The success of a real estate business depends on both the quantity and quality of the leads it receives.
This list is going to break down 50 real estate lead generation ideas you can use today.
Let’s get started!
50 Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas
1. Run a Lead Generation Campaign on Facebook
The most straightforward way to take advantage of Facebook advertising as a real estate agent is to run a Lead Generation campaign.
This means when you create a campaign in Facebook Ads Manager, you select the Leads campaign objective.
From there, you can track lead form completions on your website or set up an instant form where people can complete your lead form natively within Facebook.
Creating an instant form usually increases the quantity of leads because it’s easier for them to complete and doesn’t send them away from Facebook.
The quality of those leads, however, can be compromised if you don’t include qualifying questions in your lead form.
The reason is because Facebook can autofill basic information for the lead, so they may “complete” your instant form without really realizing or remembering they’ve done so.
On the other hand, sending people to your website to fill out a lead form may qualify the leads…
…but you may not see as many leads come through because people don’t want to click away from Facebook.
Often the best route is to utilIze Facebook’s native lead form but to ask for more than just name number and email.
Ask at least 1 qualifying question that Facebook can’t autofill for them so that the lead has to read and comprehend the form in order to complete it.
Once you’ve selected your campaign objective and set up your lead form, there are loads of targeting options to choose from on Facebook. Let’s look at some of those.
You can learn more about Facebook lead ads in this post so be sure to check it out after reading this.
2. Target Newly Engaged People on Facebook
You can target people on Facebook by their relationship status. Oftentimes, people who are engaged are looking to buy a house together soon as well.
You can target people who are engaged, or newly engaged within the last 3 months, 6 months, or year.
This allows you to focus your brand awareness and put your face and brand in front of potential leads.
3. Target People Who’re Starting a New Job
Under Detailed Targeting > Demographics, you’ll find the Facebook targeting option to target people who have updated their profile with a new job position in the last 6 months.
If someone is at the same job but in a new position, there’s a good chance they’ve received a raise, and may be inclined to look for a bigger and better house in the coming year.
If someone is at a new job altogether, they again may have received a raise and want a new house or they may be looking to relocate to be closer to their new job.
Either way, targeting people who have started a new job recently is a good strategy to put your brand in front of potential leads early on.
People only work with realtors they trust, so the earlier you can start instilling that brand (and face) recall, the better.
4. Target Commuters
Along the same lines of targeting people with a new job, you can also target commuters with a goal to minimize their commute.
People respond well to their goals being achieved or their problems being solved.
Position yourself as the person who can minimize their commute with a new home in a great location close to their workplace.
A smaller commute means more time spent doing the things they love which is a great incentive to relocate and find a new home.
5. Target Job Industries that Move Around a Lot
Some job positions or industries have a history of moving around a lot, such as military or sales positions.
You can target people by their job position on Facebook…
…so that when the time comes for them to sell their house and buy a new one, you’ll be the first person to pop up in their mind.
6. Target Parents Leading Up to the End of the School Year
As many real estate agents know, parents often plan their move around the summertime so that they don’t disrupt their children’s school year.
It’s easier for families to finish the school year at one school, move over the summer, and start fresh at another school come August.
As a result, targeting parents with your real estate Facebook ads is a great way to put your business in front of qualified eyeballs.
Plus, beyond simply targeting parents in general, you can specifically target parents with kids of a certain age.
You can target:
- new parents with infants (ages 0-12 months),
- parents with toddlers (ages 1-2),
- parents with preschoolers (ages 3-5),
- parents with kids ages 6-8,
- parents with preteens (ages 9-12), and
- parents with teenagers (13-17).
You can also target parents with adult children if necessary (ages 18-26).
Make sure when you’re creating ads for this demographic that you focus on the pain point or goal that’s specific to them when it comes to moving.
Focus on quick summertime turnarounds, or if you’re a parent yourself, speak from the heart and relate to them both professionally and personally.
You don’t want to run the same generic ad to all of these groups; you want to run ads that are specific to what each demographic cares about.
7. Target Newlyweds
We talked about targeting engaged couples, but you can also target newlywed couples!
