How to Get Leads as a New Real Estate Agent

Getting leads as a new real estate agent starts with the resources already around you. The tactics that work first are free, built on real relationships, and grow stronger the longer you work them.

This guide covers the four free lead sources worth starting with, when paid channels make sense, and the follow-up scripts that turn a conversation into a signed buyer or seller agreement. Every section includes copy-paste scripts or checklists so you can take action the same day you read it.

Free lead sources for new real estate agents

The four best free lead sources for a new agent are sphere of influence, open houses, social media video, and listing video content. All four are available on day one and require no advertising budget to start.

Your sphere of influence: the fastest starting point

Your sphere of influence is every person who already knows your name: family, friends, former colleagues, neighbors, coaches, and local business owners. A brief, personal message to each person in the first 60 days announcing your license is the single highest-return action a new agent can take. People who already trust you convert at a higher rate than any cold lead source.

Keep the message direct and low-pressure. A short text or call announcing your license is enough. Then ask if they know anyone thinking of buying or selling, and plan to send a monthly market update so your name stays connected to real estate in their minds.

Copy-paste announcement text:

“Hey [Name], quick update: I just got my real estate license and I am working with buyers and sellers in [area]. If you or anyone you know is thinking about moving, I would love to help.”

Copy-paste announcement email subject: “Big news: I’m now a real estate agent”

Email body:

“Hi [Name], I recently earned my real estate license and joined [Brokerage]. I am focused on [area] and would love to be the person you call if you or someone you know is ever buying or selling. Feel free to pass along my number.”

Go through your entire contact list, text and email history, and social connections before you consider any other channel. For new real estate agent advice on building a referral culture from the start, the companion guide covers how to turn these early contacts into a long-term referral engine.

Open houses: in-person buyer leads at zero cost

Open houses put you face to face with active buyers at no advertising cost. Many experienced agents hand off weekend opens to newer agents on their team or in their brokerage. Ask your broker or a senior colleague if you can host their listings on Saturday or Sunday afternoons.

Prepare a sign-in sheet with fields for name, phone number, email address, and “Are you currently working with an agent?” Greet every visitor at the door, walk them through the home, and ask two questions: what brought them to this particular home, and where are they in their search timeline. Both answers tell you exactly how to follow up.

Send a same-day text to every person who signed in:

“Great to meet you at [address] today. Let me know if you have questions or would like to see something similar.”

Visitors who are actively searching often reply within a few hours. Those who are further out become warm contacts to nurture over 60 to 90 days.

Social media video: reach buyers and sellers who have never heard of you

Posting short videos on Instagram and Facebook three to four times per week builds name recognition across your farm area. Mix listing content, neighborhood spotlights, and buyer tips. The goal in the first six months is for people in your target geography to see your face and your name often enough that you come to mind when they decide to move.

Short video clips outperform static graphics on most social platforms. A 30-second market update filmed on your phone, or a 60-second tour of a home you are holding open, reaches more people than a designed post in the same slot. For open house tours at another agent’s listing, confirm permission with the listing agent before filming. For how to market yourself as a new real estate agent, video is the most efficient format because it builds trust faster than text alone.

Respond to every comment in the first hour, follow local neighborhood accounts and hashtags, and post at consistent times. These habits signal local relevance to the platform algorithm and compound into a growing audience over time.

Listing video as a repeatable lead engine

A listing video posted to Reels, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts puts your properties in front of buyers who have never seen your profile. A 30-to-60-second video of a home you are marketing or hosting as an open generates profile visits, direct messages, and inquiries from outside your existing network.

Before filming or posting video content for any listing you do not personally represent, confirm each of the following with the listing agent or your broker:

• The listing agent has given permission to film and publish video of the property
• The seller has consented, communicated through the listing agent
• Your brokerage permits you to promote listings from other agents
• MLS rules in your market allow the type of content you plan to post
• Required brokerage branding and disclosures appear in the video or caption
• Your post does not imply the listing is your own exclusive representation

A quick written confirmation before you film protects both you and the listing agent.

Filming on your phone requires no production budget and works for getting started. For agents who want to publish polished, multi-format video consistently without the editing time, a slideshow video editor renders a finished video with animated motion, voiceover, captions, and music from 12 to 20 listing photos. The output covers a 9:16 cut for Reels and TikTok, a 1:1 cut for the feed, and a 16:9 cut for your website and YouTube, all from one project. An ai real estate video editor handles the repetitive production steps, so the hours you would spend editing go to follow-up calls instead.

Paid lead options when a new real estate agent is ready to invest

Paid lead sources make sense after you have closed at least one deal and have a follow-up system that responds quickly. The three most common starting points are Zillow Premier Agent, Facebook and Instagram lead ads, and Google Local Services Ads.

Starting paid leads before a consistent follow-up process is in place is the most common mistake new agents make. A paid lead that waits 24 hours for a response is likely already in conversation with another agent by the time you call. Build the response habit first, then layer in spend.

Zillow Premier Agent

Zillow Premier Agent connects you with buyers who submit an inquiry on a Zillow listing in your chosen zip code. These leads are high intent: the buyer filled out a form requesting contact about a specific property. The cost per zip code varies by market and competition, so check current Zillow Premier Agent pricing for your area before committing. Start with one or two zip codes, track your contact rate over 90 days, and scale only what converts.

