Are you tired of losing track of leads stuck in spreadsheets? CRMs for real estate investors are the game-changer you need. Keep track of lead an deal status, streamline your workflow, follow-up like a pro (with zero effort!), and close more deals.
Real estate investor benefit from having a CRM because it helps with efficient organization, lead management, automated communication, task organization, and other critical lead follow-up elements that help close deals.
There are several CRMs specifically built for real estate investors, and they include features unique to this market. Carrot CRM and InvestorFuse are two CRMs built for real estate wholesalers.
By not using a CRM, real estate investors risk wasting time, missing critical data and insights, and losing lead details.
Which real estate CRM is best for you? We’ll help you find the perfect solution to meet your specific needs.
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software tool for real estate investors is designed to help manage and streamline interactions with potential sellers, buyers, and leads.
It is a central hub where investors can track communication, automate follow-ups, manage property data, and organize deals throughout the sales pipeline.
In the competitive real estate market, a CRM helps investors stay organized, nurture relationships, and improve efficiency, leading to more closed deals and better time management.
Why Real Estate Investors Need a CRM
CRMs aren’t just a tool; they’re a strategic advantage. Boost productivity, stay organized, and build lasting relationships with your clients. In the competitive real estate market, strong relationships are key to success.
How do you build and maintain these relationships? A CRM provides the organization and tools you need to connect with clients effectively and grow your business.
Here are 10 reasons real estate investors benefit from having a CRM solution:
Efficient Organization: A CRM provides a centralized platform for storing and managing client and lead information. This organized database streamlines daily operations and ensures that critical details are readily accessible.
Lead Management: CRMs offer robust lead management tools, enabling investors to track leads, monitor their progress through the sales pipeline, and implement strategic follow-ups. This helps in converting leads into clients.
Automated Communication:CRMs often come with automation features that allow for the scheduling of emails, follow-ups, and reminders. This automation ensures consistent communication with clients and leads, enhancing engagement.
Task and Calendar Management: CRMs’ built-in task and calendar features help real estate professionals stay on top of important dates, appointments, and deadlines, contributing to better time management and organization.
Analytics and Reporting: Many CRMs provide analytics and reporting tools, allowing investors to analyze performance metrics. This data-driven insight aids in understanding market trends, optimizing strategies, and making informed business decisions.
Document Storage and Management: Real estate transactions involve numerous documents. CRMs often include document storage capabilities, making it easy to organize, share, and retrieve essential paperwork in one secure location.
Collaboration and Team Communication: CRMs facilitate collaboration for real estate teams by providing a shared platform for team members to access and update information. This promotes better coordination and communication within the team.
Customization: CRMs are adaptable to individual business needs. Investors can customize their CRM to align with specific workflows, ensuring the system complements their unique business processes.
Client Retention: CRMs contribute to stronger client relationships through effective communication, timely follow-ups, and personalized interactions. Satisfied clients are likelier to become repeat customers and refer the investor to others.
Scalability: As a business grows, so does the volume of client and transaction data. CRMs are scalable, accommodating the expanding needs of a real estate business without compromising efficiency.
A CRM serves as a comprehensive tool that not only organizes and centralizes information but also enhances communication, automates tasks, and provides valuable insights, contributing to the overall success of real estate professionals.
Best CRMs for Real Estate Investors
Here are the industry’s top CRMs for real estate investors and a short breakdown of what each one offers.
1. Carrot CRM
Carrot’s real estate platform provides the end-to-end tools to attract, convert, and (most importantly) CLOSE more deals than ever. In fact, Carrot leads convert to deals 7x higher than non-Carrot leads and yield almost $14,000 profit per deal on average!
These numbers are no mistake, and while SEO tools and high-converting websites are responsible for acquiring highly-motivated leads, it comes down to Carrot’s excellent lead management features to help you move quickly through sales cycle stages and generate revenue.
Carrot’s real estate CRM software makes it easy to manage your lead workflow. Once a lead opts in on your website, you will be notified by email and/or SMS text.
Once you become aware of your new high-quality lead, it’s time to utilize our CRM to move leads through your sales process. Take a look at what it can do below.
Step-by-Step Actions
Hyper-focus on the right next step
Don’t lose deals because of inconsistent follow-up, forgotten tasks, or manual lead management (I’m looking at you, spreadsheets). Improve lead follow-up with an action-based CRM that suggests the best next step. Carrot CRM’s decision trees make lead management impossible to mess up.
Property Reports
Understand properties at a glance
Knowing the financials and property specs on a potential opportunity helps you decide which deals are worth it and what your ROI might be. More data = smarter offers.
With Carrot CRM’s in-app Property Data Reports, you don’t have to piece this information together from multiple sources. It’s all right there, and it’s included in your subscription!
Outreach Sequences
Automate your lead follow-up
If you’ve been trying to follow up with a lead for a while, odds are you’ll eventually stop trying, leaving that lead to languish. Carrot CRM’s automated outreach sequences make sure no lead gets left behind. Craft your custom sequences by setting the types of outreach (text, voicemail, email, etc.), the message, the outreach timing, and the next step if the sequence finishes before the lead reengages. Sequences supercharge your productivity.
KPI Dashboards
Know exactly where you stand
Take control of your business growth with visibility into the data that matters most. With more than 70 KPIs, quickly understand lead flow, action statuses, deal details, campaign performance, and more. Gain insight into how many actions, touches, sequences, appointments, offers, and contracts are completed each week so you can focus your efforts where they’re needed most.
We can help you build a competition-squashing online presence with strong SEO-ranking content marketing tools, high-converting websites, landing pages, and lead management tools to win more deals with higher returns.
Common Question: Do I need to be a Carrot website member to get Carrot CRM?
You can get Carrot CRM with or without a website. Want to add a website? Create your own customized Carrot bundle. If you have a website on another platform, you can connect those leads to Carrot CRM with a Zapier integration. (Carrot leads are automatically integrated into Carrot CRM!)
Don’t wait! Look at all we offer and try us risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee.
InvestorFuse is today’s real estate investing market’s most well-rounded, feature-rich (and affordable) CRM.
What does it do?
Here are some of the top features!
Actions
InvestorFuse is designed to be easy to use, so you won’t need to return to school for an IT degree so that you can teach your team how to use it.
With a step-by-step approach, the software automatically generates actionable workflows that take the lead through the sales pipeline until they close the deal.
Automated Follow-Up
Automated text messages, emails, voicemail, and other actions to ensure no lead is lost are part of the picture. Your staff knows exactly which leads are on their plate.
Intuitive
InvestorFuse is real estate investment software geared toward wholesaling and other real estate investing. Because it has more lead management than a typical CRM, you’ll spend less time switching between platforms and focusing more on your company.
This tool helps your team finish work quickly and efficiently without searching multiple apps to manage leads.
Flexible Workflow
When your business is doing well, and you’ve brought on a team to handle part of the workload, you want to waste as little time managing them as possible. InvestorFuse offers a customizable workflow process and checklists tailored to your business goals so that you can quickly assign tasks and move forward.
This CRM is made for real estate investors by real estate investors.
The interface is gorgeous, and it’s constantly being updated with new features.
Pricing: Starts at $147/month
InvestorFuse Reviews
3. REISift
For many reasons, REISift is one of the most highly rated CRMs explicitly built for real estate investors.
With it, you can manage your data, create internal workflows, track follow-up attempts, skip trace, schedule direct mail campaigns, cold calls, and more.
It’s the all-in-one tool many investors are switching to for managing (and growing) their real estate business.
Pricing: Starts at $49/month
4. Deal Machine
If you’ve ever attempted to discover and contact a property owner directly, you know how time-consuming it is. There’s a need for software and solutions that can make it simpler for real estate investors to quickly get in touch with property owners via mail, email, or phone.
DealMachine is an app that helps you send out mail solicitations to the owners of specific properties, which have been hand-picked by you, and track down a property owner’s (e.g., mailing addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers) complete contact information.
Sound awesome?
It is.
Here are some of the top features!
Driving For Dollars
One of DealMachine’s best features is its ability to drive for dollars and find motivated sellers who are likely to respond to your offer.
While you’re driving and see a property you want to research, stop the car on the side of the road. Then, open the app on your phone and click on that property.
The app gives you the homeowner’s contact information from public records and third-party data within seconds, including their phone number, email address, and mailing address.
Then, you can call the owner to see if they’re interested in selling or set up a direct mail campaign with a single click.
DealMachine also tracks your driving route, so you don’t have to worry about driving the same route twice.
Real Estate List Builder
DealMachine’s list-building functionality is a quick approach to creating a list of motivated sellers without leaving your home. The property owner information it pulls is surprisingly accurate.
To get started, you can enter a city or zip code to generate a list of properties.
Then, you can filter the list by criteria such as estimated value, equity, mortgage balance, and more.
Once you have your list of potential sellers, click on each property to research the owner’s contact information (via skip tracing).
You can also add notes to each property profile to remember important details about each lead.
Street Pics
Another great feature of DealMachine is the ability to snap street pics of properties and save them within the app.
You can then send direct mail with a picture of the person’s property.
Mail Tracking
Want to know when your direct mail gets delivered? For an additional fee, DealMachine will update you on the status of your direct mail campaigns.
Comps
Want to run simple and surprisingly accurate comps on a property in just a few seconds? DealMachine has a feature that examines recent local sales on the MLS to run comps on your property.
Pricing: Starts at $49/month
5. Salesforce
Salesforce is one of the biggest and most popular CRMs on the market. Big businesses use it in nearly every industry, and it has many features to support it.
Salesforce is not as specific to real estate investing as some of the other options on this list, but if you’re looking for an all-around great CRM with many features, It’s worth considering.
Pricing: Starts at $25/user/month
6. Realvolve
Realvolve is feature-rich and designed to help you manage your business, contacts, leads, properties, and more — all in one place.
With it, you can create internal workflows, manage your team, send email, SMS, and social media messages directly from the application, and tons more.
Pricing: Starts at $94/month
7. REI Automation Squad
REI Automation Squad was created by real estate investors who needed a simple way to automate and track KPIs. Their Beast Mode CRM was created using feedback from fellow real estate investors.
They now have over 2,000 users on their CRM platforms.
Their business is built off EOS methodology, where team members are assigned roles and KPI goals.
Pricing: REI Automation Squad offers three services, from free to more advanced fee-based services. Their most popular and complete service, Beast Mode CRM, is $197 monthly for one (3) users or less. Additional users can be added for $25 a month.
8. LionDesk
LionDesk includes a power dialer, automatic lead capture, drip campaigns, email and text templates, and more.
It even includes a text message manager that allows you to send and receive text messages directly from the application — no need for a separate texting app (you can also send video texts!).
Pricing: Starts at $99/month
9. Wise Agent
Wise Agent is a cloud-based CRM designed for real estate professionals. It offers a suite of features, including contact management, lead capture, transaction management, and marketing automation.
Wise Agent also integrates with third-party applications such as QuickBooks, Google Calendar, Dropbox, and MailChimp. This makes it easy to manage your business from a single platform.
Pricing: Starts at $32/month
10. Hubspot
HubSpot Sales is a powerful CRM designed to help sales teams close more deals and accelerate their sales pipeline.
HubSpot Sales offers many features, including contact management, deal tracking, email integration, and built-in phone Calling. HubSpot Sales also has a robust reporting system that gives you visibility into your sales pipeline and performance.
If you’re looking for a CRM to help you close more deals and accelerate your sales pipeline, then HubSpot Sales is worth considering.
Pricing: Starts at $45/month
11. Forefront CRM
Forefront CRM is a versatile tool that promises to be useful to real estate investors. As a CRM system, its suitability depends on each investor’s specific requirements and preferences.
Forefront CRM offers customization features, allowing users to tailor the system to their needs. This adaptability can help manage properties, leads, and contacts efficiently.
Automation features enhance productivity by automating routine tasks like follow-ups and email campaigns. It also offers tools for property management, helping investors track property details, repairs, and rental income efficiently.
