4 Ways to Get More Seller Leads in Real Estate

Seller leads are valuable in real estate and as we learned in our recent white paper, Generating New Business in Real Estate, quality seller leads are a big goal for most real estate professionals. Because this is such a popular subject, Onboard has spent a lot of time and energy to learn how to better attract, engage and convert home sellers early in their process. We had a webinar last spring on Capturing More Seller Leads and explored the importance of seller leads in previous posts.

Today, we will explore four easy ways to generate more seller leads, whether you are a small brokerage or part of a larger real estate organization. After 15 years in the real estate technology industry, these are proven methods that will work for anyone looking for more seller leads.

Your Network

Generally 50 percent or more of real estate business comes from an agent's network or referrals from that network.

• 64 percent of sellers find their agent through referral by a friend or family member
• 70 percent of sellers would definitely use the same agent again

This is the source of the most revenue, yet the majority of marketing budgets are spent buying new leads or branding to mass markets. If you're going to invest, why not also invest in the pool that's delivering the most revenue? How are you keeping in contact with your former clients or social sphere today? Is it effective?

Using a CRM to deliver periodic emails is one way to keep in contact. We recently launched a product called Nav 2.0 that sends updates on their neighborhood when things like their property's estimated value changes or when a new restaurant opens. Sending your network information they really care about is a great way to stay in front of this valuable group. Sending something as simple as a community report can help keep you front and center when they are ready to move.

Facebook

There are two ways Facebook can work for you. The first is with paid search. Last quarter, we published a white paper on Facebook leads called Generating Better Facebook Leads. In it, we discuss how to write the perfect Facebook advertising post and better create your targets. Facebook allows you target likely buyers by specifying things like the length of time in a residence and important life events.

Your Website

Many websites use Automated Valuation Models to identify likely buyers. In our post on AVM Delivery last week, we discussed some simple ways you can get an AVM on your website. If you are using AVMs to attract seller leads, they can also be part of your paid Facebook campaigns. A simple ad that asks "Do you want to know what your home is worth?" and leads users to a landing page with an AVM is a great way to tie these different methods together. Use Facebook to identify likely buyers and the AVM to capture their contact information for follow-up.

FSBO

A majority of people who try to sell their home on their own are unsuccessful. You can look at places like Craigslist for people listing their own homes online and proactively reach out. This is a slightly more "scrappy" approach, but one that can work for many agents.

To view the original article, visit the Onboard Informatics blog.