You can target people who got married within the last:
- 3 months,
- 6 months, or
- year.
Similar to engaged couples, many newlyweds are likely looking to buy a house together if they haven’t already done so.
You can combine engaged couples and newlyweds into one ad set and target both of them with the same language since they likely have the same goals and are in the same season.
8. Target People in a Long Distance Relationship (let’s close that gap!)
It may seem far-fetched that you can target people who are in a long-distance relationship, but it’s true!
Like we mentioned earlier, you can target people on Facebook by their relationship status.
So, it’s worth inputting the mile radius you serve and filtering by people in a long-distance relationship to see how many there are in your area!
If it’s a sizable number, that may be a demographic worth looking into!
They may want to sell their house and move to where their partner lives, or buy a new house in their current area for both them and their partner to move into together.
Either way, this demographic could make for a surprisingly lucrative market that your competitors are not already targeting.
9. Target Divorced People
This isn’t always a fun topic to address, but people going through a divorce are often in the market to buy a new home, sell their old one, or both.
In these situations, leads will want a professional and understanding real estate agent who can find what they need quickly.
You can select Divorced as a relationship status to target with your Facebook ads…
…as well as Separated.
You’ll want to make sure your Facebook ads speak directly to their goals and pain points with grace and discretion.
10. Target Widows and Widowers
Sadly, many widows and widowers find themselves in need of a new home in the middle of a devastating time.
In some cases, partners find that they can no longer afford the monthly mortgage payments without their spouse and need to downsize or relocate.
Others simply want to move and be closer to family.
Whatever the reason, as a real estate agent, you can be the helping hand they need to navigate the difficult transition.
As with all of the targeting options discussed today, these are relationship statuses that the individual has manually set themselves.
This is not private information that Facebook is divulging.
The lead has chosen to share this information and change their relationship status on their profile to reflect these circumstances.
11. Exclude Recently Moved People in Your Targeting
One great tip to remember when performing any Facebook advertising is to exclude people who have recently moved from your ad set.
You don’t want to waste advertising dollars on people who just moved and won’t need a realtor anytime soon.
Facebook allows you to exclude people who have updated their profile with a new current city in the last 6 months.
12. Connect with People in Facebook Neighborhoods
Facebook Neighborhoods are Facebook’s version of the NextDoor app. It’s a dedicated space on the app for neighborhoods to share relevant information.
Think of it as your neighborhood’s digital bulletin board.
Facebook Neighborhood is a new feature that isn’t quite available to everyone yet.
If you do have access to it, however, then you should take the opportunity to get to know people in your local area.
Start building organic relationships with people in your community that could turn into positive word of mouth later on.
13. Join Local Facebook Groups
The need for Facebook Neighborhoods stemmed from the fact that there are so many local Facebook Groups.
There are Facebook Groups for every county, city, and town, some containing thousands and thousands of members.
As a local real estate agent, it’s important for you to participate in Group discussions and get to know people within your area.
You don’t want to spam the Group with posts all about your realty business all the time.
Instead, you want to build meaningful, organic relationships with all of the potential leads in your area so that when they need a realtor, they choose you.
14. Connect with People on NextDoor
The last outlet where you can connect with your local community online is NextDoor.
The same principles apply here in that it’s not a place to hit your neighbors over the head with your realty services.
Instead, you want to organically introduce yourself and connect with the people around you.
15. Start a YouTube Channel
First-time home buyers have a lot of questions about the realty process.
You can start a YouTube channel answering some of those frequently asked questions and that will accomplish two things:
- It will establish you as an expert in your field.
- It will establish brand-consumer trust between your face and potential leads.
When people see you on YouTube answering their questions and explaining otherwise complicated concepts, you become familiar to them as an expert and professional.
It makes them that much more comfortable and likely to work with you in the future.
16. Advertise on Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger has over 1 billion users.
You can put your name and services in front of those eyeballs by advertising on Facebook Messenger.
You can do this by choosing the Messenger placement.
Or, if you’re running a lead campaign, you can set your conversion location so that you’re generating leads through Messenger.
