Any prospective real estate investor recognizes that generating leads is the first and most important step in making real estate investing a success. You could have the best real estate investing strategy in the world and all the training under your belt, but if you can’t find enough leads to work with, then it won’t matter.
Are you curious about how to get good real estate leads? Or about how to get leads in real estate for free? If the answer is yes, then this article is for you. There are many ways to get good real estate leads, however if someone asked me the question “how can I get leads in real estate for free?” I would say that it’s not possible. Or maybe it is, but look very closely at what they’re promising you.
Real estate is a relationship-based business. Whether you’re an agent trying to generate quality leads or buyer/seller reaching out to a realtor, your success depends on establishing quality relationships. I’ve had countless clients ask me where they can get good real estate leads or how they can get leads in real estate for free. I’ll tell you exactly how you can do each of these things in the following article.
It’s important for realtors to maintain a healthy pipeline of leads. When interest rates are low and temperatures are beautiful, you might be flooded with clients. But there’s always a winter lull or market fluctuation around the bend to stop your momentum and, in turn, your commission checks.
How to Get Leads in Real Estate
1. Build partnerships.
Network with other local businesses to form mutually beneficial partnerships. Try strategies like co-hosting happy hours, sending gifts to clients or leads, and forming local alliances. Here are a few industries where real estate agents can form productive partnerships:
- Insurance companies – Homeowners insurance is a must, but some home buyers are also looking to turn their new property into rentals, flip-homes, or businesses. Having the right insurance is key.
- Personal bankers – A home is the largest financial investment many of us will ever make. Having a personal banker to run numbers by can be a huge help for buyers.
- Commercial lenders – Loan officers are an integral part of the home buying process, but most buyers don’t have one in their back pocket.
- Bakeries – Whether you’re sending pies to former clients to keep your real estate firm top of mind or ordering treats to make your open house extra sweet, connecting with a bakery is never a bad idea for a real estate agent — or anyone, for that matter.
- Landscapers – There’s an old adage in cooking that says, “The eye eats first.” A similar principle applies to real estate. Landscaping is often the first impression potential buyers have of a home. Encourage your sellers to have their homes professionally landscaped to set them apart from the crowd.
- Cleaning services – No buyer wants to enter a home that looks a little grimy around the edges. Partner with cleaning services to offer discounted house cleanings to your clients.
- Staging experts – Very few of us have HGTV-worthy show homes, but an aspirational home is a home that sells. Build partnerships with local stagers to get your clients’ houses under contract faster.
- Title companies – A less glamorous but no less important partnership is the one you’ll have with local title companies. Have a few go-to companies to recommend to your clients.
2. Throw a housewarming party
Did a well-connected client just move into their new home? Offer to cater their housewarming party, spring for an open bar, pay for the appetizers, or deck the place out with gorgeous flowers — and make sure to stop by to mingle. It’s the perfect place to meet prospects in similar life stages who might be impressed by the home you’ve helped their friends buy.
Did they invite the new neighbors? Now’s the time to ask if they’ve considered selling. Neighborhood sales usually generate fresh homeowner interest, and a housewarming party can turn cold leads to hot.
3. Become a restaurant regular.
Meeting clients at a restaurant or local coffee shop to discuss terms? Consistently schedule these kinds of meetings at the same restaurant.
You’ll build clout with the wait staff, gain access to the best tables, and appear popular and plugged into your community. You might even get to know the other regulars — making you the perfect person for them to contact when they’re ready to buy.
4. Send a handwritten note.
Pick up a pen, paper, and an actual stamp — then, send a note to a past or present client. Thank them for choosing you as their realtor, and remind them you’re available to answer questions, suggest a reliable moving company, or send important documents for tax season.
A handwritten note goes a long way to express your appreciation. And it keeps you from becoming yet another unread subject line in your clients’ inbox. Feeling confident? Pick up the phone a few days later and ask for a referral.
5. Leverage the internet to advertise.
Invest in paid online advertising. Websites like Zillow offer advertising options for realtors — a smart move since the share of home buyers who used the internet to search for a home increased to an all-time high of 97% in 2020, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Here are some of the better ways to market yourself as a real estate agent:
- Run Facebook ads
- Run LinkedIn ads
- Answer real estate questions on Quora
- Run Google ads
- Blog for local or national real estate websites
Here’s what an effective Facebook ad might look like.
