Most realtors waste May.

They think it’s a hot month because “buyers are ready” and “sellers are motivated.”

But that’s not why May matters.

May is a reflection. A mirror. A scoreboard.

Whatever’s happening in your business in May is just the result of what you were doing back in February.

“May is where the harvest begins — but the seeds were planted long before.”
— Creig Northrop

The truth is, there’s nothing magical about May on its own. What makes May powerful is that it rewards the agent who thinks ahead. It’s not a time to start — it’s a time to cash in.

1. The 90-Day Rule That Separates Amateurs From Pros

The best real estate agents don’t think in days. They don’t think in weeks. They think in quarters.

What you do today… won’t pay off until 90 days from now.

That’s the 90-Day Rule.

You can’t post one social media video and expect leads to pour in tomorrow. You can’t make one follow-up call and expect someone to sign a listing agreement the same afternoon. And you definitely can’t wait until May to “get serious” about growing your pipeline.

Because here’s the secret nobody teaches:

Real estate is a delayed game. What you earn today was earned 3 months ago. And what you earn 3 months from now starts right now.

This is why agents who understand the 90-Day Rule always look calm. They’re not in panic mode during slow seasons. They don’t scramble when the market shifts.

Because they’ve been preparing.

They were having conversations back in February. They were nurturing leads in March. They were showing up consistently in April.

So by the time May rolls around?

Their phones ring. Their inboxes fill up. Their calendars get busy.

Not because May is lucky. But because they worked the winter like a pro.

2. Why May Feels Like “Magic” To The Prepared Agent

May doesn’t reward everyone. It rewards the obsessed. The consistent. The ones who planned three months ago.

Most agents look at May and say, “Wow, the market’s picking up. Time to hustle.”

But if you’re just starting in May, you’re already too late.

The reason May feels like a “magic month” to some is because they’ve been planting seeds since February. They’ve been nurturing, not chasing. They’ve been showing up when no one was watching.

“May isn’t magical on its own. It’s magical because of what you did in the 90 days leading up to it.”
— Creig Northrop

Here’s the brutal truth: The listings you want in May? They’re already spoken for. The agents who win them? They were in the seller’s ear three months ago.

And that’s the shift most agents never make.

They react to the market. They ride the waves. They work in the business instead of on it.

But the top 1%? They create their own waves. They run their calendars like CEOs. They build momentum before it’s visible.

As Umar Hameed put it during the conversation:

“Momentum in sales is never accidental. It’s built day by day, conversation by conversation, with purpose.”                                                         — Umar Hameed                                               

This is why May feels like magic — to the prepared.

Not to the lucky. Not to the desperate. Not to the agent who suddenly wakes up and decides, “This is my month.”

It’s your month only if you earned it in February, March, and April.

3. Why Most Agents Miss the May Opportunity Completely

Most agents think they’re playing the real estate game.

But they’re actually reacting to it.

They wait. They guess. They play defense.

That’s why May passed them by like a train they weren’t ready to board.

Here’s what usually happens:

• They enter the year with a few vague goals.

• January? Spent recovering from December.

• February? Spent “getting organized.”

• March? Still waiting on the market.

• April? Panic sets in.

• May? They scramble.

And then… they wonder why May wasn’t magical.

Let me break this down:

“If you’re not three months ahead in real estate, you’re already three months behind.”
— Umar Hameed

The problem is short-term thinking. Most agents are only thinking about today’s leads. Today’s listings. Today’s transactions.

They don’t realize that success in May was determined by how many conversations you had back in February. How many doors you knocked on. How many emails you sent. How many follow-ups you didn’t skip.

Because here’s the thing about May:

It’s not a month. It’s a mirror.

It reflects the work you did (or didn’t do) in the 90 days before.

And that’s where average agents fail — they don’t have a system. They don't have a time-block. They don’t track. They don’t build pipelines.

They’re constantly trying to catch up to where the business already is.

But real pros?

They know May isn’t a surprise.

It’s a checkpoint.

It’s where you see whether your calendar had intention — or if you were just busy.

And if you missed May this year?

Good.

That’s your wake-up call.

“Most people think momentum is a feeling. In reality, it’s just math.”
— Craig Northrop

4. What You Should Be Doing in February, March & April To Own May

May is not the finish line.

It’s the scoreboard.

