How to Generate Real Estate Leads: Ideas/Strategies That Actually Work

Jim Gray, Lead Generation Expert2/15/2024

Editorial Note: We sometimes earn a small commission from partners listed. This never affects editor opinions or evaluations. More

Lead,Generation,Concept,Handwritten,On,Whiteboard

To be successful the core of your strategy has to be driving new and repeat business. The kicker is, generating real estate leads isn’t easy, and isn’t always straightforward since there are several ways to go about it. 

You can focus on buyers or sellers, cast a wide net to maximize the number of leads or go more tactical to get very high-quality prospects. Needless to say, you have lots of options – but the first thing to figure out is if you want to buy real estate leads, or drive them yourself.

Being creative and intentional here takes more than just using the best real estate lead generation tools. You need to deploy them in a customized way that works for your business

It’s crucial that you approach lead gen with a toolkit of options instead of a never-changing set of rules to be “copied and pasted” to every context.

(Editor’s note: So that we can save time & cut straight to the high-value tips, we’re going to assume you’ve already got a good handle on the basics of Lead Gen: A solid real estate lead generation website / real estate website builder, and at least a basic real estate CRM)

If you’re looking for inspiration on ideas to drive lead gen for real estate, you’re in the right spot. Our expert guide includes a mix of traditional and modern approaches and ranges from tried and true best practices to innovative new platforms. Now, let’s dive right in!

1: Join the Facebook Group to Get Local Leads

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: Seconds
Lead quality: High

Based on feedback from realtors who visit our site, we’ve created a brand new referral network group on Facebook. Yay!

Here’s the skinny. The group is a private community of real estate professionals from around the country committed to supporting each other’s businesses by referring clients. 

So, if you have a client who is moving to an area you’re not licensed in, you can use the group to find a realtor in their area who can help. The best part? You get a referral fee. Help your colleagues and make a little extra cash. 

Fun Fact: It’s also a great way to find new clients who are getting referred by other agents.

One of the best things about the Facebook group is that it’s not just about referrals. It’s also a great place to learn about real estate lead generation. The members are very active and share their expertise on various topics, including marketing strategies, social media, and networking. 

You’ll find valuable resources, tips, and advice that you can apply to your own business. When you join, you can return the favor. So, don’t be shy! Introduce yourself & share a question or strategy you’re using to grow your business.

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2: Work Exclusive Buyer Leads

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 30 mins-1 hour
Lead quality: Medium (typically leads require nurturing)

Looking to increase your chance of getting a client? Work exclusive leads!  Companies like Ylopo allow you to be a unique lead buyer.  Unlike other lead vendors who sell a lead to 5 or more agents, Ylopo allows you to buy exclusive leads. 

Best part about that is that there’s less competition to land the client – easy!

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3: Try TikTok as a Real Estate Lead Gen Tool

Difficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: 6-8 hours a week
Lead quality: Low (typically leads require lots of time and nurturing)

TikTok has quickly turned into one of the most popular and widely used social media networks, and we aren’t just talking about Gen Z. Everyone seems to be on it. So, take advantage of this trend to generate leads for your real estate business. 

With over 50 million daily active users in the US alone, TikTok offers exposure that few other outlets do. The assumption that this platform is reserved for teenagers with too much free time on their hands is erroneous.

Daniela Andreevska Mashvisor 200x200Indeed, there are all sorts of people who are regularly active on the platform, and while they might be casually browsing for some fun videos, the truth of the matter is that many of them might be looking to buy a home or sell their current home, or might know someone who is going to buy or sell in the near future.

So if you want to stay on top of new technology and new marketing trends, you should definitely promote your business on TikTok. One of the best things about this platform is that you don’t need professional videos like on YouTube or even Instagram. You can shoot a 30-second video right on your phone when sitting in your office or doing a home viewing.

Before you know it, your videos can start getting thousands of views, followed by an exponential increase in the number of real estate leads you generate each month. (from Daniela Andreevska, 6+ years of experience in the industry)

How to get started today: Download Tik-Tok, and set up an account. Invest in a good tripod and ring light to make your videos pop!

