Finding Buyers for Real Estate: 12 Best Tips

The real estate market has never been more lucrative than it is now. There are always people looking for homes, which means agents are everywhere! But finding buyers for real estate can be difficult. 

You may not be getting the best results or getting too many unqualified buyers. Consider it time to up your game. The key to finding cash buyers in the real estate industry is ensuring that your lead generation techniques are at the top of their game.

The question on the minds of every real estate agent is where and how can I find potential property buyers. There are many creative ideas for finding buyers for real estate, and it can get pretty overwhelming. But don't worry, we've got your back with our helpful blog posts on how to sell a house fast in today’s competitive environment.

1. Niche Down

This bit may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s one way to speed up your lead generation process. Study your environment and discover what kind of property people are primarily interested in before you niche down.

If you live in a school district, it doesn't make sense to focus on luxury homes. Your niche should also encompass what you love doing. For instance, if you love helping new families settle into a new home, you should focus on single-family homes and first-time buyers.

After evaluating your environment and what you’re passionate about, you can then focus mainly on luxury homes, modern homes, apartment complexes, or more traditional homes, depending on what you discover. This way, when you talk to a potential buyer, they know that you are an expert in the niche and there’s already a trust factor built-in.

2. Utilize Social Media

Social Media is an excellent place to find buyers for real estate. According to statistics, about 61 percent of the world’s total population is currently on social media. People close deals worth billions of dollars on social media every day, but many people are not utilizing this fantastic tool.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media apps can consistently bring people who live in the same geographic location your way. It's especially helpful when you run Facebook ads. 

You can rest assured that your ad is hitting the right demographics and location. This trend means that you can easily pull in real estate buyer leads in your locality. 

Don’t post random content on your Facebook wall. Consistently talk about real estate, so it registers in the mind of your online friends that you’re very knowledgeable in your niche. It’s a great way to attract the attention of real estate buyers.

On Twitter, optimize hashtags to create more visibility for your tweets. Also, search for real estate-related hashtags. You never know who's looking to buy a house using a hashtag. For professional branding, LinkedIn is the place to be.

3. Run Targeted Ads

Targeted ads are a great way to generate real estate leads because it allows you to increase your reach while focusing on your niche. Google ads will allow you to target particular areas or demographics.

The key here is to use search engine optimized keywords, that is, what people are likely to be searching for on search engines like Google. You can use phrases such as “buying a home in California,” or “tips for a first-time homebuyer”. When people type these terms in search engines, your ad will appear with their search results. They’ll also get displayed on other sites through re-targeting.

Running targeted ads on social media is an entirely different ball game. On Twitter, you can promote your tweets at very affordable rates. With Facebook and Instagram, one ad can run simultaneously on both platforms. 

Great graphics are essential on social media (Instagram, mainly) because people are attracted by what they see and are more likely to click on an image that captures their interest.

4. Always Attend Housewarming Parties

Whether you’re a new agent or a longtime agent, housewarmings are a great place to generate real estate leads and find buyers, especially first-time homebuyers. Ideal housewarming parties to attend are those hosted by previous clients.

When going to these events, always have your business cards handy and an elevator pitch ready. Your pitch shouldn’t be longer than 30 seconds and should inform a person you’re a professional at what you do. Get the contact information of people who indicate that they’re interested in buying houses anytime soon if your business card isn't available.

Housewarmings are great because people who’ve been thinking of making a home purchase will be motivated to start working on buying their own property. Also, many prospective buyers are more likely to talk to people they know who have just purchased a new house.

5. Talk to People You Already Know

Your sphere of influence is one of the oldest and surest ways to find buyers for real estate. It’s easy for people who know you and can vouch for you to refer you to potential buyers.

It’s also an inexpensive way to generate leads. Talk to the people who know about what you do, let them know you’re a professional. In most cases, they trust you because you were referred by someone they already trust.

Here’s a pro tip: offer incentives to people who send buyers your way. You can easily find cash buyers this way. It can be anything from a handwritten note and basket of flowers, tickets to see a movie, or the local baseball game.

The aim is to let them know that you appreciate them. When people see that you appreciate them, they’ll be motivated to do more for you and your brand.

6. Network With Other Real Estate Professionals

Real estate marketing can become infinitely easier if you know how to network well. Start by identifying with the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Build working relationships with other real estate agents, lenders, contractors, etcetera. You can generate leads from these sources.