By the time May hits, the game has already been played. The winners are just collecting their stats. And the agents are scrambling for leads? They’re realizing they never actually entered the arena.

So if you want to own May next year — really own it — here’s what you need to be doing in February, March, and April.

February: Set the System, Not Just the Goal

Forget vision boards. Forget “word of the year.” You want results? Build a machine.

• Block your hours.

• Build your pipeline.

• Schedule your calls.

• Track your follow-ups.

• Get obsessed with volume.

Don’t try to “feel motivated.” Set routines so simple they’re automatic.

Because when the calendar flips to May, it doesn’t reward dreamers. It rewards systems.

“If you’re waking up wondering what to do today, your May is already lost.”    
— Umar Hameed

March: Double Down on Conversations

March is your testing ground.

You’ve built the engine in February — now you test if it runs. That means massive conversations.

• Call your list.
• Knock on doors.
• Follow up with old clients.
• Message your network.
• Offer free insights — no pitch.

You’re not selling. You’re showing up. Educating. Listening.

Because May doesn’t reward those who beg for business. It rewards those who built trust two months earlier.

Real estate is still a contact sport. And March is your practice season.

“You need 5-7 conversations per day, minimum. Not posts. Not texts. Conversations.”
— Craig Northrop

April: Clean the Clutter, Focus the Fire

By April, the distractions creep in.

The agents around you? Starting to get lazy again. The clients? Getting pickier. The market? Getting louder.

This is where you go deep on your follow-ups.

• Reconnect with warm leads.
• Send market updates.
• Offer free home evaluations.
• Host small local events or webinars.
• Start pre-framing your May listings.

April isn’t about new work. It’s about harvesting.

You’ve been planting seeds for 60 days — now water them like crazy.

Because the agents who have nothing in May?

They didn’t forget to hustle. They forgot to nurture.

“If May is your harvest, then April is the last chance to water your garden.”
 — Umar Hameed

Real estate doesn’t reward the busiest.

It rewards the most intentional.

Stop chasing. Start engineering.

Your future May starts now.

5. How to Reverse Engineer Your Best May Ever — Starting Today

Let’s stop pretending success is a surprise.

Success isn’t a fluke. It’s not a lucky break. It’s not “the market was hot” or “I knew a guy.” It’s a formula. A pattern. A set of repeatable behaviors.

The best agents in May? They didn’t “get lucky.”

They built May in January, February, March, and April. They reverse engineered the outcome.

Here’s how you do the same:

1. Start With the End Goal

Don’t write “sell more homes.”

Write this:“I want to close 6 listings in May.”

That’s a target. A scoreboard. A number you can build toward.

2. Work Backward — Month by Month

Ask: “What has to happen in April for me to close 6 in May?”

Maybe it’s:

• 8 homes under contract

• 20 qualified leads in pipeline

• 50+ warm conversations

Now go to March. Then February. Then January.

Suddenly, your big May goal becomes small, daily actions.

“If you can measure it, you can move it.”                                            — Umar Hameed

3. Build Your ‘May Engine’

This is where most agents fail.

They get pumped for 1 week. Then vanish.

Don’t build motivation. Build an engine.

Your May engine might look like:

• 90 minutes daily of proactive outreach

• 10 conversations per day

• 3 pieces of valuable content per week

• 1 open house every 2 weeks

• CRM touchpoints every 7 days

That’s not “inspiration.” That’s architecture.

4. Track Like a Scientist, Not an Artist

Feelings lie. Numbers don’t.

Track everything:

• Dials made

• Conversations had

• Appointments booked

• Listings signed

• Deals closed

This isn’t about ego. It’s about feedback. And the feedback never lies.

5. Review Weekly. Adjust Monthly. Sprint Quarterly.

Real estate is not a yearly business.

It’s a series of 90-day sprints.

You should be reviewing your pipeline weekly, adjusting your approach monthly, and reflecting on your execution quarterly.

This is how the best players in the game operate.

They don’t hope.

Final Word: May Is Already Happening — You Just Can’t See It Yet

Want a better May?

Then look at your calendar right now. Because that future version of yourself? The one enjoying momentum, closings, and commission checks?

They’re being built right now.

One call. One system. One habit at a time.

“May is not a miracle. It’s math.” — Craig Northrop

Now go build your best one yet.