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4: Work Expired Listing Leads

Difficulty: Medium (the listings have expired once already)
Time it takes: 4-5 hours a week
Lead quality: High (leads are ready to sell, but may take some convincing to choose you)

peter lucas headshot

Expired listings are a gold mine. The key to getting expired listings is to be the first agent to contact the homeowner after their listing has expired.

The longer you wait, the more likely it is that another agent will get in touch first. When you reach out, emphasize that you’re interested in helping them sell their home and offer to provide a complimentary market analysis. (from Pete Lucas, Licensed agent for 18+ years)

For a monthly subscription CINC can help you expand your reach with both new and old expired listings. No lead left behind! It allows you to pick up the phone with confidence with numbers that have been scrubbed against re-listed homes and the DNC list.

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5: Real Estate on YouTube

Difficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: 6-8 hours a week
Lead quality: Low (typically leads require lots of time and nurturing)

YouTube is the second most used social media platform, under Facebook. In fact, YouTube will have over 210 million viewers in 2022. That’s a lot of potential clients. 

This platform requires a higher level of professionalism than TikTok, but has similar advantages of being free to use for reaching thousands of people.

Successful agents on YouTube make frequent videos, including:

  • Regular updates like a monthly market trend analysis
  • Video walkthroughs
  • Short videos with tips for sellers and buyers
  • Drone footage of the property
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6: Learn to Scale Your Lead Generation With a Smart CRM

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 1-2 hours
Lead quality: Medium

Most people think getting started is the hardest thing to do in real estate. It’s actually even harder to scale your business.

The problem most agents have in the beginning is that there are only so many hours in a day, and the leads at many brokerages need a response ASAP, 24/7. Mere mortals couldn’t keep up, so the best thing you can ever do is set up a CRM to help you communicate and nurture those leads. (from Sal Dimiceli, Sr., 9+ years of experience in the industry)

Real Geeks started like many other real estate marketing companies, at the dawn of the internet lead generation game. They convert prospects faster than any other tool and it’s all thanks to the fact that they provide simple solutions to building meaningful relationships. 

You can nurture a client and steadily work them down the funnel until they are ready to buy or sell. Super simple! That combined with the understanding that most agents’ marketing budgets are limited, led them to add organic SEO to the mix (think free leads)

You have to have agent-branded websites to attract traffic to provide organic SEO so, that’s exactly what they offer. These components are the core of the product offering, and what makes them, and in turn you, so successful. 

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7: Try LinkedIn for Leads

Difficulty: Medium
Time it takes: 5-7 hours a week
Lead quality: Low (great for networking and prospecting, but leads will be high in the funnel)

samantha odo headshot

 It’s 2023 and people still seem to neglect the boom named LinkedIn especially designed for professional interaction. Agents are more concerned with creating catchy content for Facebook and Instagram where they have to complete heavy content flow instead of making beneficial connections on apps like LinkedIn.

Believe me, your relationship-building techniques will gain a higher pedestal when combined with the unique algorithm of LinkedIn which caters to the needs of potential clients by bridging the gap between your business’s content and interested eyes. (from Samantha Odo, 5+ years of experience in the industry)

How to get started today: Ask co-workers or clients to leave notes on your page. Email them a direct link so that they quickly endorse your skills.

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8: Try Facebook Ads

Difficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: 3-4 hours
Lead quality: Low

Even today, Facebook still has the most extensive user base and potential audience for advertisers of any available platform. Crazy, right?

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 Facebook offers some advertising tools specific to agents. Specifically, the platform provides Real Estate Ads, which use retargeting to provide realty-tailored ad content to prospective clients.

Facebook identifies these individuals by downloading a “pixel” on the agent’s website and tracking those website visitors onto Facebook. This retargeting method allows you to focus your ad spend on prospects that have already indicated they are in the market.

