The Patio blog
Plain answers to the questions real estate agents and small brokerages actually ask — about running an office, tracking the money, and what the new tools can and cannot do.
- Agent moneySeptember 24, 2026
Schedule C categories explained for real estate agents
Which line each real estate expense belongs on, the four categories agents most often misfile, and why consistency matters more than perfection.
- Brokerage operationsSeptember 21, 2026
The office manager's weekly checklist for a 10-agent office
What actually has to be looked at every week in a small brokerage, in what order, and why the deadline check comes before the money check.
- Switching toolsSeptember 19, 2026
dotloop vs SkySlope for small brokerages — and what neither does
How to compare two transaction management platforms on the things that matter to a small office, and the four jobs neither of them is built to do.
- Brokerage operationsSeptember 19, 2026
How to track agent CE and license renewals in a small brokerage
A licence lapse is a preventable emergency. Here is the tracking system a small brokerage needs, and the three places it usually breaks.
- AI in real estateSeptember 19, 2026
What an AI assistant can and can't do for a real estate agent
A sober line between the tasks AI genuinely handles today and the ones it cannot, plus the three failure modes worth knowing before you buy.
- Agent moneySeptember 19, 2026
What mileage can a real estate agent deduct?
The rule turns on one question — where your tax home is — and most agents get it wrong in the same direction. A plain-English walkthrough.