How to Get Listings in Real Estate (12 Ways)

Real estate listing inventory flows from a handful of reliable sources: warm relationships, direct outreach to sellers who have tried and not yet closed, consistent neighborhood visibility, and a marketing approach that gives sellers confidence before they sign. The 12 tactics below cover each category with specific scripts and copy-paste action steps.

Building a listing pipeline from scratch takes time. For broader guidance on structuring your first year, new real estate agent advice covers both buyer and listing sides of the business.

12 ways to get listings as a real estate agent

Consistent listing agents run three to four tactics at once: maintaining sphere contact, making direct calls to FSBO and expired sellers, farming a defined neighborhood, and posting video content to social platforms. No single tactic produces a full pipeline on its own.

1. Work your sphere of influence first

Your sphere of influence is the warmest, lowest-cost source of listings available to any agent at any stage of their career. According to the NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, more than one-third of sellers chose their agent through a referral from a friend, neighbor, or relative.

Your sphere includes past clients, neighbors, family members, former coworkers, local business owners, and every contact saved in your phone. The goal is consistent, genuine contact so that when anyone in that circle thinks “I should sell,” your name comes to mind first.

Contact each person at least four times a year: a short check-in text, a handwritten note, a market update email, and a phone call timed to their home-purchase anniversary.

2. Ask for referrals at the right moment

Most agents wait for referrals to arrive. A direct ask at the right moment doubles the rate. The best moment is the day of closing, when the client is most satisfied and most likely to recommend you to someone they know.

Two sentences cover the ask: “I’d love to help someone you know buy or sell. If anyone in your circle is thinking about a move, I’d really appreciate the introduction.” Nothing longer is needed.

Set a follow-up reminder for six months after closing. Life changes quickly, and a contact who had no plans to move at closing may be ready by the following spring.

3. Build a geographic farm in one focused neighborhood

Geographic farming means committing to a single defined neighborhood, marketing to it every month, and staying consistent until you become the agent that area residents think of when someone mentions selling. Agents who stick with a 500 to 1,000-home farm for two to three years commonly reach 10% to 30% market share in that area.

Choose a farm with at least 8% annual turnover: total homes sold per year divided by total homes in the neighborhood. Below 8%, listing volume is too thin to justify sustained marketing spend. NAR’s Realtors Property Resource offers a free tool to check turnover rates by neighborhood before you commit.

Three farm touchpoints repeated monthly: a just-listed or just-sold postcard, a quarterly door-knock, and one neighborhood-specific social post each week. Consistency matters more than creativity in a geographic farm.

4. Call FSBO sellers with the price gap data

Only 5% of homes sold in 2025 were listed as FSBO, an all-time low, while 91% of sellers used a real estate agent, per NAR. Many FSBO sellers are not opposed to working with an agent; they are testing whether they can save the commission. A call that opens with the price data earns a follow-up conversation.

The FSBO median sale price in 2025 was $360,000 versus $425,000 for agent-assisted sales, an 18% gap per NAR. That single figure is the core of the first call.

Opening script: “Hi, I noticed your listing. I work with active buyers searching in this neighborhood right now. I’d love to bring them through and see if we can get you more than your asking price. Would five minutes work this week?“

5. Pursue expired listings with a concrete new plan

An expired listing belongs to a seller who wanted to close, listed with another agent, and did not sell. That seller is still motivated. Expired listing leads carried a 44% list rate nationally in 2026, the highest of any lead type per REDX.

Contact expired sellers within 24 hours of expiration, because multiple agents will call the same day. The differentiator is preparation: bring a one-page analysis that names exactly why the listing expired (photo quality, price, days on market, showing feedback) and three specific changes you would make.

Sellers who see a concrete plan sign with the agent who shows up with one. The guide on how to get leads as a new real estate agent covers the full expired-outreach cadence and follow-up schedule.

6. Door-knock your target neighborhood

Door-knocking delivers the lowest cost-per-contact of any prospecting method, and most agents avoid it. That avoidance is your opportunity. A 60-second script and consistent effort build real neighborhood recognition over three to six months.

Aim for 20 doors per session, three sessions per week, in your geographic farm area. Over one month, that is 250 personal contacts. Over a year, the neighborhood knows your face and associates it with listings sold.

Opening script: “Hi, I’m [name] with [brokerage]. I just [listed or sold] the home at [nearby address] and wanted to check whether you or anyone you know has been thinking about a move. Do you have 30 seconds?“

7. Post short listing videos to social media every week

Listing videos on Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts reach buyers and sellers without any cold outreach. A 30-second property tour stops the scroll, demonstrates your presentation quality, and shows potential sellers how you market a home before they ever contact you.

