Your real estate business runs on more accounts than you think. Not just the ones you open every day. The ones you forgot you had.
The portal profile you claimed years ago and never updated. The review site where a client left you five stars and you never replied because you couldn’t remember how to log in. The free trial of a design tool that turned into a paid plan. The old website domain you’re still renewing for reasons nobody can explain.
Each one of these is a little piece of your business floating around the internet. Taking an inventory pulls them all back into view.
Why an account inventory matters
Most password advice is about security, and that’s important. But there’s a second, sneakier problem for agents, which is simply not knowing what’s out there.
If you don’t know an account exists, you can’t keep it up to date. Your old headshot stays up on some profile. Your phone number from two jobs ago is still listed. A potential client finds you there, calls the wrong number, and that’s the end of that. Nobody even tells you it happened.
An inventory fixes that. Once you can see every account in one list, you can decide what to update, what to keep and what to close for good.
The brokerage switch test
Here’s a good way to tell whether your accounts are organized. Imagine you’re changing brokerages next month. Could you sit down and list every account tied to your current brokerage email?
If the honest answer is “uh, probably most of them,” you’re in good company. This is one of the messiest moments in an agent’s career, tech-wise. Some accounts belong to the brokerage and stay behind. Some belong to you and need their email changed before you lose access. And some are a confusing mix, and you won’t find out which until a reset email goes to an inbox you can’t open anymore.
Having an inventory ahead of time makes that move so much calmer. Even if you’re perfectly happy where you are, it’s nice to know you could leave without losing half your digital life.
Building your realtor account inventory
Start with the obvious ones: MLS, CRM, lockbox app, email, social media. Then go hunting.
Search your inboxes for words like “welcome,” “verify your account” and “your receipt.” You’ll be surprised what turns up. Check which apps on your phone you actually logged into at some point. Look at your browser’s saved passwords, too, since that list is often longer than you expected.
For each account, note the email or username it’s tied to, what it’s for and whether it’s business or personal. Add the login details if you’re keeping them in the same place, and keep that file private. A line for notes is handy for things like “brokerage pays for this” or “renews in January.”
Clean up as you go
Once your list is built, the satisfying part begins. Close the accounts you don’t need. Update the profiles that still show your old info. Change the emails on the accounts that should belong to you, not your brokerage.
It’s also a nice moment to tighten security. Turn on two-factor authentication where it’s offered, and swap out any passwords you’ve been reusing. You don’t have to do it all in one day. Pick off a few accounts at a time.
Then keep the list alive. New account? Add it. Closed one? Delete it. Five seconds each.
I built an account tracker spreadsheet for realtors in Google Sheets that keeps all those logins and accounts in one clean spot, if you’d like somewhere to start. Go find that portal profile with the old headshot. It’s been waiting.
Related: Realtor Password Organizer: Tame Your Business Logins