While buyer leads are lucrative, seller leads are equally beneficial in creating a thriving real estate business. Seller leads boost businesses by providing agents with real estate listings that naturally generate leads and build connections. However, learning how to get seller leads in real estate as a new agent with a limited network can be challenging. With the right tools and strategies, like real estate referrals, social media, and lead software, agents can attract seller leads and build a strong reputation.
1. Invest in Lead Generation Software
Generally, real estate professionals prefer to generate real estate leads organically through referrals, social media, or your website. However, paid methods are essential as you learn how to get seller leads in real estate. The right lead generation software helps you generate, organize, and nurture real estate seller leads quickly and effectively.
Lead generation landing page (Source: Market Leader)
Although lead generation software is an investment, the money you spend comes back to you in high-quality homeseller leads and a growing business. For example, agents who use Market Leader receive exclusive real estate leads with guaranteed quality in their local market. Plus, leads are automatically imported to one of the best client relationship managers (CRMs) and can be immediately contacted and nurtured with customizable campaigns through email, text, or direct mail.
2. Request Referrals From Past Clients & Professional Network
The best organic way on how to get seller leads in real estate is through referrals. Studies show that 36% of sellers found their agents through a referral from a friend, neighbor, or relative. There is no one better to sing your praises than a previous client who understands the value you bring to the table. If your list of prior clients is slim, you can still get the same results from your friends, family members, and colleagues—also known as your sphere of influence (SOI). These individuals already know your value and trust you to do the job.
Your professional network is also a powerful source of property seller leads, including doctors, lawyers, loan officers, financial advisers, and accountants. Each of these connections has its own SOI with personal and professional relationships. So, it’s crucial to stay in touch with these individuals and offer referrals to them in turn. Nurture your SOI with consistent reminders, and try dropping off pop-by gifts for homebuying or selling anniversaries.
For previous clients, you may give them a real estate closing gift, send holiday cards, or wish them a happy birthday to get the conversation going. Use your real estate customer relationship manager (CRM) to track your communications and set reminders to connect with your SOI about once a quarter. Another extremely valuable professional referral source is agent-to-agent referrals. If you work at a large firm, you may already have a built-in referral network; if not, you can use social media platforms like LinkedIn to connect with other real estate professionals.
3. Be Active on Social Media
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 46% of realtors said that social media is the best tool for generating high-quality real estate leads. Although learning how to get seller leads through social media can be challenging, the research clearly shows that it is one of the most powerful tools to grow your business and attract realtor seller leads.
To attract real estate seller leads, you need a social media strategy that showcases your ability to sell houses quickly and for the best value. For example, you can share listing photos, property walk-through videos, stories of successful listings, or tips for homesellers. While 89% of real estate businesses use Facebook, you should repurpose all content and share it on multiple social networks to naturally expand your reach.
TikTok video listing walk-through
(Source: @bridgettemhdz)
For example, the top social media networks for real estate include:
- Facebook: As the most-used platform for agents, generating Facebook real estate leads should be a high priority. Create real estate Facebook posts targeting seller leads, like client successes and staging ideas.
- LinkedIn: As a professional network, generating seller leads on LinkedIn should include content for homeowners and professionals who serve them (e.g., contractors, home inspectors, and mortgage brokers).
- Instagram: With 59% of real estate agents active on Instagram, it is less competitive than Facebook but still a prime social network for building a targeted audience. Plus, generating real estate leads on Instagram can be done by repurposing all content from Facebook.
- YouTube: Real estate listings with video get about 400% more inquiries than other listings. Thus, YouTube is ideal for hosting videos and generating leads. Even after your listings have sold, these videos can be used to show seller leads how you can successfully sell their home.
- TikTok: TikTok may still feel like a foreign platform to many real estate agents. However, many real estate agents have been able to generate leads on TikTok more quickly and efficiently than any other platform.
4. Build Trust & Authority With a Real Estate Website
Research from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that 80% of recent sellers only contacted one agent to assist them with the homeselling process. However, even when you are recommended to a potential seller lead, they are likely to visit your social media profiles and your website before reaching out. Therefore, it’s essential to have a professional, visually appealing website that builds trust with new leads.
GoDaddy real estate website templates (Source: GoDaddy)
Your real estate website should show you’re an expert who provides value to potential sellers. This should include past listings you’ve sold, testimonials from past clients, examples of comparative market analysis (CMA) reports you’ve produced, or blog posts that provide tips, tricks, and market trends for the areas you specialize in. As you learn how to get sellers in real estate, make sure your website provides enough information to convince them that you are the right choice, along with an easy method to contact you directly.
