Stop Wasting Time: How the 80/20 Rule Can Boost Your Real Estate Income

It’s easy—especially in the early stages of running a business—to try to wear as many hats as possible in an effort to cut costs and increase production and profit. While that mindset can be useful at first, it can also be misleading over time. This isn’t to say real estate agents shouldn’t be hands-on, attend inspections or photoshoots, or have a deep understanding of the inner workings of the industry. The difference is knowing when to step back and let professionals handle certain aspects of your transactions.

Since getting started as a real estate photographer, I’ve met many realtors who share a similar challenge: they don’t always know when to step back from certain tasks. That may sound harsh, but in reality, it can limit a business’s long-term potential. I genuinely appreciate hands-on agents. Where it becomes an issue is when communication becomes so automated that the agent is essentially unreachable, with a virtual assistant acting as the only point of contact. Automation is valuable—but like anything else, it can be overdone.

Connections create transactions—not just volume or automated outreach. People need to like you and trust you when it comes to large financial decisions. If 20% of your efforts lead to 80% of your results, then the remaining 80% of tasks—while some may be necessary—can quietly pull you away from increasing your income and production year over year.

There have been many times when I’ve spoken with agents about scheduling photography for a new listing, only to hear, “I do the photos myself—I’ve been doing them for 20 years.” While there are certainly exceptions, and some agents are genuinely talented photographers, that often isn’t the case. Relying on cell phone photos or poorly composed images can mean missed opportunities and can negatively impact how your brand is perceived. You’re capable of more by allocating tasks that aren’t your strongest areas. That’s how businesses scale.

The main point is simple: trying to be a jack of all trades can cap your earning potential. Proper time management—and delegation—can directly increase how much money you put in your pocket. When you book a photoshoot with My Good Side Media in Southern California, I handle the photography process from start to finish, including uploading the photos directly to the MLS. That frees you up to focus on showing homes, writing offers, and hosting open houses.

And if you’d like to rearrange or adjust how the photos appear in the MLS afterward, you’re always welcome to. Even then, that’s a far smaller issue than trying to attract strong offers with low-quality images. Let’s scale in 2026.

Get in touch today to book a real estate shoot.