Category: Built to Close

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What the MRED/Zillow Case Has Taught Us About Owning Your Business

May 29, 2026 

By Negeen Masghati, VP & Designated Managing Broker of Baird & Warner Lincoln Park

In the wake of MRED cutting its data feed to Zillow, resulting in the disappearance of over 60% of listings from the most visited real estate platform in the country, I heard dozens of theories, concerns, and critiques about the decision. What was just the latest development in an escalating legal and political battle between industry giants resulted in a significant interruption in the way consumers search for homes, and the agent community ultimately had no say in it. Despite MRED restoring the feed following a court order, I believe the situation raises questions every agent should be asking about their business and how industry-proof it really is.

In my own analysis, it served as a pointed reminder that agents who build their business around strategies, relationships, and resources they own and control are far better insulated from the whims of a third-party whose decisions can impact their income without warning, without input from them, and without any obligation to consider their best interest. My conclusion: you can industry-proof your business by building it around you.

Do You Own Your Business, or Does Someone Else?

When MRED’s feed to Zillow went dark, agents whose business is driven by Zillow leads potentially lost a significant portion of their future income overnight. One dispute between two companies that had nothing to do with them, and their lead source evaporated with no warning, no say, and no recourse.

That’s a sobering reminder of how fragile a business can be when its foundation is rented, not owned.

When I interview agents entering this business, they almost all tell me that they want to be entrepreneurs who build something of their own, on their own terms, and in a way that serves their clients and their life. In my experience, one of the most meaningful expressions of that entrepreneurial freedom is owning your lead flow. When your business is grounded in relationships you’ve cultivated, a reputation you’ve earned, and habits you’ve built over time, you are far less vulnerable to the kind of industry drama we watched play out last week.

The lead sources you own are the ones that sustain you:

  • Referrals from people who trust you
  • Your sphere of influence and past clients
  • Open houses
  • Networking and community relationships

None of these require a monthly investment to a third-party platform, and none of them can be taken away by a court ruling or a corporate dispute. Building systems around a few strong, diversified lead sources like these takes the pressure off any one source and creates a foundation that tends to grow in proportion to your effort, your consistency, and the value you bring to the people you serve, all of which are within your control.

You Owe It to Yourself to Ask the Right Questions

If you rely heavily on online portal leads, team leads, or brokerage leads as a primary income source, here are three questions worth considering:

  • What is your long-term goal for your real estate career?
  • Are you building your own business, or someone else’s?
  • If those leads went away tomorrow, would you have a business?

Whether you invest in leads yourself or rely on leads dispersed at the discretion of a team leader or broker, any of these sources can be reduced, restructured, or eliminated based on decisions that have nothing to do with you or your performance. If that flow stopped tomorrow, where would your next transaction come from?

There is absolutely a place for these leads in a healthy business model where they add to a thriving business as opposed to driving it. If your goal is to build something that is truly yours, you need to be able to source clients independently. The most resilient agents are the ones steadily building their own referral network, their own sphere, their own brand.

My Takeaway

The MRED/Zillow situation was a disruption, but disruptions have a way of revealing what needs attention. Regardless of where your business stands today, I’d encourage you to evaluate your lead sources honestly, identify where you may be too dependent on something outside your control, and make a plan to close that gap.

If you want to talk through your SOI strategy, your client communication, or how to build systems for long-term consistency, I’m here for that conversation.

Questions or thoughts? Click the link below to schedule a time to chat. My door is open.

→  Schedule a free strategy call here

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One Step Is All It Takes

How a single action – and the awareness of what is really holding you back – can build the momentum your business needs.

Over the past month, I’ve noticed the toll of this emotional market on agents as they fall victim to overwhelm. Between the fast and furious pace of multiple-offer situations and the challenge of generating business opportunities in a low-inventory market, it’s no surprise that many feel stuck without clarity on what to do next. In moments like these, I recommend simply taking one small action, as a single step forward is all that is needed to jumpstart momentum and restore motivation.

The Power of Progress.

