How to get the first deal and generate real estate leads – 12 best ways to get real estate leads in 2024

The first task of a beginning real estate agent is to find something to sell that will generate more business. This requires persistent, tenacious, and even traditional salesmanship, as well as the right attitude. Nothing in this business comes for free and it is up to you to decide how you succeed. Quality work and respect for the customer are cornerstones that should always be kept in mind.

How to find real estate leads?

A question that all beginning estate agents wonder about. Here are twelve ways that we have found to work - and will still work in 2024 - with over 30 years of experience. The points are not in order of importance, but all are equally relevant:

1. first impression
2. cold calls
3. property listing portals and Facebook marketplace
4. personal branding
5. traditional advertising
6. friends, acquaintances, and relatives
7. your neighbourhood
8. sponsoring and co-operating with companies
9. co-operating with other agents
10. customer and lead nurturing
11. open house
12. set goals.

You can also read what is AI for real estate agents and how AI helps a real estate agent's work.

1. The first impression is crucial in generating real estate lead

You only make a first impression once, after which it can be difficult to change. Based on the first impression, the client will decide whether to choose you to sell their home or a competitor. The first impression is created at the first contact. Think about how you answer the phone or how you start and end the call. What your email is like or how you are dressed and behave if you meet a new person face to face.

2. Cold calling – one of the best ways to generate real estate leads

If you're new to the industry and don't yet have customers, you'll have to resort to the traditional sales method - cold calling. Generating real estate leads by calling requires persistence but can be one of the only options if you want a cost-effective way to generate real estate leads. People will always need to trade up to a smaller or larger property, so it's likely that calling will get you your first customer. As long as you remember the importance of a quality, professional approach and first impressions, the client may remember you later, even if you don't get the job right away.

3. Finding real estate leads in property listing portals and Facebooks marketplace

Log in and create a profile on different property listing portals. Almost all property listing portals have a find a broker service. If the seller does not have his own broker, one place to start looking for a broker is property listing portals.
There are also many private sellers that you can contact on the property listings portals and Facebook Marketplace, as well as various Facebook groups. Although many people feel that selling a home goes well alongside their work, it is time-consuming, and many are happy to be contacted by a professional. In addition, a professional real estate agent usually gets a better price for a home than a homeowner with an own day job.

4. Use social media for personal branding and to get real estate leads

People are looking for information from different sources and nowadays social media has become increasingly important in the housing market. Search engines and traditional advertising are still an important part of marketing and ways to make people aware. It is important to have a presence in many different places, but the most cost-effective option is to create a brand and visibility for yourself on social media channels.
Use social channels such as:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• TikTok
• LinkedIn
• X

If you know how to use social media skilfully, your visibility is huge. Advertising is cheap too, and even a small amount of money can get you a lot of visibility and clicks. But remember that content that works on Facebook may not work on LinkedIn.
People are happy to choose someone they can easily identify with to sell their home. Social media is where you can share who you are and what you know. This makes you approachable and lowers the threshold for customers to contact you.

5. Don’t forget traditional advertising in generating leads in real estate.

An inexpensive way, but one that requires fitness, is to distribute advertising leaflets in mailboxes. If you are based in a particular area, you can advertise your excellent local expertise. Or if you've just sold a home in the area, you can advertise it. People want an agent who knows and appreciates the area. Bus and street ads are expensive, but if done well, they are memorable channels. Newspaper advertisements, for example in the local paper, work well.

6. Friends, acquaintances, and relatives – let everyone know you are in the real estate business.

Be proud of your new job and tell everyone about it. Call your relatives and friends through and tell them that you are selling homes, and you are available which they know someone who is selling their home. Make updates on your social media channels and keep yourself buzzing.

7. Finding real estate leads in the area you live.

Make yourself known in your neighbourhood. Talk to people in shops and local cafés. Say hello to people you know and don't know on the street. Make it clear to people that you are a local real estate agent.

8. Generating leads in real estate by sponsoring and co-operating with other companies.

Sponsorship does not have to be expensive to get good visibility. You can support a local children's sports team with a small amount and get your logo displayed on their website and uniforms. Visibility can be high at best, as children's games are watched by parents and relatives alike.
In the real estate sector, cooperation with banks and insurance companies is common. If you are a small entrepreneur, partnerships with banks and insurance companies can be difficult to obtain. However, you can partner with other companies. It is to your advantage to have your logo on their website and a link to your own website. You can start with companies in your area. A partnership should always be mutually beneficial.

9. The power of co-operating with other agents

Cooperation with other real estate agents is always to our mutual advantage. You can have an apartment and the other agent can have the perfect client. Or your client's home may be for sale in a place you don't know so well and it's a long way to get there. It will be easier for you to rely on another agent who is already working in that location.

10. The best way to get real estate leads is to nurture existing customers.

Under no circumstances should you forget your client after the sale. The average tenure of a home is seven years, so a regular reminder of yourself will guarantee you a new sale at regular intervals. A good CRM for real estate agents helps in lead nurturing. It reminds you to keep in touch at different stages of the customer relationship. The easiest way is to send a handwritten postcard, for example, or call once a year to check in. You can also send newsletters, but don't send them too often, so that your customers don't flag them as spam.

11. House showings are a good place to get real estate leads.

In your own open houses, generating real estate leads comes naturally. Ask guests to fill in their contact details and remember to ask permission to send them marketing.

12. One of the best ways to generate real estate leads is setting yourself goals.

To keep yourself motivated, set yourself goals and calendar time for cold calling, handing out leaflets and writing marketing messages. Set targets for how many listings you need per week or how many deals you want to make per month. Once you have things written down, it's much easier to execute.

This is how to get leads as a real estate agent

In this article, we outlined 12 ways to generate real estate leads in 2024. In summary, quality at every stage of the real estate transaction, from client acquisition to sale of a property, is the most important thing. First, however, you must get real estate leads that will form a lifelong relationship. If you are not afraid of hard work, generating real estate leads is not a problem for you!