Getting consistent listings is a challenge in any market, especially in low-inventory markets and with a limited marketing budget. Luckily, there are several creative strategies that can help you get listing clients, many of which are free! Here are 14 expert-approved tips on how to get real estate listings on a budget.
Improve brand visibility:
Improve how leads see your brand as an agent by working on your mission, vision, and values (MVV), improving your online presence, and using tools to streamline your process.
Focus on your network:
Your network is your first base of potential clients. Expand your network, nurture it, and focus on building relationships there, even if it means joining a team or finding a mentor.
Diversify your lead generation strategy:
Keep refining your strategy and keep your options open. Besides classics like door knocking and attending open houses, learn how to find hidden listings, create online ads, and learn how to prospect FSBO sellers.
Don’t forget the follow-up:
Your job isn’t done after making contact! You have to make sure to keep your name on top of your leads’ minds with intentional follow-ups.
Improve brand visibility
1. Refocus your mission, vision, and values
Regular Close readers know how much we emphasize the importance of establishing your mission, vision, and values (MVV). Newer real estate agents may find this task to be meaningless and tedious, but it’s actually vital for building your brand.
Your MVV statement is more than just words on your business profile; it separates you from your competitors and helps you attract the right kind of clientele. After all, there are hundreds of other agents in your area that a client can work with, but your MVV makes you, you.
Even if you already have one, it may be good to revisit your MVV in the context of generating new listing leads. Take a step back and really consider how you are uniquely positioned to help sellers.
A homeowner’s choice of agent is driven more by what you offer and how it benefits them. Since you can’t be everything to everyone, your MVV is a crucial first step to getting the right sellers to resonate with you and hire you.
Carve out at least a few hours this weekend to really think through what unique value you can offer sellers. Write down your mission, vision, and values and put them where you can see them often. For tips, check our guide to writing an inspiring mission statement.
2. Establish your online presence
While looking for listings is good, building an online presence can bring listing leads to you. When home sellers find you and see an active online brand, it positions you as an authority figure and builds trust.
You can build your online presence in several ways, the easiest of which include:
- Sprucing up your LinkedIn profile. Your LinkedIn profile will definitely show up if someone checks you on Google. This not only helps establish you as a professional in your field, but it also legitimizes you online.
- Creating a Facebook business page. Creating a real estate Facebook page also helps you become more searchable online, and it also helps you connect with potential clients.
- Keep your social media pages active. You have to make sure your Facebook and Instagram pages are constantly active. Creating and posting content on your account shows potential leads that your business and pages are running, while also providing value to your social media followers. For some tips and inspiration, read our guides to real estate Instagram posts and Facebook posts that will help engage your following.
- Joining real estate Reddit groups and engaging with Redditors. This not only builds your online presence but also connects you with a community. Focus more on building relationships here rather than self-promotion.
- Managing your own website. Much like establishing a Facebook business page, this provides another avenue to connect with your audience. It also allows you to set up a blog, which could improve your expertise on the topic online.
- Contributing to real estate blogs. If managing a website is too much for you, then you can contribute to popular real estate blogs. Besides providing your expertise to readers, you also get exposure, which you definitely can’t get enough of!
3. Prepare scripts and presentations to seal your deals
Having all the leads in the world won’t help if you can’t close them and ultimately list and sell their property. That’s why learning the art and science of running a listing presentation that can persuade them to hire you is essential.
Here are five tips for delivering a persuasive listing presentation:
- Make sure you know as much as possible about the listing and the comps in the neighborhood.
- Create a listing marketing plan that separates you from the competition.
- Rehearse your presentation until you can deliver it smoothly and confidently.
- Learn the most common objections sellers have to new agents and use my objection handlers to address them confidently.
- Personalize your presentation with your branding materials. You’ll want your presentation to be informative and unique to you — that way, you’ll truly stand out.
The Complete Guide for Effective Listing Presentations (+Template)
Focus on your network
4. Schedule regular calls with your sphere of influence
Everyone in your database is a potential real estate seller lead. If you schedule a few folks weekly, you can talk to most of your sphere four times yearly (once a quarter). This works especially well if you’re a newer agent because the people in your sphere are the most likely to know and trust you enough with the biggest and most important financial transaction of their lives.
All you need to do is call people in your sphere and talk about your shared interests and connections. Then, add one simple script at the end of your call, like this one:
“I was hoping you might feel comfortable recommending me to anyone you know who might need help buying or selling a home. Could you think of someone right now, perhaps a coworker, friend, or family member, who might be looking to make a move?”