However, the decision to use Forefront CRM should be based on individual requirements, familiarity with CRM systems, and budget considerations.
Pricing: Starts at $99/month
What You’re Missing If You Don’t Use a Real Estate CRM
If you don’t currently use a CRM for your real estate business, you’re probably wondering how you would apply its use to your day-to-day and how it impacts revenue generation.
The bottom line is that you’re losing money without a CRM setup tailored to your specific needs. Here’s why:
You’re Losing Details About the Leads
If you’re not using a CRM, you forget the details about the lead, the property, and the conversations. CRMs allow you to stay on top of your leads.
Keeping track of the essential details will help you build a more trustworthy relationship with the buyer or seller.
You’re Wasting Time
Most communication is virtual or “digital” now, so you need a centralized hub where you can quickly and easily search for contacts.
All communication with the lead can be quickly shared amongst teams so everyone is on the same page. Quick data sharing protects against wasting time rediscovering information with the lead and portraying a brand with its business dialed in.
You’re Missing Critical Observations
Do they need more information about buying or selling a house and how your service can help them?
Do they need a reminder about your service?
Do they deserve some cost break or special offer such as helping them make repairs?
Speak to them as buyers and sellers seeking specific information on their journeys. By frequently reducing the sales cycle, you’ll generate more engagement, deals, and brand loyalty.
You’re Losing Channel Data
Do you know what your most successful marketing channel is?
Or, what is your most successful marketing campaign?
Does your most successful channel change each year or season?
Where are your most profitable deals?
Do your marketing channels experience the 80/20 or maybe a 60/40 rule?
Knowing these answers and identifying your key metrics allows you to grow your business without guessing.
Save yourself time, hassle, and guesswork of pulling data from different channels.
Real estate CRMs help you understand which channels perform best and where you can scale up or back.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right CRM for your real estate business is essential. The CRM you choose should be based on your business’s specific needs.
If you’re unsure which is right, take another look at the Best CRMs for real estate investors. With many great options, you’ll find the perfect CRM for your business.
Did we miss your favorite CRM? Hit us in the comments section below, or join the Carrot Community!
First off, I’m PUMPED live events are finally a thing again. I want to let you know that we’ll be getting together in person for Million Dollar Meeting 2022, August 31st – September 1st, in Dallas, TX.
Join Mike Hambright, founder of FlipNerd.com, Investor Fuel Mastermind, and Investor Machine, and cohost me, Trevor Mauch, Carrot CEO, for this can’t miss LIVE opportunity for 200-500 investors and hybrids to connect, learn, and grow together.
This Mind-Blowing Agenda Will Change How You Do Business…
Our goal is for you to walk away from this 2-day event with a changed business and life by sharing what is working now for America’s TOP Investors… NO Holds Barred!
That’s why we’re bringing you the topics & speakers that matter most to help you.
What’s working now in online & offline lead generation, and how to convert more leads into profitable deals! (including Carrot member Keith Sant & what he’s doing to bring in hot SEO seller leads daily.)
BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Tips and tactics to set up your business and run like a fine-tuned machine with less of your time and involvement.
BUILDING YOUR INFLUENCE AND AUTHORITY
Learn to build your brand locally & nationally to do more deals & scale your business faster. (Including Carrot member Beau Hollis & how he runs a 7-figure wholesaling operation with a slim team)
RAISING PRIVATE MONEY
Learn how to raise all the money you need to operate and expand your business more easily.
BUILDING YOUR TEAM
Learn from other seasoned investors how to get out of your own way and run a well-oiled machine. (Including Jason Lewis, who spends less than 5 hours per week running his wholesaling & flipping business, but managed to wholesale/flip 149 houses for $3 MM in profits in 2021 alone.)
And tons more!
Are you ready?
Is your business ready?
We want to change your business and life in 2 short days by sharing what is working now for America’s TOP Investors.
This is a full-blown 2-day “learn and implement” meeting. Many speakers and discussion leaders will stick around for additional discussion, Q&A, and help implement the lessons they’ve learned.
Learn from 20+ of the Best Real Estate Minds in the Nation
You’ll have opportunities to network with like-minded real estate investors daily! In addition to networking breaks where many golden nuggets are often shared in the hallways, we’ll have round table discussions that will include the entire group!
Learn from speakers such as:
Pat Precourt from Peak Performance Mastery,
Real estate investing veteran Tony Javier. He has closed over 1,000 deals + is an automation expert,
Blake McCreight, Chicago based real estate investor that has cracked the code on running his operation like a business,
30-year real estate veteran Jerry Green,
Minnesota Home Guys, James Kolde, has expert construction and innovative problem-solving knowledge,
A few of our very own, most successful Carrot members will be taking the stage… Keith Sant will be sharing his SEO strategies that have allowed him to build a 7-figure investing business while going from 80 to less than 20 hours per week.
Beau Hollis the greatest closer of all time. Cristina Kudlock, the virtual wholesaling queen,
You’ll learn the exact strategies they’ve used to grow their businesses.
If you want to grow your real estate business, you must attend this event.
After all, if you could spend two days learning from some of the nation’s top real estate minds for a ridiculously low price, you’d be crazy not to take that offer.
In closing — It’s been over 2 years since we’ve connected with our community live, in-person. My team and I couldn’t be more pumped to hang out with everyone. I’d love to see you stop by the event, have a convo, and grab some Carrot swag . Cya soon, Trevor
Are you looking to stand out with the design of your Carrot site without losing the high-performance that Carrot is known for?
Meet our latest Premium Design Mahogany.
Stand out without losing the performance. Our latest Premium Design Mahogany features clean, modern lines, big, bold, easy-to-read text, and space to emphasize all of your content. Instantly separate yourself from others in your area with a few clicks.
All Carrot Premium Designs include…
Our Carrot Core Conversion methodology is baked in from the ground up to ensure high conversion
Since we want this design to remain a unique and distinguishable theme for high-performing investors and agents, it’s only available as an upgrade for members now.
If you haven’t yet, you can upgrade your plan with just a few clicks… then you can switch to the Mahogany design just as easily.
Why Carrot? It’s all about results, performance, and lead quality.
We focus on performance and results, and our members pull in more motivated house seller leads through Google searches than any other platform in the world. And if you’re looking for cash buyers, land sellers/buyers, mobile home sellers, apartment tenants, or any other type of real estate lead… we have you covered there with our top-performing lead generation websites.
By targeting potential customers who are already interested in buying or selling a home, agents can save time and money while reaching more clients.
However, creating and managing a successful Google Ads campaign takes careful planning and execution.
The good news is that we’ve been in the real estate marketing space for a long time at Carrot, and we know what it takes to run great Google Ads, even if you’ve never used PPC advertising before in your life.
In this guide, you will learn everything you need about Google Ads that can potentially change your life as it has for 1000s of Carrot members…
There are 1.4 million real estate agents in the U.S.
Does your website stand out from the rest?
Break through the clutter online with Carrot — the real estate website platform built to attract and convert qualified leads. Take a free Real Estate Agent website demo today to see how Carrot can help you grow your business with consistent and predictable lead flow.
Take a Free Demo of Carrot Today
Google Ads for Real Estate Agents: Steps for Successful Campaigns
PPC advertising is a form of online marketing in which businesses can pay to display their ads on search engines and other websites. Advertisers only pay when someone clicks on their ad, making it a very effective way to drive traffic to your website.
Google Ads is a popular form of PPC advertising, and it’s an excellent way for real estate agents to get their properties in front of potential buyers and attract home sellers to use their services.
Here’s an example of how Google Ads appear in search results…
Understanding the Basics of Google Ads
Google Ads, a cornerstone of online advertising, operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, allowing advertisers to reach their target audience effectively. To embark on a successful journey with Google Ads for real estate, it’s crucial to grasp the fundamentals that govern its functionality.
1. Explanation of Google Ads and its Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Model:
Google Ads is a robust advertising platform where advertisers bid on specific keywords to have their clickable ads appear in Google’s search results. Unlike traditional advertising, where you pay for ad space regardless of performance, PPC means you only pay when a user clicks on your ad. This model offers a cost-effective way to drive traffic to your real estate listings.
2. Key Terms: Keywords, Ad Groups, Campaigns, and Quality Score:
Keywords: These are the words or phrases you choose to trigger your ads. In the real estate context, keywords could be terms like “homes for sale,” “real estate agents,” or specific location-based searches.
Ad Groups: Ad groups are clusters of related keywords within your campaign. You might have ad groups for real estate that focus on property types, locations, or buyer demographics.
Campaigns: Campaigns are the overarching structures that house ad groups. You might create campaigns for different property types (e.g., residential, commercial) or target audiences in real estate.
Quality Score: Google assigns a Quality Score to your ads based on their relevance, click-through rate (CTR), and the quality of your landing page. A higher Quality Score can positively impact your ad’s visibility and cost-per-click.
3. How Google Ads Auction Works:
Google Ads employs a dynamic auction system to determine the placement of ads in search results. Here’s a simplified breakdown:
Bid: Advertisers set a maximum bid they’re willing to pay for a click on their ad.
Quality Score: In addition to the bid, Google considers the Quality Score of the ad. A higher Quality Score can enhance ad placement even with a lower bid.
Ad Rank: The Ad Rank is calculated by multiplying the bid with the Quality Score. Ads with higher Ad Ranks are more likely to appear prominently.
Actual CPC (Cost-Per-Click): The actual amount an advertiser pays is influenced by the competitor’s Ad Rank below them and their Quality Score.
Understanding these foundational elements equips real estate professionals with the knowledge to navigate and optimize their Google Ads campaigns effectively. As we delve deeper into the intricacies of real estate advertising on Google Ads, this knowledge will be a valuable guide for creating impactful and cost-efficient campaigns.
Why Google Ads for Real Estate?
In the dynamic landscape of real estate marketing, leveraging the right platforms can make all the difference. Google Ads emerges as a powerhouse for real estate professionals, offering many advantages that can significantly impact visibility, lead generation, and overall success in the industry.
1. Precision Targeting for a Targeted Audience:
Google Ads allows real estate professionals to hone in on a highly specific, targeted audience actively seeking properties. Through the strategic use of keywords, advertisers can align their ads with the precise queries potential buyers are entering into Google’s search bar. This precision targeting ensures that your real estate listings are presented to individuals actively interested in the type of properties you offer.
2. Immediate Visibility in Search Results:
Real estate is competitive, and standing out in a crowded market is paramount. Google Ads provides a shortcut to immediate visibility in search results. Instead of relying solely on organic search rankings, your ads can appear prominently at the top of relevant search pages. This prime real estate in search results increases the likelihood of attracting the attention of potential buyers in the crucial decision-making phase.
3. Cost-Effective Lead Generation:
Google Ads operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, ensuring that you only pay when someone actively engages with your ad by clicking on it. This cost-effective approach means that your advertising budget is allocated to genuine leads—individuals who have shown interest in real estate properties by clicking on your ad. This targeted expenditure maximizes the return on investment and minimizes wasteful spending on audiences uninterested in your offerings.
4. Instant Brand Exposure:
For real estate professionals aiming to establish or enhance their brand presence, Google Ads provides an avenue for instant exposure. Beyond just listings, you can use ads to showcase your expertise, unique selling propositions, and the value you bring to potential buyers. The more frequently your brand appears in relevant search results, the more trust and recognition you can build among your target audience.
In essence, Google Ads offers a powerful toolkit for real estate professionals to survive and thrive in a competitive market. By strategically harnessing the advantages of this platform, you can position your listings in front of the right audience, elevate your brand visibility, and generate high-quality leads that are more likely to convert into successful transactions. As we explore the intricacies of Google Ads for real estate, these advantages will be the foundation for creating impactful and results-driven advertising campaigns.
Before You Start: Get Your Website Dialed In
Before launching any Google Ads campaigns or spending a single dollar on paid traffic, there’s one thing you need: a high-converting website. Without a site that’s optimized for capturing leads and driving action, all the traffic in the world won’t help your business.
