Most businesses follow the same lead generation rules, but real estate is slightly different. In this industry, every property holds a story and every client brings a unique set of needs to the table.
This is why realtors usually have to walk the extra mile to close the deal. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned agent or just stepping into the real estate arena — the art of acquiring clients is an ongoing process that demands continuous adjustments.
In this post, we’ll share the most important tactics to get more real estate clients.
1. Specialize in a single real estate niche
The real estate business is too competitive for any broker to be a Jack of all trades, master of none. When you specialize in a single niche, you become the go-to expert in that particular area. This is important because clients trust real estate agents who know the ins and outs of their desired market, and specializing allows you to do just that.
For example, you can concentrate on one of these niches:
- Residential real estate
- Commercial real estate
- Luxury properties
- Industrial real estateÂ
- Rental properties
| Note: There’s another benefit of specialization — it's easier to market your services if you have a clear focus. That’s because your messaging becomes more targeted and resonates better with potential clients. |
2. Build strong relationships in your community
A real estate agent should be a well-known face in the neighborhood. Though it may seem like a waste of your precious time, don’t underestimate the power of being engaged in your local scene. It's not just about business, but rather about building meaningful connections that can last a lifetime.
For instance, you can do one (or more) of these things:
- Volunteer at community gatherings
- Support local events
- Visit a local farmer’s market
- Coach a high school team
Fostering connections with the people around you is crucial in the local real estate market. When you’re seen as someone who genuinely cares about the community, word-of-mouth referrals start pouring in and attracting potential clients.
| Pro tip: Don’t push it too hard, though. Building strong relationships in your community takes time and authenticity — focus on genuine connections rather than solely on transactions. Your reputation as a trustworthy member of the community will naturally attract clients along the way. |
3. Organize real estate events
Real estate events can be a game-changer in your client acquisition strategy. These gatherings will help you solidify your reputation as a trusted advisor in the local real estate community, provided you share valuable information and create a memorable experience for attendees.
For instance, you could organize:
- Industry-focused seminars
- A first-time homebuyer gatheringÂ
- A neighborhood block party
- A luxury property showcase
Hosting these types of events allows you to prove your expertise and connect with potential clients in a more personal setting. In addition, you can use the opportunity to network with other industry professionals and forge valuable partnerships.
| Pro tip: This tactic can work just as well in a digital environment. Hosting virtual real estate events, such as webinars, online property tours, or interactive Q&A sessions, helps you reach a wider audience and engage with interested home buyers remotely. |
4. Ask your clients for referrals
A typical real estate agent generates more than 40% of deals through referrals and repeat clients. The logic is clear — satisfied clients are highly likely to recommend you to their friends, family, or colleagues who may be in the market for a new home.
Referrals come with built-in trust, making it easier to establish rapport with prospective clients from the get-go. That’s why you shouldn’t be shy about asking your clients for referrals after successfully closing a deal.
5. Join a professional real estate referral network
Client referrals are a good starting point, but professional referral networks will help you generate even more real estate leads. These sites provide a platform for real estate professionals to connect and refer clients to one another. That way, you can grow your reach well beyond your immediate sphere of influence.
Take Leading RE as an example. This global network operates in 70+ countries, gathering more than 550 residential real estate firms with over 138,000 sales associates. As such, Leading RE facilitates 24,000 affiliate-to-affiliate client introductions every year.
By tapping into a referral network, you will gain access to a pool of potential clients who are actively seeking real estate services.
| Note: Leading RE is just one example of a professional real estate referral network. If you want to learn about a few other platforms, check out our article The best realtor websites: 7 resources to keep an eye on. |
6. Build a visually appealing real estate website
Every homebuyer starts their home search online, which practically means that your website will be the first point of contact for prospective clients. It’s impossible to explain what makes a great website in just a few lines, but we can point out the fundamentals:
- It’s eye-pleasing
- It’s easy to navigate and mobile-friendly
- It features high-quality property listings and imagesÂ
- It provides valuable content for visitors
- It features client testimonials
For more information on how to build a great site, check out our ultimate website design checklist.
| Pro tip: Almost half of all Google searches target local businesses, emphasizing the importance of local SEO. You should optimize your site for local keywords, create location-specific content, and ensure consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) information across online directories. This will help potential clients in your area find your website when searching for real estate services. |
7. Make the most of real estate lead generation websites
Your website alone probably isn’t enough to keep the new clients coming steadily, but you can supplement it with other lead generation sites. Professional networks such as Zillow or Realtor attract millions of users, and creating a profile on these websites definitely pays off.
Many real estate lead generation platforms offer advanced features like lead capture forms and performance tracking tools. That way, real estate agents can quickly optimize their strategies for maximum effectiveness.
For instance, the Zillow Premier Agent Program gives you features such as enhanced listings, personalized branding, and priority placement in search results. There’s an entire lead management system that allows you to track and follow up with leads with ease.
Such features make lead generation websites the go-to places for every professional in the real estate industry.
8. Use social media to your advantage
Social networks such as Facebook and Instagram give you the chance to present your listings, share informative content, and engage with your audience on a more personal level. This is also a great platform to highlight your expertise and share success stories.
What’s best, social networks have excellent advertising systems that you can use to place targeted ads. This enables real estate agents to reach specific demographics or promote listings to a wider audience.
| Note: Managing too many social media accounts can be counterproductive. Our suggestion is to focus on one or two social networks that gather the majority of your target users. Bear in mind that Facebook will probably be one of them as nearly 90% of real estate agents use it for professional purposes. |
9. Prove your expertise through publishing
Our last piece of advice is to prove your expertise by sharing industry insights through different types of media. For instance, successful real estate agents often write articles for local newspapers or contribute to neighborhood magazines. Another popular option is to host a real estate podcast, but you can also act as a speaker at local conferences.
In each case, publishing helps you showcase industry-specific knowledge and positions you as a trusted authority in your market.
| Note: While publishing may not yield immediate results, it’s a long-term tactic that can pay off handsomely by building your reputation. |
Bonus tip: Create a frictionless client onboarding process
The tips discussed above will help you seal more real estate deals, but this is not where your work ends. Realtors who seek long-term growth should pay special attention to client onboarding as it brings them a couple of benefits — it improves client relationships and leads to valuable referrals.
But how do you get the client onboarding process right?
We suggest using Content Snare to guide your clients through the process.
Content Snare is a data-gathering tool with ready-made real estate onboarding questionnaire templates for sellers, buyers, and tenants. A questionnaire helps you gather accurate information and documents from your clients without engaging in endless email threads or time-consuming meetings and phone calls:
The best part is that you can tailor questionnaire templates to make them perfectly suitable for your real estate firm. For instance, you can rearrange fields/sections/pages with a drag-and-drop builder. Another option is to edit questions, delete some of them, or add new items to the list using more than 20 field types.
Related: How Day One Advisory boosted efficiency and saved time using Content Snare
Content Snare also assists you with client communications. Instead of sending email notifications manually, our system will do it automatically based on your predefined reminder schedule. This is a serious efficiency booster for realtors who work with multiple clients simultaneously.
Our platform offers a whole lot of other features, but why don’t you test it for yourself?
We give you a 14-day free trial to figure out the benefits of using Content Snare in real estate client onboarding.Â
