Amid the December slowdown, there are two types of insurance agents. The first follows the standard “after the holidays” motto—working on autopilot until January 2nd, in the office for the holiday happy hours, and there to put out any fires.
Then there’s you—sure, you enjoy the occasional eggnog and Ugly Sweater contest, but you know the road to success in 2026 starts today.
Our underwriters made a list (and checked it twice) to help you jumpstart your new year with new classes, more coverage, and market trends to watch for 2026. Here’s what to target for Q1 of the new year.
Classes to Target for a Strong Start
Exercise Equipment & Sporting Goods
We predict you or someone you know will name weight loss, getting in shape, or just “being healthier” in 2026 as their New Year’s resolution. We’re not mind readers, we’re insurance experts. New Year’s fitness resolutions boost demand, with sales of gym equipment and athletic gear surging by up to in January. Make it your resolution to start prospecting these manufacturers and sellers.
Furniture & Home Goods
Tell us if this has happened before—you take down all those festive decorations and feel a sense of dread; your home is empty and in desperate need of an upgrade! You’re not alone. Post-holiday home refresh cycles spike in January–March, with U.S. furniture sales rising due to new-year resolutions for home organization and remote work setups, especially in cold-weather regions like the Midwest, Southeast, Northeast, and Pacific Mountain states (Statistica, 2025). Refresh your book with furniture manufacturers and sellers.
Topical & Consumable Cannabis
Since Colorado made history in 2012, marijuana legalization continues to progress. 13 years later, marijuana production, including topicals (like creams and lotions) and consumables (think edibles, tinctures, and extracts) is legally regulated in 24 states plus D.C. Cultivators, manufacturers, and processors produce products for sale to adults 21 and older in states where retail sales are legal (Newsweek, 2024).
Artisan Contractors & Builders
Looking for a safe bet? There’s a reason just about every commercial agent has one contractor in their book—they are in demand. Winter storms and frigid temps bring on the repair calls for HVACs, plumbers, electricians, and general contractors. With over four million construction/contractor businesses in 2025, there’s always an opportunity to write contractors (IBIS World, 2025).
Vacant Buildings
Baby, it’s cold outside—and we mean the real estate market. 5.4 million vacant properties are sitting on the market—many with higher price tags (Census, 2025). Outside of the trending areas in the Sunbelt and popular career opportunities areas, properties are sitting on the market longer. Vacant properties are a great way to get on the ground floor, as properties will naturally transition through the building lifecycle (from under construction to occupied).
Habitational
Home prices, mortgage rates, and the affordability crisis are pushing prospective millennials and Gen-Z homebuyers out of the game. For those who can afford homeownership, condos and townhomes are a more affordable solution outside of hot areas. The rest are opting to rent single-family homes and apartments (Lake, 2025). Seek out investment property owners for a growing book.
Hospitality & Retail
Restaurants, retail shops, and hotels often reassess coverage early. Businesses within the hospitality industry frequently face seasonal risks (e.g., winter weather for properties, holiday liability spikes), prompting carriers and brokers to recommend mid-winter reviews or early renewals (90–120 days pre-expiration) to lock in stabilizing rates ahead of potential CAT-driven rate hikes (Risk Strategies, 2025). Make prospecting a part of your holiday patronizing of these local businesses.
Pathpoint: Your One-Stop E&S Wholesaler for 2026
Whether you’re quoting contractors, apartments, or manufacturers, Pathpoint is your all-in-one destination for commercial E&S.
You can get instant quotes for hundreds of classes, including these coverages:
- General Liability: Includes products-completed operations
- Property: Coverage up to $5.8M TIV per policy
- Excess: Ideal for construction, habitational, and higher-hazard accounts
- Cyber: Add it for contractors, restaurants, retailers, and online sellers
If an account falls outside our instant-quotable markets, we have a team of underwriters ready to do the shopping for you. Senior Underwriter Katherine Cole provides this tip:
A good practice for agents looking to expand their book is to take a second look at accounts they thought were too complex and contact their Account Manager ASAP. We’ve expanded our appetite through our brokerage markets for harder-to-place classes—think higher revenues, larger TIVs, or unique operations such as exercise/sporting equipment, consumable cannabis, and other products that benefit from a custom underwriting review. Submit your risks in-app, and if we don’t quote instantly, you’ll see a message that our team can shop the account and get you any competitive options quickly to present to your insureds.
Starting the New Year Strong
While others are coasting into the new year, you’re setting the tone for Q1—and your book will thank you for it. The agents who win in 2026 aren’t waiting for the calendar’s permission. They’re identifying opportunities, quoting smarter, and using wholesalers with expanding appetites and markets like Pathpoint, to place more accounts.
Whether it’s rounding out your accounts with cyber or excess or quoting that tough vacant property, you’ve got a partner that handles the heavy lifting. So, if you’re still “waiting for things to pick up,” here’s your sign: they already are. Let’s get moving to a prosperous new year!
🔔 Q1-ready agents are quoting now. Join them at www.pathpoint.com.
(2025, November 25). Monthly Retail Sales of Furniture and Home Furnishing Stores in the United States from January 2017 to July 2025. Statista. Retrieved December 4, 2025, from website
IBIS World (2025, April 1). Construction in the US - Number of Businesses (2004–2031). Retrieved December 4, 2025, from website
Lake, S. (2025, July 9). Gen Z and millennials can’t afford to buy a house, and it shows: The number of first-time homebuyers is half the historical norm. Fortune. Retrieved December 4, 2025, from website
Oliver, C. (2024, April 20). Marijuana Map Shows States Where Weed Could Be Legal by 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025, from website
Risk Strategies (n.d.). State of the Insurance Market: 2025 Outlook. Retrieved December 4, 2025, from website
U.S. Census Bureau (2025, July 28). Quarterly Residential Vacancies and Homeownership, Second Quarter 2025. Census.Retrieved December 4, 2025, from website