Your website is the foundation of your digital marketing strategy. It’s where motivated sellers will land after clicking your ad, and it’s your best chance to turn that interest into a real lead. But simply having a website isn’t enough—you need to ensure it’s set up to convert. That means clear messaging, an easy-to-navigate design, fast load times, and a seamless experience on mobile devices.
Set Up a High-Converting Real Estate Website
Your website is the backbone of your Google Ads campaign. Once you’ve paid to get motivated buyers and sellers to click on your ad, ensuring they convert into leads is essential. Here’s how to optimize your website for maximum conversions:
1. Clear, Compelling Messaging
Your website should immediately communicate what you offer and why it’s valuable. For real estate agents, this often means highlighting a fast, hassle-free selling experience. Use strong headlines that address seller pain points and key benefits, such as “Get a Cash Offer in 24 Hours” or “Sell Your House Fast Without a Realtor.” Clarity and directness build trust quickly.
2. Trust Signals
Motivated sellers often find themselves in tough situations and want reassurance that they’re working with a credible agent. To build trust, include testimonials from happy clients, positive reviews, and certifications. Visual trust badges, such as “BBB Accredited” or logos from well-known media outlets, add authority and increase confidence in your services.
3. Simple Lead Capture Forms
Make it as easy as possible for visitors to give you their information. Keep your forms simple—only ask for the essentials like name, phone number, and property address. The shorter and more straightforward the form, the more likely visitors will fill it out. Consider offering a small incentive, like a “Free Home Valuation,” to encourage them to take action.
4. Mobile-Friendly Design
More than half of real estate searches come from mobile devices. If your website isn’t mobile-optimized, you’re losing leads. Ensure your site looks great and functions smoothly on smartphones and tablets. Use responsive design and large buttons for easy navigation, and ensure forms are easy to fill out on smaller screens.
5. Fast-Loading Pages
Speed is a critical factor in keeping visitors on your site. If your website takes too long to load, people will leave before they can engage. Aim for a load time under 3 seconds. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help you monitor your site’s performance and find areas for improvement.
By implementing these best practices, you’ll maximize your website’s potential and turn more visitors into qualified leads for your real estate business. A well-optimized site works hand in hand with your ads, helping you get the most out of your marketing budget.
Need a website that checks all these boxes? We’ve got you covered! Join Carrot today and get a high-converting site built to generate leads, rank on Google, and help grow your real estate business.
Setting Up Your Google Ads Account
Embarking on a successful real estate marketing journey with Google Ads begins with the meticulous setup of your account. Let’s walk through the essential steps, emphasizing the importance of each element in ensuring your campaigns are tailored for success.
1. Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Google Ads Account:
Visit the Google Ads Website: Start by navigating the Google Ads website (ads.google.com) and click “Start Now” to begin the account creation process.
Select Your Goals: Google Ads allows you to choose from various campaign goals, such as website visits, phone calls, or app downloads. For real estate, common goals include lead generation and website visits.
Campaign Type: Choose the campaign type that aligns with your objectives. Options may include Search, Display, or Video campaigns. For real estate, a Search campaign might be ideal to capture users actively searching for properties.
Define Your Location and Language Targeting: Specify the geographical areas you want your ads to appear in and the preferred language of your target audience.
Create Your First Ad: Craft a compelling ad that aligns with your real estate offerings. Highlight key selling points, unique features, or special promotions to entice potential buyers.
Set Your Budget: Determine your daily or monthly budget to control your advertising expenses. Google Ads provides flexibility, allowing you to adjust your budget based on performance.
2. Importance of Defining Campaign Goals and Target Audience:
Clarity in Objectives: Clearly define your campaign goals—driving traffic to your website, generating leads, or promoting specific listings. This clarity ensures that every aspect of your campaign aligns with your overarching objectives.
Understanding Your Audience: Identify your target audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Consider factors such as location, home preferences, and buyer demographics in the real estate context. Tailoring your campaigns to a specific audience enhances their relevance and effectiveness.
3. Choosing the Right Keywords for Real Estate Campaigns:
Research Relevant Keywords: Conduct thorough keyword research to identify terms potential buyers will likely use when searching for properties. Include location-specific keywords and terms related to property types, features, and amenities.
The different match types give you room when selecting your keywords. Match types tell Google whether you want to match a search query exactly or if your ad should be shown to anyone with a search query that’s somewhat related. There are three match types to choose from:
Broad Phrase Exact
Broad match“may show on searches related to your keyword, including searches without keyword terms. This helps you attract more visitors to your website, spend less time building keyword lists, and focus your spending on keywords that work. Broad match is the default match type assigned to all your keywords so that you don’t have to specify another match type (exact match, phrase match, or a negative match type).”
The syntax for the broad match is to input the keyword. Below is an example of how a broad match keyword would work:
Phrase match“may show on searches that include the meaning of your keyword. The meaning of the keyword can be implied, and user searches can be a more specific form of the meaning. With phrase match, you can reach more searches than with exact match and fewer searches than with broad match, only showing your ads on the searches that include your product or service.”
The syntax for phrase match is to put quotes around your keyword. Below is an example of how a phrase match keyword would work:
Exact match“may appear on searches with the same meaning or intent as the keyword. Of the three keyword match options, exact match gives you the most control over who sees your ad but reaches fewer searches than both phrase and broad match.”
The syntax for an exact match is to use square brackets. Below is an example of how an exact match keyword would work:
If you’re starting and don’t know exactly how your market will be searching, move away from a broad match to a narrowed approach to see which searches yield the best results. You should monitor and modify your keywords closely as you gain new data.
Long-Tail Keywords: Incorporate long-tail keywords to capture more specific search queries. For example, “3-bedroom homes for sale in [location]” provides a more targeted approach than a generic term like “homes for sale.”
Negative Keywords: Exclude irrelevant terms through negative keywords to ensure your ads aren’t triggered by searches that don’t align with your offerings.
Negative keywords are one of the most underutilized tools PPC advertisers have at their fingertips. They can help you save a budget for the best quality searches when used correctly.
Let’s say you’re an agent creating your first Google Ads campaign. You’d like to appear on searches to sell your luxury properties targeting out-of-state buyers.
You may want to add terms such as “apartments” or “new house plans” as negative keywords.
As you’ll discover, from video games to furniture to spiritual statues, many search terms represent nothing to do with buying or selling a house.
Setting up your Google Ads account is not just a preliminary step; it’s the foundation for successful real estate campaigns.
By following these steps diligently and aligning your goals with the unique attributes of the real estate market, you set the stage for targeted, impactful, and cost-effective advertising.
As we delve deeper into the intricacies of Google Ads for real estate, the foundations established during setup will prove instrumental in creating campaigns that resonate with your audience and drive tangible results.
Keyword Examples
Example keywords for a “seller” campaign:
best realtors in my area
selling my home
list my house
home selling tips
staging your home to sell
how much is my house worth
local real estate agents
tips for selling my home
finding a realtor
find a real estate agent
Example keywords for a “buyer” campaign:
house listings
local homes for sale
new homes for sale in
find homes for sale in
2 story houses for sale in
riverfront houses for sale in
new listings in
buy a house in
homes for sale websites
new real estate listings
Crafting Compelling Real Estate Ads
In the realm of real estate advertising, the art of crafting compelling ads is paramount. It’s not just about showcasing properties; it’s about captivating your audience, driving engagement, and enticing potential buyers to take the next step. Let’s delve into the key components of creating ads that leave a lasting impression.
1. Writing Effective Ad Copy for Real Estate Listings:
Clarity and Conciseness: Craft ad copy that is clear, concise, and directly addresses the unique selling points of your real estate listings. Clearly communicate the value proposition and why potential buyers should explore further.
Highlight Key Features: Identify and emphasize the key features of the property. Whether it’s a spacious backyard, state-of-the-art kitchen, or proximity to amenities, these details should be prominently featured in your ad copy.
Create a Compelling Call-to-Action (CTA): Encourage immediate action with a compelling CTA. Whether it’s “Explore Now,” “Schedule a Viewing,” or “Learn More,” guide potential buyers on the next steps you want them to take.
Incorporate Keywords: Infuse relevant keywords seamlessly into your ad copy. This improves ad relevance and enhances the chances of your ad appearing in searches for specific real estate terms.
2. Utilizing Ad Extensions to Provide Additional Information:
Location Extensions: Enhance the local appeal of your real estate listings by incorporating location extensions. This feature displays your business address, making it convenient for users to find your properties.
Callout Extensions: Use callout extensions to highlight additional benefits or features that make your listings stand out. Whether it’s “Waterfront Views” or “Family-Friendly Neighborhood,” these snippets provide valuable information.
Sitelink Extensions: Direct users to specific pages on your website with sitelink extensions. This could include links to virtual tours, property galleries, or more detailed information about your real estate services.
Structured Snippet Extensions: Showcase specific aspects of your real estate offerings with structured snippet extensions. This could include categories like property types, amenities, or neighborhood highlights.
3. Creating Visually Appealing Display Ads:
High-Quality Imagery: Invest in high-quality images that showcase the best features of your properties. Clear, vibrant visuals capture attention and convey the appeal of the real estate listings.
Consistent Branding: Maintain consistency in branding across your display ads. This includes using the same color schemes, fonts, and logos to reinforce your brand identity.
Eye-Catching Design: Design visually appealing ads with attention-grabbing elements. Use contrasting colors, compelling headlines, and strategic placement of images to create an aesthetically pleasing composition.
Responsive Design: Ensure your display ads are responsive and compatible across various devices. With many users browsing on mobile devices, a responsive design ensures a seamless viewing experience.
Crafting compelling real estate ads is an art that combines persuasive storytelling with strategic elements.
By focusing on impactful ad copy, utilizing extensions for additional information, and creating visually stunning displays, you elevate your real estate listings to new heights.
These principles will serve as your guide to creating ads that capture attention and drive engagement and conversions.
Targeting Strategies for Real Estate
In the expansive world of real estate, precision is key. Targeting the right audience with the right message at the right time can significantly elevate the success of your campaigns. Let’s explore targeted strategies designed specifically for real estate professionals to ensure your message reaches those most likely to become your clients.
1. Geo-Targeting: Reaching Potential Clients in Specific Locations:
Localized Precision: Geo-targeting allows you to narrow your audience based on geographical location. For real estate professionals, this means reaching potential clients precisely where they want to buy or sell properties.
Neighborhood-Specific Campaigns: Tailor your campaigns to specific neighborhoods or regions. If you specialize in certain areas, use geo-targeting to direct your ads to individuals actively interested in real estate in those locations.
Adaptable Marketing: Adjust your messaging based on the unique characteristics of each location. Highlight nearby amenities, schools, or attractions to make your real estate offerings more appealing to the local audience.
2. Demographic Targeting Based on Buyer Profiles:
Understanding Buyer Profiles: Identify and define your target buyer personas. Consider demographics such as age, income, occupation, and family status. For example, a family home may be marketed differently than a luxury condo.
Tailored Content: Craft ad content that resonates with your target demographics. Speak directly to the needs and preferences of your audience to create a more personalized and impactful message.
Customized Offers: Adjust your offers based on the demographics of your audience. For instance, first-time homebuyers might be interested in special financing options, while retirees may prioritize downsizing or retirement communities.
3. Using Remarketing to Engage with Previous Website Visitors:
Staying Top-of-Mind: Implement remarketing strategies to reconnect with individuals who have previously visited your website. This keeps your real estate brand top-of-mind as they continue their property search.
Showcasing New Listings: Showcase new listings or updates to capture the attention of those who have shown interest in the past. Utilize dynamic remarketing to display specific properties based on the user’s previous interactions.
Encouraging Further Exploration: Include compelling calls-to-action in your remarketing ads, encouraging users to revisit your website, explore more listings, or contact you for personalized assistance.
Targeting strategies in real estate advertising go beyond casting a wide net; they involve a nuanced understanding of your audience and a strategic approach to reaching them where it matters most.
