This isn't a new conversation for realtors. In fact, it's the return to a very old one.

When I first got licensed in 2006, we were on the tail end of a long, flat market. To give you some context: I sold a condo for a client who had bought it in 1990 and sold it in 2006 for the same price he paid sixteen years earlier. Fourteen years of zero price growth. That happened in my lifetime. That happened to real people I knew.

And during that era, realtors were famously thrifty. They would go out to a restaurant and negotiate with the waiter over the price of an appetizer. There was a running joke that when you called somewhere and identified yourself as a realtor, people would groan — because they knew exactly how hard you were going to work for a deal. And honestly? It was a little fun to be that person.

We Were Built for This

Here's what people forget about realtors during the good years: we didn't become skilled negotiators by accident. We negotiate on behalf of clients regarding their life savings. We assess what a price should be versus what it is. We read market trends and push for favourable outcomes on behalf of people who are counting on us.

Those skills didn't disappear when the market slowed. We just stopped applying them to our own lives.

During the run-up, an entire industry developed to service us. Premium marketing packages. Professional video shoots. Drone footage. Personal branding consultants. And somewhere along the way, spending became part of the identity.

But here's the thing — a lot of our home sellers right now don't have equity left. They need us to do the same job for less money. So the question worth asking is: does every listing actually need a drone video and a professional shoot of you walking down a laneway in an $800 suit? Or could you get a little more creative for a little less? In fact, creativity may just set you apart.

The Monthly Bill Audit

I started doing something simple: once a month, I go through my bills and ask myself whether there is one thing I could do cheaper.

What I found surprised me. Things I had assumed were fixed turned out to be negotiable. And this economy has actually created a lot of room — recessions breed competition, and companies lower prices and offer deals that didn't exist before.

One example: I switched credit card providers. My cashback went from 1.5% to 5%. That's an extra $3.50 for every hundred dollars I spend and combines for bonus gas card points. It took one phone call and about an hour of my time. Over a year, that's not nothing.

It's a small thing. But small things compound. And the habit of asking "could I do this cheaper?" is more valuable than any single saving it produces.

The Shein Shirt Principle

To show up to a listing appointment or a client event, you should dress well. I don't think anyone would argue with that.

But do you need to dress equally well around the house? Would an eight-dollar shirt not do the job of answering phone calls?

There's something unexpectedly freeing about wearing something you don't have to be careful in. It's a small permission slip to just exist without performing. And I'd forgotten how good that feels.

Reading the Room with Your Clients

Here's the other piece of this: your clients are feeling it too.

If you show up to a meeting bragging about your Disneyland vacation and your new car to a family of four who just got laid off and are relocating to Alberta because they can no longer afford their home, they are not going to appreciate it. People right now are drawn to responsibility over flash. To someone who seems to understand what the moment actually calls for.

Being visibly thrifty isn't a weakness in this market. It's a form of respect.

The Mindset Underneath the Practice

Being cheap is as much a mindset as it is a habit. And one of the things people struggle with most is the sentence: I can't afford this right now.

We've spent the better part of a decade in a race to the top on social media — who can post the best photo, attend the best event, be seen at the most expensive places. One trend I keep seeing: high tea at $50 a head. Cupcakes at restaurants that charge for the atmosphere.

You know what I genuinely enjoy? A coffee from Tim Hortons and someone who genuinely cares and will actually listen to the full sentence I'm trying to say.

The abundance mindset that served us during the boom told us that spending was a signal of success. The mindset that will serve us now is different: it asks what things are actually worth, what we actually need, and what we might enjoy more if it costs us less.

One Thing Cheaper

So here's the invitation for this week: go through your bills. Pick one thing. Ask yourself if there's a cheaper version of it that would actually serve you just as well.

That's it. One thing.

Because the habit of looking — really looking — at what you're spending and why is one of the most useful things you can do right now. Not just financially. But as a reminder that you are still someone who can assess value, negotiate outcomes, and make smart decisions under pressure.

That's who you were before the market changed. That's still who you are.

Tomorrow we'll talk about building community — how to find your people in a slow market, and why connection might be the most underrated resource we have right now.

Co-Authored by

Jordan Penner, MAA, RCC

Jordan Penner, MA, is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with twenty years of experience helping individuals, couples, and families navigate mental health challenges. His career spans work in provincial mental health integration programs, behavioural intervention with children and families, substance abuse recovery, and clinical intake coordination. He holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Trinity Western University and is trained in CBT, DBT, EMDR, Narrative Therapy, and Solution-Focused approaches. Jordan practices in Surrey, Langley, and Delta, BC, with a particular focus on resilience and working with people in high-pressure industries. 

Site: https://jordanpenner.com

Book Session: https://jordanpenner.janeapp.com