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Longevity isn’t accidental, Jen Cameron writes. It’s built through steady leadership, practiced values and a commitment to people over optics.

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Invest in yourself, grow your business—real estate’s biggest moment is in New York!

People love the glossy version of real estate — the headlines, the record sales, the social media glow-ups. What often gets overlooked is what it actually takes to stay in this business over time. Longevity in real estate isn’t built on visibility; it’s built on resilience, consistency and values that hold up when the market doesn’t.

After nearly three decades in the industry, one thing has become clear: The agents and leaders who last aren’t the loudest or flashiest. They’re the ones willing to do the hard, uncelebrated work that no one is watching — and keep doing it year after year.

5 lessons I’ve learned over my 27 years in real estate

Here are five lessons that have shaped my nearly three decades in real estate and continue to guide how I work and lead today.

Longevity is built through cycles, not moments

Real estate is cyclical by nature. Boom markets give way to corrections. Business models evolve. Leadership trends come and go. Technology promises to streamline or even replace parts of the process, yet trust, judgment and human connection remain irreplaceable.

Early in my career, I entered the industry during an unusually steady market. Transactions were consistent, optimism was high, and for a while, it felt like forward motion was guaranteed. Then the market crashed. Almost overnight, certainty disappeared. Deals stalled, fear set in, and I was forced to confront a reality that many professionals don’t face until much later: Survival itself became the job.

It was during that period that I learned what longevity actually requires. I couldn’t wait for conditions to improve. I had to figure out how to endure long enough to recover. That meant leaning into service when there was no immediate payoff, showing up for clients and colleagues even when there wasn’t money attached, and doing the work that preserved trust rather than chasing short-term wins. Those choices didn’t always help in the moment, but they carried me through the next cycle.

Now, 27 years into this business, I’m prepared for volatility at any time. Adaptability still matters — but only when it’s anchored by values. Tools can change. Branding can shift. Strategy can be rewritten. But when ethics, respect and the client experience erode, no amount of innovation can compensate. Markets don’t usually end careers; cultural misalignment does.

Culture is something you practice, not declare

In the years following COVID, many in the industry began reassessing not just how they work, but where and with whom. That reassessment continues today. Experienced agents, in particular, are looking for environments that recognize them as individuals rather than interchangeable producers.

I felt this shift personally. After decades in the business, I noticed a growing disconnect between the culture many companies claimed to have and the experience agents were actually living day to day. The language sounded right, but the support, trust and humanity didn’t always follow. Rather than wait for that gap to close, I made the decision to create the environment I believed was missing.

Opening The Agency Seattle wasn’t about scale or disruption — it was about practice. Building a culture where people are seen, respected and supported requires intention in the small moments: how decisions are made, how people are spoken to under pressure and whether leadership shows up when there’s nothing to gain. Culture isn’t defined by a mission statement; it’s defined by behavior.

Real estate is deeply personal work. It intersects with finances, families, time and identity. The culture surrounding that work matters. When people feel supported, respected and trusted, they do better work, and they stay.

Community involvement builds trust that marketing can’t

Over time, I’ve learned that community involvement isn’t a branding exercise; it’s a long-term commitment. Being intentional about how and where we show up has shaped the way our business is experienced, often in ways that aren’t immediately measurable.

When we moved into our Old Bellevue space, and as we continue our expansion into Madison Park, the goal wasn’t scale or visibility — it was to create a space that felt open and human, one that supports local artists, welcomes conversation and gives back through philanthropy. Those choices may not move a quarterly metric, but they shape how a business is experienced over time. And experience is what builds trust.

That lesson came into focus for me one afternoon while I was setting up our Madison Park space. A longtime resident knocked on the door and asked what was going in. I told her who we were, and she paused before asking a simple but powerful question: How are you different, and how will you become part of this community? I invited her inside, and we talked. Not about real estate, but about her life in the neighborhood and what it had meant to her over the past 40 years.

At one point, she told me that in all that time, no one had ever asked her about her experience of the neighborhood. She shared stories that gave me a deeper understanding of why the community mattered so much to the people who lived there — and why showing up with curiosity and respect matters more than any launch campaign ever could.

When a brokerage becomes a genuine participant in its neighborhood, rather than just a business operating within it, relationships deepen. Trust grows through consistency and contribution, not campaigns. In a people-first industry, that kind of trust isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s foundational.

Grit is consistency, not volume

The industry often celebrates grit, but rarely defines it clearly. Grit isn’t bravado or volume. It’s consistency. It’s staying in the game through market shifts, being willing to do uncomfortable work and holding standards when compromise would be easier.

I’ve seen this most clearly during tougher markets, when listings are scarce and pressure rises. That’s often when agents begin undercutting one another — lowering fees, stripping back services and racing to the bottom in the name of survival. Early on, I had to decide whether I would follow that pattern or stand firm in the value I bring.

My position has always been simple: My value is my value. I don’t discount it based on market conditions. When times are harder, the work doesn’t become less important — it becomes more demanding. Clients need more guidance, more judgment and more advocacy, not less. So instead of lowering my standards, I lean further into them.

That choice hasn’t always been easy, but it’s consistently served me well. Markets move up and down. What endures is the trust built by showing up with the same level of commitment, effort and integrity in every cycle. That kind of grit isn’t loud — but it’s lasting.

Human-centered leadership is what sustains careers

At its core, real estate remains a people-first business. The way leaders show up, the cultures they create and the values they model shape not just transactions, but careers.

I’ve learned that human-centered leadership isn’t something you announce — it’s something people experience in moments of pressure. When agents face unfamiliar territory or high-stakes decisions, what matters most isn’t hierarchy or process, but knowing someone is beside them. Not to take over, but to help them think clearly, stay grounded and make confident decisions.

Transactional leadership may produce short-term results, but it rarely builds careers that last. The leaders and organizations that endure are the ones that lead with consistency, respect and accountability, especially when conditions are challenging.

What endures over time

After 27 years in real estate, one truth stands out: Longevity isn’t accidental. It’s built through steady leadership, practiced values and a commitment to people over optics.

When grit, generosity and respect are applied consistently, they don’t just create stronger businesses. They create an industry that professionals are proud to stay in for the long haul.

All this month, we’re focused on The New Brokerage Playbook. Running a brokerage in 2026 looks nothing like it used to. From major players to scrappy indies, we’ll map the new playing field and talk with brokerage leaders across the country about what’s working now — and what’s next.

Jen Cameron is managing partner of The Agency Seattle and host of the Homegirl Knows Best podcast. Connect with her on Instagram.

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