The most successful realtors often recommend joining high volume Facebook groups that they have a genuine interest and setting aside time each and every day to interact with them. It’s also crucial to immerse yourself in your community with the sincere intention of giving back.

It’s beneficial to highlight business owners, restaurant owners, insurance brokers, any business that you feel provides value. You’d be surprised at the leads you receive when you give to your community businesses without expecting anything in return. (from Harout Keuroghlian, Licensed agent for 27+ years)

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9: Use PPC Advertising Campaigns

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 8 hours a week
Lead quality: Medium (typically leads are interested and looking, but not set on choosing your services)

When looking to buy or sell a home, many people start their journey with a Google search. The search engine allows agents to use this behavior to get their advertisements directed to these buyers/sellers.

PPC campaigns can drive consumers searching for home listings on Google, Bing, and other search engines directly to your personally branded IDX website.

Fun Fact: Market Leader uses specially placed ads on Google, Bing, and other search engines to push traffic to a home valuation page for possible buyers or a search-enabled landing page for likely buyers.

The great part is – on these pages, the visitors must input their information, which gets passed directly to you! They never sell the same lead twice, and they offer a more significant number of tips for their price than other sites. Plus, you get a lead volume commitment each month. Win, win. 

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10: Host a Public Event

Difficulty: Medium (depends on the money and resources you want to put into the event)
Time it takes: 6+ hours
Lead quality: Medium to high

nick taveras headshot

Hosting an event is a great way to generate leads, and it can be done in a simple, cost-effective way. This should also be handled separately from an open house. Do this for former clients, and ask them to bring friends and family members. The more, the merrier, right? 

Just double up on supplies and have tons of business cards handy. It’s best to do this consistently so that your network of people will come to expect a get-together on a regular cadence.

It’s fun and effective to shake things up every once in a while. For that reason I believe social events are a great way to get leads.

A client appreciation event like an ice cream social where clients can bring their families and friends can result in repeat business and referrals. Giving back to your clients even in a very small way, can help keep you top of mind.” (from Nicky Taveras, Licensed agent for 15+ years)

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11: Buy Leads from Third Party Platforms

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 1-2 hours a week
Lead quality: Medium to high (depends on the companies you select)

For those with some wiggle room in the budget, buying leads can be a simpler and more straightforward tactic. 

Here’s how it works. Third-party businesses do the work of identifying individuals in the market to buy or sell real estate. Then they sell real estate agents that contact info after some degree of lead qualification.

There are two categories of businesses you can buy cheap real estate leads from— those that offer a broad range of possible leads and those that target specific demographics.

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12: Use Direct Mail for Real Estate Lead Generation

Difficulty: Low to medium
Time it takes: 2-3 hours
Lead quality: Low (typically leads require lots of time and nurturing)

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s exactly how you should look at direct mail as an option to bring in more clients.

Mail brochures or postcards to homeowners and tenants in your area. While many people think it’s an outdated tactic, direct mail is still a valuable way to engage with prospects, especially for those new to the area. 

With soo much technology, some of us still like something tangible as a reminder for what we need to do. Especially the handful of people that have a hard time operating their tech. 

Plus, unlike some other industries, direct mail has been a resilient method for lead gen in real estate. Bonus, it’s also much easier to find addresses based on your geography or zip code for everything you’ll send out.

This way you can cast a wide net across your territory for any generic outreach or awareness campaigns. It’s also a great option to use for the more rural areas

Fun Fact: Another perk to direct mail is that it’s also a great way to target prospects you’ve already engaged with. This is especially true if you met them in person instead of virtually, like say attending an open house. 

Use the personal touch of having met them to your advantage. You can send a thank you card to follow up after the initial meet. Plus, thank you cards also allow you to personalize the message for each prospect.

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13: Draw Clients in With a Professional Website

Difficulty: Medium
Time it takes: 7-8 hours of initial setup time
Lead quality: Medium (typically leads are interested and can convert, but may require nurturing)

Example of real estate landing page on realtor website | AgentAdvice.com

If you want to compete, you need a good website. At a minimum your site should host your current listings, contact information, and prior client testimonials and reviews.

