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How to Get Real Estate Leads

Jerry Norton

Aug 8, 2024

A bird's-eye-view of two rows of houses

The success of your real estate investing business depends upon finding properties that will generate high returns and help you build a solid cash flow for your portfolio. 

Regardless of the type of property you'd like to invest in, lead generation is a crucial component for any investor who wants to gain long-term success. 

Whether you’re a new investor looking for your first deal, or an experienced investor looking for yet another deal, how can you find real estate leads? 

In this article, we’ll break down ways that you can get real estate leads — both paid and free — so that you can be on your way to finding your next real estate investment. 

What Is Real Estate Lead Generation?

Real estate lead generation provides contact information from homeowners, real estate agents, or other real estate investors who might be interested in selling a specific property to you as a real estate investor.

Real estate lead generation is a critical component of a successful real estate investing business. 

Without a successful lead generation strategy, an investor will be left without any viable leads and little to no profit. 

How to Get Real Estate Leads

If you're interested in lead generation for your real estate investing business, there are numerous things you can do to start building the amount of real estate leads you get. These include:

Use Propwire

Trusted by thousands of real estate professionals, Propwire offers skip tracing, the ability to download property records, get alerts on new leads and much more. 

It works like this: you can run a search on Propwire’s MLS dashboard and filter by more than 20 lead types, including:

  • zombie properties 
  • bank owned (REOs) 
  • pre-foreclosures
  • low equity
  • probates
  • empty nesters 
  • off-market properties 
  • and more
Using Propwire to skip trace.
Using Propwire to skip trace.

Once you find a property you are interested in, you can utilize a skip trace to find and contact the owner of the property. 

You can also set criteria that you’re looking for, and get notified by email or SMS when those properties become available. 

Start your free search today.

Send a Direct Mailer

Among the simplest strategies for obtaining real estate leads is to send direct mailers, a strategy that's similar to cold calling. 

Direct mailers can be sent out to many people in search of new real estate leads. 

There is also a wide range of ways that you can send a direct mailer. For instance, you could send a postcard to every home in a specific neighborhood. 

These postcards could include a simple question that asks homeowners if they know someone who's looking to sell or buy a home.

You could also choose to write a more detailed letter to every homeowner that asks them if they're currently thinking of selling. 

While this strategy is effective, it doesn't get you free real estate leads. Direct mailers cost more than most strategies and don't usually generate many real estate leads. 

They are most useful when you’re looking to cast a broad net, for example if you’re just starting in real estate investing or you’re looking to invest in a new location. 

Knock on Doors

Another free real estate lead option sounds simple and only costs time: knocking on doors. 

This strategy is similar to the work that a door-to-door salesperson does every day. When someone answers the door, introduce yourself and inquire if he or she is interested in selling. 

Keep in mind that this strategy doesn't generate a large quantity of real estate leads. It will, however, provide the opportunity to get a lead or two free. 

Attend Real Estate Trade Shows or Conferences

Real Estate Trade Shows and Conferences allows you to meet numerous people in a relatively short period of time — and can lead to real estate leads. 

While the costs associated with this option may be high — an entry ticket along with transportation — this option can not only help you obtain real estate leads; it can also help build your real estate network.

Create a Referral Network

Whether you build connections by attending trade shows or speaking with handymen and plumbers in the area, creating a referral network allows you to generate real estate leads. 

Ask anyone you make a connection with if they're interested in a reciprocal referral relationship, which means that you would also provide them with real estate leads. 

Send Emails

When you're searching for new real estate leads, another option is to send out an email blast. 

This strategy takes a broad approach to gaining new real estate leads, which makes it similar to direct mailers. 

By emailing prospects about their properties, you have the opportunity to gain leads without spending much money. 

The Bottom Line: Real Estate Lead Generation

Generating real estate leads requires time, patience, and the right tools — including Propwire. 

Whether you’re a new investor or someone with several deals under your belt, by using the real estate lead strategies mentioned in this article, you'll naturally begin to grow your network and increase your leads.