How To Follow Up With Real Estate Leads

Summary

To follow up with real estate leads effectively, agents should qualify each prospect by motivation, timeline, and urgency before deciding how often to make contact. Expired leads should be contacted quickly and consistently before another agent steps in, while you may need to be more patient with FSBO sellers while they experience the challenges of self-selling first-hand. It’s also important to ask purposeful questions, using past conversations to build trust, offering relevant market insight, and tracking each interaction in a CRM.

Details	Information
Time to Read	~8-10 minutes
What You’ll Learn	Why follow-up with homeowners is essential in real estate The cost of not following up with buyers and sellers Building follow-up into your daily schedule as an agent Questions to ask on follow-up calls with a homeowner
Next Steps	Bring in more business with Vulcan7’s FRBO, FSBO, and expired leads Use Vulcan7’s real estate CRM to track and contract clients

How To Follow Up With Real Estate Leads

A homeowner tells you on the first call they’re thinking about selling in the spring, but aren’t quite ready to take action just yet. You log it, set a reminder, write it off as a flop, and move on. Three months later you drive past the house and see your biggest competitor’s ” for sale” sign in the yard. 

What went wrong? You didn’t prioritize follow-ups, which is when most agents get their business.Your competition took advantage of this by staying in contact with the homeowner and following up until they were ready to make their next move.

In this guide, you’ll learn why following up every time is so important and how to do it effectively without letting it take over your entire week. You’ll learn what to say, get helpful scripts to practice, and see how real estate CRMs like Vulcan7 can help you keep the relationship moving forward.

The Cost of Failing to Follow Up

More business is lost from a lack of lead follow-up than from a lack of prospecting. By some industry estimates, most agents secure up to 70% or more of their listing appointments during follow-up instead of during the original meeting or call.

That’s why it’s so frustrating that:

• Only 25% of agents ever make a 2nd follow-up call.
• Even fewer (12%) will go on to make a 3rd
• Fewer than one in 10 agents follow up with buyers or sellers more than three times.

A whopping 48% of real estate agents don’t follow up at all after their first call, especially if the homeowner seems hesitant. That’s leaving a lot of money on the table for your competition.

First: Build Follow-Up Into Your Daily Schedule

Just as you set aside time for prospecting, you should also set aside time for follow-up. Even 30 focused minutes a day can help you reconnect with your most motivated buyers and sellers. You can connect with people by telephone, email, or text depending on what they prefer most.

Use each call to:

• Learn the homeowner’s motivations. Knowing what’s driving them gives you a reference point for follow-up calls, and it reminds them you actually heard them the first time, which builds trust.
• Demonstrate that you know them personally. A quick mention of something they told you in the past can help you build rapport. “How was your husband’s trip?” instantly tells the buyer or seller you cared enough to think of them.
• Deliver some kind of added value. Homeowners can sense when you come from a place of service. Open each call with something worthwhile, like info about the market or their home.
• Invest a bit more time with FSBOs. If they need to sell now, stay with them and be patient. It won’t take long for them to realize how much work selling on their own involves, which can put you in the driver’s seat.

Aggressive lead follow-up can sometimes pay off big, but if “aggressive” feels too strong for you, try replacing it with “obsessively persistent.” Unless you’re calling them 10+ times in the same day, you likely aren’t calling them too much—especially if you don’t actually talk to them.

Know What Actually Counts as a Lead

Some agents consider any contact in their files a lead. Top-performing agents follow a very different philosophy by focusing mostly on “hot” leads: someone who is ready to buy or sell within 7–10 days.

How you approach this is up to you, but keep in mind that you only have so much time in a day, week, month, or year. Your annual transaction goal will set your urgency; the lower the goal, the more flexibility you have to take your time getting back to people.