6. Advertise through more traditional media.
Sometimes, the best avenues to get your brand out and attract new clients are a little more old-school. Media like billboards and print ads can be excellent resources to grab prospective clients’ attention and keep your services top-of-mind when they’re looking for their next real estate agent. And don’t be reluctant to get creative with your advertising — a little humor or eye-popping visuals can help you stand out.
Image Source: Fit Small Business
7. Build your own website.
Your brokerage will likely give you a page on their website, but it’s important to create your own web presence. This allows you to build a personal brand, showcase your specialties, and share reviews from satisfied clients. It also ensures you have a cohesive presence in the local market — even if you switch brokerages.
Pro-Tip: Don’t forget to optimize your site. Write blog posts< tackling common questions or challenges clients confront during the buying process. Create and share helpful how-to videos. And capture email addresses by having a newsletter signup.
8. Develop a niche.
Do you specialize in a certain neighborhood, historic homes, or helping clients find their perfect apartment? Lean into it! Find your niche and become an expert. This allows you to focus your marketing efforts on a specific group and develop a reputation as the go-to realtor for these buyers and sellers.
Here are a few common real estate niches:
- Historic homes
- Mid-century modern homes
- Luxury homes
- Neighborhoods
- Student rentals
- School district
- City or town
- First-time homebuyers
- Condominiums or apartments
- Distressed properties
- Senior homes
- Vacation homes
- Land
- Commercial real estate
- Industrial real estate
- Property rights
- For Sale By Owner (FSBO) properties
You don’t have to be an expert immediately. Decide which niche interests you and immerse yourself in it. For instance, if you want to develop a niche in helping seniors find their perfect retirement homes, learn what their needs are, research local senior centers, senior-friendly neighborhoods, and work with financial planners who understand the unique home buying requirements of the seniors in your area.
9. Use “Coming Soon” signs.
“Coming Soon” and “Sold” signs are a tried-and-true way to generate interest in your properties and expertise. “Coming Soon” signs build anticipation before a home even hits the market.
And “Sold” signs are effective at gathering leads from buyers who missed out on a property — and want you to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
10. Head to an open house.
Not hitting up open houses to harvest new leads? You’re missing out. Many buyers (or soon-to-be buyers) drop in without having an agent. It’s the perfect time to introduce yourself and offer to help them navigate the market.
11. Generate leads on LinkedIn.
Join LinkedIn groups you know your target audience frequents. That could be something like a group for local real estate investors or one for first-time homebuyers. Find the groups your buyers are spending time in, and contribute to the conversation before making a professional pitch.
Once you’ve built rapport, follow up with interested prospects, and offer to discuss their questions further on a call.
Pro-Tip: If you’re posting in a real estate investment group, consider sharing a blog article about up-and-coming neighborhoods in your city. If someone in your first-time homebuyers group asks a question about interest rates, provide a knowledgeable answer in the comments.
12. Organize educational events.
Host educational events in your community. By teaching local consumers about buying their first home, what the market’s like now, or what to look for in a rental property, you’ll build your personal brand and drum up new business at the same time.
Pro-Tip: Try partnering with local businesses to host home buying seminars over lunch. Or co-hosting events with mortgage lenders to broaden your base and increase lead potential.
13. Don’t neglect leads.
Did you show a prospect three properties before they realized they weren’t ready to buy? Don’t throw their number away. Send them postcards sharing developments in the market, keep them on your email list, and leave the occasional voicemail reminder you’d love to help them find that perfect home when they’re ready.
Sales pro Jeff Hoffman offers great tips for salespeople trying to bring stalled deals back from the dead. His biggest piece of advice? Don’t repeat your close. “If the prospect gave you a soft yes — and then nothing — or a firm no, never follow up with the same close. Your next request should be different.”
So, instead of following up with your stalled buyer a few months down the line with a, “Ready to buy yet?” try asking, “Would you be interested in joining our seminar for first-time homebuyers?
This is an easier close and will keep your prospect from feeling cornered or pressured.
