The Top 5 Tactics to Get More Real Estate Listing Leads

Every real estate agent knows the value of prospecting for lead generation — it’s the foundation of your business. Getting listing leads can be challenging at times, but never more so than when housing inventory is low. Fortunately, there’s no secret knowledge required to find listing leads; it comes down to knowing where to look.

Here are 5 top tactics you can do to get more real estate listing leads.

1. Update your past sales and spread the word

Make sure you position yourself as a local expert. With a list of past sales, leads can see that you’re familiar with their neighborhood and surrounding area. The minute you close a sale, update your online presence with the details.

Follow up with a Just Sold campaign that lets potential clients know you’re active in their neighborhoods and, if applicable, experienced in selling certain property types.

Offer congratulations to the new homeowners on your social media channels so that your work garners maximum exposure.

2. Mine your database

Use anniversaries to reach out and see if past clients are ready to move. Whose youngest child just turned 18 and will soon leave the nest for college? Did someone just reach retirement age and is considering downsizing? Has anyone welcomed a new addition to their family and now needs more space? Look at the pricing histories to see who bought low and might be in a good position to sell now that the market has risen.

Your database might include contacts who reached out through Zillow to ask about a property that wasn’t for sale and expressed their interest in similar properties — or said they owned the home and were looking for a professional estimate. Either scenario could indicate a homeowner looking to start the selling process. As with any other lead, your best strategy is to respond quickly; most homeowners only interview one agent before deciding to hire them.

3. Work your sphere of influence

When was the last time you made a round of phone calls to your sphere? After catching up, ask if they have any real estate needs or questions for you. If they don’t, do they know anybody who might? Inquire if they would like recent market information or an updated home valuation. Remember to ask them for business and remind them that referrals are your bread and butter. The best leads come from people you know and who know you.

4. Ask buyers

How many times have you asked your buyer clients if they’re also selling a home? Mentioning such an obvious strategy might seem worthy of a facepalm, but many agents neglect to ask. If your buyer says they are selling their home, pursue it: Why are they selling and where is the home located? Can you be of assistance?

Buyers who attend open houses might not be clients (yet), but they might be potential sellers, so engage with them there and inquire about their status.

5. Offer valuable market information

Typically sellers will start off asking what their home is worth, so when you meet with them in person, you should definitely have an idea of what that is as well as the data to back up your figure. But a top agent will go even further: Offer CMAs and market reports that are specific and relevant to their neighborhood. Make the home page of your website a must-see for local sellers. Offer free home valuations when they provide you with their home details and contact information. Give them useful information — charts, graphs and whitepapers — that position you as the local real estate expert.

In a low-inventory market, seller leads can be challenging to find. The good news is that knowing where to look for them and going nose-to-the-grindstone to pursue them is half the battle. (The other half is customizing your listing presentation for each lead and delivering it better than the competition.) Listings are the gifts that keep on giving: If you know how to get them, they will generate even more sales for you.