If you’re working with top-of-funnel leads, meaning people who may not know who you are yet, it may be easier to converse with them via Messenger.
That can be less intimidating for the lead than to divulge their personal contact information upfront.
17. Optimize Your Instagram Bio
Instagram is a social media platform that has started doubling as a search engine in recent years.
People type keywords into the Instagram search bar to find people they need in their local area.
For instance, when Atlanta brides are scouting photographers, a lot of times they get on Instagram and type in “Atlanta Wedding Photographer.”
The same goes for real estate agents!
As a result, you need to optimize your Instagram bio so that if someone times in the location you service + real estate agent as a keyword, your Instagram account is the first to appear!
You can do this by including relevant keywords in your bio, and some even have their display name as [City] Real Estate Agent.
The relationship between realtors and homeowners is very personal.
And so, it makes sense that people would search for realtors on Instagram where they can gauge both your personality as well as your professional work at the same time.
18. Set Up an Automated Email Drip Campaign
Real estate agents are very busy (to say the least). So, you want to have email marketing working for you while you sleep (or while you’re showing homes for clients!).
An automated drip campaign includes a series of emails that send to leads automatically based on conditions you’ve set.
For instance, if someone submits their email in your website lead form, then they can receive a welcome / introduction email.
It will be sent to their inbox automatically without you having to sit down and manually send it every time.
The real marketing magic happens when you start setting conditions such as:
“If they open email A, then send them email B. If they don’t open email A, send them email C,” and so on.
This is one of those real estate lead generation ideas that move your leads down the marketing funnel while saving you time.
19. Invite Your Friends to Like Your Facebook Page
This is a simple, free hack everyone can do! Invite your Facebook friends to like your page!
When looking at your business page on desktop, tap the 3 dots on the right-hand side under your cover photo and tap “invite friends.”
From there you’ll be able to invite your Facebook friends to like your page. They’ll receive that invite as a notification with the option to like your page on the spot.
If your Facebook business page is fairly new, this is a great way to drum up some social proof quickly so that new potential leads view you as a serious and legitimate realtor.
20. Drop Goodies with Your Business Card in Local Mailboxes
Filling your community’s mailboxes with your business card attached to goodies such as cookies…
…or a coffeehouse gift card for example is a great way to break the ice and create a positive brand association.
Out of all these real estate lead generation ideas, this one is a great holiday idea but can also be utilized year-round with “Welcome to the neighborhood!” or “Nice to meet you!” phrasing.
An extra nice touch is to ensure the goody is locally sourced, be it a gift card to a local coffee shop or a cookie from your local bakery.
That shows that you really care about your community and want to support your local businesses.
21. Incentivize Current Leads with a Referral Program
The best way to obtain new leads is via word of mouth. The best way to stir up positive word of mouth is to incentivize your current clientele with a referral program.
Rewarding referrals encourages more of them.
The reward could be something as simple as an Amazon gift card from you, but whatever it is, it needs to be something your clients care about.
People trust a friend or family member’s recommendation above all else.
Having a friend or family member recommend you as a realtor bridges the gap of unfamiliarity and establishes a foundation of instant trust between you and the new lead.
22. Ask for Positive Reviews
In the same vein of referrals, positive reviews have a similar effect. They act as social proof or like a positive recommendation from a friend.
If you don’t have a lot of reviews (or at least a lot of positive reviews), you need to ask for them from your happy clientele.
Emphasis on positive! 5-star reviews are the bare minimum of what leads expect of their realtors.
The best way to ask for positive reviews is to do so via email immediately after a positive interaction with that lead.
The reason email is the best medium is because you can email them a direct link they can click that will take them to the exact place they can leave a review…
…and they can do it on the spot because they have to be online to be checking their email, right?
While asking someone in person may feel more genuine, it’s easier for them to forget how to do it or to forget to do it at all.
So email your satisfied clients, ask them for positive reviews and start building your social proof to build confidence with potential leads.
23. Host a First Time Home Buyer’s Seminar
First-time home buyers often have a plethora of questions.
