Those of you who’ve been in the real estate industry for a while know there’s an unofficial marker that signals the start of the spring selling season: Super Bowl weekend.

While the market hasn’t followed a traditional script in recent years, this moment still matters. Not because activity suddenly flips on overnight, but because it’s often when buyer and seller interest begins to shift from watching to planning and momentum starts to build.

Many of you are already hearing from clients interested in buying or selling this year. But just as important is the deep bench of clients who were motivated in the past, explored their options, and ultimately paused due to competition, pricing, or timing. For many of those clients, circumstances have changed, and they may be better positioned now than they were before.

This is the window to reconnect, recalibrate, and prepare for what’s ahead.

How to position yourself to build spring momentum:

1. Revisit your CRM with intention
Take time to dig into your CRM and identify clients who were previously active but didn’t move forward. Create a focused outreach plan: calls, texts, emails, or a combination, and time-block it.

If a client previously completed a preapproval with a Key Mortgage loan officer, consider reconnecting as a team. A coordinated, team-based approach reinforces value and helps clients move forward with clarity and confidence. This is also a great opportunity to ask whether friends or family may be considering a move.

2. Ask better questions
The only constant in real estate is change. What mattered to a client before may not be what matters now. Jobs, family dynamics, lifestyle priorities, and finances all evolve, and those shifts directly impact buying and selling decisions.

Use this time to ask open-ended questions and truly understand what’s driving your clients today, rather than relying on past conversations or assumptions.

3. Reevaluate financing options
An older preapproval doesn’t reflect today’s reality. Updated income, assets, credit profiles, loan programs, and market conditions can significantly change outcomes.

Encourage clients to refresh their preapproval and have a current financing consultation. Understanding today’s options early helps buyers move quickly and confidently when the right opportunity comes along.

4. Start strategizing early
Buyer demand remains strong, and inventory continues to be limited, which makes preparation and strategy more important than ever. This is the time to talk through your client’s:

• • Offer structure

  • Financing approach

  • Timing and expectations

Working through these details now helps ensure you and your clients are ready, not reactive, when competition increases.

None of these ideas are new. What makes the difference is the consistency and quality of execution. The agents who take a proactive approach now don’t scramble when activity accelerates — they are prepared, confident, and positioned to deliver a strong client experience as the spring market unfolds.

And there’s no better way to do that than with a lending partner who has invested in helping you and your clients navigate the market with clarity and confidence. Let’s take prior conversations and turn them into this season’s success. Connect with your trusted Key Mortgage loan officer to start preparing your spring pipeline.