Agents who post two to four videos per week build a local reputation faster than those who rely solely on paid ads. A just-sold Reel is proof you close deals, and neighbors pay close attention when a nearby property sells.

A slideshow video editor takes 12 to 20 listing photos and renders three finished formats: 9:16 for Reels, 1:1 for the feed, and 16:9 for your listing page. An ai real estate video editor handles the animation, voiceover, and captions, so the output is ready to post without any editing experience.

8. Host a neighbor event or a community open house

Hosting a neighborhood market-update coffee puts you in front of 15 to 40 local residents in a single hour. Each person who shows up lives near homes that will eventually sell, and many are considering their own move within three to five years.

At a seller’s open house, treat every neighbor who walks through as a future listing client. Collect contact information, follow up within 48 hours, and add them to your database with a note about the conversation.

9. Send just-listed and just-sold postcards every month

A just-sold postcard in a focused farm reminds every homeowner that properties are moving and that you are the agent closing them. The key is consistency: 12 monthly mailings beat one large campaign because repetition builds the recognition that leads to a call.

A $0.50 postcard to 500 homes costs $250 per mailing, or $3,000 per year to stay visible in a farm. One listing from that farm recovers the annual spend many times over.

Add a QR code that links to a property video tour. Homeowners scan it, watch the listing video, and evaluate your presentation before they ever dial your number.

10. Build a referral network with local professionals

Divorce attorneys, estate attorneys, CPAs, financial planners, and mortgage brokers regularly encounter clients who need to sell a home on a defined timeline. Five such referral partners, each sending one referral per year, adds five warm listing opportunities at effectively zero prospecting cost.

Approach each professional with a specific offer: bring current market data, a clear description of your process, and a simple referral agreement. Explain exactly how you handle their clients and what you deliver at closing.

Reciprocate by sending them your clients when the need arises. Referral partnerships built on mutual value endure; vague “let’s refer each other” conversations rarely do.

11. Contact past clients on their move anniversary

A past client is your warmest future listing source and a direct line to their network. Agents who reach out annually around the move anniversary generate two to three times more repeat and referral business than those who go quiet after the final walkthrough.

A short, personalized text is enough: “Hi [name], hard to believe it’s been a year. Homes in your neighborhood have appreciated roughly X% since you moved in. Happy to give you a current market valuation any time you’re curious.”

That one message plants the listing conversation without any pressure.

12. Win the listing with a video presentation

Most agents bring a printed CMA to the listing appointment. Bringing a finished 30-second listing video, built from the seller’s own photos before the meeting, shows rather than tells how you will market their home. The conversation shifts from “what is your commission” to “when can we go live.”

A memorable brand tagline reinforces your name at every touchpoint throughout the process. Well-crafted real estate slogans that communicate your specific value help sellers remember you after the appointment ends.

For a complete personal-brand playbook, how to market yourself as a new real estate agent covers content strategy, positioning, and listing prospecting together.

A listing presentation that closes the deal

A strong listing presentation earns the signature by giving sellers confidence in your pricing strategy and your marketing plan. Agents who win the most appointments show sellers exactly what their home’s marketing will look like on day one, not in abstract terms but with a live demonstration.

Bring three core elements: a detailed CMA with comparable sales from the last 90 days, a step-by-step marketing timeline with named platforms and specific dates, and a sample listing video from a comparable property. Walk through each element and explain the reasoning behind it.

The video is the differentiator most agents skip. Play a 30-second teaser on your laptop, explain that this is the Reel you will post on launch day, and name every platform where it will run. A real video demonstration lands far harder than a printed slide.

Strong listing copy supports every visual in the presentation. For wording that converts browsers to showing requests, real estate listing description examples and listing presentation examples provide templates tested across active markets.

Scripts to ask for the real estate listing

A direct, specific ask at the right moment converts conversations into signed contracts. Four situations each call for different language: the appointment close, the sphere ask, the expired outreach, and the FSBO follow-up.

At the listing appointment
"Based on everything we've covered today, I'd love to be your agent. Can we set the launch date for next Tuesday?"

With a sphere contact who mentioned selling
"You mentioned thinking about selling in the next six months. I'd love to be your agent when you're ready. Can I do a quick walkthrough and give you a current market valuation this week?"

With an expired seller
"I understand the last listing was frustrating. Here's exactly what I'd do differently: new professional photos and a video tour on day one, a repriced CMA based on this month's comparables, and a targeted social campaign in the first 48 hours. Can we start fresh?"

With a FSBO seller after two follow-ups
"You've been on the market for [X] days. I have buyers actively searching in this price range right now. Let me bring them through your home this week and see what we can do."

12-tactic listing checklist

Track which tactics are active in your business this month. Agents who run three or more consistently see results within 60 to 90 days; agents who run six or more build a pipeline that compounds year over year.