These targeting strategies will be the cornerstone of your campaigns, ensuring that your message reaches the right individuals at the right time, ultimately driving engagement and conversions.
Budgeting and Bidding Strategies for Real Estate Ads
Navigating the financial aspects of real estate advertising on Google Ads requires a careful balance between setting realistic budgets and implementing effective bidding strategies.
Let’s explore how to establish a budget, weigh the pros and cons of manual vs. automated bidding, and optimize bids to ensure a maximum return on investment (ROI) for your real estate campaigns.
1. Establishing a Realistic Budget for Real Estate Campaigns:
Assessing Your Resources: Evaluate your financial resources and determine how much you can allocate to your Google Ads campaigns. Consider your marketing budget and allocate a portion specifically for real estate advertising.
Cost-Per-Click (CPC) Considerations: Understand the average cost-per-click in the real estate industry, as it can vary based on factors such as location, property type, and competition. This knowledge helps you set a budget that aligns with the expected costs of reaching your target audience.
Campaign Goals and Duration: Tailor your budget to the specific goals of each campaign and its intended duration. Short-term promotional campaigns may require a different budget allocation than ongoing lead generation efforts.
2. Understanding Bidding Strategies: Manual vs. Automated:
Manual Bidding: With manual bidding, you have direct control over how much you’re willing to pay for clicks. This strategy provides a hands-on approach, allowing you to adjust bids based on performance, keywords, or specific ad groups.
Automated Bidding: Automated bidding relies on machine learning algorithms to set bids based on your campaign goals. Google’s automated strategies include Target CPA (Cost-Per-Acquisition), Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), and Maximize Conversions. Automated bidding can be advantageous for those seeking efficiency and time savings.
Hybrid Approaches: Consider a hybrid approach, combining manual bidding for high-priority keywords or ad groups with automated bidding for broader campaigns. This allows for greater flexibility and optimization based on performance data.
3. Tips for Optimizing Bids to Maximize ROI:
Monitor and Analyze Performance: Regularly review the performance metrics of your real estate campaigns, including click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and cost per conversion. Identify high-performing keywords and allocate the budget accordingly.
Adjust Bids Based on Performance: Leverage performance data to adjust bids for keywords or ad groups in manual bidding. Increase bids for top-performing elements to maximize visibility and decrease bids for underperforming areas to optimize budget allocation.
Utilize Bid Adjustments: Take advantage of bid adjustments based on location, device type, or time of day. Adjusting bids for specific criteria allows you to tailor your real estate ads to the most receptive audiences.
Test and Iterate: Implement A/B testing to assess the impact of different bidding strategies. Test variations in bid amounts, ad copy, or targeting parameters to identify the most effective combination for your real estate campaigns.
Establishing a budget and implementing bidding strategies in real estate advertising is a dynamic process that requires continuous monitoring and adjustment.
These budgeting and bidding strategies will be essential for optimizing your campaigns and achieving a maximum return on investment.
Monitoring and Analyzing Performance in Real Estate Advertising
The success of your real estate campaigns on Google Ads hinges on your ability to launch compelling ads and monitor and analyze performance continuously. Let’s delve into the significance of tracking key metrics, the role of Google Analytics in gaining insights, and the art of making data-driven adjustments to enhance your campaign’s overall performance.
1. Importance of Tracking Key Metrics: Click-Through Rate (CTR), Conversion Rate, and Cost Per Click (CPC):
Click-Through Rate (CTR): CTR is a vital metric that reflects the percentage of users who click on your ad after seeing it. A high CTR indicates that your ad resonates with the audience, while a low CTR may signify a need for adjustments to the ad copy, targeting, or relevance.
Conversion Rate: The conversion rate measures the percentage of users who completed a desired action, such as submitting a contact form or requesting more information. Monitoring conversion rates helps gauge the effectiveness of your real estate ads in driving valuable interactions.
Cost Per Click (CPC): Understanding the cost per click is crucial for managing your budget effectively. It reflects the amount you pay each time a user clicks on your ad. Keeping a close eye on CPC helps ensure your advertising expenses align with your budgetary constraints.
2. Utilizing Google Analytics to Gain Insights into User Behavior:
Integrated Data Sources: Integrate Google Analytics with your Google Ads account to comprehensively view user behavior. This integration enables you to connect advertising data with user interactions on your website.
User Journey Tracking: Track the entire user journey, from clicking on the ad to navigating your website. Analyze which pages users visit, how much time they spend, and whether they take desired actions. This information informs your understanding of user intent and engagement.
Segmentation and Audience Insights: Leverage Google Analytics to segment your audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. This segmentation provides valuable insights into the characteristics of users who engage most positively with your real estate offerings.
3. Making Data-Driven Adjustments to Improve Campaign Performance:
Keyword Optimization: Analyze the performance of keywords and adjust bids or add negative keywords based on their impact. Focus budget allocation on high-performing keywords to maximize visibility.
Ad Copy Refinement: Use performance data to refine your ad copy. Identify elements that resonate with your audience and incorporate these insights into future iterations. A/B testing different ad variations allows you to pinpoint the most effective messaging.
Targeting Enhancements: Evaluate the performance of demographic and geographic targeting. Adjust parameters based on the data, refining your targeting strategy to reach the most receptive audience for your real estate ads.
Budget Allocation: Allocate your budget strategically based on the performance of different campaigns, ad groups, or keywords. Shift resources to areas delivering the best results to optimize your return on investment.
Monitoring and analyzing performance in real estate advertising isn’t a one-time task; it’s an ongoing process that informs iterative improvements.
Mastering these performance analysis techniques will empower you to refine your campaigns, enhance user engagement, and achieve sustained success in the competitive real estate market.
Best Practices and Tips for Success in Real Estate Google Ads Campaigns
Running successful Google Ads campaigns in the dynamic realm of real estate requires a strategic approach, continuous refinement, and a keen understanding of industry best practices. Let’s explore a compilation of key strategies and tips to elevate your real estate advertising game and stay ahead of the competition.
1. Understand Your Target Audience:
Buyer Personas: Develop detailed buyer personas to understand your target audience’s demographics, interests, and behaviors. Tailor your ad content to resonate with potential buyers’ needs and preferences.
Leverage Audience Insights: Use analytics tools to gain insights into user behavior and demographics. This information helps you refine your targeting strategies and create more personalized and effective real estate ads.
2. Optimize Landing Pages for Conversions:
Seamless User Experience: Ensure the landing pages linked to your ads provide a seamless and user-friendly experience. Optimize for mobile responsiveness, quick loading times, and clear calls-to-action to encourage conversions.
Relevance to Ad Content: Align the content on your landing pages with the messaging in your ads. Consistency in information and visuals reinforces trust and increases the likelihood of users taking the desired actions.
3. Utilize Ad Extensions Strategically:
Location Extensions: Enhance the local appeal of your real estate listings by incorporating location extensions. This provides users with additional information about your business’s physical location.
Callout Extensions: Highlight unique selling points and benefits using callout extensions. These snippets offer an opportunity to showcase special features of your properties or services.
4. Leverage Negative Keywords:
Refine Targeting: Regularly review and update your list of negative keywords to refine targeting. This ensures irrelevant searches do not trigger your ads, optimizing your budget for more qualified leads.
5. A/B Test Ad Variations:
Continuous Improvement: Implement A/B testing to experiment with different ad variations. Test elements such as headlines, ad copy, and visuals to identify what resonates most with your audience. Use performance data to refine and optimize.
6. Stay Informed About Market Trends:
Adapt to Market Changes: Real estate is a dynamic industry, and trends can shift rapidly. Stay informed about current trends, changes in buyer behavior, and emerging technologies. Adapt your strategies to align with the evolving landscape.
7. Regularly Review and Adjust Bids:
Bid Optimization: Monitor the performance of your campaigns and adjust bids accordingly. Allocate more budget to high-performing keywords and make data-driven adjustments to maximize your return on investment.
8. Stay Ahead of Competition:
Competitor Analysis: Regularly analyze the strategies of your competitors. Identify what works well for them and explore opportunities to differentiate your real estate offerings. Stay ahead by offering unique value propositions.
9. Embrace Seasonal Campaigns:
Tailor Campaigns to Seasons: Real estate demand often fluctuates with seasons. Tailor your campaigns to align with seasonal trends, such as emphasizing cozy winter homes or summer outdoor spaces. This ensures relevance to current market interests.
10. Monitor and Respond to User Feedback:
Online Reputation Management: Monitor user reviews and feedback online. Respond promptly and professionally to address concerns or inquiries. A positive online reputation can significantly impact your credibility in the real estate market.
Embracing these best practices and tips positions you for success in the competitive real estate advertising landscape on Google Ads.
These strategies will guide you to create impactful campaigns, engage your target audience, and achieve lasting success in the ever-evolving real estate market.
Future Trends and Innovations in Google Ads for Real Estate
As real estate advertising landscape evolves, staying ahead of emerging trends and innovations becomes pivotal for success. Let’s briefly explore the future of real estate advertising on Google Ads, highlighting technologies and features likely to reshape the industry.
1. Video Content Dominance: Video content is gaining prominence across digital platforms, and real estate is no exception. Expect a surge in video ads showcasing property walkthroughs, neighborhood highlights, and immersive virtual tours. Video content engages users effectively and provides a more comprehensive view of listed properties.
2. Augmented and Virtual Reality Integration: Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies are set to revolutionize the real estate advertising experience. Imagine users being able to virtually tour a property, customize interiors, or visualize potential renovations. AR and VR enhance user engagement and bring listings to life in unimaginable ways.
3. Enhanced Data Analytics and AI-driven Insights: The future of real estate advertising lies in advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI). Expect AI algorithms to analyze user behavior, predict preferences, and optimize ad targeting. Enhanced data insights will empower real estate professionals to make more informed decisions, ensuring campaigns are tailored to the specific needs of their audience.
4. Voice Search Optimization: With the rise of voice-activated devices and smart assistants, optimizing real estate ads for voice search is becoming crucial. Future trends indicate a shift towards conversational and long-tail keyword strategies, ensuring that ads are effectively surfaced in voice-activated searches related to real estate.
5. Sustainable and Green Living Emphasis: As environmental consciousness grows, real estate advertising is likely to highlight sustainable and eco-friendly features of properties. Ads promoting energy-efficient homes, green spaces, and environmentally conscious designs will cater to a market increasingly prioritizing sustainable living.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the benefits of leveraging Google Ads for real estate are abundant and multifaceted. This powerful platform gives real estate professionals a dynamic tool to reach a targeted audience, showcase properties effectively, and drive meaningful engagement. As we’ve explored the intricacies of real estate advertising on Google Ads, we are encouraged to embrace this platform fully.
Recap of Benefits:
Precision Targeting: Google Ads allows you to reach a highly targeted audience based on demographics, interests, and online behavior, ensuring your real estate ads are seen by those most likely to engage.
Visual Engagement: Utilize the visual appeal of Google Ads to showcase property images, videos, and immersive content, providing potential buyers a captivating experience.
Measurable ROI: The platform provides robust analytics, allowing you to track key performance metrics and make data-driven adjustments for optimal return on investment.
Adaptability to Market Changes: With Google Ads, real estate professionals can adapt quickly to market changes, capitalize on emerging trends, and stay ahead of the competition.
Click here to get yourself a Carrot website risk-free for 30 days!
Encouragement:
Leveraging Google Ads for real estate is not just an option; it’s a strategic necessity. The platform offers a dynamic canvas for creativity, innovation, and effective online marketing. As you navigate the future of real estate advertising, embrace the power of Google Ads to elevate your campaigns, engage your audience, and achieve lasting success in this ever-evolving industry.
From a Motivated Seller site that saw a conversion rate jump 23.5% to a Cash Buyer site that had its conversions double to the roughly 300 Carrot members that are generating 25% more leads with this simple element on their sites … the Carrot Lead Generation Banner is changing how visitors engage (and convert!) on Carrot sites.
