Annual Marketing Calendar for a Real Estate Brokerage
Quick answer: Plan your marketing year around how the market moves. Nationally, home sales bottom out in January and peak in June, so seller campaigns run in February and March, listings launch in April and May, and June is for closings, reviews and referrals. Recruiting peaks in late winter. The free Annual Marketing Calendar lays it out month by month, with space for your own campaigns, owners and budgets.
On this page: How the year moves · The calendar · Month by month · Your own market · The rhythm · How to fill it in
How the year moves
- Closings peak in June. NAR economists note that U.S. home sales bottom out in January, rise month after month and peak around June, with April through June the peak buying season. Activity stays strong after June and cools gradually through the fall.
- Contracts come first. Pending sales, the contracts signed, rise in the spring. Most contracts close within one to two months, so April and May contracts become June closings.
- Homes sell faster in June. NAR reported a median of 31 days on market in June, compared with 49 days from December through February.
- The best weeks to list are in spring. Realtor.com named April 12 to 18 the best week to list in 2026: listings that week historically drew 16.7% more views and sold about nine days faster than average. Zillow found homes listed in late May sold for about 1.7% more, or about $6,000 on a typical home.
- Agents move in late winter. Relitix’s Agent Movement Index has historically shown February and March as the start of the busiest stretch for brokerage switches, with March usually the peak.
The pattern explains why June feels like the strongest month for so many teams: the work done in February through May closes then.
What’s in the calendar
The free PDF has six parts:
- How to use it and rules of thumb
- The year at a glance, January to June and July to December, with a row showing the typical closing curve and starter ideas for sellers, buyers, past clients, recruiting and compliance
- Four quarter pages, each month with key dates, starter ideas and blank rows for campaign, channel, owner and budget
- The recurring rhythm: what happens every week, month, quarter and year
- An annual review, including your closings by month for last year and this year
- Links to the matching guide for each month
Download the Annual Marketing Calendar. It pairs with the 90-Day Marketing Plan for the quarter you are in.
Month by month
| Month | Theme | Key dates and focus |
|---|---|---|
| January | Plan the year | Budget reset; closings at their low; market forecast content; past-client home value checks |
| February | Seller prospecting | Spring seller campaign; agent moves start rising; recruiting conversations |
| March | Get listings ready | Listing appointments; spring market update; historically the peak month for agent moves |
| April | Launch listings | Fair Housing Month; the best week to list (April 12 to 18 in 2026); open houses |
| May | Push for contracts | Late-May listings earned the most; review requests; buyer timelines |
| June | Close and celebrate | National Homeownership Month; peak closing month; reviews, referrals and agent recognition |
| July | Mid-year check | Mid-year market update; half-year budget review; past-client check-ins |
| August | Prepare for fall | Back-to-school moves; fall listing plans; agent survey |
| September | Fall market | Fall listing push; start recruiting nurture for winter moves |
| October | Plan next year | Draft next year’s budget and calendar; plan client appreciation |
| November | Gratitude | Client appreciation event; equity check-ins; recruiting conversations |
| December | Wrap the year | Year-in-review email; agent awards; finalize next year’s calendar |
A few notes on the dates:
- Fair Housing Month in April marks the 1968 Fair Housing Act. It is a natural time for fair housing content and a review of every ad and targeting setting, but the rules apply all year. Fair Housing Rules for Real Estate Social Media and Ads covers them.
- National Homeownership Month in June lines up with the closing peak, so homeownership content and closing celebrations fit together. Post client photos only with their consent.
- Back-to-school moves in August are about timing. Avoid steering buyers toward or away from neighborhoods by describing schools or who lives there.
- Recruiting follows its own calendar. Start nurturing in September so conversations are warm when agents are ready to move in February and March. The Recruiting Funnel covers the stages.
Check your own market
The national curve is a starting point. Zillow found the best listing window varies widely by metro, from the first two weeks of February in San Jose to the last two weeks of June in Baltimore. Resort, Sun Belt and second-home markets can run on different calendars.
The annual review page in the calendar has a row for your closings by month. Fill it in from your CRM or brokerage reports:
- Count closings by month for the last 12 to 24 months.
- Find your peak months.
- Plan seller campaigns about two months before your peak, and listing pushes about one month before.
- Plan recruiting around your local agent moves, if your MLS or a data provider reports them.
Tracking Lead Source ROI covers pulling those numbers from your CRM.
The recurring rhythm
| Every week | Every month | Every quarter | Every year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 4 original posts plus agent collab posts | Email or newsletter to the whole database | Cost per closing by source | Reset the budget from last year’s GCI |
| Speed-to-lead and follow-up check | Agent spotlight and recognition | Retake the Brokerage Marketing Audit | Annual review |
| 30-minute marketing check-in | Lead source report | Write the next 90-day plan | Update the calendar and the best listing week |
The rhythm keeps the calendar from becoming a document nobody opens. How to Build a Real Estate Team Marketing Budget covers the yearly reset.
How to fill it in
- In January, fill in “Your plan” on the year-at-a-glance pages: one or two campaigns per month that fit your goals.
- On the quarter pages, add each campaign’s channel, owner and budget.
- Turn the current quarter into a 90-day plan with weekly tasks.
- Name one owner for the calendar and review it every quarter. Who Should Own Marketing on a Real Estate Team covers who that should be.
- In December, fill in the annual review, compare your closings to the national pattern and start next year’s calendar.
For paid campaigns in any month, build real campaigns in Meta Ads Manager or Google Ads. Skip the Boost button. Organic Social or Paid Ads explains why.
Key takeaways
- Nationally, closings bottom out in January and peak in June.
- Market about two months ahead of the season: sellers in February and March, listings in April and May.
- Agents change firms most in late winter, so start recruiting nurture in the fall.
- Check your own closings by month; local markets can peak at different times.
- Name one owner and review the calendar every quarter.
Free templates: the Annual Marketing Calendar, 90-Day Marketing Plan, Team Marketing Budget and Brokerage Marketing Audit.
Sources
Show all 6 sources
- National Association of Realtors, Navigating the housing market: a seasonal perspective and Pending home sales and seasonality
- Realtor.com, April 12 to 18 is the best week to sell in 2026
- RISMedia, Zillow finds motivation and momentum peak in May (2026) and Zillow, Homes sell for more when listed in late May (2025)
- Relitix, Agent Movement Index (an MLS data company)
- National Association of Realtors, Fair Housing Month and June is National Homeownership Month
- Bloomberg, US pending home sales rise for a third month (2026)
Frequently asked questions
What is the busiest month in real estate?
Nationally, June. NAR economists note that home sales bottom out in January, rise month after month and peak around June. Most of those deals go under contract in April and May, since contracts usually close within one to two months.
When should a brokerage start spring marketing?
About two months before the season. Seller campaigns in February and March lead to listings in April and May, which lead to June closings. Realtor.com named April 12 to 18 the best week to list in 2026, and Zillow found late-May listings sold for about 1.7% more.
When do agents change brokerages?
Late winter and early spring. Relitix's Agent Movement Index has historically shown February and March as the start of the busiest stretch for brokerage switches, with March usually the peak. Start recruiting conversations in the fall so they are warm by January.
Does every market peak in June?
No. The national pattern is a June peak in closings, but local markets vary. Zillow found the best listing window ranged from early February in San Jose to late June in Baltimore. Track your own closings by month and plan two months ahead of your peaks.