Offering a free first-time home buyer’s seminar is a great way to draw in qualified leads with the value and expertise they’re looking for.
Plus, you can learn from the questions they ask. Hearing what their concerns and questions are will give you a pulse on what today’s home buyers are confused or concerned about most.
You can pivot your marketing material from there to address those pain points and attract more leads as a result.
24. Be Present in Local Community Events
As a real estate agent, it’s important for you to plug into local community events such as farmer’s markets, parades, festivals, and more.
Local community events are a great way to plug in, establish yourself as the leading realtor in your area and show that you care about your community.
You’ll meet people face to face who could either turn into future leads or refer future leads.
25. Optimize Your Website for SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it’s the process of getting your website to rank high in the Google search results for any given search query.
The first 5 results on Google get more than half of all the clicks for a keyword.
Meaning, if someone searches “Atlanta realtor,” more than 50% of all the clicks from that search are going to be one of the first 5 websites in the search results.
If you appear at the bottom of page 1, the amount of clicks you receive is going to drop drastically.
If you appear on page 2 or further, chances are nobody is going to even see your site.
In the case of real estate agents, there are a few search queries we imagine you’d want to rank for.
Let’s say you’re an Atlanta real estate agent for example’s sake. Some of the search queries you’d want to rank #1 for could include:
- Atlanta real estate agent
- Atlanta realtor
- Atlanta real estate company
- Atlanta real estate agency
And so on. You’ll want to optimize your website for those specific keywords and any others you want to rank highly for.
Doing so will tell both Google and website visitors that this is what your website and company is about…
…which is ultimately what gets Google to select your website to rank in those top spots.
26. Run Google Ads with Local Keywords
SEO is considered the organic, more time-consuming method to rank high on Google. An alternative method is to pay Google in advertising dollars and rank immediately.
This process is called SEM, which stands for Search Engine Marketing, or it’s also been referred to as PPC, which stands for Pay-Per-Click advertising.
You can tell Google exactly which local real estate keywords you want to rank for, and you can pay Google to rank you immediately.
Your ad will be marked as an ad, so viewers can see the difference between organic search results and paid results.
Nevertheless, it’s the best way to generate instant brand awareness, clicks to your website, and leads.
27. Maintain Past Client Relationships
So far, we’ve talked about a lot of real estate lead generation ideas to implement at the beginning of client relationships.
It’s important, however, to also maintain past client relationships long after the deal has closed to warrant continuous referrals and positive word of mouth from them.
You can do this by including them on your Christmas card list, sending them quarterly emails with tips for homeowners or information relevant to their area, etc.
Keeping a positive and friendly relationship with past clients will:
- Encourage them to refer you to their friends and family when someone they know is in need of a realtor
- Make them think of you the next time they need a realtor themselves
28. Pursue Developers and Decision Makers on LinkedIn
While LinkedIn may not be as popular as platforms like Facebook, it’s definitely one of the best platforms to target B2B and reach decision-makers.
For real estate agents, it’s a great platform to pursue developers and other job positions with close ties to new up-and-coming neighborhoods.
You’ll want to establish partnerships that can open the door to an abundance of listings and closed deals.
29. Create Automated Replies
With most email marketing software and with Facebook Messenger, you can set up automated replies.
Automated replies ensure your leads are taken care of and at a bare minimum responded to until you’re able to see and respond to their message.
People’s attention spans and patience are shrinking, not growing. People expect answers and responses instantaneously.
As a real estate agent, however, it’s impossible to respond to every message immediately and still remain present with your existing clientele.
Automated replies are a great way to satisfy and retain new leads coming in until you’re able to respond.
30. Work During the Holidays (because your competitors won’t be!)
This isn’t the most exciting of real estate lead generation ideas, but one way to obtain some extra leads is to work during the holiday season.
Working during the holiday season is useful because oftentimes your competitors are not.
Some people take weeks off at a time for Christmas and other holidays. By simply being available, you open yourself up to receive leads that your competitors aren’t fighting you for.
31. Create a Memorable Slogan
Well-written slogans are witty and memorable. The best slogans tell your audience how you can help them in just a few words.