Carrot Website Heatmap Test on a Mobile Device
Introducing The Carrot Lead Generation Banner
Carrot’s Innovation Lab and testing program have a few objectives. One of which is discovering new, out-of-the-box ways to take the traffic you’re already generating and turn that traffic into more leads.
Several months ago, we set our sights on introducing a new conversion element into the mix. In this case, the approach wasn’t necessarily out-of-the-box. If anything, it was straightforward – but we were blown away by the testing results.
By adding a simple, persistent (some would call it “sticky”) banner to the top or bottom of a Carrot site, the site’s homepage started converting significantly better. In some cases, the conversion rate doubled!
“…generating 25% more leads“
And after making a few adjustments to the user interface and experience, early adopters of the Carrot Lead Generation Banner are generating 25% more leads on their sites.
Why does such a seemingly simple element supercharge a site’s conversion rate? Let’s dig into the testing results and find out….
And keep reading to learn how you can set your site up for even more success by enabling the Carrot Lead Generation Banner.
Into The Lab…
At Carrot, we love looking at aggregate stats and analytics across our network. And when we dove into this specific test, we had one singular data point in mind – the first form on a page generates over 75% of all leads generated by Carrot sites.
So we wanted to know … will adding a persistent, “sticky” banner at the top or bottom of a page with a simple “call to action” and single-field form generate more leads above and beyond what that form would typically generate?
We launched versions of several site types – one with the Carrot Lead Generation Banner and one without.
In every case, our question’s answer was a resounding YES.
The total number of leads increased, the conversion rate increased, and the total number of leads who went on to complete their full lead profiles increased as well!
Testing Results
When we broke down the results of each test, it became clear what was happening. When the Carrot Lead Generation Banner was present, that primary form on the page (which generally accounts for 75% of all leads) continued to generate leads at a high rate.
It saw little to no decrease in effectiveness.
The difference, however, was found in the additional leads that were pouring through the Lead Generation Banner! In some cases, the Lead Generation Banner accounted for even more leads than the primary form (especially on mobile!).
Carrot Examples
Lead Generation Banner at the top of a website:
Lead Generation Banner at the bottom of a website:
What makes the Carrot Lead Generation Banner work?
We know from our previous testing surrounding hero section forms that sites tend to convert better when the primary form is more visible on the screen, there is less “noise” surrounding it, and the “call to action” is more prominent. And that’s exactly what we think is happening with the Carrot Lead Generation Banner.
Check out this heatmap that shows the intensity with which visitors interacted with the form in the Lead Generation Banner at the top of the screen…
How to add the Carrot Lead Generation Banner to your site and supercharge your conversion rate today
If you’re a Carrot member, the new Lead Generation Banner element is already added to your site, but you need to go turn it on and customize it to fit your goals.
We’ve outlined an in-depth tutorial (along with some tips on how to use the banner) in our Help Center.
Closing
We have some exciting plans for the Carrot Lead Generation Banner that we are exploring with our Engineering Team to make the element even easier to deploy and even more effective at generating leads. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait!
Our testing results – and the results from the early adopters of the banner – are clear: the Carrot Lead Generation Banner is an incredibly effective tool when it comes to grabbing visitors’ attention, presenting them with a simple, direct call to action, and ensuring that they have a clear avenue to convert.
Think all Carrot websites look the same? You’d be wrong! There are 100’s if not 1000’s of different ways to make your website stand out from your competition.
Searching for the best real estate website builder for your business? A website is one of the most essential marketing tools you can use. If you don’t have a high-converting lead generation website, you’re leaving $1000s on the table.
Demo Carrot: How many deals are you losing to your competitor’s website?
There are many real estate website builder options, some are generic website builders (like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy) and some specialize in real estate templates and optimization (like Carrot, Placester, and Real Geeks).
You real estate website builder should have these key features: Mobile-responsive design, lead generation tools, industry-specific templates, and good customer support.
Your real estate website should have these key pages: Homepage, location-specific pages, “About Us,” and a reviews page
In this article, we review 10 of the best real estate website builders, the elements every successful real estate website needs, and how to choose the perfect website builder for your business.
Why We’re Qualified to Make a Top 10 Best Real Estate Website Builder List
Only one thing matters: Performance To Achieve Results.
We see websites as a lead generation hub for real estate agents and investors. In today’s crowded real estate market, you need an online presence to stand out. But you need something that’s more than just an “online business card.”
Amplifies all of your marketing efforts (online and offline)
It is optimized for SEO and lead conversion right out of the box
We’ve been in business for nearly a decade, served tens of thousands of real estate professionals nationwide, and generated millions of leads for our members.
So, we know a thing or two about online marketing and web design in the real estate industry.
Stick with us, and we’ll guide you through this process and help you decide which route is best for your business … a website created by a real estate website builder or a customized website.
Top 10 Real Estate Website Builders
As technology and the real estate industry continue to evolve, web companies are looking at ways to provide new tools and services to support their members. Certain real estate website builders can provide incredible opportunities to boost your business.
1. Carrot
So now, let’s ask the most critical question: how does Carrot stack up?
Carrot is often considered one of the best real estate website builders due to several key features and advantages:
Lead Generation: Carrot strongly emphasizes lead generation for real estate professionals. It provides a range of lead capture tools, including customizable forms, landing pages, and call tracking, all designed to help agents and investors attract and manage leads effectively.
SEO Optimization: Carrot websites are built with SEO in mind. The platform offers tools and features to help real estate professionals rank well on search engines, increasing website visibility and organic traffic. Carrot gives you all the SEO tools you need to hit the ground running with a website optimized for top search engine ranking.
Content Marketing: Carrot offers a content management system (CMS) that allows users to create and publish high-quality real estate content. This is essential for establishing authority and attracting organic traffic.
Property Listings: Carrot offers customizable property listing pages, making it easy for real estate agents and investors to showcase their listings to potential buyers and sellers.
Mobile Responsiveness: Carrot is 100% mobile-friendly. If you’re looking for a website builder that will look great on any device, Carrot is your best bet.
Community and Support: Carrot provides a community of real estate professionals who use the platform, along with access to educational resources, webinars, and coaching. This community can be valuable for networking and learning from industry influencers.
Customization: Carrot has templates specifically designed for real estate investors and agents. These templates come with pre-built pages, essential features for any real estate website, SEO tools installed and configured for you, CTA buttons, and more.
Local Market Focus: Carrot’s websites are built to target specific local markets, which can be highly effective for real estate professionals looking to dominate their local areas.
Speed and Performance: Carrot websites are known for their fast loading times, providing a better user experience for visitors. As mentioned above, our sites are 68% faster than custom WordPress sites, but our tech stack outperformed WordPress, GoDaddy, Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace in a third-party test.
Easy To Use: Carrot’s editor is straightforward, even if you have no experience with coding or web design. You can have a professional-looking design and high-converting website up and running quickly.
CRM Integration: Carrot offers a real estate CRM and seamlessly integrates with other systems commonly used in the real estate industry. This integration streamlines lead management and follow-up processes, making it easy to centralize, organize, and track interactions with leads and clients. With a good CRM, real estate agents and investors can stay on top of their client relationships and maintain effective communication, ultimately improving their conversion rates and business growth.
Trustworthiness: Carrot is a well-established platform with a strong reputation in the real estate industry. Its track record and proven success stories contribute to its appeal as a reliable website builder.
Carrot has a proven track record of converting visitors into leads. If you’re looking for a website builder to help you generate more leads, Carrot is the way to go.
On average, Carrot leads have $13,930.15 in EXTRA profit per deal!
*From a survey of 150+ randomized Carrot clients
Carrot is often regarded as one of the best real estate website builders due to its strong focus on lead generation, SEO optimization, content marketing, mobile responsiveness, community support, customization options, local market targeting, and a reputation for reliability. These features can help real estate professionals effectively market their services and listings and drive lead generation for their businesses.
Learn more about our real estate websites… take a demo today!
The world’s most popular website builder. 43% of the web is built on WordPress. Bloggers, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies use WordPress more than all other options combined. It offers thousands of easy‑to‑install add‑ons. Collect leads, create contact forms, automatically back up your site, and more.
WordPress is considered one of the best real estate website builders for several compelling reasons:
Versatility and Customization: WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) that offers unparalleled versatility and customization options. Real estate professionals can create unique, feature-rich websites tailored to their specific needs and branding. With thousands of themes and plugins available, you have complete control over the design and functionality of your website.
SEO-Friendly: WordPress is inherently SEO-friendly, making optimizing your real estate website for search engines easier. You can use various SEO plugins to improve your site’s visibility in search results, helping potential clients find your listings more easily.
Ease of Use: Despite its robust capabilities, WordPress is known for its user-friendly interface. Real estate agents and brokers with varying levels of technical expertise can easily update property listings, add blog posts, and manage website content without extensive coding knowledge.
Mobile Responsiveness: Mobile responsiveness is crucial for real estate websites, as many users search for properties on smartphones and tablets. WordPress themes are typically designed to be mobile-friendly, ensuring that your site looks and functions well on all devices.
Integration with MLS: WordPress can integrate seamlessly with MLS databases through plugins or custom solutions. This allows you to display up-to-date property listings on your website, enhancing your site’s value for potential buyers and sellers.
Lead Generation: WordPress offers various lead generation tools and plugins that enable you to capture visitor information through contact forms, pop-ups, or opt-in forms. These features help you build your client database and nurture leads effectively.
Blogging Capabilities: Blogging is an effective way to engage with your audience, establish authority in the real estate market, and improve your website’s SEO. WordPress includes a robust blogging platform, making it easy to create and share informative content related to the real estate industry.
Community Support: WordPress has a vast and active community of developers, designers, and users who contribute to its growth. You can access forums, tutorials, and resources to troubleshoot issues, customize your site, or seek advice from experienced users.
Scalability: WordPress can scale to accommodate your needs whether you’re a solo agent or part of a large real estate agency. You can expand your website’s functionality as your business grows, adding features like property search, mortgage calculators, or client portals.
Cost-Effective: Many WordPress themes and plugins are available for free or at a relatively low cost, making it a cost-effective option for real estate professionals looking to establish an online presence without breaking the bank.
In conclusion, WordPress stands out as one of the best real estate website builders due to its flexibility, SEO capabilities, user-friendliness, mobile responsiveness, and integration with MLS databases. It empowers real estate agents and brokers to create professional, customized websites that effectively showcase their listings and services to potential clients.
Placester has been recognized as one of the best real estate website builders for several reasons:
Specialized Real Estate Focus: Placester is designed specifically for real estate professionals, making it a tailor-made solution for agents, brokers, and agencies. This specialization means it understands the unique needs and challenges of the real estate industry.
MLS Integration: One of Placester’s standout features is its seamless integration with Multiple Listing Service (MLS) databases. This ensures that your website always displays accurate and up-to-date property listings, a crucial factor for potential buyers and sellers.
User-Friendly Interface: Placester offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop website builder that makes it easy for real estate professionals, even those without extensive technical knowledge, to create and update their websites. You can quickly add property listings, customize pages, and manage content.
Mobile Responsiveness: In today’s mobile-centric world, having a website that functions well on smartphones and tablets is essential. Placester’s templates are designed to be mobile-responsive, ensuring that your listings and information are easily accessible on all devices.
Lead Generation Tools: Placester provides built-in lead generation tools, including customizable contact forms and lead capture features. These tools help you collect visitor information and grow your client database, making it easier to follow up with potential buyers and sellers.
SEO Optimization: Placester strongly emphasizes search engine optimization (SEO). Its websites are optimized for search engines, making it easier for your site to rank well in search results and attract organic traffic.
Templates and Designs: Placester offers a variety of professionally designed templates tailored to the real estate industry. These templates are visually appealing and can be customized to match your branding and style preferences.
Blogging and Content Marketing: Content marketing is a powerful tool in real estate, and Placester supports blogging and content creation. You can easily publish articles, market insights, and neighborhood guides to engage with your audience and establish your expertise.