If you want to close:

• 20 transactions per year, your prospect is anybody, regardless of timing
• 50 transactions per year, look for homeowners taking action within 30–50 days
• 100 transactions, focus on people who want to buy or sell within ~3-4 weeks
• 150+ transactions, only follow up with prospects who are ready to buy or sell right now

The bigger the goal, the tighter your filter has to be. Spend your time on the prospects whose urgency matches the volume you’re trying to hit.

How Often to Follow Up

Most agents want a clean answer to how often they should follow up with each lead, but the truth is that there’s no magic number. The frequency will depend on where each prospect is in the buying or selling journey and how friendly a relationship you have with them.

The best practices in the chart below are an excellent place to start:

Lead Type	Suggested Cadence	Notes
Expired listings	Daily until you make contact	The window for business may be extremely short. Move fast.
FRBOs	Every few days at first, then weekly	Can be a strong, long-term source of business, but may not convert right away.
FSBOs	Daily until contact, then every 2-3 days	Often needs to learn first-hand why hiring an agent is the better option.
Warm leads with a set timeline	Weekly if acting in under a month, biweekly beyond that	The closer they are to buying or selling, the more often you should call.
Cold leads	Monthly check-ins	Focus your time on the ones most likely to convert. Stop chasing the rest.
Referrals and past clients	Monthly check-ins, plus special events	Strong source of repeat business and referrals if they remember you.
Sphere of Influence (SOI)	Quarterly touch plus value-add outreach	A long-term referral pipeline that pays off through consistent presence.

Why It’s Important To Ask the Right Questions

Real estate agents often fall into the trap of thinking that they need to do most of the talking during follow-up calls or meetings. In truth, active listening is one of the most important skills for agents to have, and you should almost always spend more time listening than talking.

Asking the questions can help you develop a clearer picture of their needs and motivations. It’s also an excellent way to keep prospects engaged because it encourages them to think about their situation.

Closed-Ended Questions

These are questions that have a simple, straightforward answer (often “yes” or “no.”) They’re useful for confirming specific details or assessing how the homeowner feels, but may or may not support a continued dialogue on the subject.

Examples include:

1. Did you get qualified for a loan?
2. Did you have a chance to review the documents I sent over?
3. Is having a detached garage a dealbreaker for you?
4. Do you want me to list your home?

Open-Ended Questions

These questions ask homeowners and buyers to think carefully and then explain what they need or want from you. Pose them when you want to open up a longer ongoing dialogue or when you need more detail than a simple “yes” or “no.” They open the door for you to offer more customized support.

Examples include:

1. What are you looking for in an agent?
2. Have you considered how much of a down payment you’ll provide?
3. Why do you feel your home is worth more than your neighbor’s?

Specific Questions

Specific questions encourage the prospect to expand on a previous answer. They can also help you guide the conversation when you need clearer details about their plans, expectations, or concerns.

Examples include:

1. Are you looking for an aggressive agent?
2. What type of loan are you applying for?
3. What are the reasons you’d like to sell it on your own?
4. Can you tell me a little about why having a basement is so important to you?

Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple-choice questions limit the prospect’s response options, which puts a little bit of pressure on them while simultaneously showing them that they have options. They’re especially useful when you’re trying to book an appointment or move the conversation toward a clear next step.

Examples include:

1. Is today at 3 or tomorrow at 4 better for you?
2. Would you rather meet at my office or go out for lunch?
3. Would you rather a home with a metal, shingle, or slate roof?

Questions like these are how you steer the conversation and get the information you need in order to best support the homeowner or buyer. As you get better at using them to create real dialogue with your prospects, you’ll find that you can get more and more useful info out of every meeting or call.

Simple Follow-Up Scripts to Get You Started

Knowing what to ask is one thing; having a starting line ready is another. Use these as a base and adjust to match your voice and the homeowner’s situation.

Expired Listing

• “Hi [Name], this is [Your Name] with [Brokerage]. I noticed your home came off the market recently and wanted to reach out. A lot of sellers in your situation are weighing whether to relist, take a break, or try a different approach. What’s your thinking right now?”