You’ll want to think of a phrase that can fit underneath your logo, on your business card, in your Instagram bio, on your website, etc.
That phrase needs to make sense first and foremost (never sacrifice clarity for cleverness), and it needs to touch on your audience’s goals or pain points.
If it’s helpful, make a list of your target market’s goals and pain points to narrow down what would be of value to them.
From there, you can determine what you want your slogan to address, and then reword it again and again until it’s clear, catchy, and effective.
32. Create A Brand Guide
Some of you may be wondering, “How does a brand guide help me generate leads?”
Two words: brand recall. Having a brand guide ensures all of your social media content (or online content in general) is cohesive and identifiable.
You want your content to be branded the same every time no matter where it’s posted or who posted it.
You want leads to see a post from you and know it’s from you before even reading it.
Consistency in your content will establish brand recall which is ultimately what causes people to remember you and reach out to you when in need of a realtor.
Here’s our tutorial on how to create your own visual branding guide to help you get started.
33. Cold Calling
While cold calling is not known to be the most effective lead generation method…
…it still works from time to time and can be used to introduce yourself to your community if nothing else.
Most small businesses (ours included!) start off with a little bit of cold calling to garner some traction and establish brand awareness within their community.
34. Door Knocking
Similar to cold calling, door knocking can feel like an outdated tactic.
When executed well, however, it can help you get your foot in the door (pun intended), and establish your name in the community at the very least.
You’ll just want to make sure you’re not too salesy about it.
Door knocking is not the time to be going in for the close.
Door knocking is a top-of-funnel strategy where you want to introduce yourself as a warm, friendly, neighborly real estate agent.
35. Post Reels
Short-form videos are the fastest-growing content today. People watch them all the way through, and they’re a great way to provide value and generate followers.
That’s why Instagram Reels and Facebook Reels have become so widespread.
As a real estate agent, you can answer some of your top FAQs as well as provide your pro tips in the form of a Reel to establish yourself as an expert and gain trust with your followers.
Trust is the ingredient that turns a follower into a lead.
36. Post TikToks
Whatever content you make for Reels, download it before publishing to save the video without the Reels watermark and repurpose the content for TikTok.
While TikTok is known for its younger demographic, there are still notable percentages of millennials, Gen X, and older that use the app.
While your competitors may be deterred from marketing on TikTok because of its predominantly young user base…
…that leaves the door wide open for you to win over the older users on the app.
37. Post YouTube Shorts
If you’re posting Reels or TikToks, repurpose those value-driven short-form videos for YouTube Shorts.
If you’ve started a full-blown YouTube Channel, you can also use YouTube Shorts to alert people of a new video.
It’s a great opportunity to create micro-content out of long-form content.
Either way, so long as you ensure you’re providing valuable real estate tips to your audience, you’re bound to see potential leads from this marketing tactic.
38. Search for People in Need of a Home on Twitter
Similar to Instagram’s search bar, Twitter’s search bar can be used to search for any topic. It doesn’t have to be a hashtag or a location tag.
You can type in a topic such as “Atlanta homes for sale” and find people who are looking for homes in that area.
From there you can tweet them directly and get the conversation started!
39. Target Owners of Distressed Homes
Homeowners who are no longer able to maintain or make payments on their home are often in need of quick realty services.
They are facing losing their home altogether and need a realtor to come in and get their home sold quickly.
You can position yourself as the realtor to solve that pain point for them quickly and painlessly, giving them peace of mind and quick sale.
40. Network with Local Business Owners
As a real estate agent, there are different professions you run into often such as contractors, handymen, plumbers, inspectors, etc.
It’s beneficial to network with these professions and borderline partner with them for referrals.
Something as simple as an “If you refer me, I’ll refer you,” agreement can go a long way.
Is there a local coffee shop you visit often?
You can include gift cards to their business in your clientele cards and goody bags in exchange for allowing your business card to rest on their counter.
There are plenty of partnerships to be made within your local community that can result in more leads for you.
41. Join Your Local Chamber of Commerce
Joining your local Chamber of Commerce is a more official way to accomplish the previous method of networking with local businesses.