Community and Support: Placester provides access to a community of real estate professionals who use the platform, allowing you to connect with peers, share best practices, and stay informed about industry trends. Additionally, they offer customer support to assist with technical issues and questions.
Affordability: Placester offers competitive pricing options, making it accessible to a wide range of real estate professionals, including individual agents, small agencies, and larger brokerages.
In summary, Placester is considered one of the best real estate website builders due to its industry specialization, MLS integration, user-friendly interface, mobile responsiveness, lead generation capabilities, SEO optimization, and supportive community. It enables real estate professionals to create professional, data-rich websites that effectively showcase property listings and services to potential clients.
Squarespace is considered one of the best real estate website builders for several compelling reasons:
Beautiful Design Templates: Squarespace offers a wide range of professionally designed templates that are visually stunning and modern. These templates are ideal for showcasing real estate listings and creating an attractive online presence for agents and agencies.
Ease of Use: Squarespace’s intuitive drag-and-drop website builder makes it user-friendly, even for those without technical skills. Real estate professionals can easily create and update their websites, add property listings, and manage content with minimal effort.
Mobile Responsiveness: Squarespace templates are inherently mobile-responsive, ensuring that your real estate website looks and functions seamlessly on various devices, including smartphones and tablets. This is crucial for reaching potential buyers and sellers who browse on mobile.
Integrated Blogging: Squarespace provides robust blogging tools, allowing real estate agents to share market insights, neighborhood guides, and other valuable content. Blogging helps establish authority in the field and improve SEO, attracting more organic traffic to your website.
SEO-Friendly: Squarespace pays attention to SEO best practices, making ranking your real estate website well in search engine results easier. You can optimize your site by customizing meta tags, titles, and descriptions.
Third-Party Integrations: Squarespace allows you to integrate third-party tools and services to enhance your website’s functionality. This can include integrating with real estate-specific services for property listings or lead generation.
Lead Capture and Forms: Squarespace provides customizable lead capture forms, making collecting visitor information and inquiries easy. This helps real estate professionals build their client databases and follow up with potential buyers and sellers.
eCommerce Capabilities: Squarespace’s eCommerce features can be beneficial if you’re selling real estate-related products or services. You can create online stores or add payment options for services like property assessments or consultations.
Analytics and Metrics: Squarespace offers built-in analytics tools that provide insights into website traffic, user behavior, and more. These metrics help you understand how visitors interact with your site and make data-driven decisions.
Customer Support: Squarespace provides reliable customer support through various channels, including email support, live chat, and a knowledge base. This support is valuable for resolving technical issues and answering questions.
Affordability: Squarespace offers competitive pricing options, making it accessible to both individual real estate agents and larger agencies with varying budgets.
In summary, Squarespace is one of the best real estate website builders due to its stunning design templates, ease of use, mobile responsiveness, integrated blogging and SEO features, lead capture capabilities, and excellent customer support. It empowers real estate professionals to create visually appealing and functional websites that effectively showcase property listings and services to potential clients.
Real Geeks is considered one of the best real estate website builders for several compelling reasons:
MLS Integration: Real Geeks seamlessly integrates with Multiple Listing Service (MLS) databases, ensuring that your website displays up-to-date and accurate property listings. This is essential for real estate professionals to provide reliable information to potential buyers and sellers.
Lead Generation Tools: Real Geeks provides a comprehensive suite of lead generation tools, including customizable lead capture forms, automated email follow-ups, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) integration. These tools help you collect and manage leads effectively, making it easier to nurture potential clients and convert them into buyers or sellers.
Customizable Design: Real Geeks offers a range of customizable website templates and design options, allowing you to create a unique and visually appealing online presence that aligns with your branding and style.
Mobile Responsiveness: In an era where many users browse the web on mobile devices, Real Geeks websites are designed to be mobile-responsive, ensuring that your listings and information are accessible and functional on smartphones and tablets.
SEO Optimization: Real Geeks strongly emphasizes search engine optimization (SEO) best practices, making ranking your website well in search engine results easier. This can lead to increased organic traffic and visibility for your listings.
Effective Property Search: Real Geeks provides robust property search functionality, allowing visitors to your website to filter and search for properties based on various criteria such as location, price range, property type, and more. This enhances the user experience and helps potential buyers find their desired properties quickly.
User-Friendly Interface: Real Geeks offers an intuitive interface for managing your website, listings, and leads. Even users with limited technical knowledge can easily navigate and update their websites.
Community and Support: Real Geeks provides access to a community of real estate professionals who use the platform, fostering networking opportunities, sharing best practices, and staying informed about industry trends. Additionally, they offer customer support to assist with technical issues and questions.
Affordability: Real Geeks offers competitive pricing options, making it accessible to individual agents, small agencies, and larger brokerages with varying budgets.
Regular Updates: Real Geeks consistently updates and improves its platform to stay aligned with the latest trends and technologies in the real estate industry. This ensures that your website remains competitive and up-to-date.
Real Geeks is considered one of the best real estate website builders due to its comprehensive feature set, MLS integration, lead generation capabilities, customization options, mobile responsiveness, SEO optimization, and supportive community. It empowers real estate professionals to create professional, data-rich websites that effectively showcase property listings and services to potential clients.
GoDaddy can be a good choice as a real estate website builder for several reasons:
Ease of Use: GoDaddy’s website builder is user-friendly and doesn’t require extensive technical knowledge. Real estate professionals can easily create and manage their websites with its intuitive interface.
Templates: GoDaddy offers a selection of real estate-specific templates that make it simple to showcase property listings and create a professional online presence.
Mobile Responsiveness: Websites created with GoDaddy’s builder are designed to be mobile-responsive, ensuring that property listings and content display well on smartphones and tablets.
SEO Tools: GoDaddy provides built-in SEO features that help improve the visibility of real estate websites on search engines, making it easier for potential buyers and sellers to find your listings.
Integration: GoDaddy allows for easy integration with third-party tools and services. This can be valuable for adding features like contact forms, appointment scheduling, and social media integration.
Domain and Hosting: GoDaddy offers domain registration and hosting services, making it a one-stop solution for your real estate website needs.
Affordability: GoDaddy’s pricing is competitive, making it an accessible option for real estate professionals, especially those who are just starting their careers.
Customer Support: GoDaddy provides customer support and resources to help users with technical issues or questions related to their websites.
Customization: While GoDaddy offers templates, it also allows for customization, so you can tailor your real estate website to match your branding and unique requirements.
Security: GoDaddy strongly emphasizes website security, which is important for protecting your and your clients’ information.
In summary, GoDaddy is a good real estate website builder for those looking for a straightforward, budget-friendly, and user-friendly solution. It can help real estate professionals establish a strong online presence and showcase their property listings effectively.
Sierra Interactive is considered a good choice for a real estate website builder due to several key advantages and features:
Real Estate Focus: Sierra Interactive is specifically designed for the real estate industry, so it’s tailored to the unique needs of real estate professionals. This focus ensures that the platform provides the tools and features necessary for success in this field.
Property Search: Sierra Interactive offers advanced property search functionality, making it easy for visitors to find and explore real estate listings. This feature is essential for a real estate website.
Lead Generation: The platform provides robust lead generation tools, including customizable forms, call tracking, and CRM integration. These tools help real estate agents capture and manage leads effectively.
IDX Integration: Sierra Interactive seamlessly integrates with multiple MLS (Multiple Listing Service) databases, allowing real estate professionals to display up-to-date property listings on their websites.
Mobile Responsiveness: The websites created with Sierra Interactive are designed to be fully mobile-responsive, ensuring an optimal user experience on smartphones and tablets, which is crucial in today’s mobile-centric world.
SEO Optimization: Sierra Interactive prioritizes SEO features, making it easier for real estate websites to rank well on search engines, which is essential for attracting organic traffic.
Customization: While offering pre-designed templates, Sierra Interactive allows for extensive customization, enabling users to create unique and branded real estate websites.
CRM Integration: The platform integrates with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, simplifying lead management and follow-up for real estate professionals.
Community and Educational Resources: Sierra Interactive typically provides access to a community of real estate professionals using the platform, educational resources, and webinars, which can be valuable for enhancing your real estate marketing strategies.
Client-Focused Approach: Sierra Interactive strongly emphasizes enhancing the client experience. Their website designs aim to engage and retain visitors, ultimately helping real estate agents convert leads into clients.
In summary, Sierra Interactive stands out as a top choice for a real estate website builder due to its specialized focus, lead generation tools, IDX integration, mobile responsiveness, SEO optimization, customization options, and commitment to providing valuable resources for real estate professionals. These features can help agents and brokers establish a strong online presence and effectively market their listings.
Wix is recognized as one of the best real estate website builders for several compelling reasons:
User-Friendly Interface: Wix offers an incredibly intuitive and user-friendly website builder, making it accessible to real estate professionals of all technical backgrounds. You can easily create and manage your real estate website, even without coding experience.
Wide Range of Templates: Wix provides a diverse selection of professionally designed templates, many of which are specifically tailored to the real estate industry. These templates are visually appealing and customizable, allowing you to create a unique and engaging online presence for your listings and services.
Mobile Responsiveness: Wix ensures that its templates are mobile-responsive, meaning your real estate website will look and function seamlessly on smartphones and tablets. This is crucial for reaching potential buyers and sellers who frequently browse on mobile devices.
SEO-Friendly: Wix offers built-in SEO tools and features, such as customizable meta tags, titles, and descriptions, making it easier to optimize your real estate website for search engines. This can result in improved search engine rankings and increased organic traffic.
Property Listings: Wix allows you to integrate and display property listings effectively. You can add detailed property descriptions, high-quality images, virtual tours, and contact forms to provide potential buyers and sellers with comprehensive information.
Lead Generation Tools: Wix offers a variety of lead generation tools, including customizable contact forms and pop-ups. These features enable you to collect visitor information and inquiries, build your client database and nurture leads effectively.
Blogging Capabilities: Wix includes a robust blogging platform, which is essential for content marketing in the real estate industry. You can publish market insights, neighborhood guides, and other valuable content to engage with your audience and establish your expertise.
App Market: Wix’s App Market provides a wide range of third-party integrations and add-ons that can enhance your real estate website’s functionality. You can integrate with real estate-specific tools, calendars, booking systems, and more to meet your specific needs.
Analytics and Reporting: Wix offers built-in analytics tools that provide insights into website traffic, user behavior, and more. These metrics allow you to track your website’s performance and make data-driven decisions for improvement.
Affordability: Wix offers competitive pricing options, making it accessible to individual real estate agents, small agencies, and larger brokerages with varying budgets.
Customer Support: Wix provides customer support through various channels, including email, live chat, and a comprehensive knowledge base. This support is valuable for addressing technical issues and inquiries promptly.
Wix is considered a good real estate website builder due to its user-friendliness, extensive template selection, mobile responsiveness, SEO capabilities, property listing features, lead generation tools, blogging capabilities, third-party integrations, analytics, affordability, and customer support. It empowers real estate professionals to create visually appealing and functional websites that effectively showcase property listings and services to potential clients.
BoomTown is regarded as one of the best real estate website builders for several compelling reasons:
Integrated Lead Generation: BoomTown is renowned for its lead generation capabilities. It offers a suite of tools and features designed to capture, manage, and nurture real estate leads effectively. This includes customizable lead capture forms, automated follow-up emails, and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) integration.
MLS Integration: BoomTown seamlessly integrates with Multiple Listing Service (MLS) databases, ensuring that your website displays the most up-to-date and accurate property listings. This real-time data is crucial for providing potential buyers and sellers with reliable information.
Customizable Design: BoomTown provides the flexibility to create customized real estate websites. You can personalize the design, layout, and branding to align with your unique style and agency identity.
Mobile Responsiveness: In an era where many users browse on mobile devices, BoomTown ensures that its websites are mobile-responsive. This means your real estate listings and services will look and function seamlessly on smartphones and tablets.
SEO Optimization: BoomTown pays attention to SEO best practices, making ranking your website well in search engine results easier. This can result in increased organic traffic and visibility for your listings.