Consider going to real estate investor meetups to network. Talk to real estate investors while there, find out their goals and let them know how you can help them. It’s hard work that will help you find real estate buyers.

People who are into real estate investing are another set of people you should network with. They’re potential cash buyers who are constantly looking for their next investment property to buy. Finding cash buyers becomes a non-issue if you harness these relationships well.

7. Build an Internet Data Exchange Website

A website is one proven method of marketing homes for sale. Most new buyers will search on the internet first before making any purchase. An IDX website enables people interested in buying houses to search for properties on your website instead of a much bigger one.

It’s a great way to capture real estate leads, and there’s no danger of other agents contacting them. So even if they don’t buy right away, you’ll be able to keep in contact with them when they’re ready to buy.

8. Build a Landing Page

If you don’t have money for a real estate website just yet, start with a landing page. A customized landing page is a sure-fire way to generate real estate buyer leads. It’s also a great way to collect contact information of real estate buyers who visit your page.

Make sure you use high-quality images for the homes in your listing. If possible, use pictures of the actual house. For higher conversion rates, include a precise CTA. Also, if you need to create different landing pages for different categories of homes, go ahead and do it. It doesn’t cost money to build landing pages.

9. Email Marketing

Lead generation is good but keeping up a steady stream of conversation with the real estate leads you’ve generated is of greater importance. There are various tools available to help you manage the contact info you’ve collected.

Remember not to spam a lead inbox with too many marketing emails. Storytelling is a technique you can apply for exciting mail content to attract buyers. Talk about your experience with past clients and share testimonials if possible.

You can find cash buyers with email marketing if you use it right. The key is to do lots of convincing and create a feeling of trust and professionalism without sounding too salesy.

Mailchimp is a great tool that can help you send direct mail to as many as 2000 people at once. This tool cancels out the need to cold-call random leads in the hopes of landing a client.

10. Advertise on Craigslist

Another method of finding cash buyers is using craigslist. Cash buyers hasten the real estate transaction process by eliminating delays from lenders and the entire final qualification process for loans.

Real estate investors are always on Craigslist, and they’re always looking to buy houses. You can generate real estate buyer leads by posting a short and simple ad on Craigslist. Look out for landlords looking for sellers–nine out of ten times, they’re guaranteed cash buyers ready to buy immediately.

If you’re a buyer’s agent, a multiple listing service is a tool you can use. Linking buyer clients to seller clients can be seamless. It enables you to see the listings of other agents. You can close real estate deals quicker this way because the rigors of the search are eliminated by half.

11. Host an Open House

Hosting an open house while helping you gain valuable experience (if you’re new) also helps you generate real estate leads. Even if you don’t have your own listings, you can volunteer to host open houses for other agents' listings.

Target busy real estate agents and make this offer. Emphasize how much time you’ll be freeing up by taking the open house hosting off their hands. More importantly, you’ll be able to network and collect the contact details of potential clients.

12. Market Your Business Offline

Marketing offline is a tried and true way to capture leads. Talk to local businesses in your neighborhood about leaving your cards with them if someone asks questions about purchasing real estate.

Finding cash buyers offline is simply knowing how to get seen. Explore cordial relationships with small business owners like cleaning, painting, or even mowing services. You can make a deal with the owner of a small business and offer additional services at discounted rates to home buyers.

Some other techniques to use offline include placing yard signs with your number outside the houses for sale. Most buyers don’t have an agent when they start looking around. This way, you can reel them in. Consider billboard ads if you have ample budget for that.

Finally, you can become a Zillow premier agent. The beauty of being a premier agent with Zillow is that you can put up multiple listings on their site and be named the listing agent for all your listings.

Also, don’t just discard unqualified leads. They can become ready to buy at any time. Keep an open line of communication with them. Adding them to your direct mail list is a terrific way to go. When they’re ready to buy, you’ll be their go-to agent.

Conclusion

Finding buyer leads and landing new clients takes intentional effort, but it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming process. A marketing tool comes in handy for simplifying things. Keep in mind that you can find a cash buyer anywhere. However, there are hotbeds for cash buyers that you should keep your eyes on, such as real estate investing platforms.

And while cash buyers are great, you shouldn’t be so focused on finding a cash buyer—leverage on the Internet to put yourself and your brand in the right position. Offer unique solutions like rent to buy. Don’t forget to use SEO keywords in your digital content and copies.