Effective real estate prospecting is the foundation of a sustainable business. By actively seeking out and engaging with potential clients, agents expand their network, generate leads, and ultimately increase their chances of securing transactions. Our 28 real estate prospecting ideas will help you prioritize your efforts and diversify your strategies.
Find It Fast
22 real estate prospecting ideas
Prospecting allows agents to stay ahead of market trends, understand client needs, and position themselves as trusted advisors in a competitive industry landscape. The strongest real estate prospecting strategies combine a mix of the following tactics.
1. Create a lead-generating website
A modern real estate website should be more than just a place to show off listings — it is an incredibly powerful real estate prospecting tool for connecting with potential buyers and sellers. With the right design and content strategy, you can optimize your website to consistently generate high-quality real estate leads.
2. Add an AI lead nurturing feature on your website
Adding live chat to your real estate website is a terrific way to stay connected with prospects and generate real estate leads. Offering instant answers to questions can make all the difference when guiding prospects toward informed decisions about their real estate needs.
Of course, chatbots vary quite a bit in terms of their capabilities. For example, our sophisticated AI lead nurturing tool can help qualify leads before handing them off to the agent.
3. Use smart data
Real estate agents leveraging predictive analytics in their prospecting can more easily identify high-value leads, optimize marketing spend, and enhance the personalization of their outreach. By utilizing data analysis, agents can prioritize leads with the greatest conversion potential. This approach allows real estate professionals to stay ahead of market trends, streamline lead scoring, and ultimately achieve better outcomes in their prospecting efforts.
4. Start a real estate podcast
Podcasts are a great way to tap into a new client base. By providing beneficial advice about market trends and establishing yourself as a thought leader, podcasts can grow your audience and build trust with listeners. And with an affordable production cost, even those on tighter budgets can leverage this effective marketing strategy.
Develop your lead nurturing strategy
Turn leads into clients with our free scripts, follow-up schedules, and communication tips.
5. Blog regularly
If you want to attract more prospects, add a blog to your website and update it consistently. Establishing yourself as a knowledgeable professional in your area builds trust with current clients and potential buyers alike. Plus, by addressing topics relevant to homeownership on your site, you’ll increase your visibility online, driving organic traffic and leads.
6. Harness the power of video
Videos allow you to connect with and engage potential real estate clients across a wide swath of channels. You can use videography to showcase properties, give virtual tours, introduce yourself, and offer tips on buying or selling homes. It’s an easy way to connect with your audience and present yourself in the best possible light.
7. Share downloadable resources
Checklists, guides, and market reports offer value to your audience, build trust with real estate leads, and help establish your expertise. They can also be a great way to capture leads and grow your contact database.
8. Create a real estate newsletter
Email newsletters are a savvy real estate agent’s secret weapon for staying top of mind. It’s a straightforward way to share valuable information about the local market, demonstrate your personality and expertise, and make meaningful connections, helping you generate more leads. Plus, with the segmentation, personalization, and automation tools offered in most CRMs, sending newsletters is easier and more effective than ever.
9. Get personal on social media
Most of your audience wants to know about your business and you, which is why being your authentic self is key to your success. While offering a peek into who you really are, make sure you also look for opportunities to demonstrate your real estate expertise to establish lasting brand awareness and loyalty.
10. Engage on social media
It’s not just about posting. Commenting, sending direct messages, and regularly hosting live online events are excellent strategies for engaging with prospects on social media. These methods not only build relationships with potential real estate clients but also allow you to market yourself in unique and creative ways.
11. Host public office hours
Real estate agents can cultivate connections with prospective customers and expand their networks by hosting “open houses” at neighborhood coffee shops or the local library. By creating an inviting, low-pressure environment, you can develop meaningful relationships that may not have happened in a more formal or traditional setting.
12. Send handwritten real estate prospecting letters
Handwritten letters are an effective way to craft relationships that lead directly to sales, mostly because they feel personal and take a lot of time — and your audience knows that. They’re also significantly more likely to be read than a mass-distributed postcard or email.
13. Implement circle prospecting strategies
Circle prospecting allows agents to build their client base by reaching out to neighbors of recently listed or sold homes. To succeed, you must craft persuasive messaging that’s tailored to each area’s unique conditions and use technology to streamline the process.
14. Ask your network for referrals
Referrals are an incredibly effective way for real estate professionals to connect with potential customers. While asking for referrals might seem uncomfortable at times, it’s a surefire way to set yourself up for future success. In fact, a National Association of Realtors study found that 65% of sellers found their agent through a reference.
Here’s a sample email template you can use:
Subject: Quick Favor?