Property Search Functionality: BoomTown offers advanced property search features that allow potential buyers to search for properties based on specific criteria such as location, price range, property type, and more. This enhances the user experience and helps clients find their dream homes.
Analytics and Reporting: BoomTown provides comprehensive analytics tools that offer insights into website traffic, lead behavior, and marketing performance. These metrics help you make informed decisions to optimize your online presence.
Lead Nurturing Automation: BoomTown’s platform includes automated email marketing and follow-up features, which enable you to engage and nurture leads over time. This can improve conversion rates and help you close more deals.
Community and Support: BoomTown users gain access to a community of real estate professionals who use the platform. This community fosters networking opportunities, best practice sharing, and staying updated on industry trends. Additionally, BoomTown offers customer support to assist with technical issues and questions.
Scalability: Whether you are an individual agent or part of a larger brokerage, BoomTown can scale to accommodate your needs. As your business grows, you can expand your website’s functionality, incorporating features like property alerts and client portals.
Competitive Advantage: BoomTown’s advanced features and lead generation capabilities can give real estate professionals a competitive edge in a crowded market. Its tools are designed to help agents and brokers stand out and attract clients effectively.
BoomTown is considered a real estate website builder due to its integrated lead generation, MLS integration, customizable design, mobile responsiveness, SEO optimization, property search functionality, analytics, lead nurturing automation, community support, scalability, and competitive advantage. It empowers real estate professionals to create effective websites that capture and convert leads into buyers and sellers.
IDX Broker is considered one of the best real estate website builders for several compelling reasons:
MLS Integration: IDX Broker seamlessly integrates with Multiple Listing Service (MLS) databases. This integration ensures that your real estate website displays up-to-date and accurate property listings, a critical factor for potential buyers and sellers seeking reliable information.
Customizable Design: IDX Broker offers a high degree of customization, allowing you to create real estate websites tailored to your branding and style preferences. You can design unique layouts, choose color schemes, and add custom content.
Mobile Responsiveness: In today’s mobile-centric world, IDX Broker ensures that its templates are mobile-responsive. This means that your real estate listings and services will be accessible and functional on various devices, including smartphones and tablets.
SEO-Friendly: IDX Broker emphasizes search engine optimization (SEO) best practices, making ranking your website well in search engine results easier. This can result in increased organic traffic and visibility for your listings.
Property Search Functionality: IDX Broker offers advanced property search features, allowing potential buyers to search for properties based on specific criteria such as location, price range, property type, and more. This enhances the user experience and helps clients find their ideal properties.
Lead Capture: IDX Broker provides customizable lead capture forms and widgets. This enables you to collect visitor information and inquiries efficiently, helping you build your client database and follow up with potential buyers and sellers.
Content Management: Users can easily add and manage content, including blog posts and property listings, to keep their websites fresh and informative. Content marketing is essential for engaging with potential clients and establishing industry authority.
Third-Party Integrations: IDX Broker allows integration with various third-party tools and services to enhance your website’s functionality. This can include integrating with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, email marketing platforms, and more.
Community and Support: IDX Broker users can access a community of real estate professionals using the platform. This community fosters networking opportunities, best practice sharing, and staying informed about industry trends. Additionally, IDX Broker offers customer support to assist with technical issues and questions.
Affordability: IDX Broker offers competitive pricing options suitable for individual agents, small agencies, and larger brokerages with varying budgets.
Lead Generation Tools: IDX Broker provides lead generation features, such as property alert notifications and property inquiry forms, that help capture potential buyers’ information and keep them engaged.
IDX Broker is considered one of the best real estate website builders due to its robust MLS integration, customization options, mobile responsiveness, SEO optimization, property search functionality, lead capture capabilities, content management, third-party integrations, supportive community, affordability, and lead generation tools. It empowers real estate professionals to create professional websites that effectively showcase property listings and services to potential clients.
Building a website is the first step to succeeding in your real estate career.
But there’s a big difference between having a website and having a website that generates a consistent flow of leads and ultimately gives you freedom for your business.
The truth is your website is only one part of the online marketing puzzle.
For instance, do you have answers to the following questions?
How are you going to drive consistent, high-quality traffic to your website?
How will you make sure that your website converts traffic into leads?
How will you know when a lead comes in so you can contact them immediately?
Those are super important questions to answer before you start building your website.
The biggest mistake that real estate professionals make is they just put up a website, cross their fingers, and then get crickets.
Your website will only be as effective as your entire online marketing strategy.
We start by giving our members a high-converting website that turns visitors into leads like clockwork.
That’s ground zero.
Then, we provide the tools, resources, and software to help our members…
Drive high-quality traffic through Google.
Track performance.
Get notified when leads come in.
Brand their business.
And lots more.
Just having a website is not enough if you’re serious about using the power of online marketing to grow your real estate business. You need all the other puzzle pieces in place.
Once you have the entire strategy, your website will become an asset for your business, creating predictable and exciting lead flow.
Now, you could do that yourself and try your hand at a custom, unique-to-you website if you want. Or hire that out…
But unless you or they are a professional web designer AND expert online marketer in the real estate industry, you’re probably in for stress and confusion.
How to Choose the Best Real Estate Website Builder
What is the best real estate website builder? Ultimately, there is no “best” product. The best web builder depends on your company size and business type.
Your real estate business needs a website that converts visitors into leads. But it can be overwhelming trying to figure out where to start.
Designing a website can be complicated. You might even find yourself quitting before learning how to build a website.
The good news. To build a good business website, you don’t have to understand or learn complex coding. You can use a website builder instead!
An excellent real estate website builder is easy for beginners to learn and start with. They typically provide templates and features based on best practices that give you the advantage of faster results without spending as much time learning the details of website building.
If you’re unsure where to begin, using a website builder rather than hiring a website designer would be a better choice. And that’s true of any business putting off building a website because you don’t know where to start. Every day your business goes without a website, you lose leads and deals.
The Benefits of Real Estate Website Builders
Here are some of the critical benefits of website builders.
Takes Less Time: A website builder will take a fraction of the time to build compared to a custom site.
This is because website builders are designed for non-experts. So, there’s no need to spend weeks or months learning how to use the platform.
Costs Much Less: Website builders like Carrot cost a fraction of what hiring a web developer to build you a custom site would cost.
In addition, there are no ongoing maintenance costs. All updates and changes are free for life.
Is Easy To Use: Website builders like Carrot are easy to use, even for people without experience with coding or web design.
Want to make some changes? All you need to do is drag and drop, and you’re done! It’s that easy.
Converts Like Clockwork: There’s no guarantee that a custom-built site will convert well — and since it’s nearly impossible to change after the fact, you’ve only got one shot…
Most website builders allow you to make changes and test different things whenever you want quickly. Plus, you get website templates proven to convert in your specific niche, whether you’re a real estate agent or investor.
Key Features a Real Estate Website Builder Should Have
Hopefully, you understand the benefits of using a website builder like Carrot instead of hiring someone to build you a custom site (learn more about custom sites below).
But what features should you vet when looking for the best real estate website builder?
After all, not all website builders are created equal. Some will work better and perform better than others.
Here are the features we recommend looking for in the tool you choose. Carrot has all of these!
A Mobile-Friendly Design: More than 50% of all web traffic and leads now comes from mobile devices, so your site must be designed with mobile devices in mind.
An Intuitive Editor: The website editor should be easy to use and understand, even if you have no experience with coding or web design.
Industry-Specific Templates: The best real estate website builders will have specifically designed templates for the real estate industry.
Lead Generation Tools: A good real estate website builder will give you more than just a website but also lead capture forms, call to action (CTA) buttons, lead managers, SEO trackers, and other lead gen tools.
Tested and Proven to Convert: Your website builder should have a history of converting visitors into leads.
Reliable Customer Support: If you have questions or need help with your site, you’ll want a good customer support team that is knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful.
What Pages Does Your Real Estate Website Need?
Now that you understand the importance of online marketing and why using a real estate website builder is a better strategy, let’s talk about the different types of pages your website will need.
Marketers want to create and host real estate websites with valuable content that effectively engages buyers and sellers. They know they need a website but don’t know what pages are the most necessary or where to start when putting one together.
There’s a big difference between a well-thought-out real estate website and one put up on a whim.
So, which pages does your real estate website need?
Here are the most Important Pages
Homepage
Your homepage is the first thing people see when they visit your website.
This should be the most compelling page on your website. The headline should quickly tell people what you do, and the rest of the page should empathize with your target market and explain how you can help them.
The CTA, meanwhile, should be front-and-center.
Here’s an example of an agent website (scroll to see the full page)…
Here’s an example of an investor website (scroll to see the full page)…
Location Pages
If you operate in multiple locations, you’ll want to create location pages for each one. This will help you rank in Google for various high-value keyword phrases.
Your location pages will be your homepage duplicated with specific locations and updated content to that market.
About Page
Your about page is a critical piece of your website. In fact, according to our tests, it’s the second-most visited page after the homepage.
This is where you introduce yourself to your target market and explain why you’re the best person for the job.
You should also list your qualifications, experience, and any awards or recognition.
Testimonial (Review) Pages
To prove just how powerful testimonials can be (at least the conversion rate side of things), Unbounce reports on an A/B test run on WikiJob’s website. Ideal for testing, Version A and Version B are identical save for one difference: Version B includes a testimonial above the website’s opt-in form.
In the end, Version B increased the conversion rate by 34%.
Let’s put that in perspective for a wholesaler’s website.
Imagine that you drive 1,000 website visits every month, generating 100 leads per month on your website (a 10% conversion rate — typical for Carrot websites), and that you close 1 in 25 leads. That means you’re doing about 4 deals per month at, let’s assume, $10,000 profit per deal.
Boom — you add a glowing testimonial to your website and increase your conversion rate by 34%, from 10% to 13.4%.
Now, you will get more than 130 monthly leads with the same amount of traffic (1,000 website visits). And since you close 1 in 25 leads, you’ll now do a little more than 5 deals monthly with the same amount of website traffic.
You added $10,000 in monthly wholesale fees (from $40,000 to $50,000 per month) by putting a testimonial on your website.
And the same goes for real estate agents: you can increase your conversion rate and monthly income by adding excellent testimonials to your website.
You’ve Got a Website! Now What?
As you should now know, having a website is just the beginning.
If you choose the right real estate website builder that generates leads, drives traffic, and helps your business grow, it will become an asset for your business.
You can continue working on getting more rankings on Google, build more brand awareness in your market, and create an ongoing influx of high-quality leads.
Ready to get started? Take a demo of Carrot’s Lead Generation Hub now…
So you’re a real estate investor. You’re a wholesaler. You’re a flipper. You might be doing some cold calling, direct mail, but you’re going, “I need to get leads online now.”
Demo Carrot: How many deals are you losing to your competitor’s website?
Well, you might not know how to do that, or what you put on the website, what do you say, how do you structure it so it actually performs well for you and you stop losing leads and deals. How can you finally get consistency?
Well, we will show in this series how to do that, from start to finish. How to make your website finally perform for you, grow momentum, and get you more deals. So, let’s dive right in.
My name is Trevor Mauch. I’m the CEO of Carrot, where we help thousands of real estate investors, and agents generate hundreds of thousands of motivated seller leads online every single year.
There are a couple of things I want to go over first because we have a lot of misconceptions about online marketing when it comes to building your website.
I’m going to say right now the answer is no, you don’t need a website to do deals.
Now, we have many clients who do deals before they make it over to Carrot. And you can do deals. You can drive for dollars. You can cold call. You can do all kinds of things and get deals.
The question is…
How many leads and deals are you losing because you don’t have a website or what we call an authority hub, as we’ll teach you in this series?
Imagine you put out the direct mail piece. You send your nice, pretty fancy postcard or the letter out to 5,000 addresses.
They get it in their mailbox, and they pick it up. What do they do next?
