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

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

One of the best things about industry Facebook groups is that they are 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 to apply to your 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.

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 become 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, use this trend to generate leads for your real estate business. 

One of the best things about this platform is that you don’t need professional videos like on YouTube or Instagram. You can shoot a 30-second video right on your phone when sitting in your office or doing a home viewing. Download TikTok and set up an account. Invest in a good tripod and ring light to make your videos pop!

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)

LinkedIn is one of the most powerful platforms for connecting with other professionals and promoting your business. Start by asking co-workers or clients to leave notes on your page. Email them a direct link so that they can quickly endorse your skills. Explore connections and see which groups you can contribute to.

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. Plus, 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 lets you 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 in and setting aside time each and every day to interact with them.

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)

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. 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. We suggest putting the lead gen forms on the site’s pages that get the most traffic to maximize their visibility and the likelihood of someone filling them out. If you’re unsure which pages that could be, Google Analytics, a free tool, can help you determine which website pages get the most traffic.

Check out our list of top website builders to compare the best companies in the real estate space.

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 after Facebook. This platform requires a higher level of professionalism than TikTok, but it has the similar advantages of being free to use to reach 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

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 website.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to manage PPC campaigns yourself, software like RealGeeks and CINC source leads using PPC for you.

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

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. 

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. It’s a long-term strategy that proves worthwhile over time.

Software like Agent Image can help do a lot of the heavy lifting for you: they offer custom websites with services and features to help you optimize for SEO.

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.

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

It’s easier to be viewed as an expert when you have original content. 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 TikTok videos about what’s happening with real estate in the area. Content should be a part of any lead gen strategy. 

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.

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 that 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 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.

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

Homebuyers love listings with drone photography and videos. Plus, aerial videos give an edge over the competition.

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 rank higher in search engines.

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.

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 zBuyer allow you to be a unique lead buyer.  Unlike other lead vendors who sell a lead to 5 or more agents, zBuyer allows you to buy exclusive 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)

Expired listings can be 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.

Wise Pelican offers premade postcard templates for expired listings Consider giving them a try.

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 best thing you can do is set up a CRM to help you communicate and nurture all of your leads.

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. 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.

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

Try mailing 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. 

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. 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.

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)

The 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.

Start by keeping track of the clients that were super grateful after the buying or selling process, or those who are well-known in your community. Then, be the best agent that you can be, having highly personal interactions and saving them money when you can. They’ll be happy to refer you to others.

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. Take things a step further by asking satisfied clients to provide a review for you.

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.

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)

FSBO listings are those managed and run by the homeowner rather than an agent. 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 staying available for a long time or eventually expiring, or the asking price drops frequently and substantially. This is a great time to suggest a partnership.

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)

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!

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)

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 who might be afraid to buy a traditional family home upfront.

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

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.

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

It is 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.

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

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. 

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.

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

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.

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

Take a few minutes to talk to people in your market. For example, if people are working outside, 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.

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

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.

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

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.

Make sure you have a plan for following up with attendees. You may want to have the open house feature a more formal “welcome book” where buyers can sign in or leave their info. 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.

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 event 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.