Pick 10 people to call.

• No researching

• 60-second max glance at notes

• Call, then log what you learn after

You’ll be shocked how much time you just got back.