14. Target “For Sale by Owner” listings.
According to the National Association of Realtors, only 3% of FSBO listings sell within the desired time — and a mere 18% reported receiving the right price. Find these listings on Craigslist or other real estate sites, and offer to help them get the most from their property listing.
Share a blog post or a few bulleted stats about why working with an agent is beneficial to the seller, and ask if they’d be interested in learning more.
15. Reach out to expired listings.
Pull lists of expired listings from the MLS. Be sensitive to the fact these sellers are likely frustrated with their current realtor, discouraged they haven’t sold their home, and under a lot of stress.
Open the conversation by explaining you understand their frustrations, and share a few ways you’d do things differently to sell their home fast.
16. Generate referrals from satisfied clients.
Positive word of mouth is a major plus for virtually all kind of sales efforts — and real estate sales are no exception. It’s estimated that 40% of buyers used an agent who was referred to them by a friend, neighbor, or relative. And 91% of buyers would use their agent again or recommend them to others.
Your previous and existing clients can be excellent lead-generation resources. That’s why it serves you to remain in contact with them and keep yourself top-of-mind — and when you’re working with them, give it your all.
Make sure you’re providing them with thorough attention and exemplary service. If you can build trust and develop a productive relationship with your clients, you’ll be in a solid position to capitalize on their referral potential.
17. Work divorce leads.
Divorce leads are as potentially productive as they are uncomfortable to think about. You’ll be hard-pressed to find leads with more urgency behind them — a court order to sell your home tends to have that effect.
Divorced leads require some finesse and compassion. As you can imagine, these kinds of clients probably aren’t too thrilled about being in the position they’re in. But if you can find and appeal to them, you’ll set yourself up with a base of extremely motivated clients.
#18. Swap Meets and Flea Markets – Unexpectedly Awesome Way to Get Leads Face-to-Face
As we mentioned, Broker/Owner David Albanese isn’t afraid to take free leads where he can find them. That includes local swap meets and flea markets.
David points out, “The craziest ideas for lead generation are sometimes the least wanted or the most frowned upon or things that people might think don’t work. We do frequent swap meets and flea markets. It totally works even though many agents feel it’s an undesirable type of method.”
David also brings in free leads via Zillow FSBO, calling expired listings, and of course, Craigslist, but there’s something to be said for getting out there and networking with real people.
Remember, when it comes to free lead gen, it doesn’t matter what’s popular. All that matters is that it works for your unique real estate business.
#19. Social Media Humblebrag – Great Way to Get Real Estate Leads Who Already Like You
You didn’t think we were going to leave social media off the list, did you?
Depending on how you approach it, social media can either be a major time drain or a brilliant way of nurturing your connections.
Salt Lake City Realtor® and Founder of Search Salt Lake Dustin Brohm is an ace at working social media for free leads (yes, even Snapchat).
Here’s his awesome advice for using your social media to nurture your SOI without feeling salesy or sleazy:
“Your sphere of influence is still an extremely overlooked source of business. The key is to not bombard your network with boring, worthless “asks” for business. Instead, you should simply be reminding your network that you’re a real estate agent, and that you’re a local expert. Posting on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat is a great way to do that, as long as you’re providing something of value to your network (education, humor, etc), along with the occasionalhumblebrag if you receive an award, or some recognition for something. I’m talking maybe once a month, or less. But if done tactfully, those humblebrags help your network see that you’re good at what you do.”
You heard it from the pro. Relax and have fun on social media. It can lead to some great free leads.
#20. Instagram – Easiest Source for Warm Organic Leads
John Selby, Team Leader at the San Diego-based The Selby Group uses Instagram as one of his most unique (and effective!) lead gen sources.
“It’s all organic,” says John. He doesn’t spend a dime on fancy ads or targeting.
“Our posts are more lifestyle posts and less about sales. We want people to follow us because they like our post then reach out to us for help because they like our brand and how we do things. It’s been working well.”
And that’s exactly what happens.
Leads come in from the teams posts and stories. From there, they follow up via DM to connect and convert. It’s easy, organic and extremely cost-effective.
#21. Cheeky Marketing – Funniest Way to Get Free Real Estate Leads
Every so often, it pays to go a little rogue with your marketing.