A Chamber of Commerce is a local organization or network of businesses that exist to advance and defend the interests of its members.
Joining one will help ensure your name and real estate brand is published around town, listed on local websites and newspapers, etc.
42. Set Up an Automated SMS Campaign
An automated SMS campaign is a fancy way of describing an automated text message campaign.
If you already have an email marketing campaign, setting up an SMS campaign shouldn’t take long at all (especially since most email marketing software offers SMS capabilities).
While people do check their emails every day, they check their text messages even more so.
Sending your valuable content in the form of text messages is a great way to build trust and familiarity quickly with potential leads.
43. Get Involved on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is best known as being the Facebook tool that allows Bob from down the street to come buy your used lawnmower in cash.
It’s also, however, a great place for realtors to review or list local listings! There’s a section for property rentals as well as homes for sale.
It’s an easy way to see what local buyers are seeing for sale in your area and get involved.
Plus, a pro tip is to select the Marketplace placement when running your Facebook ads so that your real estate ad can appear here where people are already scrolling and looking at homes!
44. Utilize Paid Lead Programs
Investing in paid leads programs like:
- Zillow Premier Agent or
- Realtor.com Connections Plus
…can be a great way to put your brand in front of qualified prospects if you have the budget for it.
Your ads will be displayed in top ad placements on platforms where people are already looking for realty services.
It does require a budget upfront to fund these efforts, but if you’re able to swing it, it’s worth testing out to see if you get more high-quality leads from them.
45. Go Live and Share Virtual Home Tours
Going live can be intimidating for a lot of people because it involves filming yourself in real-time with no editing and no do-overs.
People can see what you’re filming in real-time and comment.
Going live on any platform, however, is worth the hesitation you may feel towards it when it comes to the real estate industry.
The reason is because of how effective it is at generating leads. Going live allows people to get to know you from a safe distance without the fear of enduring “salesy-ness.”
They can see your friendly face and get a feel for your personality before choosing to reach out to you.
Secondly, going live is a great, free way to show off your real estate listings.
You can do a walk-through of the whole house, or highlight the best parts in a Facebook Live that you pin for your followers to watch later if they missed it.
Going live promotes transparency and therefore trust between you and potential leads.
46. Start a Real Estate Blog
If you’ve read this far, then by now you know that people appreciate realtors who answer their questions and provide value.
Maintaining a real estate blog is a great way to satisfy both your potential leads as well as Google.
Earlier we talked about the importance of SEO and optimizing your website for specific keywords.
Writing a blog about those keywords is one of the best and easiest ways to do that.
Think of your blog as a place to go more in-depth on the tips you share in your Instagram Reels.
People who are knee-deep reading your blog are likely a little further down your sales funnel, so don’t be afraid to add pop-ups to your blog that ask for name number, and email!
You want to capitalize on your blog traffic to drive qualified leads for your business.
47. Use Predictive Analytics Tools
There are different software available that can actually predict when people will most likely sell their homes within the upcoming year.
These programs make their predictions based on preexisting data available online. Using this software will guide you in who to pursue to obtain not only leads but leads that close.
48. Sponsor a Pet Adoption Event
People love their pets.
Sponsoring a pet adoption event is a great way to speak directly to people’s hearts and build organic relationships with them…
…that can later convert into leads or make for great referrals.
It shows you care about your community and share the same values as the people you’d like to work with.
49. Utilize a Phone Call Scheduling Software
With the amount of access, clients want to their realtors, most real estate agents’ phones are buzzing all day every day.
While you want to be as present as possible for your clients, a phone scheduling software may be worth looking into to ensure everybody gets equal time from you.
Softwares like Acuity allow your clients to schedule a call with you in advance within the hours you set.
This ensures new, potential leads can obtain a time to speak with you and that current leads are well taken care of throughout closing.
50. Host Open Houses
Hosting open houses is a great way to generate buzz both for the house you’re listing as well as for your real estate brand in general.
You’ll be able to speak with potential buyers and leads in person to establish positive relationships and network within your community.
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