You need to generate new real estate leads, and you need to do it now!
This isn’t the time for proven long-term strategies like optimizing your website and blogging for organic online traffic. When you’re in desperate need of new leads, you need strategies that will land you legitimate real estate leads ASAP. And that’s what we’re looking at in this post: sure-fire ways to generate high-quality real estate leads THIS WEEK.
5 Ways to Generate New Real Estate Leads THIS WEEK
1. Create a Killer Offer and Market It Like Crazy
Can you think of something in your market that buyers or sellers typically pay out-of-pocket? If you offer to pay those expenses out of your commission, you can convince people to choose you over your competition.
Yes, it’s an extra expense for you. But if it lands you an immediate listing or qualified buyer, it’s probably worth it, right? After all, you wouldn’t turn down a client just because you had to pay a 25% referral fee for them, would you? So you should be able to absorb expenses up to 25% without making any real sacrifices.
You may decide to make this your full-time competitive advantage. Or you could offer to cover this cost “for a limited time only”.
Now, what kind of expenses are we talking about?
Well, it depends on your local market and whether you’re looking to draw in buyers, sellers, or both.
Killer Offers for Sellers
In some markets, sellers traditionally pay for their own listing photos. If you’re in one of those markets, start including professional listing photos for every one of your listings. Not only will your listings sell faster and for more money, but you’ll also gain a serious competitive advantage in the listing presentation.
If professional photos are already standard in your market, up the ante. Try covering the cost of (or offering a flat fee toward):
- Drone photos
- Virtual tours
- Staging
- Moving
Killer Offers for Buyers
Imagine for a moment that you’re a homebuyer shopping for an agent, and you see an ad offering complimentary moving cost assistance. That’s a big deal to buyers who are strapped for cash after making the down payment and paying closing costs! Here are a few other ideas:
- A Free housewarming party (bonus: if you’re hosting, you get to meet all your buyer’s friends and family).
- I’ll pay for your home inspection!
- A free new home photo shoot for buyers who close on their new home this year.
- Free Friday Night Pizzas for 3 months.
- Free groceries for a month.
- Complimentary annual property tax reviews to make sure you’re never over-charged (bonus: property tax appeals can be a lucrative service to add to your real estate business).
How to Market Your Killer Offer
As soon as you decide on your killer offer, start promoting it like crazy!
Here are some quick ways to get the word out:
- Social media posts (free!)
- Social media ads (affordable)
- Add an eye-catching banner to your website (free!)
- Door hangers or fliers on parked cars (affordable)
- TV or radio ad slots (pricey)
- An email or text campaign to the homeowners in your sphere (free!)
Make sure your promotions include a referral reminder. Something like, “Not ready to sell? No problem! Pass my contact information along to someone who is looking to sell. Not only will I give them this special offer, but as a referral gift to you, I’ll honor this offer for you whenever you’re ready to move.”
This single method could land you a dozen new leads this week!
2. Get Immediate Leads from Zillow® (Without Buying Them!)
I won’t judge you if you decide to buy Zillow leads. You’ve got to do what’s best for your business. But for many agents, these expensive leads aren’t a viable option. So here are three ways to generate new real estate leads from Zillow this week without buying them.
Find the FSBOs
Use Zillow’s filters to list only FSBOs. You know these people are willing to sell! You may already have a FSBO script and/or marketing plan in place. Simply contact each of these owners and work your magic!
If you don’t already have a FSBO plan, check out our post on how to convert FSBOs to listings.
Find the Investors
Zillow allows rental property investors to market their units for rent on the platform. Sorting by rentals allows you to quickly find property owners who might be looking to offload an underperforming rental or expand their portfolio! Do a bit of research on the rentals you find on Zillow and contact the owner with helpful info (maybe you can send them a list of similar properties available for sale in case they would like to acquire additional units, for example).
