Podcast Summary: The David Greene Show – Episode 120

Episode Title: Most Agents are Doing 2026 Wrong… Here’s the Better Plan
Date: March 6, 2026
Host: David Greene
Guest: Chris Lloyd

Episode Overview

In this New Year’s episode of Real Talk Real Estate, David Greene sits down with Chris Lloyd, a high-performing agent and leader at Coast to Coast Real Estate Virginia, to break down what most real estate agents are getting wrong about 2026—and what they should be doing instead. They go deep into building grit, embracing market challenges, how to grow a quality real estate team, the importance of mentorship, and actionable steps agents can use to have their best year yet. The tone is candid, practical, and motivational, full of real-world examples, honest stories, and expert-level strategic advice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Starting 2026 Strong: Mindset & Motivation

• Chris’s New Year: Kicked off 2026 by hosting friends and then “hitting the phones with some expired listings with the team.” (00:34)
• Transition to Growth: Chris shares his journey from leaving a steady job at the shipyard to investing in and then selling real estate, motivated initially by “not wanting to go broke” after leaving his W2 role.
  • “When we started seeing the market slow down, we dug in deeper, and that is what you have to do if you’re going to be successful in this business.” (01:59, Chris)

2. Embracing Adversity & Grit

• Background at Virginia Military Institute: Chris credits his “run towards hard” approach to the grueling military school experience:
  • “You cannot get through that college without suffering... the only way that you can succeed is being your best every single day, not just for yourself, but for everyone else around you.” (05:31, Chris)
• Building Toughness:
  • David recounts his own struggles with insecurity and working out:
    • “Even if you didn’t get stronger from lifting weights, I would still do it because there’s something about the mental muscle that I felt myself building when you’re trying to pump out another two reps when you’re tired and it burns.” (08:25, David)

3. Team Building for 2026: Doing It Right vs. Doing It Wrong

• Expansion Plans: Chris aims “to be up in northern Virginia by the end of the year, have our brokers license in North Carolina, Tennessee and a couple of the other states north of Virginia... get Coast to Coast up in as many states as possible.” (10:23)
• Quality Over Quantity:
  • Focus not on building a huge team, but a productive and trusted one:
    • “When I bring in clients... it feels just like I never left.” (11:11, Chris)
• The Truth About Teams:
  • “Your first year starting a team, you will make less money than you were as a solo agent the year prior. Almost guaranteed.” (12:37, Chris)

4. The Value of True Mentorship & Support

• Support as a Differentiator: Chris sets daily “open office hours,” guaranteeing his agents can solve problems quickly—contrasting with “all hat, no cattle” brokerages focused on perks not training or mentorship. (13:36; 14:29)
• Why Brokerages Fail Agents:
  • David: “Many people don’t realize that they operate their real estate brokerage as a loss leader... they make money off you from desk fees... everything other than ‘let us help you serve your client better.’” (15:14, David)
  • Chris agrees and builds his model based on “precisely” providing what others don’t (16:31).

5. Lessons from Good Mentors

• Personal Experience:
  • Chris’s first broker (a boutique brokerage leader) “was able to break down complex concepts to a real basic understanding,” showing the power of one-on-one, available mentorship. (17:09)
  • “If I had a client, I knew I could get them to the closing table... I would rather have one client that I know for sure I can close.” (17:09, Chris)

6. The 2026 Market Outlook—A Challenge to Embrace

• Looking Forward to ‘A Challenging Market’:
  • Chris predicts a housing stall, more properties sitting, and more short sales—“the skilled agents are going to be the agents that thrive in this market.” (18:54)
  • Opportunity: Training agents to “pitch how they can help their sellers a whole lot better than anyone else.”

7. Navigating Conflict & Negotiation

• Skills Agents Must Build:
  • Chris had to learn to be more assertive in negotiations and “look into conflict with other people.” (22:22)
  • David shares his own need to “learn to be flexible” and not default to war, underscoring that both ends of the spectrum need work.

