Reply to a new real estate lead within the hour, get the buyer agreement signed before the first showing, and keep a useful follow-up going until the person is ready to move. Speed wins the first conversation. The follow-up after it wins the client, because many people who enquire are weeks or months from a decision.
This guide sets out a 3-stage plan with sample texts: the first hour, the first 2 weeks, and the long wait. It also covers 2 rules that change how agents follow up: the written buyer agreement and the 3-month window for calling an enquiry. Those parts are general information, not legal advice. Ask your broker or a lawyer how they apply in your state.
Know who you are following up
Agents are still central to the deal. In the National Association of Realtors 2025 profile, 88% of buyers bought through an agent or broker, and 91% of sellers sold with an agent's help.[1] The typical buyer searched for 10 weeks, and the typical seller had owned their home for 11 years, an all-time high.[1]
The same profile shows 2 very different buyers. First-time buyers fell to 21% of all buyers, with a median age of 40. Repeat buyers had a median age of 62, and 30% of them paid cash.[1] A first-time buyer usually needs lender introductions and patience. A cash repeat buyer needs speed when the right listing appears. Tag each lead as one or the other on day 1, and follow up accordingly.
Half of buyers said what they most wanted from their agent was help finding the right home.[1] That is your follow-up content: listings that fit, sent with a reason, not generic market newsletters.
Stage 1: the first hour
A buyer who sends an enquiry while browsing listings late in the evening is ready to talk now. Our guide to lead response time covers the research on why the first hour counts. Here is what to do in it.
- Reply in the channel they used. A text gets a text. A portal enquiry gets a call and a text.
- Answer the question first. If they asked whether a house is still available, say so before you ask anything.
- Ask one qualifying question. Timing is the most useful: are they looking to move in the next 3 months, or later?
- Offer a next step. A call or a showing, with 2 times to choose from.
A sample first text, as an illustration: "Hi Jordan, it's Sam Lee with Harbor Realty. 14 Elm St is still available. I can show it Thursday at 5:30 or Saturday at 10. Are you hoping to move in the next 3 months, or later?"
With our instant lead calls, when someone fills in your form, the system rings you and connects you to the lead within seconds. If you miss their call, missed-call text-back replies straight away.
Before the first showing: the buyer agreement
Since August 17, 2024, under NAR's settlement of the commission lawsuits, a buyer working with a Realtor is asked to sign a written buyer agreement before touring a home, in person or virtually.[2] The compensation in it must be clearly defined, such as a flat fee or a percentage, and not open-ended or a range.[2]
NAR's guide also says a buyer who is visiting an open house on their own, or asking an agent about their services, does not need to sign one.[2] So the agreement belongs in your follow-up plan, between the first conversation and the first private showing. Send it with a plain explanation the day the showing is booked, not in the car outside the house.
Stage 2: the first 2 weeks
Many leads go quiet after the first reply. That is normal. A short sequence keeps the door open without being pushy. Here is an example, not a rule.
| When | Channel | What to send |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Call and text | Your first reply, one question, and a next step |
| Day 2 | Listings that match what they asked about, with one line on why each fits | |
| Showing booked | The buyer agreement, with a short plain-language summary | |
| Day 4 | Text | One new listing or a price change, and an offer to show it |
| Day 7 | Call | A check-in on timing, financing, and what they have seen so far |
| Day 14 | Text | A plain question: still looking, or should I check back later? |
A sample day 14 text: "Hi Jordan, Sam at Harbor Realty. Are you still looking, or would it help if I checked back in a couple of months? Either answer is fine."
A reply of "not yet" is useful, because it tells you to move the lead into long-term follow-up instead of chasing it. Our automations send steps like these with waits in between, and tracked links show who opened a listing, so you can call the person who clicked the 3-bedroom on Elm Street first.
Stage 3: the long wait, and the 3-month line
A lead who says 6 months is a future client who needs to remember your name. Keep in touch every few weeks with something useful: what sold nearby, a listing that fits, or a check-in timed to the month they named.
Watch the calendar for calls. Under the FCC's telemarketing rule, an enquiry about your services creates an established business relationship for the 3 months after it.[3] Sales calls to a number on the national do-not-call registry are barred unless an exception applies, and that relationship is one of the exceptions.[3]
- Inside 3 months, a follow-up call about the enquiry generally sits within that relationship.
- After 3 months, check the number against the registry, or get the person's permission to keep calling, before you pick up the phone.[3]
- Any time, a person who asks you to stop calling ends it. Note it on the record the same day.
The simplest habit is to ask in month 2: "Is it all right if I keep checking in by phone until you're ready?" Record the answer and the date. Texting has its own consent rules, covered in our guide to text message marketing consent.
Date-based follow-ups can start from any date on the contact record, so a seller who said March hears from you in February, and the 3-month mark can create a task to check permission.
Keep every lead on one board
Follow-up breaks down when leads live in a notebook, a portal, and 3 inboxes. A pipeline board shows every lead as a card, with separate boards for buyers and sellers, because the steps differ. Give every lead one named owner, and make a saved view of leads with no movement in 14 days your Monday task list.
Replies come back by text, email, and social messages. Our shared inbox keeps them in one thread per person, which our guide to a shared inbox for a small team covers in more detail.
What to measure each month
- Reply time. Share of new leads answered within an hour, by day of the week.
- Agreements signed. Share of buyers with a first showing booked who signed before it.
- Appointments set. Showings or valuation visits booked from new leads.
- Lead source. Which portal, ad, or sign brought leads that turned into clients.
See how a real estate team runs leads, follow-up, and showings from one account.
Want to see a lead board built for your listings? Book a walkthrough and we will sketch your follow-up with you, or compare plans.
Sources
- 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers: highlightsNational Association of Realtors, November 2025
- Consumer Guide to Written Buyer AgreementsNational Association of Realtors, 2024In effect from August 17, 2024, under the settlement of the commission lawsuits.
- 47 CFR 64.1200, Delivery restrictions, paragraphs (c)(2) and (f)(5)US Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Communications Commission rules