Facebook and Instagram lead ads

Real estate ads on Facebook and Instagram must be categorized under the Housing Special Ad Category, required by fair housing law. Under this setting, age-range and gender targeting are locked at broad defaults, zip code targeting is unavailable, and homeownership-status and interest-based targeting are removed. The minimum location radius in the US is 15 miles. Select Special Ad Audience as your audience type rather than a standard lookalike audience.

Within those rules, broad geographic targeting by city or county radius is the primary lever. Use the lead form’s custom questions to pre-qualify intent, such as asking about buyer or seller timeline, and upload CRM lists of past contacts or open house sign-ins for retargeting. The lead is captured inside the platform so the person never leaves the app to convert, but intent is lower than a Zillow inquiry: plan for 6 to 12 touches over 60 to 90 days before a lead is ready to schedule a call.

Google Local Services Ads

Google Local Services Ads appear at the top of search results for queries such as “real estate agent near me.” Where LSAs are available for real estate professionals in your market, completing Google’s license verification and background check earns a Google Verified badge that signals credibility to searchers. LSAs charge per lead rather than per click, so you pay for a name and a phone number rather than an impression. Availability varies by location and professional category, so confirm your market is eligible before investing setup time. Test this channel after your first close, when you have a working follow-up script and a CRM to log each inquiry immediately.

Setting a budget ceiling

Pick a monthly ceiling and hold it for 90 days before adjusting. A starting budget matched to 10 to 20 leads in your market gives you enough volume to measure contact rate and conversion without overcommitting to a channel you have not yet validated. If leads are coming in but not converting, evaluate your follow-up speed and script before adding more spend.

Convert leads with follow-up scripts that get responses

Speed and consistency convert leads more than the lead source does. Text a new lead within 5 minutes of their inquiry, call within 15 minutes if there is no reply, and send a follow-up email within the hour. Most new agents lose leads in the first 60 minutes by waiting for the right moment to reach out.

A contact from an open house or a social media message often needs three to five touches across different channels before they respond. Space those touches across the first two weeks, then shift to a monthly check-in for anyone who is further from their buying or selling timeline.

Initial text, within 5 minutes
"Hi [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Brokerage]. I saw your inquiry and wanted to reach out right away. Are you free for a quick call today or tomorrow?"

Voicemail, if no text reply after 15 minutes
"Hi [Name], this is [Your Name], a real estate agent in [area]. I am following up on [context]. I will also send a text so you have my number. Looking forward to connecting."

Day 3 text, if still no reply
"Hi [Name], I wanted to make sure my first message came through. Happy to answer any questions about [property or area] at your convenience."

Day 7 value text
"Hi [Name], I just put together a short video on what homes are selling for in [neighborhood] this month. Happy to send it over if it would be useful."

30-day check-in
"Hi [Name], just checking in. Let me know if your timeline has changed or if you have any questions. I am here whenever you are ready."

Sphere referral ask
"Quick favor: if you hear of anyone thinking about buying or selling this year, would you be comfortable passing my name along? I am building my business one relationship at a time and would be grateful for the introduction."

CRM basics for a new agent’s first year

A basic contact tracker keeps your follow-up consistent. Free tools like Google Sheets work well in the first 90 days. Log every contact the same day you meet them, record the last outreach date and the next planned follow-up date, and categorize by timeline: active (0 to 90 days), warm (90 days to 12 months), and sphere (no active timeline).

Match your contact frequency to the timeline. Active contacts get a weekly touch, warm contacts get biweekly outreach, and sphere contacts get a monthly market update email or video. Holding to this cadence for 12 months builds a pipeline that grows without requiring new lead sources.

For the full checklist of first-year habits, including brokerage onboarding, referral asks, and your first listings, the new real estate agent onboarding checklist covers every step in sequence.

Build your lead generation routine in the first 90 days

A weekly routine matters more than any single tactic. The agents who fill their pipeline in year one pick two or three sources and work them consistently every week for 12 months, rather than testing a new idea each month and abandoning it before results arrive.

A practical first-year plan: 20 to 30 minutes each morning on sphere outreach, one open house hosted per weekend, three to four short social videos posted per week, and one listing video filmed on your phone for each new property you market or hold open. The sphere outreach, open houses, and phone-shot social video in this plan require no advertising budget and compound over time. Every sphere contact logged in your CRM, every open house sign-in sheet, and every video on your profile stays active and findable long after you post it.

Add video to your routine early. A 60-second listing video posted after each open house remains discoverable on Instagram and TikTok for months. Confirm the listing agent’s permission before filming and posting any property you are holding open for another agent. Your brand, including your real estate slogans and visual identity, carries through every video and builds recognition in your farm area with each post.

Revisit your lead source mix at 90 days, 6 months, and 12 months. Look at where your conversations started, where your contacts originated, and where your closings came from. Add time to the channel that produced the most closings and reduce time on the one that produced the fewest. One data-driven adjustment per quarter keeps your effort focused on what works for your specific market and personality.

For a broader look at building a sustainable business as a new agent, the new real estate agent advice guide covers brokerage selection, referral culture, and the habits that carry through a long career. The how to market yourself as a new real estate agent guide goes deeper on personal branding, social strategy, and the tools that reinforce your name in the market.