From Burnout to Breakthrough: Why I Took a Sabbatical and Started Good Agents

Last fall, I did something I’ve never done before: I took a professional sabbatical. It was the first time I’d been without a job since I turned sixteen. The time away gave me a chance to slow down, spend more time with my family, and reflect deeply on what I want the next chapter of my career to look like.

In that space, one thing became clear: I love the real estate industry. And I care deeply about two specific problems within it.

The first is the customer experience and the cost of the transaction. I’ve spent most of the last decade working on this problem through my time at Opendoor and Easy Street Offers, helping integrate new PropTech solutions into traditional models.

The second is the quality and professionalism of the real estate community itself. The low barrier to entry has led to a large population of part-time or infrequent agents handling people’s most important financial transaction. This creates risk for consumers and harms the reputation of those building real, long-term careers.

I’ve been privileged to work alongside many of the top agents and teams across the country. The best of the best exist—and I want to amplify what they do and help others emulate it.

It’s a well-known fact that nearly 90% of new real estate agents fail within their first two years. I’ve quietly been thinking about why that is, and I believe there are two main reasons:

1. New agents don’t understand the range of roles available in the industry.

2. They fall into their first role by chance, not design.

Let’s take the medical field as a comparison. When you go to medical school, your education is directly tied to exposure: you rotate through pediatrics, internal medicine, orthopedics, and more. Then you specialize. That structured exposure and apprenticeship creates alignment.

In real estate, there's no such system. Aspiring agents get their license and then fall into a team or brokerage by happenstance—often driven by who replies first or which office is closest.

That leads me to something I call the Strategic Fit Philosophy: You stand a much higher chance of succeeding when the role you enter aligns with your natural personality, your strongest skills, and your financial capacity.

To illustrate: most new agents start on a team. But not all teams are the same. In fact, I believe there are four dominant team archetypes:

1. The Boiler Room – High-pressure, call-center style prospecting; aggressive sales tactics.

2. The Farmer – Neighborhood-focused marketing, built on community engagement.

3. The Brand Builder – Built around the lead agent’s personal brand and content presence.

4. The Channel Partner – Lead flow from partnerships with platforms like Zillow Flex.

Each of these models works. But not every agent fits every model. For example, I personally would burn out in a Boiler Room environment. I’m a high-I personality. I thrive in relationship building and customer experience—traits better suited to a Channel Partner or Farming team.

That’s why I’m launching Good Agents.

At Good Agents, we help aspiring and struggling real estate agents find clarity and alignment—and give them a better shot at long-term success. We also help real estate teams and brokerages attract the right-fit talent to grow more sustainable businesses.

We do that in three ways:

1. The Real Estate Career Blueprint (Free eBook) – A complete guide to the industry’s career paths, including ideal personality types, skills, and financial expectations for each.

2. The Strategic Fit Assessment – A custom-built career matching tool that combines Enneagram, traits, and financial profile to recommend your top three career fits.

3. Talent Placement Services – For teams and brokerages who want to define their ideal candidate profile, improve hiring outcomes, and build a high-retention team.

If you’re an aspiring agent, a struggling agent, or a team looking to grow, I’d love for you to follow along. This is a project I believe in deeply.

Best,

Tyler Hixson

Founder, Good Agents | Realtor®