What Earning ICON Two Years in a Row Actually Means — And Why It Matters to You

By Traci Taylor · tracitaylor.com · eXp Realty · November 2026

I have a confession to make.

The first time I earned ICON, I honestly couldn’t quite believe it.

It was my first year as a solo real estate agent. I had accomplished something I had hoped for someday — but never imagined would happen that quickly. I was proud. And somewhere in the back of my mind, a question settled in that I couldn’t quite shake.

Could I do it again?

Because here’s something I’ve learned about running your own business: success doesn’t come with a guarantee. You can have an incredible year and still wake up the next morning wondering where the next client is coming from. You can put everything you have into something and still watch it fall apart for reasons outside your control.

This past year has tested that in ways I didn’t fully anticipate.

Which is why I’m especially proud to share that, for the second consecutive year, I’ve earned eXp Realty’s ICON Agent recognition — as a solo agent, in one of the most challenging real estate markets this country has seen in years.

“I still have big goals. But today, I’m going to enjoy this one. Because I earned it.”

What ICON Actually Is

ICON is eXp Realty’s highest production recognition — awarded to agents who meet a significant threshold of closed transactions and volume in a given year. It’s not given for tenure. It’s not given for showing up. You earn it by producing, consistently, at a high level.

Nationally, real estate transaction volume has been down significantly. Fewer homes have sold in the past two years than at almost any point in recent history — a combination of limited inventory, higher mortgage rates, and sellers who bought or refinanced at record-low rates and have little incentive to move. That environment has meant fewer clients, fewer referrals, and a harder path for everyone in this industry.

Earning ICON in that environment, two years running, as a one-person operation — that means something to me. And I think it should mean something to you, if you’re trying to decide who to hire.

Why Your Agent’s Production Level Matters More Than You Might Think

There are a lot of real estate agents in Northeast Ohio. The barrier to getting a license is relatively low, and many people hold one without practicing full time. Some are brand new. Some work part time around other jobs or other commitments. Some are very good. Some are not.

I’m not here to disparage anyone. But I will say this honestly: when you are selling or buying the largest asset you will likely ever own, the experience, skill, and full-time commitment of the person representing you matters.

A lot.

An agent who closes two or three transactions a year is working from a very different knowledge base than one who closes consistently at a high volume. They see fewer negotiations. They navigate fewer inspections, appraisal gaps, and financing complications. They have fewer relationships with the lenders, title companies, attorneys, contractors, and other agents whose cooperation directly affects how smoothly your transaction goes.

Experience compounds. Every transaction teaches you something the next client benefits from. And ICON-level production means I am in the market, working, learning, and growing — not occasionally, but every single week.

What This Market Has Actually Required

I want to be honest about what the past year has looked like, because I think it’s relevant.

This has not been an easy market to produce in. Transaction volume is down nationwide. Because fewer people are moving, the natural chain of referrals — from past clients, from professional partners, from other agents — has also contracted. The business that used to flow more naturally has required more intentionality, more consistency, and more patience.

I had to work harder for every conversation, every connection, every closing this year than I did in the year before. And I still hit the standard.

That matters to me not as a point of pride, but as a point of proof. When the market gets hard, some agents pull back. Some disappear. Some stop investing in their business, their marketing, their clients. The agents who continue to show up and produce at a high level during the difficult years are the ones you want representing you in any market.

None of This Happens Without People

I want to be very clear about something.

I would not have this recognition without the people who trusted me. The clients who chose me to represent them during some of the most significant financial and emotional decisions of their lives. The people who sent me a friend, a sibling, a neighbor — not because they owed me anything, but because they believed in the experience they’d had and wanted someone they cared about to have it too.

That is not a small thing. It is, honestly, everything.

I do not take it lightly that someone would put their name behind mine and say: call Traci. That trust is what this business is built on. And it’s what I work every day to deserve.

“Selling houses is about so much more than selling houses. It’s about people — their lives, their circumstances, their hopes, and sometimes the things they’re going through that they never imagined they’d have to face.”

What I’ve Learned About Doing This Twice

The first year, I was figuring out what I was capable of. This year, I had to prove it wasn’t a fluke.

What I’ve learned is that the work of building a business you believe in is never really finished. There is no coasting. There is no point at which you’ve made it and can stop paying attention. The agents who serve their clients best are the ones who stay curious, stay invested, and never stop trying to get better at this.

I still have big goals. I know there will be challenges ahead — in the market, in this industry, in my own business. But I also know something now that I didn’t quite believe the first time around.

I can do this. And I do it because I love it.

Not the transactions. The people.