5. Capture Real Estate Seller Leads With Specialized Landing Pages
Real estate landing pages are incredibly effective ways to attract property seller leads because they can be highly targeted. While your website should showcase you as a whole and be helpful for all potential clients, landing pages can be designed specifically for a real estate seller’s needs. This increases conversion rates and allows you to generate high-quality leads online.
For example, home valuation landing pages allow visitors to input their address and get a customized estimation of their home’s value in the current market. This is highly appealing for homeowners considering whether or not to sell their home and want to know how much it might sell for. By offering this tool, you provide something valuable to sellers, and they eagerly provide their contact information and open the door for you to contact and nurture them.
Placester landing page editor (Source: Placester)
Another benefit of landing pages to get more seller leads is that they are easy to create with the right tool. One of the best and most user-friendly real estate landing page tools is Placester, which provides over 30 ready-to-use website and landing page templates for real estate seller leads. With its simple drag-and-drop editor and beautiful templates, you could have a highly targeted landing page customized and published in a matter of hours. Start signing up for Placester’s 30-day free trial.
6. Target a Farm Area With Direct Mail
Real estate farming is a prospecting strategy that focuses your lead generation efforts on a specific location. When figuring out how to find seller leads, direct mail is a tried-and-true strategy to target a large number of potential leads in a specific geographic area. Direct mail can include postcards, letters, flyers, brochures, and various campaign strategies.
For example, a typical direct mail campaign for real estate listings sends market updates. This can include information about the current real estate market, like interest rates and buyer demand. Other campaign types include introductions, just sold postcards, sphere of influence (SOI) outreach, holiday greetings, farm areas, and mail directed at absentee owners.
Farm area direct mail template (Source: ProspectsPLUS!)
Both real estate farming and direct mail marketing work best when you are consistent and purposeful. This is incredibly easy to achieve with a real estate direct mail service like ProspectsPLUS! It offers a variety of real estate farming campaign templates that you can brand with your logo and schedule ahead of time with just a few clicks. ProspectsPLUS! also provides a variety of unique and engaging real estate farming campaigns, like a joke series or famous quotes.
7. Offer a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)
A comparative market analysis (CMA) is a report that compiles data from recent home sales to estimate a property’s current value. When determining how to attract sellers in real estate, CMAs are valuable because they provide potential sellers with necessary information like the value of their home and how their home compares to others in the area. Offering a free CMA to a potential client is a great way to get their interest and build trust.
Sample CMA report from CloudCMA (Source: CloudCMA)
Consider offering a CMA on your website and social media to incentivize potential sellers to contact you. Include a brief description of what is included in a CMA and highlight what makes it valuable for homeowners unfamiliar with the terminology. For past clients, you could create a CMA every year on the anniversary of their closing date. For additional personalization, include a short video explaining the information and remind them that you are always looking out for their best interests.
8. Target Niche Seller Leads
Listing leads are valuable for all real estate agents, so marketing strategies can be highly competitive. A great way to get more sellers in real estate is by niching down. A few examples of seller real estate niches include for sale by owner (FSBO) listings, expired listings, and inherited properties.
- FSBO: FSBO listings mean that a homeowner is attempting to sell their home without the help of an agent. However, finding FSBO lead sources and contacting the owners can be challenging. The owners can be determined to sell the home themselves and irritated to get calls from an agent. Many agents reach out to FSBO listings, so you’ll have to find ways to stand out from the competition to close these leads. Be mindful of your approach, and offer your support to the homeowner instead of trying to sell them during your first conversation.
- Expired listings: Expired listings are another lucrative lead source that must be handled carefully. While FSBO listings are currently on the market, expired listings were previously on the market but, for some reason, did not sell before the listing expired, and the listing was not renewed. This means that owners may feel frustrated, angry, or stressed, and may have had a negative experience with another real estate agent. However, with a well-thought-out expired listing script, you can build trust with expired listing owners.
- Inherited properties: Unfortunately, many listing leads come after a homeowner passes away and the property ownership is transferred to someone else. While these situations are sensitive, they are also valuable opportunities to offer your expertise to someone who may not know what to do with a newly inherited property.
Filter leads based on your preference (Source: REDX)
It also helps to use a lead source like REDX for both FSBOs and expired listings. REDX automatically identifies FSBOs and expired listing leads before they can be found manually and provides you with accurate contact information. You can even import new leads directly into your CRM to start nurturing them. Learn more about REDX today.