Developing a unique professional website can provide direct and indirect benefits. If done right, the site will add to the agent’s perceived credibility and professionalism. This can boost your standing among prospects, peers, and current clients while also building better “brand awareness”.

Most importantly, your website should also serve as a direct lead generation platform. The most straightforward way is to add lead gen forms to your site. 

Here’s what you need to know. “Lead gen forms” are online forms that site visitors can fill out with their contact information. They can be structured as a portal for contacting the agent or used as an exchange for an asset or piece of content that the agent is offering. 

Either way, lead gen forms on your site are a clear source of inbound leads– those prospects that opt-in to contact you.

Expert Tip: Put the lead gen forms on pages of the site that get the most traffic to maximize their visibility and the likelihood of someone filling them out. If you’re not sure which pages that could be, Google Analytics, a free tool, can help you determine which website pages get the most traffic.

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14: Build Your Credibility via SEO

Difficulty: High
Time it takes: Months to years to fully develop
Lead quality: Medium to high

Credibility is everything. You need to show prospective sellers that you are the top agent in the area. There are a few ways to do this.

Tomas Satas

First, create a website and start working on Search Engine Optimization or SEO. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your online content so that a search engine likes to show it as a top result for searches of a certain keyword

This way when somebody searches phrases or words such as “realtor”, “real estate agent”, “top real estate agents”, etc. you want your website to show up on the first page.

This process is not easy and can take anywhere from 6-12 months. You need to think in the long term though because once you establish yourself on the internet the possibilities are endless. (from Tomas Satas, Licensed Agent in Chicago, Illinois)

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15: Utilize Community Referrals

Difficulty: High
Time it takes: Months to years of building relationships in the community
Lead quality: High (referrals are some of the highest quality real estate leads out there)

Word,Referrals,On,Notebook,,Office,Desk,With,Electronic,Devices,,Computer

Your community, where you work and play, can be the best source of leads and serve as a great way to get real estate listings. Develop your brand and reputation within the community, and you can become a trusted source of information about real estate.

Keep in mind – this strategy may not show results as quickly as other methods. Community trust does not come overnight. It takes time to develop those relationships before it pays off. Keep this time investment in mind when strategizing. 

There are several traditional and creative methods to maximize your community network and generate organic referrals.

If you want to build credibility, 

  • Keep track of the clients that were super grateful after the buying or selling process
  • Those who are well known in the community 
  • And especially those clients who have been successful and are well known

To maximize client referrals, simply be the best agent you can be at all times. 

  • Have personal interactions
  • Save clients money as much as possible
  • Stay in touch with follow-up communications (“How are you settling in? Anything I can help with?”) 

This will all go a long way toward making a lasting impression.

Word of mouth and personal validation are potent tools that also work without you having to do anything– the easiest form of lead gen.

kelly deroski headshot

The most successful businesses are built primarily on repeat clients or business. Because of this, you should focus on your existing database. The primary focus is staying visible without being “obnoxious”.

Spend a lot of time farming databases for former customers. Be sure to purposely look for surprising and memorable ways to reach them. For Halloween, put signs in their yards that say “We’ve been booed by our favorite Realtor” and leave a pumpkin bucket filled with treats on their doorstep.

It’s best to work with a lot of families, so on Mother’s Day you can celebrate the moms by hosting a brunch or dropping off a care package of wine and chocolate. 

Customers love it and will often post about it on social media leaving other people to think “why doesn’t my agent do that?”. These efforts result in a business that is built on more than 80% referrals. (from Kelley Decowski, Licensed agent for 8+ years)

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16: Stay Relevant on Community Pages

Difficulty: High
Time it takes: 5-6 hours a week
Lead quality: Low to medium

Community pages are a crucial content source you should provide on your website. Community pages give buyers and sellers up-to-date insights on a handful of things like, 

  • The area’s population
  • Cost of living
  • Schools 
  • Attractions
  • And other valuable information

It’s a great place to answer common or frequently asked questions about the area from buyers or sellers. Be sure to answer these questions in a clear and structured way to help your site’s authority and improve its ranking on Google.

bill gassett headshot

One of the best ways of generating new business is by creating these pages on your website and then optimizing them for Google.