Here’s a great story from coach Bernice Ross:
“The most innovative idea I ever heard came from Frances Flynn Thorsen. She had a house that was zoned for commercial use that was located in an area where there were a lot of attorneys. She created a marketing piece that looked as if the attorney she was sending it to was being served in a lawsuit. The strategy generated leads and she sold the property.”
Sometimes it pays to think outside the box (or, zone in this case) and do what you’ve got to do to grab the attention of your local market. Don’t be afraid to get creative.
#22. Knock on Doors – Most Classic Way to Get Real Estate Leads
The level of “craziness” of this free lead gen idea is debatable.
Some die-hards in Facebook groups will claim this is the best way to get free leads, but you have to wonder, do they actually get out there and do it?
According to coach Donna Stott, they should.
Here’s her tip:
“Knock on doors in a neighborhood where you have a qualified buyer that wants to buy and say ‘Quick question: do you want to sell your house? My buyer wants to buy here. Not sure? Talk to the Family and call me tomorrow.’ Yes. It worked.”
Sometimes you just never get, until you ask. While it may seem old school, knocking on doors is still a proven way to get free leads. If you’ve got the guts, go for it.
#23. Give Back – Most Fulfilling Way to Get Buyer and Seller Leads
“If you focus on service like we do, the volume’s gonna come,” says Ron Howard, who closed 470+ transactions with zero hard-sell tactics.
The broker/owner of Baltimore-based Ron Howard & Associates reached the #1 spot in his market simply by connecting with the community.
“Serving the community and throwing great social events creates an amazing amount of people that want to reciprocate by working with you,” says Ron.
Granted, not all agents and teams will be able to throw the kind of epic events Ron and his team do, but the fundamentals can be applied to any real estate business of any size.
All of Ron’s agents must be involved in at least one non-profit. Ron himself has been on the board of five. Rather than passing out business cards, the agents on Ron’s team build their spheres through acts of charity and service.
“You’re meeting people in your community who want to do good. It’s not really service to transaction, it’s service to relationship. We want to build a network that people actually want to be a part of,” he explains.
#24. Become a Community Catalyst – Crazy Simple Way to Get a Long-lasting Source of Leads
Gary Ashton is the Owner and CEO of the #1 RE/MAX Team in the world .
He’s also the guy that people like big name bankers, pro sports coaches and members of The Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Soccer Club go to for advice on the best local schools, restaurants and of course, real estate.
So, yeah. When it comes to luxury real estate, Gary knows his stuff.
But he didn’t get there overnight. Gary’s massive success in luxury real estate came from his commitment to becoming THE go-to expert in his community.
“As real estate develops, knowledge is what makes agents more valuable to buyers. Buyers don’t want to spend time learning. As an agent, you’re the catalyst—the connector between the buyer and their new community. It’s your job to open that door and make it as easy as possible for them to walk through it.”
A Quick Cautionary Tale about Sleazy Lead Gen
You’ve now got a ton of great ideas for generating free real estate leads. But wait!
Before you run off, we want to give you one last piece of advice. When done right, free lead gen can bring in a ton of revenue for your real estate business, but if you go into it with the wrong intention, it can backfire horribly.
Here’s a story from Broker/Owner Dustin Brohm about a free lead gen idea that totally bombed:
(Go ahead, lean in.)
“I’m about to tell you about a terrible idea for lead gen. TERRIBLE!
No, I did not do this personally, but know someone who did.
Don’t do this: Go to a friend’s wedding, and “sponsor” the gift bags for guests… and put your damn business cards, branded pens, and other absurd, unimpressive swag in the gift bags! Do not put out signs around the gift bag table promoting you and your business.
Conclusion
Well, how would you like it if you went to a wedding and were bombarded with advertisements from some random business? You’re hijacking your friend’s wedding in an effort to get more business. But what you’re really doing is pissing people off and ensuring that they’d never hire you in a million years. How tacky and inappropriate. Hell, next time maybe you should sponsor the punch bowl at a funeral!”
We help you grow your real estate business with less hassle by centralizing all your leads and contacts in one simple system. You can automatically nurture long-term leads, track lead activity on your website and trigger the right touch points with the right people, to help you and your team bring in more deals in less time.