Real estate professionals across Dallas-Fort Worth are preparing for a slower market over the next 12 to 24 months, and one team leader is taking a counterintuitive approach: doubling down instead of pulling back. Justin Nimergood, who leads the Top Gun Team at Epique Realty, believes the downturn is coming and is investing in his team now rather than waiting to react.
“It’s our belief that the next 12 to 24 months in the real estate market is going to be tough,” Nimergood said. His response is to increase investment in the team and its infrastructure, following Warren Buffett’s approach of investing when others retreat. “While everyone else is pulling back, I’m actually going to be doubling down on our team,” he said. The goal is to emerge from the slowdown better positioned than competitors who spent the year in survival mode.
A key part of the plan is changing how clients interact with the team before they ever make a call. The team is launching a new website with individual agent pages, a mortgage calculator, and an AI-based home valuation tool, alongside its YouTube channel and social media accounts. “We want them to know us almost before we even have that first conversation with them,” Nimergood said. For homeowners seeking a low-pressure starting point, the team’s property valuation tool exemplifies that approach. The takeaway for agents: use extra time to show up consistently, share local market knowledge, and build trust that pays off when activity picks up.
Nimergood also warns of burnout as agents work longer hours for fewer deals. “I think a lot of people are going to face burnout next year,” he said. His team is structured so agents can cover for one another—one agent will spend most of November in India while the team keeps her clients moving, and Nimergood has a cruise planned for next May without worry. The lesson for agents is to establish backup plans now, whether through a trusted colleague, a team, or a clear handoff system, to rest without letting clients down.
For buyers and sellers, a tougher market does not eliminate the need to move. Job changes, growing families, and downsizing still occur, but the value of a steady, informed agent who continues investing in the work becomes more pronounced. Nimergood’s stated priority is to survive the next 12 months and use that time well enough to come out ahead when the market turns. His approach suggests that preparation and investment during a slowdown may be the difference between struggling and thriving in the next cycle.