When done correctly, your goal will be to show up on the first page when someone searches for ‘Realtor city-state’ or ‘real estate agent city-state’. Prospects doing a search like this are looking to hire a real estate agent right away.

One of the significant keys to being successful will be making your community page exceptional and then working to make it visible through search engine optimization. Many will see you as a market expert for the community in the process. (from Bill Gassett, Licensed agent for 35+ years)

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17: Start Leveraging Reviews

Difficulty: Low to medium
Time it takes: Several months after a few successful transactions
Lead quality: Medium

Just like community referrals, online reviews can be really important in your lead generation strategies. There’s tons of places where your clients can review you like Zillow, Yelp, and Realtor.com. At the bare minimum you should monitor your profiles on these sites to know what clients are seeing. 

I’d recommend going a step further to actively manage your profiles. 

  • Reach out to happy reviewers for referrals or quotes
  • Address any complaints from unhappy reviewers
  • Work directly with the website to use the review content

In this case activity will translate to professionalism. So, stay active on these profiles! 

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18: Reach Out to Real Estate Adjacent Professionals

Difficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: Months to years of building relationships
Lead quality: High (the right professionals can introduce to homeowners who are ready to sell)

Interestingly enough, some industry professionals will learn about a home that’s about to sell before any agency, brokerage, or search engine. For example, the owner may be planning to renovate or upgrade their home before putting it on the market to be more competitive/get a higher valuation.

You can use this to your advantage. The contractors, renovators, and construction companies that do the work can help get you leads by passing your info to the homeowner or by tipping you off about homes that will likely go on the market soon.

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19: Take Advantage of FSBOs (For Sale By Owner)

Difficulty: High
Time it takes: 3-4 hours a week
Lead quality: High (FSBOs are clearly ready to sell, but may need convincing to pay an agent for services)

Home:,For,Sale,By,Owner,Sign,In,Front,Yard

FSBO listings are those managed and run by the homeowner rather than an agent. Homeowners may want to sell their own home because of prior bad experiences, because they think they have the time and can sell it alone, or many other reasons.

You (and many others) may view FSBOs as hostile territory, and you should certainly proceed with caution. However, there is always the possibility that you can convert an FSBO into a client.

The trick is to watch for warning signs that the FSBO strategy isn’t working for the homeowner. Look for things like, the listing stays available for a long time or eventually expires, or the asking price drops frequently and substantially. 

Take the signs of distress as a suggestion that the homeowner may be more open to working with an agent than they originally thought. This is a great time to swoop in and suggest a partnership.

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20: Offer Free Home Evaluations to Generate Leads

Difficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: 4-5 hours a week
Lead quality: Medium to high

morshed headshot

One creative idea to bring in more leads is to offer free home evaluations to potential clients. This can be a great way to attract attention from people who are thinking of selling their homes. 

You can also offer to help buyers find the right home by providing them with a list of properties that match their criteria.

Another idea is to host informational workshops on topics such as “How to Choose the Right Real Estate Agent” or “How to Prepare Your Home for Sale.” These workshops can be a great way to generate leads and establish yourself as an expert in the field.

Just be sure to always have answers ready, that way you look prepared and experienced. Bring along a ton of small gifts and business cards to hand out to the people who attend the workshop. 

Or, schedule an online workshop and advertise it on social media to get a group of prospects tuning in. (from Morshed Alam, Licensed agent in Minnesota)

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21: Strike Up Conversations Everywhere

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 2-3 hours a week
Lead quality: Low to medium

rogers healy headshot

Lead generation can be the easiest or the hardest part of the job. It honestly depends on how well established you are within your real estate career. My favorite way to lead generate is to play if I were a buyer, where would I be?