Upgrade the Zestimate
Zillow’s home value estimates (Zestimates) are notoriously inaccurate. Use this to show your value to local homeowners. Run a quick CMA for off-market homes in your niche. Then reach out to the homeowners to let them know that your calculations show that the Zestimate could be off by $x. Ask if they’d like to discuss the real value of their home.
3. Mine Social Media Platforms
Social media can be a solid option in the short term and the long term. Over the long term, you’re building brand recognition, establishing authority, and growing your audience. But when you need to generate new real estate leads NOW, social media is also great because it allows you to instantly communicate with large groups of people in a fun, engaging way.
Here are a few genius ways to get social media real estate leads THIS WEEK.
Ads
Social media ads are great because:
- They’re inexpensive, and
- You can target your unique audience (assuming you’re not targeting demographics protected by fair housing, of course).
Make the most of social media ads by making them just as valuable and engaging as the posts you’d be excited to share with your followers.
The most obvious option is to promote your killer offer from Idea #1.
Let me pay your moving expenses!
For a limited time only, I’m offering up to $1,500 in moving expense reimbursement for sellers who list their homes with me!
Is this just a gimmick to get your listing? Nope! This is a gimmick to get a meeting with you. Once you see my marketing plan for your home, you’ll know I’m the best agent for the job.
DM me for more details or schedule an appointment online today!
But that’s not your only option. You can also:
- Run an ad demonstrating how inaccurate Zillow’s estimates are and offering to do a “real” valuation free of charge.
- Target renters: remind them that they don’t need a full 20% down and that there are programs to help first-time buyers.
- Offer a free real estate seminar or webinar (like The First Time Buyers Seminar: Everything You Need to Know About Buying Your First Home)
Pick the idea that will work best in your market for generating new real estate leads, and pocket the rest for later use.
Publish a poll
All you have to do is publish a poll on your social accounts that says:
Are you planning to buy a new home this year?
Naturally, most respondents will say no. Those who respond yes deserve an immediate follow-up!
By the way, if your long-term social media strategy is in sad shape, check out How to Create a Lead Generating Social Media Calendar. Alternatively, you can sign up for an affordable marketing service that will create fresh social media content for you every month!
4. Ask the Magic Question of Your Buyer Prospects
Most agents don’t make the most of their buyer leads. Buyers might say they’re planning to start looking in 3-6 months, so agents start following up in 3-6 months. That’s a bad plan. But it also means you probably have some buyer leads sitting in your CRM just waiting for you to take action.
Reach out to all your buyer leads (hot and cold) and ask this magic question:
Do you need to sell your home before you buy a new one?
Lots of buyers will need to sell their homes before buying the next one. So you need to make sure they understand the timing of their listing. Depending on your local market conditions, they may need to list sooner than they thought if they’re going to stick to their time frame for buying the new place.
Share your market knowledge with these clients and help them understand the selling process even if they aren’t quite ready to list. If they’re ready now, great! You just got a new listing! And if they need more time, still great! You’ll be able to nurture that relationship by providing valuable insight so you’re the natural choice when they’re ready to list.
5. Contact Every Single Person in Your Sphere
If you’re serious about finding a way to generate new real estate leads THIS WEEK, contacting everyone in your sphere may be the best way to do it.
Not everyone in your sphere will be looking to buy or sell in the coming year, but almost everyone will know someone looking to buy or sell in the coming year. So when you reach out, don’t just ask if your contacts are looking to make a move, also ask who they know who’s looking to make a move.
There are tons of ways to reach out: phone call, text, email, DM…the more personal your communication, the better your odds of landing a lead. It’s easy to ignore a mass email. It’s harder to ignore a personal call or text.
Your message to your sphere can be about your limited-time offer, Zillow’s inaccurate Zestimates, or your good news for renters, depending on their situation. You could also just check in with people to see how they’re doing. When they ask about you, tell them about the strength of the market and how you’re taking new clients if they know someone looking to make a move.
Work these contacts into your daily prospecting plan to keep your pipeline full year-round!
With these five strategies, you’ll be able to generate new real estate leads in no time.