9. Join a Real Estate Team
One of the top reasons for agents to join a real estate team is the addition of lead generation tools and expertise. You’ll share listings, clients, and marketing strategies when you’re part of a team. You’ll be able to take advantage of the contacts your more experienced teammates already have, more efficiently building your confidence and SOI.
Many teams also specialize in working primarily with sellers, so you can participate in open houses and listing presentations as well as create CMA reports specifically for sellers. Not only will you gain valuable knowledge about selling homes, but you’ll also learn how to get more sellers in real estate through experience.
10. Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools
Most agents find using AI to generate seller leads somewhat unnerving. Still, you don’t need to be a computer geek to take advantage of AI’s futuristic potential to generate the best real estate seller leads. By subscribing to or buying predictive analytics tools, agents can sift through millions of data from credible sources, use algorithms to obtain insights, and yield accurate predictions for market trends and investment opportunities.
Predictive analytics firms, such as Offrs, demonstrate predictive analytics accuracy of 72% by using artificial intelligence to aggregate data from over 25 sources. Offrs gives you a list of possible housesellers in your chosen market by using big data, analyzing hundreds of data points per property, and using a unique algorithm.
11. Connect & Nurture Relationships With Local Businesses
Owners of local businesses are similar to community influencers since they are well-connected with many people. You may acquire many seller leads effortlessly if you establish a mutually beneficial connection with them. Write articles praising their business in your blogs and posts to close the deal. Also, think of unique ways, like interviewing the local business owners and posting it on your blogs and social media channels, so you can produce a great value of local content your leads will be interested in.
12. Connect With Real Estate Investors & House Flippers
Purchasing and reselling homes is how real estate investors and house flippers generate revenue. Most of them depend on referrals, word of mouth, and personal relationships. Additionally, they are aware that hiring an agent to actively market their listing will give them the best opportunity to sell it for top price.
To attract more selling clients, network with real estate investors and flippers and explain how you can aggressively market their properties to generate or maximize a profit. For example, you can contact investor-friendly real estate agents, join a local real estate investment club, or contact local contractors to connect with investors and flippers. If you have local knowledge, marketing skills, and enough experience to obtain fantastic rates, you can set yourself up with a continuous stream of listings to close monthly.
Real Estate Homeseller Statistics
Finding and generating homeseller leads can be difficult. So to help you get a glimpse and better understand the current homeseller market, we researched and gathered several seller statistics. Ensure you’re aware of recent seller data to accurately prioritize your real estate marketing within your sales funnel.
- Younger Boomers make up the majority of homesellers at 30%, whose median age was 63, and have a median income of $89,500.
- 67% of homesellers were married couples.
- Moving closer to friends and family was the most often stated primary reason (21%) for selling their house, among all homesellers.
- 86% of homesellers employed a real estate agent to sell their home.
- 19% of homesellers lowered their asking price at least once, and 20% of all homesellers provided incentives to entice buyers.
- 25% of all homesellers are first-time sellers, and 75% are repeat sellers.
- 33% of the homes sold are located in a suburb or subdivision, and 83% of the homes sold are detached single-family homes.
- On average, sellers stayed in their house for 10 years before selling, up from nine years last year.
- 63% of recent homesellers used a referral or the same real estate agent they had worked with.
- 36% of all homesellers chose an agent’s reputation as the most important factor in selecting a real estate agent to sell their home.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Sometimes, it’s tough to find seller leads. Thus, the following are some widely recognized strategies to get free seller leads:
- Work with expired listings
- Connect and work with homeowners on the verge of foreclosure
- Make connections with local businesses
- Be active on social media
- Start and be consistent in blogging
- Post write-ups on your Facebook group’s page
- Use LinkedIn to search and connect with FSBO and expired listings
Yes, Zillow provides ample seller leads. The platform’s vast array of property listings and large user base offer a healthy volume of these prized leads. You can connect exclusively with potential sellers through Zillow’s Premier Agent (ZPA) program, a significant advantage when expanding your listing portfolio.
The following are some of the best strategies for generating homebuyer leads effectively and consistently:
- Create direct mail campaigns
- Assemble buyer-targeted ads on Google, Facebook, and Instagram
- Become a Zillow Premier Agent
- Invest in lead generation software
- Create an Internet Data Exchange (IDX) website
- Farm a specific neighborhood
- Organize a real estate event or host an open house
Bottom Line
Learning how to get seller leads in real estate can be complex, but the result of your hard work will help you build a thriving real estate business. It’s always best to diversify your approach to generating real estate seller leads, so take advantage of the ideas listed here and try them until you see what works best. No matter which strategies you use to get real estate clients, make sure you stay consistent.