Hi {client’s name},
I hope this email finds you well. It was truly a pleasure working with you during your real estate journey, and I’m grateful for the trust you placed in me.
I’m reaching out because I’m hoping to expand my client base and help more people find their dream homes. If you know anyone—friends, family, or colleagues—who might be looking to buy or sell a property, I would be incredibly grateful if you could refer them to me.
Your trust and confidence mean a lot, and I promise to provide the same level of dedication and expertise you experienced to anyone you refer.
Thank you so much for your support!
Best regards,
{your name}
{your contact information}
15. Call expired property listings
Expired listings are a great prospecting source because you already know the owner wants to sell, and the chances are good that they’re still looking for a buyer. Take the experience of Lisa Novak, for example. By simply contacting potential sellers with an excellent offer, she’s closed 50% of her expired listing opportunities.
16. Convert FSBO sellers
On average, homes sold with a real estate agent brought in $95,000 more than those sold without one. Use this knowledge to your advantage when calling to convert FSBOs into potential clients.
17. Host buyer and seller webinars
As opposed to traditional real estate prospecting methods, webinars provide cost-effective results by allowing you to sell to many prospects all at once. Be sure you’re offering information that’s valuable to your audience and use the email sign-ups to populate your customer relationship management (CRM) system for future drip campaigns.
18. Network within the community
Staying connected with your community allows you to uncover new real estate business opportunities and build client relationships. From taking classes to attending conferences to volunteering, there are plenty of ways for real estate agents to make meaningful local connections.
19. Run retargeting ads
Supercharge your real estate prospecting efforts with retargeting campaigns. They allow you to reattract potential clients who’ve expressed interest in the past, as well as audiences who share a similar profile. Utilizing these powerful tools to get your ads in front of the right people opens up endless possibilities to attract and convert leads.
20. Book speaking engagements
Attend or host events related to the real estate industry and get your face and name out there. Not only does this raise your visibility among prospects, but it also allows you to network with other professionals who have similar goals.
21. Be a resource to local employers
By extending a helping hand to local employers in need of relocation assistance, you’ll not only be improving their operations but also boosting your growth potential. This reciprocal relationship can also benefit your local economy.
22. Offer free real estate evaluations
One of the best ways to generate seller leads is by offering annual property valuations to homeowners in your area. Here’s an email script you can use:
Subject: Free Home Evaluation Offer
Hi {prospect’s name},
Hope you’re doing well! I noticed you own a property in {neighborhood/city}. Would you be interested in a quick, no-obligation home evaluation? It’s complementary and can give you valuable insights into your property’s current market value.
Let me know if you’re interested, and we can schedule a time to review it at your convenience.
Best,
{your name}
Pro tips for real estate prospecting
Now that you’ve got a great list of real estate prospecting ideas, here are some tactics for putting them into practice.
- Dedicate 90 minutes a day to real estate prospecting. Even when you’re busy, it’s important to set aside the time you need to ensure future success. To make sure you get it done, try creating a calendar block at a consistent time every day.
- The path to success includes an effective mix of active and passive real estate prospecting strategies. Active approaches, such as door-knocking or cold calling, require direct engagement with potential clients. Passive prospecting involves generating leads through indirect methods such as content marketing, social media posts, or waiting for referrals, rather than actively reaching out to potential clients.
- Use your CRM to track your prospecting efforts—particularly who is responding and which strategies generate the highest response rates. This allows you to make data-based real estate prospecting decisions, such as who you’re targeting and how often you’re reaching out.
- Always remember the value you add to your community. Rather than thinking that your prospecting activities bother people, know that you’re providing valuable information. You are the real estate expert and you’re offering education about what is often the largest financial decision of someone’s life.
- Follow up and be persistent. While cold calling might not be your favorite thing to do, research shows that success comes with tenacity. It can take several attempts to set an appointment with leads, so don’t be discouraged if you’re not getting immediate responses. It often takes numerous “touches” before a cold prospect becomes a warm lead.
- Focus your efforts on securing first appointments. The first time you meet a prospect face-to-face is often the most critical step in building a relationship with them and closing a sale. Getting that initial face time as early as possible can lead to a much higher rate of conversion.
- Don’t forget past clients in your prospecting activities. Maintaining a strong relationship with customers is one of the most effective ways to secure repeat business in real estate. Research shows nearly 46% of sellers used their previous real estate agent for both purchasing and selling, so keeping that relationship warm makes a huge difference in the long run.
Prospecting for more leads + Luxury Presence
From building a beautiful, high-converting website to creating engaging local content to managing your social media, Luxury Presence has the software and solutions to help you bring in more quality leads and grow your business. Schedule a chat with our team now to discuss taking your real estate prospecting to the next level.