How to Get Started Today
- Add everyone in your contact list to your customer relationship management (CRM) database and tag them as your sphere. Then, segment them by how well you know them, and create tasks to call at least one person you know well every week.
- Add notes to your CRM and consider segmenting them further if they mention anything about themselves or a friend making a life change that might lead to a transaction. Are they retiring? Getting divorced? Looking for a new job? Take notes and schedule a follow-up.
- Brush up on how to get more real estate leads and expanding your sphere of influence.
5. Pick your real estate farm & stick to it
Real estate farming is one of the best ways to get real estate listings, but it can be a challenge. The key is to target a small area (no more than 250 homes) and consistently provide hyperlocal and valuable information. Use multiple channels to touch your farm twice per month, one “fun” touch and one “serious” touch each month. Keep in mind that farming is a long-term marketing strategy.You can utilize print marketing, like sending real estate postcards and a regular monthly email newsletter on the current marketing and events in the area. You can also set up appreciation events for clients, which show clients you care while also ensuring you remain top-of-mind for them. For a full breakdown, check out our guide to real estate farming.
How to Get Clients in Real Estate: Our Top 11 Tips for 2025
6. Join a team as a junior agent
Joining up with a team can be a strong strategy for budding real estate agents who need to build a sphere of influence. You might think, “Why should I join a team when I could start building my own portfolio?” The answer is simple: to learn more about the trade, the market, strategies that work, and to build trust within your community.
By working with a local team, you gain insight into hyperlocal market knowledge, as a good team would know how to generate listings in your area better than anyone! Better yet, an established team would already be known by those in that area and are more likely to trust you despite being new in the market.
Alternative: Find a mentor
If joining a team isn’t your cup of tea, then working with a mentor is a great alternative. Mentors can also provide strong insight into a local market while giving you pointers to becoming a successful real estate agent. This isn’t new — in fact, many budding agents get their careers started with their help. Some mentors even hand off their personal leads to allow their mentees to learn. For some pointers, check our guide to finding the perfect real estate mentor for you.
Many team leaders will be happy to mentor you if, and only if, you join their team as a junior agent. Since most top-producing listing agents eventually start their teams, finding a solo agent to mentor you is harder but not impossible. Ask your managing broker or find a few solo listing agents on your own and offer to buy them a cup of coffee.
Diversify your lead generation strategy
7. Don’t knock off door knocking
While it’s not exactly the most groundbreaking lead generation strategy — and certainly not the easiest one — door knocking is one of the simplest ways to gain leads and secure listings. As tiresome as it may seem, it’s a good way to show homeowners how confident you are, while literally putting your face through the door.
To make your door knocking effort simpler, use a script. Not only does this take away the pressure of figuring out what to say, but you’ll be sure to address the important talking points right off the bat while increasing your chances of engagement. Our guide to door knocking is a great resource — we even provide a script to make your efforts easier.
8. Learn how to find hidden listing inventory
There is hidden listing inventory — off-market properties that you can jump in on — that can provide listing leads with much less competition. You just need to get to those sellers first. Real estate predictive analytics will help you stay ahead of the curve and find potential sellers before your competitors.
Here are three of the most overlooked property types to start with:
- Preforeclosures: While this strategy works best during economic downturns, there will always be homeowners who fall behind on payments and might need your help to sell their homes.
- Probate listings: Working probate listings can be stressful, but this actually works in your favor. If you learn the process in your state, you will only be competing with a handful of other agents.
- Rentals: Even though the rental market is booming, the viral popularity of real estate investing we saw over the past few years means there are a ton of over-leveraged newbies out there who might need to sell.
Plus, don’t forget about pay at closing leads. This is a great way to generate leads without paying upfront. Using a site like Sold.com can get your brand out there immediately. Check them out — it’s free to register your account. When interested sellers register on sold.com to sell their home, if their situation matches your profile, you’ll be passed their contact information.
9. Purchase exclusive seller leads
If you don’t have the time, interest, or knowledge to create and implement a complete marketing strategy to get yourself in front of homeowners, consider outsourcing your lead generation strategy. You can utilize your budget to buy listing leads. After all, just one closing could pay for the service.
One easy way to do this is to buy exclusive seller leads and conversion training from Market Leader, The Close’s top recommended real estate lead seller. One flat monthly rate gets you a predictable number of exclusive leads to work every month.
10. Run effective online ads targeting homeowners
The proven effectiveness of online ads makes them a no-brainer to use to generate leads. However, some agents think this means simply leaving their professional headshot on Facebook with their contact information. This simply won’t generate results unless you’re already extremely popular.