Notable Quote:

“One of the best books I tell all the agents to read is Chris Voss’s ‘Never Split the Difference’. That book right there is the art of how to negotiate but not kill relationships.”
— Chris Lloyd (25:29)

• Practical Negotiation Example:
  • Both discuss how to “separate the client’s request from logic” so as not to invite unnecessary arguments (25:47).
  • Chris’s approach to a $500 concession: “This isn’t about $500. This is about the buyer wanting to feel like they won. So... do you want to do a short sale or do you want to find $500?” (27:04)

8. Transaction Communication Tactics & Time Management

• After-Tough Negotiations:
  • Chris reaches out to the other side: “Let them know, hey, even though the negotiations were tough... I am now working with you to make sure that both of our clients get what they want.” (29:34)
• What Top Producers Do Better:
  • “Hard time blocking, protecting my time and making sure that I have certain times allocated to certain activities.” (30:44, Chris)
  • “The top producers do not have that problem... They can’t sell the amount of homes that they do without systems in place.” (32:34, Chris)

Practical Advice from David (Unsolicited):

“When I’m time crunched, I’m like, ‘Hey man, I got about two minutes and what I’d like to figure out is A, B, and C. Is now a good time to talk?’... You get comfortable doing that, and you figure out you get a lot of time back.”
(34:49)

9. Overcoming Fear of Conflict on Cold Calls

• David’s Script for Expired Listings:
  • “Hey, I understand that you don’t like me... Can I have 45 seconds of your time to tell you what I would like to do? And if you think this doesn’t work, I promise I’ll let you go and just wish you the best.” (35:43)

10. Final, Actionable Advice for 2026

• Chris’s Parting Words:
  • “Do the work. Seriously, buckle down. Take a look at your advertising budget, see what’s actually converted, what hasn’t. Double down on the ones that are working. Cut your spending on the ones that are not. Show up, do the work, make the calls, be a good person and the business will follow.” (37:13)

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On embracing hard things:
  • “Once I accepted the fact it was going to be hard, but it was going to lead to great results, everything followed through.” (06:36, Chris)
• On running toward discomfort:
  • “Run towards it.” (10:17, Chris)
• On starting teams:
  • “Your first year starting a team, you will make less money than you were as a solo agent the year prior. Almost guaranteed.” (12:37, Chris)
• On mentorship in small brokerages:
  • “I’d rather have one client that I know for sure I can close.” (17:09, Chris)
• On market challenges:
  • “The skilled agents are going to be the agents that thrive in this market.” (18:54, Chris)
• Negotiation primer:
  • “That book right there is the Art of How to Negotiate but Not Kill Relationships.” (25:29, on Never Split the Difference, Chris)
• On top producer habits:
  • “A lot of agents... fly by the seat of your pants... The top producers do not have that problem... they can’t sell the amount of homes that they do without systems in place.” (32:34, Chris)
• On direct communication:
  • “I’ve yet to have a person that resents that I started the conversation like that.” (34:49, David)
• Final advice:
  • “Do the work... Show up, do the work, make the calls, be a good person and the business will follow.” (37:13, Chris)

Important Timestamps

• [01:59] – Digging in deeper during a slow market
• [05:31] – The value of hard experiences and military background
• [10:23] – Chris’s 2026 expansion goals
• [12:37] – The reality of starting a team
• [13:36] – The importance of support for team agents
• [17:09] – How boutique mentorship trumps big brokerages
• [18:54] – Embracing the challenges of a stalled 2026 housing market
• [22:22] – Learning to face conflict and build negotiation skills
• [25:29] – The “Never Split the Difference” method of negotiation
• [30:44] – Top producer strategies for time management
• [34:49] – David’s two-minute call approach to reclaim time
• [35:43] – Cold call script to beat discomfort and build trust
• [37:13] – Chris’s closing advice for agents in 2026

Summary Takeaway

2026 won’t reward agents who play it safe or look for shortcuts—it will reward agents who dig deep, run toward hard things, seek real mentorship, and build repeatable systems. This episode provides not just philosophy, but highly practical scripts, approaches, and the mindsets needed for agents to survive and thrive in a tougher real estate market.

Listen if you want to:

• Get a refreshingly honest take on the business
• Learn how to build a winning team (the right way)
• Upgrade your negotiation skills
• Level up your systems and time management
• Embrace true mentorship and support
• Actually win in a challenging market

Contact Chris Lloyd:

• Instagram: @chrislloyd_realestate
• Email: chris@lloyd.com

Connect with David Greene:

• Instagram: @davidgreene24
• davidgreene24.com

Episode full of strategies, reality checks, and practical advice any agent can implement for a standout 2026.