• Email Subject: A few thoughts on your listing Email: Hi [Name], I saw your home recently came off the market. I work with a lot of sellers in [Area] who’ve been in the same spot, and most of them tell me the hardest part was figuring out what to do next. If you’d like a fresh take on pricing or strategy, I’d be glad to share some thoughts. No pressure either way. [Your Name]

• Text: “Hi [Name], [Your Name] here with [Brokerage]. Saw your listing came off the market and wanted to reach out. Open to a quick chat about what’s next, or should I check back later?”

FSBO

• Phone: “Hi [Name], I saw your listing and just wanted to introduce myself. I’m not calling to pitch you on hiring an agent. I work with a lot of FSBOs in [Area] and sometimes they have questions about pricing, paperwork, or showings. If something comes up, would it be okay if I checked in?”

• Email Subject: Quick intro from a local agent Email: Hi [Name], saw your home for sale on [Street]. I’m a [Area] agent and I work with a lot of FSBOs who run into questions partway through the process, paperwork, pricing, buyer financing, that sort of thing. Happy to be a resource if you need one. No expectation on your end. [Your Name]

• Text: “Hi [Name], saw your FSBO listing on [Street]. I’m a local agent, not pitching anything, just wanted to offer myself as a resource if you hit any snags. Mind if I check in occasionally?”

FRBO

• Phone: “Hi [Name], I saw you’re renting out the place on [Street]. A lot of owners in your spot eventually think about selling once managing tenants gets old. I’m not asking you to make any decisions today, just wanted to be on your radar if that day comes. Mind if I check in every few weeks?”

• Email Subject: When you’re ready to sell Email: Hi [Name], I noticed the property on [Street] is listed for rent. I work with a lot of landlords in [Area], and many of them eventually decide to sell once being a landlord stops being worth the time. Whenever you’re at that point, I’d like to be the agent you call. [Your Name]

• Text: “Hi [Name], saw the rental at [Street]. Many landlords I work with eventually decide to sell. Whenever that day comes, I’d love to be your agent. Okay if I check in down the road?”

Warm Lead Who Said “Not Yet”

• Phone: “Hi [Name], it’s [Your Name]. Last time we spoke you mentioned [selling/buying] around [timeframe]. I came across [specific listing or market data point] and thought of you. Got a couple minutes to catch up?”

• Email Subject: Quick check-in Email: Hi [Name], last time we spoke you mentioned you were thinking about [selling/buying] in [timeframe]. I’ve been keeping an eye on the market in [Neighborhood] and wanted to share a quick update: [one specific data point or new listing]. No rush on your end. Just wanted to keep you in the loop. [Your Name]

• Text: “Hi [Name], saw [specific listing or stat] and thought of you given what you mentioned about [timeframe]. Want me to send more details?”

Past Client

• Phone: “Hi [Name], it’s [Your Name]. Just calling to check in. I saw a place sell on [Street] this week and it made me think of your old house. How’s everything going with you and the family?”

• Email Subject: Thinking of you Email: Hi [Name], it’s been a while. I saw [specific local update, new restaurant, neighborhood news, market shift] and it made me think of you. Hope life is treating you well. If you ever know someone looking to buy or sell in [Area], I’d love a referral. [Your Name]

• Text: “Hey [Name], thinking of you. Saw a place on [Street] sell for [price] this week, made me think of your old place. Hope you and the family are doing well. Let me know if you ever want to grab coffee.”

Track and Contact Leads With Vulcan7’s Real Estate CRM

Many agents avoid digging deep in follow-up because they are afraid of discovering they don’t actually have a true lead. Knowing the truth beats wasting time chasing a phantom.

Aggressive, persistent follow-up is what separates the agents booking listing appointments from the ones leaving them on the table for someone else. Vulcan7’s industry-leading real estate CRM can help you keep track of each buyer and seller so it’s easier to move them forward in the funnel from day one.

Become a Vulcan7 member today!