For example, if I am selling a house in a specific neighborhood, I will go sit at popular surrounding spots in hopes of striking up conversation. 

Also, look at people that are fixing up the outside of their home. Are they painting the shudders? Sprucing up their lawn? If people are outside, always strike up a conversation about the work they are doing, or suggest companies/someone in the area who can help. Then leave them with a business card so that you will be top of mind when they are looking to buy or sell.

Use the same method for sellers, you never know who you could strike up a conversation with. Always see your surroundings as an opportunity and a stepping stone. You never know when someone will be looking for a real estate agent. (from Rogers Healy, Licensed broker for 20+ years)

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22: Market to Investors

Difficulty: High
Time it takes: Months of relationship-building
Lead quality: Medium to high

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Repeat business is a lifeline in the real estate industry, something that’s proven to be effective that few agents do is marketing to investors. They often run into sellers who want full retail value, and since they typically only buy discounted properties they refer them out to realtors they trust.

If you look up cash sales by zip code in the MLS or with a software like Propstream, you can figure out who is buying homes for cash in your area and track down their phone number.

You can also join investor Facebook groups and reach out to them there, or look on craigslist for house buying ads. Call these people to see if there’s anything you can do to add value to their business. 

Most investors have a hard time finding a good agent so if you’re willing to learn their language and do a good job you’ll be set for a long time. Those relationships are extremely helpful in the long run. (from Phil Bryson, Licensed agent in Arizona)

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23: Empty Homes are Perfect Lead Generators

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 1-2 hours a week
Lead quality: Low (can be hard to track down homeowners, may need convincing to sell)

angel piontek headshot

Targeting absentee owners in your local market is a great way to generate seller leads. There may be owners of investment properties looking to sell while inventory is low and demand is high. Take advantage of those moments when they happen!

You can send letters, postcards, or even a market report to your target properties. The more you can send them, the better. The more enticed prospects are – the more likely you are to convert them into a client in the future.

Use predictive analytic tools to determine an owner’s propensity to sell based on key factors like equity and ownership time. (from Angel Pionetek, Licensed agent for 19+ years)

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24: Find Unique Solutions

Difficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: 4-5 hours a week
Lead quality: High (requires lots of searching to find options that are about to hit the open market)

Martin headshot

In a market with prices this high, houses with room for extended families or multiple couples can be a great choice for people who might not otherwise be able to afford homeownership.

These homes also tend to be less in-demand, meaning that if you can find them and market them correctly, you can land a big commission on big homes.

Don’t be afraid to look for unique solutions that will help out clients that might be afraid to buy a traditional family home upfront. Meet them where they are, and they will be more likely to refer you in the future. 

That’s why contacting renters is a great place to start out. Many people view renting as a waste of money, and would rather put their money into something they own. (from Martin Orefice, Licensed agent in Florida)

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25: Maximize Content Creation by Starting a Blog or a Podcast

Difficulty: High
Time it takes: 8-10 hours a week
Lead quality: Low to medium

Creating content targeting prospective clients is an excellent but more time and resource-intensive approach to generating direct and indirect leads. 

Utilize your expertise in the market and community to serve prospective clients with valuable information when buying or selling. Write articles, or post Tik-Tok videos about what’s happening with real estate in the area.

Content should be a part of any lead gen strategy. However, which content you use, and how you use it, can vary.

Sample (4)

A real estate blog, like a YouTube channel, is a terrific method to drive traffic to your website. Original content that is SEO optimized and targeted to rank for a certain keyword can help you rank higher on Google, generate leads to your website, and establish yourself as an industry thought leader.

Podcasts attract leads and establish your reputation in the field. You can quickly convert your YouTube videos into podcast format and then broadcast them using a program like Auphonic to save time. 