Researcher and psychologist Frederick Herzberg identified something important about human motivation: of all the things that drive us to act, progress is the most powerful. This means action creates motivation, not the other way around. We tend to believe we need to feel motivated before we can act, but the research flips that entirely. Taking one step forward, however small, triggers a positive feedback loop, and when you register a win, the next step feels easier and momentum builds.

In real estate, this plays out every single day. The agent who makes one call often ends up making ten. The agent who sends one text finds themselves on a roll. One action breaks the inertia. But here’s the part most people skip over: if progress is such a powerful motivator, why do so many of us get – and often stay – stuck?

It’s not a lack of knowledge. The thing blocking you isn’t information. It’s an underlying fear, belief, or justification you haven’t fully identified yet.

You know you should be calling your database. You know consistent follow-up builds a business. You know that showing up for your sphere, week after week, is what separates high-performing agents from those who plateau. The knowledge is there, so ask yourself honestly: what’s really in the way?

Awareness First. Then One Step.

Here’s the path forward, in two parts.

First: get honest about what’s holding you back. Before you try to force yourself into action, ask the question: “what is the fear, belief, or justification keeping me from doing this?” You don’t have to solve it completely. You just have to see it clearly. Awareness alone can shift things.

Second: take one step. Not ten. Not a full business overhaul. One action in the right direction.

→  Call one person from your sphere – just to check in.

→  Send one personalized follow-up to someone you’ve been meaning to reach out to.

→  Set a 15-minute timer and make calls until it goes off.

→  Write one handwritten card and drop it in the mail.

→  Block 30 minutes on your calendar tomorrow for lead generation and protect it.

None of these will transform your business today, but every single one puts you back in motion. As you may recall from middle school science class, an object in motion stays in motion. Once you’re moving, the next action becomes obvious. But it all starts with taking one step.

Not Sure Where to Start?

If you’re feeling stuck and you’re not sure what your next step should look like, let’s talk. I’m happy to sit down with you, look at where you are, and help you find a clear and simple path forward.

→  Schedule a free strategy call here

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How Nina McDaniel Doubled Her Business in Just 5 Months

It wasn’t luck, a hot market, or a viral post. It was process, intention, and a few surprisingly simple habits — applied consistently, every single day.

1. Run an Intentional, Process-Driven Business

Nina attributes a major part of her growth to treating her business like a system, not a series of reactions. At the heart of that system is her CRM — a tool she uses to actively track her sphere of influence and stay in consistent, meaningful contact. She doesn’t just log names; she uses it as a living roadmap for who to reach out to next and why.

Your Action Item: Audit your CRM this week. Make sure every contact has a next-touch date. If you don’t have a system, pick one tool and commit to entering 10 contacts today.

2. Invest in Continuous Learning — and Show Up Prepared

Nina is a student of her craft. She regularly listens to the Ninja Selling podcast and has built out professional materials that reflect her expertise — including agent resumes for open houses and polished client packets. This level of preparation signals to clients that they’re working with someone serious, not someone winging it.

Your Action Item: Create or refresh one professional material this month — an open house resume, a buyer consultation packet, or a listing presentation. Treat it like a portfolio piece, not a checkbox.

3. Upgrade Your Open House with a “Mega” Mindset

Nina reimagined the open house experience from a stressful scramble into a calm, organized event. She preps all materials in advance — laid out in a file folder — so the emotional energy is focused on connection, not logistics. One signature move: a neighbors-only preview from 11 AM to noon, letting her engage the local community and demonstrate her work before the general public arrives.

Your Action Item: For your next open house, add a 1-hour neighbors-only preview window. Send personalized door hangers or notes to the surrounding 25 homes the week before.

4. Stop Collecting Contacts — Start Booking Coffee Dates

Nina doesn’t measure open house success by how many sign-in sheets she fills. Her goal is simple and focused: leave with at least one coffee date or buyer consultation booked. This mindset shift — quality over quantity — means she spends less time chasing cold leads and more time having real conversations with people who are genuinely interested.

Your Action Item: Before your next event or showing, define your one conversion goal: not “collect emails,” but “book one conversation.” Measure success by that single outcome.

