Imposter Syndrome in Real Estate
Feeling Like a Fraud? Here's What You Need to Know About Imposter Syndrome
Guest post by Alina, an experienced executive coach and organizational development consultant at Merge Coaching & Consulting, specializing in mid-market and enterprise clients.
In this article, you will learn about imposter syndrome, how it affects many real estate agents, and effective strategies to overcome this mindset with practical tips that you can implement today.
Agents Have That Feeling
Starting a new career, especially in a field as competitive and fast-paced as real estate, comes with a steep learning curve. You're juggling contracts, client meetings, property tours, marketing strategies, and social media content—all while trying to sound like you know what you're doing. If you've ever caught yourself thinking, "I'm not good enough for this," or "One day they'll realize I have no idea what I'm doing," you're not alone. What you're experiencing is called imposter syndrome.
What in the World is Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter Syndrome can be defined as a nagging belief that your success is undeserved or that you're a fraud who has only gotten by through luck, charm, or timing. Despite evidence of competence, people with imposter syndrome doubt their abilities and fear being exposed as unqualified. It's not an official diagnosis, but real and common, especially among high-achievers and those stepping into new roles.
Why New Real Estate Agents Experience It More Often
As a new agent, you're constantly evaluated by clients, other agents, mentors, and sometimes friends and family. You're building your brand from scratch, learning legal terms, mastering negotiation techniques, and trying to close your first deal. You're not just learning a job; you're building a business. It's a lot.
Because of this steep climb, many new agents must "fake it till they make it." While confidence is necessary, this phrase can unintentionally reinforce the feeling that you're faking it at work, even when genuinely growing and earning your wins.
How Imposter Syndrome Shows Up
Here are some of the common ways imposter syndrome might be showing up in your daily life:
- Overworking: You feel like you have to know everything, do everything, and be perfect in every aspect of your job.
- Downplaying Success: You explain away wins by saying, "I just got lucky," or "They were an easy client."
- Fear of Exposure: You're terrified someone will ask a question you can't answer, and you'll be "found out."
- Perfectionism: You won't publish that post, make that call, or list that home until every detail is perfect.
- Comparison: You spend much time on Instagram thinking, "They have it all figured out. I'm so behind."
The Problem with Letting It Linger
Unchecked, imposter syndrome doesn't just mess with your confidence—it can impact your decisions, energy, and career trajectory. You might:
- Avoid taking risks (like pitching to a high-end client).
- Delay launching a marketing campaign because it "isn't ready yet."
- Burnout from working too much without taking time to rest.
- Miss out on opportunities because you don't believe you deserve them.
Start with Your Mindset
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, … who errs, who comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds…" — Theodore Roosevelt
Those battling imposter syndrome often believe they're frauds, secretly waiting to be "found out." Yet here's the truth: You are already in the arena.
You're showing up—doing the work, facing challenges, sometimes stumbling, often learning. You're putting yourself out there, even though fear and doubt whisper you don't belong.
Roosevelt's words remind us:
It's not the perfection that matters, but the attempt.
Effort, not outcome, is where actual courage lives.
How to use this insight in real-time:
Next time self-doubt creeps in, say to yourself: "I am in the arena. I am in the fight."
Celebrate the scrapes, the projects that felt humbling, the conversations that taught you something new. That's proof that you're engaging.
Reframe mistakes: They aren't signs of inadequacy but evidence of involvement, effort, and bravery.
The good news? You can work through it. Here are practical strategies to help you get out of your head and back into your power.
1. Name It to Tame It
Simply identifying the feeling as imposter syndrome can diminish its power. When that voice says, "You're not ready," respond with, "This is imposter syndrome talking."
2. Track Your Wins
Start a "Wins Journal" or keep a note on your phone with everything that goes well—a great showing, a client testimonial, a complex concept you finally understood. When doubt creeps in, reread it.
3. Talk to Someone
Find a coach, mentor, or peer to whom you can talk about your experiences. The odds are they've felt the same way and can offer perspective. You're not alone; sharing the feeling can dissolve some of its power.
4. Challenge the Voice
When your inner critic tells you you're not good enough, ask: What's the evidence? What would I say to a friend in this situation? Often, we're much kinder to others than we are to ourselves.
5. Embrace the Beginner Phase
You are supposed to be learning. You are supposed to be figuring it out. Being new doesn't mean you're incapable—it means you're growing. Growth is uncomfortable, but that discomfort means you're on the right track.
6. Reframe Failure as Feedback
Did a showing go badly? Did a deal fall through? That's part of the job. Even seasoned agents lose deals. The most successful people aren't the ones who never fail but the ones who learn and keep going.
7. Curate Your Social Media Diet
Unfollow accounts that make you feel inadequate. Follow those that educate, encourage, and reflect real journeys—not just highlight reels.
Final Coaching Thoughts
Imposter syndrome doesn't mean you're failing. It means you're in the arena, doing something that matters to you. That inner critic isn't proof of fraudulence—it's a sign that you care deeply about doing this work well.
Every successful real estate agent you admire has had moments of doubt. What separates them isn't that they never felt like an imposter. It's that they didn't let that feeling stop them.
So, book that showing, write that post, and meet that client. You're not a fraud. You're a beginner. And you're doing better than you think.
Did you find this article on real estate coaching helpful? We have much more to share to KickStart your real estate career! Explore our courses and affordable 1:1 agent coaching tailored to professionals like you.