Podcasts are also a great way to plug your websites or other social media platforms that people can then click to if they need a real estate agent. (from John Riedl, Licensed agent in Florida)

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26: Emphasize Video Marketing

Person,Is,Taking,Photo,With,A,Smartphone.Difficulty: Medium
Time it takes: 3-4 hours a week
Lead quality: Low to medium

Video marketing uses video content to engage prospective clients, frequently on social media or video platforms like YouTube. You should know, it’s a higher-investment strategy since it requires videography, editing, and potentially acting skills to execute.

A good way to create real estate marketing videos is by recording footage of the interior and exterior of your listings. This will give your brand a distinct personality while expanding your online networks and relationships.

This investment can deliver excellent results– nearly ¾ of homeowners are more likely to list with an agent who offers to make a video of their listing. Video marketing allows real estate agents to both serve current clients and catch the eye of prospective clients at the same time.

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27: Use High-Quality Drone Photography

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 2-3 hours a week
Lead quality: Medium

Ever since drones came out, they’ve been all the buzz. And, now they’ve launched themselves into the real estate sector. Homebuyers love listings with drone photography and videos. Plus, aerial videos give an edge over the competition.

Buyers want to see recent pictures of listings. If you have a listing that lasts more than a season, you’ll want to remember to take new pictures. 

The last thing you want is snow or autumn leaves in pictures viewed by potential leads in the spring and summer. Pictures of the house from a previous season could make the pictures look old and outdated. When listings look old, buyers might not think there is demand or competition for the property.

trey langford headshot

You can also take it one step further. Trey Langford and his team created a database of 360 Degree Aerial Neighborhood Tours about two years ago. It creates a huge wow factor for their website and a unique service they can offer to attract out-of-state buyers.

Additionally, they are ranking in search engines. Included in the 360 tours is a pin that links to a home search. This tends to create high-quality leads as it also establishes a level of credibility and professionalism. It’s always something that gets brought up when meeting with prospects, because it helps sell their services right off the bat. (from Trey Langford, Licensed agent for 17+ years)

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28: Take Clients on Exclusive Video Tours

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 2-3 hours a week
Lead quality: Low to medium

Pictures are great, but videos tell the story. It’s just a fact that listings with video walkthroughs attract more interest. A video walk-through can be a great real estate lead generator because it can help a buyer imagine themselves owning the property.

Videos can also save time from the looky-loos who might have had their questions answered ahead of time. With a skilled pilot filming, you can even use a drone for a video walk-through. You can walk, run, or fly through the property with the prospects to help convince them that you are the right agent for them.

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29: Use Magazine Marketing for Getting Real Estate Leads

Difficulty: Extremely high
Time it takes: 2-3 hours of interviews (months of developing connections)
Lead quality: Low to medium

latham-jenkins headshot

If you live in a resort market, or a touristy destination, try prospecting for new leads by marketing in a magazine (Ex: The Outsized Reasons Why You Will Fall in Love with Jackson Hole).

The magazine gives potential buyers and viewers a way to not only see the lifestyle and homes, but envision themselves there. It also allows you to foster a connection because when the buyers request it, they often share their mobile numbers, which gives you the ability to reach out and make that initial contact.

You’ll also have a mailing address for follow-up drip campaigns as you never know their timeline to purchase. It can be a main driver of leads through the years and a great brand builder. (from Latham Jenkins, Licensed agent for 8+ years)

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30: Track Prospects who are already in the Market

Difficulty: Low
Time it takes: 3+ hours a week
Lead quality: High

Real estate can be a long game. Buyers and sellers can spend months active in the market before closing a deal on a property. 

There are constant streams of new prospects entering the market. All these factors make it advantageous to keep an eye out for opportunities with folks who may already be in the buying/listing process. 

Many real estate lead generation companies provide capabilities to make this process easier.

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31: Transform Your Open House

Difficulty: Medium
Time it takes: 4-5 hours
Lead quality: Medium to high

Women,Hand,Open,Door,Knob,Or,Opening,The,Door.

With how hot the market has been, many of us haven’t had to worry about lead generation. But, when the houses are not selling themselves, an open house remains one of the best ways to find new buyers. 

