Real Estate Leads 101: Get your Own Leads, These are Mine

There are many different ways to generate your own real estate leads, it's just a matter of being creative. Of course, there are the traditional ways: referrals from past clients, subscribing to a lead generation service, and putting contact forms on your own website are all great ways of generating real estate leads. You may want to dig a little deeper though.

The first rule to being a good agent is realizing that real estate leads are EVERYWHERE YOU GO. And I do mean everywhere. You should make it a goal to tell a certain number of new people a week about yourself and the fact that you're a real estate agent. Stopping at a convenience store for a quick bite? Strike up a conversation with the cashier or the person in line behind you. Give them your business card. So what if they wind up throwing it out, you still made the connection. Were you recently invited to a wedding? Don't be afraid to take some business cards along and start networking and collecting those real estate leads like they're baseball cards. Don't forget to hit up the bride and groom – they may be shopping for their starter home within the year.

Don't be afraid to send mailings, post fliers, do whatever you can to get your name and face out there and the real estate leads will come. Come up with an idea for a contest or promotion – perhaps everyone who submits their information on your website will be put in a drawing to win a $100 gift card from Target. Or the first 20 people to sign up for your newsletter will receive a $10 gift card tot he store of their choice. Even for real estate agents, the age old adage is true: you have to spend money to make money.

There are hundreds of agents out there who want your lead's business. It is up to you stand out and become unforgettable to your real estate leads. After all, if you're not unforgettable, you WILL be forgotten. Giving away free things (especially something free that might have your logo on it) is a great way to be memorable.

Another great way to accumulate your own real estate leads is to party! That's right, throw a party. If you've had at least 10 clients, you might want to think about throwing an inexpensive barbecue and invite all your past clients with the provision that they must bring at least one friend or family member for you to meet. To add even more incentive (though free food is usually enough incentive for me!) you may want to think about doing a raffle or something. Any of the guests of your clients can fill out their contact information and be put in a drawing to win a $50 gift card or some such thing. Do that and *poof*, instant real estate leads.

The fact is, real estate leads can be cultivated ANYWHERE. All it takes is telling someone what you do and handing them a business card. That right there is a potential real estate leads – of course, getting their contact information in return makes it all the better. Be creative when you're thinking about how to increase your real estate leads – don't do the same things over and over again, and try and be as innovative as possible. Just remember: real estate leads are EVERYWHERE – you just have to look.