5. Done is Better Than Perfect — Especially in Marketing

Nina doesn’t wait for flawless. She’s recognized that consistent communication — mailers out on time, newsletters sent regularly — does far more for her business than a perfectly edited piece that never goes out. She focuses her energy on the marketing activities that feel authentic to her, like handwritten notes, rather than stressing over every social media post.

Your Action Item: Identify one marketing habit you’ve been delaying due to perfectionism. Set a “good enough” standard and a deadline — then send it.

6. Borrow from Your Best Colleagues

Some of Nina’s best ideas didn’t come from a course or a coach — they came from watching colleagues. By paying attention to what other agents in her office were doing well (like a colleague’s newsletter format), she’s been able to adapt proven strategies and make them her own. Accountability groups keep her on track and create a culture of shared growth.

Your Action Item: Find one peer in your office whose marketing or systems you admire. Ask them to coffee and ask specifically: “What’s one thing you do consistently that you think makes the biggest difference?”

7. Educate on the Front End to Protect the Back End

Real estate is emotional — and Nina leans into that fact rather than fighting it. She invests heavily in client education from the very first conversation, knowing that informed clients are calmer clients throughout the transaction. She also brings loan officers in early to ensure everyone is aligned from the start, eliminating surprises that derail deals.

Your Action Item: Review your buyer or seller consultation. Add one educational touch point you currently deliver reactively — move it to the front of the process so clients hear it before they need it.

8. Release the Clients Who Aren’t Your People

One of Nina’s most powerful mindset shifts: she’s stopped trying to be everything to everyone. She’s made peace with the fact that not every client is meant to be hers, choosing instead to pour her energy into relationships built on mutual trust and good faith. She also embraces the long game of marketing — understanding that a well-timed mailer or thoughtful gift may not generate a direct referral immediately, but it quietly keeps her top of mind.

Your Action Item: Think of one current client relationship that feels draining or misaligned. Ask yourself: is this relationship actually serving both parties? Give yourself permission to redirect your energy where it’s most valued.

“It’s a momentum-based business. Show up consistently, be genuine, and the referrals follow.”
— Nina McDaniel, on what it really takes to double your volume

Connect with Nina!

nina.mcdaniel@bairdwarner.com | nina.mcdaniel@bairdwarner.com https://www.instagram.com/ninamoffarealtor/

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The Plateau Problem

What separates agents who keep growing from those who stall, and what to do
about it.

I’m coming up on four years as a designated managing broker. In that time, I’ve had the
privilege of observing, engaging with, and coaching dozens of Realtors. And as I look at
where many agents find themselves today, with pipelines starting to thin and
momentum harder to sustain, one pattern stands out above the rest: agents hit a
plateau and can’t figure out why.

They’re experienced. They know how to service a client. But somewhere along the way,
they stopped going to training. They pulled back from the prospecting activities that built
their business in the first place. They kept doing what they’ve always done in an
industry that keeps changing, and expected the same results. Or better ones.
The difference between agents who are leveling up and those who are standing still isn’t
tenure. It isn’t luck. It isn’t having a team around them. It’s the choices they make every
single day.

Conversion happens in conversation. If your pipeline is dry, start talking to
your database.

Top producers in any field choose growth over comfort. They push through when
business is hard. They do the work even when they don’t feel like it. And they never
stop building their pipeline, even when things are going well. That last part is critical.
The most successful agents aren’t just servicing their pipeline; they’re constantly
feeding it. That means making the calls, showing up to the events, having the
conversations that feel awkward or inconvenient. It means choosing discomfort over
stagnation, again and again.

Growing your business in a challenging market isn’t easy. But the path forward is often
simpler than it seems. Go back to basics. Attend a training. Sit down with a few
colleagues and talk through lead generation strategies. Recommit to the activities that
work.

Your success is in your hands. No one else can want it for you, build it for you, or
earn it for you. The good news is that means it’s entirely within your reach. So
make better choices, do the work, and go get it.

Feeling stuck and not sure where to start? I’m happy to sit down with you and talk through a strategy to push through the plateau.

Book a strategy call