Keep in mind, there is a growing population of young shoppers, with millennials accounting for the largest majority of homebuyers in the market today.

Open houses can be great opportunities to find other prospects already in the market that may not have an agent yet. This includes holding an open house for a selling client or attending open houses with a buying client.

That being said, hosting an open house will provide the best opportunities for lead generation. For instance, you can engage personally with every buyer who visits the open house, who may still be early in the buying process and open to working with you.

Another way to do it is have the open house feature a more formal “welcome book” where buyers can sign in or leave their info. Presto! Now you can follow-up via email. Just be sure to nail the subject line, the introduction email, and use our guide to get the best ideas for email marketing content. Plus, if you have a big list of people who stopped by the open house, you can do an email blast to ping them all at once. 

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32: Host Family-Fun Parties in Empty Houses for Sale

Difficulty: High
Time it takes: 6-7 hours
Lead quality: Medium to high

Even though open houses are one of the best ways to attract buyers, they’re not always fun. So, set the open house apart from the rest. Here are a few ways to make a regular open house into an event:

  • Hire a DJ
  • Shop for local beer or wine
  • Set up a selfie booth
  • Have a BBQ and snack bar

By staging the house as a place to be instead of an object to buy, you can draw in some fresh‌ faces. Younger buyers will brag about their day at an open house with music and craft beer. 

You can develop your own following of prospective buyers with open houses that are done properly.

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Potential sellers often wander into open houses for two reasons.

First, they’re interested in buying a new house, but they need to sell their other house first.

Second, their neighbors are considering selling their home down the street and they’re curious about how other homes in the area are priced and prepared for sale. So keep in mind at an open house that you’re presenting yourself to both buyers and sellers.

Ask questions like “Where do you currently live?” “Will you be selling that before you buy something else?” It might be frustrating to find that there really isn’t any immediate interest for your services from half of the room, but you also have to play the long game. (from Laura Jimenez, Licensed agent in Arizona)

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33: The Best Lead Generation for Real Estate Happens Locally

Difficulty: Medium to high
Time it takes: 5-6 hours per event
Lead quality: High (typically warm leads)

You need to get involved in the local community. That includes, but is not limited to, meeting with local businesses, contractors, and repairers in the area. 

On the fun side, you can take part in all the popular events in town, and even consider setting up a booth if it will help with networking. Your goal is to build a referral network of people who can help generate new leads. 

Do a little recon to help yourself out. Find out what the locals love and have it on hand or talk about it during open houses.

How to get started today: Check out your city’s upcoming events calendar, note what interests you and pick-up any essentials necessary to make it a success. Ex: farmer’s market, charity events, craft fairs, etc.

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Finding the Strategy that Works for You

While there are tons of available ideas for lead generation for realtors, not all of them will be winners for you. There are some factors to consider when choosing strategies:

  • The market: Who are the potential leads most likely to be? Are there any unique demographic factors? Where are these leads most centralized or easy to reach?
  • The network: Are there pre existing community relationships to build on, or is the agent starting fresh?
  • The budget: How much money is there to work with? Strategies like paid advertising bring heftier price tags than leaning into community referrals. Use real estate accounting software to really track what you’re spending so you make sure you’re getting a high ROI.
  • The platform: Where is it easiest to get in front of prospects and leads? Are certain platforms more advantageous than others?

The exact combo of strategies will be different for every agent. Staying flexible with lead gen strategies can help ensure that you are attracting the most high-quality leads and can help break into markets that would otherwise seem impossible from the outside.

Resources:

About the Author

Jim Gray got licensed in 2013 and sold 57 houses in his first year. Over the next 6 1/2 years he went on to sell 437 homes with a small team. He went on to manage the lead generation department of the 13th largest expansion team at Keller Williams and designed lead generation and conversion systems for 60 agents in 7 locations in 4 states that drove 600 home sales in a 2 year period. Jim currently does real estate team development and coaching for some of the largest real estate teams in the country.

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Last Updated: 2/15/2024