Running and optimizing ads will take time, but the more ads you run, the more chances you have to optimize them and learn what works and doesn’t. Optimized ads can generate a strong return on your investment if you put in the work. Here are some The Close resources to get you started on optimizing your ads:
- Real Estate Graphic Design: The Ultimate Guide
- Clever Examples of Real Estate Ads (+ Why They Work)
- Real Estate Facebook Ads: Best Practices & Examples for Agents
- Google Ads for Real Estate: The Complete Guide
- The 24 Best Real Estate Social Media Templates
You might be surprised to learn that pretty much every single lead generation service that agents pay for uses the same strategies to generate seller leads online: create an offer of value (personalized home valuation or a home maintenance checklist), design an ad, and budget, then follow up, follow up, follow up. If you do not see results, continue optimizing your ads and lead magnets until you get high-quality leads at a price per lead you’re comfortable with.
11. Learn how to prospect FSBOs (the right way)
Convincing homeowners looking to sell FSBO can seem like fighting an uphill battle — but the returns can be worth it if you put in the legwork. Here are two easy ways to convince FSBOs to meet with you that rely on simple psychological principles:
- Practice the right FSBO scripts, then practice some more: Having the right scripts is not enough — you don’t want to get hung up on. You need to deliver the scripts with confidence and conviction. There is no way to do this without a lot of practice. Need great scripts? Check out The Close’s compilation of the best FSBO scripts.
- Leverage FOMO when writing copy for flyers, postcards, and letters: The fear of missing out (FOMO) is one of the most convincing motivations for FSBOs. Show them that they are leaving money on the table. While you must be subtle and avoid trying to scare them off over the phone, this should be your primary strategy when writing flyers, postcards, and letters.
Here is an example of an FSBO flyer that leverages FOMO from Jodie Cordell that you can use for inspiration:
12. Convert open house visitors
Open houses may seem like a waste of time, and some agents tend to avoid them — but not leveraging the opportunity is the actual waste! Neighbors in the area are likely to pay a visit just to see what’s in the house, even without an intention to buy.
True enough, the odds of a visitor who needs to sell their house showing up are slim to none. However, this presents the opportunity to meet homeowners in the neighborhood with the perfect excuse to talk about real estate. And remember, many buyers will want to sell their homes before they purchase a new one — so house hunters are a potential source of listings, too.Still not convinced open houses can be a fantastic strategy for how to get a listing? Well, what if I told you that Los Angeles Realtor and star of CNBC’s “Listing Impossible” Yawar Charlie wishes he spent more time trying to find sellers at open houses?
“I always looked at open houses as an opportunity to pick up a buyer but never to pick up a listing. I wish that I had thought about it in a different way and considered that this was an opportunity for me to meet neighbors, tell them about what I could do for them, and potentially pick up additional listings in the area.”
Before the big day, learn basic open house scripts to steer conversations with homeowners smoothly away from local gossip and on to real estate. Also, make sure to review some of the best open house ideas to make sure everything works out during the showing.
Don’t forget the follow-up
13. Automate your follow-up
Even if you generate a bunch of leads, if you don’t stay in touch with them, they can forget about you. You want to consistently stay in touch with your sphere so that your name is top-of-mind when they need your services or someone they know.
Automating your follow-up is key. Lots of CRMs and systems out there help you with your follow-up, but you must work to get those systems set up. If you’re looking for an easy, plug-and-play solution, Homebot could be great for you—each month, your sphere will get an email update with their estimated home valuation based on hyperlocal data and neighborhood trends. Read The Close’s review of Homebot to find out more about it.
14. Send out ‘just sold’ postcards
These may not get you many likes on Instagram, but sending out good old-fashioned “just sold” postcards is a fantastic way to get or stay top of mind in your farm area. After all, they prove to homeowners that, unlike some agents, you actually get deals done.
13 Just Sold Postcard Examples & Templates (+ Resources)
While not every demographic responds well to postcards, one key demographic does: senior citizens with tons of equity in their homes. It gets better. National Association of Realtors statistics show that the typical first-time buyer is older, with an average age of 38. That means the average person ready to sell their home is much more likely to respond to your postcards.
Closing the deal
There are quite a number of things to keep in mind to get listings when on a budget, but that’s why it’s important to keep an open mind — and keep up with the legwork! Do you have other tips for fellow real estate agents, both old and new? Leave it down in the comments below and help an agent out.
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