How to Generate Leads for Real Estate Agents

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Computer & Internet
Business Cards

Step 1

Start a Website or Blog

One great idea to generate leads for real estate is to start a website or blog where the purpose is NOT to market you as a real estate agent. Some ideas include starting a website that covers events in the community where you live and work, reviewing restaurants and other local activities, providing information about schools, jobs, etc. Blog or create a website about anything that will be interesting to people in your community or people considering moving to your community. Become a trusted source of information and referrals will follow. Even better, offer a free weekly e-newsletter to those who visit your site. Definitely put your credentials on your website, but don't make it all about your job as a real estate agent. People don't like to be sold, but they love to get information. When they trust you, they will use you! A great place to build a site that will get results is site-build-it. Look in the resource section for more information.
Step 2

Have a business website

You should also have a site that promotes you as a real estate agent. Your listings should be on this site, and visitors should be able to access the entire MLS from your site. This site should link to your blog and your blog should link to this site. Something like 78% of real estate searches begin on the internet, so it's a great place to secure real estate leads.
Step 3

Join forums on the internet that are specific to the area in which you do business. Join the forum at City-Data and look for others that are relevant to your area. Become a source of good, solid information. Put your credentials and contact information in your signature, but don't constantly be trying to outwardly get leads. When people in the community start to know and trust you, they will naturally send people to you for information. They become great leads.
Step 4

Use Social Networking

Participate in social networking. Be visible on Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin, etc. An internet presence is going to help you all around.
Step 5

Host Open Houses for Other Agents

If you are a new agent or you don't have as much business as you'd like, offer to hold open houses for other agents in your brokerage to generate more leads for real estate. Many busy listing agents are looking for other agents to host open houses for them. Be available to do this, have your cards at the open houses, talk to people - some of these may turn into valuable clients for you. When you host open houses, always have information available about other properties available in the area so you can advise potential buyers and set up a time to show them. Make sure they are not already using a buyer's agent.
Step 6

Network Often

Another great way for real estate agents to find leads, is to get involved in the community. Get involved in your church, the Chamber of Commerce, your kid's school, your child's after school activities, local clubs, charities, etc. Network all the time. Have your cards with you wherever you go. Make friends. People love to do business with their friends and they love to refer their friends. Make sure people know what you do, but don't harass them for leads. If you are a quality person, people will feel good about referring others to you.
Step 7

Use Targeted Mailings

Start targeted mailings. Mailings have a low rate of return and you'll have to have a drip marketing campaign in which you send mailings for probably a year before you start to see results, but you can definitely get leads from mailings. Instead of using your mailings just to promote yourself, try to provide information to the people you are contacting that is useful to them. They are more likely to read and keep this information that something that is a blatant sales pitch.
Step 8

Get to Know other Professionals

Get to know local contractors, architects, bankers, mortgage brokers, and others in complementing fields that can refer real estate leads to you. Refer people in complementing fields that you trust and they will be more apt to do the same for you. When doing mailings, you can use MLS data, other data that you have compiled, or for a pretty reasonable amount of money, you can purchase mailing lists from companies that specialize in exactly this.
Step 9

Ask your clients to refer friends and family to you if they were pleased with your services. Many great real estate agents leads come from past clients. Keep in touch with past clients so they remember to refer you when they can.
Step 10

Consider Google Adsense

You can buy ad space using Google and Yahoo so that an advertisement pointing to your webpage will appear when someone enters search terms that you designate. You can set a daily or monthly budget when you do this, but it's important to remember getting clients from the internet is going to be a numbers game so you may have to run a long ad campaign and shell out some serious money before it nets you any results.
Step 11

Work Floor Shifts

Work floor shifts at your office. Many times agents sign up for these based on sales from a previous quarter. If you are new or don't have a lot of sales, it can be hard to get shifts. However, many busy agents will sign up for shifts and then not be able to cover them. If you are available in the office or make yourself flexible, you can pick up floor shits this way and it's a great way to get real estate leads!
Step 12

Become an Expert

To get more real estate leads, become an expert on something related to your field. For example, become an ecobroker and learn everything you can about green home design and construction. Then use your knowledge to provide information that can help you get leads. Find speaking opportunities in which you are viewed as an expert and are providing valuable information to others. Local Chamber's are often looking for speaker's for Before Hours Events, clubs like the Rotary and Kiwanis have speakers at their meetings, etc. Figure out a way to use your expertise to deliver speeches to them that will be useful and timely. For example, if you are an expert on green - then contact homeowner's associations and ask if you could speak at their annual meeting on "Ways to Green Your Home."