Well, the very first thing that a lot of people do in this age of credibility, in this age of, honestly, mistrust, where people are skeptical, they pick it up, and they want to Google you to figure out if you’re legit.
They’re going to Google your phone number. They’re going to your company name. They will Google anything identifiable to find you and see if your service is real.
Same thing with cold calling. Same thing with text message marketing. Same thing with radio and TV advertising. All offline marketing drives online demand.
So if you’re doing offline marketing, you can close deals without it.
But I can guarantee you that you’re losing deals because you don’t have a website or the right structured website to win those deals, win those leads, and grow that credibility.
All offline marketing creates online demand. Your website can actually help you get a higher ROI from all of your offline marketing.
Quick story: Carter Steph, is one of the largest home buyers in America, the largest home buyer in Oklahoma City. And he does a lot of radio and TV advertising. He had a pretty website. It was a custom-developed WordPress website.
Carter’s Website Before Carrot
He was getting some leads through it, but after he switched over to what we’re going to teach you in this series, he showed that he was losing about $20,000 monthly in lost deals because his website was not structured correctly.
Carter’s Carrot Website
“Since switching to Carrot… the leads are converting to purchases at a MUCH higher level.”
“We couldn’t be happier with the site so far…What we have seen is a DRAMATIC increase in web leads. Since switching to Carrot, the leads we are getting are converting to purchases at a MUCH higher level.
Things have been moving so fast that we haven’t had the opportunity to accurately determine the lead-to-purchase ratio, but I would estimate it is in the 25 to 35% range, which means the leads we are getting are significantly better than our historical average.
Thanks for everything, and we are now looking at expansion because of the success we have had in such a short time.” – Carter Steph, 18002sellhomes.com
So, do you need a website? No, you don’t, but you are losing leads and deals every single month if you don’t have a website or have the right website structure.
How much is your business losing each year because either you don’t have a website or you have an underperforming one?
As we go through this series, I want it to be interactive. I want you to write down things.
I want you to write down what’s your average profit per deal. In many markets, let’s say it’s $20,000. It might be $10,000 in your market, or let’s say it’s $30,000 in your market. Write down your average profit per deal.
Keep that in mind throughout the entire series as you build the website to operate correctly and perform correctly because you want to prevent yourself from losing any of those deals. If your average profit deal is $20,000, how do you now prevent losing a $20,000 deal this year?
How many of those leads and deals are you okay with losing from an underperforming website?
We’re going to help you win back those deals and put that money in your pocket rather than in your competitor’s pocket.
Real Estate Website Design Ideas
We’re going to dive into those five points right now to ensure that you go from just a website to a high-performing website or no website to winning back more deals with the right website as a real estate investor.
Point #1
The first point is your website has to be structured the right way, or what we call a tech stack.
This is all the geeky technical stuff.
Can you use a Wix website or something built on Fivver to really get real performance? Or do you need to have something that’s built for performance rather than prettiness?
We’ve got an entire video that walks you through performance, not prettiness, to win back more deals and structure your website correctly.
Point #2
The second thing that we need to do is move from no website to the right website or the wrong website to a high-performing website. Honestly, I want to ensure it’s optimized to rank well on Google. One thing that we’ve been talking about for years and years and years is what we call Evergreen marketing.
Evergreen marketing is getting in front of the flow of your most motivated prospects.
I was on a call yesterday with one of the biggest home buyers in Baltimore, CR of Maryland. They were reporting their numbers from this past year, their number one, highest profitable, most profitable marketing metric, and they’re a multiple seven-figure a year business.
Their number one, most profitable marketing method was SEO.
They spent about $20,000 in SEO in that year, and they brought in $700,000 in gross profits with that one channel. By far the highest, most profitable deal.
So that’s why we need to ensure that our websites today are not just online. They don’t just look pretty, but they actually have an amazing chance to rank really, really well on Google.
Go check it out in the series when you’re ready. It walks you through the four main points you need to focus on when setting up your website correctly for SEO.
Now, am I qualified to talk about that? Well, if you guys were to Google, “Sell my house fast,” or “We buy houses,” or “Cash home buyers,” in any city in the country or any motivated house seller phrase, you’re likely going to find somewhere between three and eight Carrot sites controlling page one in Google in almost every city in the country.
The number one lead generation source of the 400,000 plus leads that come into our system every single year with our clients is search engine optimization. So, we know a thing or two about this topic.
Point #3
The third thing that we need to focus on is once someone comes to that website, its structure is credibility. We need to build credibility massively and insanely quickly right now in this market. It’s a cluttered market. It’s a busy market. We need to build credibility.
Check out that video on how to build credibility, start to finish, and win more deals to pre-frame the person who wants to work with you versus your competition.
Point #4
Now, number four. Number four is that once they’re there, we now need to make sure that we’re converting them into a lead.
This is the thing that we really pioneered in this industry. And you’ll see a lot of people in the market have emulated what Carrot pioneered, and we’re going to continue to stay ahead of that game is we change the industry from just getting a website online to making it perform and convert.
We run what’s called split tests each and every month with dozens of websites that test little elements like the size of a button or the placement of something. Or we test something, “Is this going to work better on mobile or not?”
And it goes back to if you lose one lead every single month, and the average number of leads it takes to close a deal in SEO is about 10 to 15, which means you lost 10 to 12 leads that year. And if you lost one deal and it’s a $20,000 deal, you could be losing $20,000 or more every single year at minimum, just because the website isn’t optimized for conversion as well as it could be.
So we’ve got an entire video to show you exactly what you need to do to put on your website to make it convert your visitors into leads at the highest rate possible.
Point #5
Number five. This is one of the most important things that we need to focus on as real estate investors when we’re setting up our website or what we call an authority hub is when you’re doing it, just work with your cousin Eddie, who can set up a website for a couple of hundred bucks, that’s not going to cut it.
Once again, how many leads and deals are we okay with losing every single year from an underperforming website?
We must focus on working with people or a team that has done this before in this specific market.
We’ve worked with agencies that have been really, really good at generating leads for plumbers or attorneys, but then they move into the investor market, and they struggle because it’s a completely different dynamic.
It’s a high-margin service business. Motivated sellers and buyers search for different types of things than other types of prospects do.
So, number five is we need to make sure that we’re focusing on working with people or a tool that is specifically focused on generating motivated seller and/or buyer leads for investors specifically, for you specifically as a wholesaler, a flipper of land, or houses.
Conclusion
All right, guys, let me run through those five real estate website design ideas really quickly again.
Number one, we’ve got to make sure we nail the tech stack and the website’s structure. Check out the video on that.
Number two, we have to be ranking well in Google today to win the highest, most motivated prospects. And so you show up high when people Google search your name so that you can win more deals from your offline marketing.
Number three is we’ve got to build credibility the right way on that website, to stand out from your competitors so you can win more of those leads and do deals.
Number four, we’ve got to structure the elements of the website to convert at a high rate, especially on a mobile device. We’ll show you how to do that in that video.
And number five, work with someone who specifically does this for you, for investors, as we do here at Carrot.
So those are the five main chunks, the five main things that we need to do to set up a website, to make it perform the right way, and to stop losing leads and deals from an underperforming website.
Now, there are a lot of things you can do and that you should be doing in between those as well. While you’re going through that journey, you’re going to have to pick and choose where you are going to go to get the website set up.
You can use a system like Wix or WordPress or go hire a custom web developer. They all have pros and cons. In some of them, you will make big trade-offs between speed and performance, or you might lose leads, but this will be cheaper for you.
We work with many of the top investors in the entire country, and we work with a lot of newer investors as well. And we’d love to work with you if it’s a fit.
The thing that I’m most passionate about here at Carrot, and it’s actually our stated mission in the business, is to help you build a business of freedom and impact. And we’ve done that with so many of our clients.
We really think that our tool, Carrot as software, our training, our support, and the ecosystem we put you into, just like with thousands of other successful clients of ours, is the right tool to help you get there.
But guys, don’t take our word for it. One of the biggest things I want you to do is go out there, do your research, and find information online.
Also, we’ve got an amazing set of videos that can walk you through many of the most successful clients and their stories, that probably are pretty darn parallel to yours as well.
Although there is no single most important trait, learning to find motivated sellerleads can be one of the most critical skills in real estate investing. Finding motivated seller leads all comes down to having the right process for continuous lead generation.
Key Takeaways
There are five signs that a seller is motivated:
They’re in a life-changing situation (divorce, bankruptcy, job transfer, etc.)
They want to downsize
The property has been sitting on the MLS for a while
The owner is straightforward about the condition of the property
The owner is absente and/or the property is sitting vacant
Cold calling and direct mail generate motivated seller leads, but a good website can be a consistent source of leads without the manual outreach effort.
Once you determine your maximum offer, it’s often wise to start negotiations with a lower figure. This leaves room for compromise and creates the potential for additional profit if the seller accepts your initial offer. A common approach is to subtract $20,000 from your pre-determined maximum cash offer.
Read on to understand what a motivated seller lead is, how to find motivated sellers (we share 11 different tactics), and learn how to negotiate these deals!
What Separates Struggling Real Estate Investors from Successful Ones?
If there’s one thing that separates a struggling investor from most successful real estate investors, it’s their systems for generating leads. They have processes that work like clockwork day in and day out.
Demo Carrot: How many deals are you losing to your competitor’s website?
Top investors generate 20 or more high-quality, motivated seller leads per month.
Does that sound too good to be true? It’s not.
In 2003, we built our first website to generate motivated seller leadsfor wholesalers. Since then, we’ve refined our marketing systems, website platforms, and overall strategy for driving leads online.
We’ve generated over 1,253,267 real estate-related leads in the past 5 years alone.
The lead generation strategies and options we will teach you in this article have been proven. Although they can take some upfront work, once the ball is rolling, you can generate monthly leads.
Ready to learn how to find motivated sellers?
Let’s do this.
What Are Motivated Sellers?
A motivated seller is an owner who needs to get rid of their property quickly and meets at least one of the following conditions:
They are willing to sell below market value at a 10-30% price.
They are ready to sell under specific terms. Including no money down and no interest.
In an ideal situation, you’d want both conditions, but one advantage of working with them is that they have reasons to sell fast. You’re there to help them solve the problem.
Some common types of motivated sellers include:
Distressed sellers
Landlords
Facing foreclosure
Relocating
Bank in possession of REOs
Divorce
Inherited houses
Recent job loss
5 Signs That a Seller is Motivated
You know what a motivated seller lead is.
But how can you spot them?
Here are five signs that a seller is motivated — you can gather this information through public records, online research, and, most importantly, talking directly to the seller.
Life-Changing Situation: If the owner is going through a life-changing situation like divorce, probate, bankruptcy, or moving across the country, they are far more likely to be in a hurry to sell… and to care less about how much they get.
Wants to Downsize: People who want to downsize often want to live more simply. They want a smaller house with less upkeep. They’re likely overwhelmed by the state of things in their current homes. These people often want to sell their property as-is for cash.
Property Has Sat On MLS: If the property has sat on the MLS for a long time (say, 6 months or more) without selling, there’s probably something wrong with the house. And the owner might have come to terms with that and be interested in selling fast for cash.
Owner is Straightforward: If the owner neglects to discuss the problems with the property, they might still be trying to get top-dollar. But if they are open and honest about the quality of the house, then they might be more willing to make a deal.
Absentee & Vacant: An absentee owner is one who doesn’t live in the same city or state as the property they own. If the property is also vacant, the owner is not making money on it but is still, at the very least, paying property taxes. These types of owners commonly want to offload their property quickly.
Online Strategies: Casting Your Net in the Digital World
The Internet has become invaluable for real estate investors seeking motivated sellers. Here are some powerful online strategies to consider:
1. Real Estate Listing Platforms: These platforms are a great starting point. While many listings showcase readily available properties, utilizing the platform’s filters can help you target motivated sellers:
Expired Listings: Properties that haven’t sold within a typical timeframe might indicate seller frustration or a need for a quick sale.
FSBO (For Sale By Owner) Listings: These sellers are already actively trying to sell their property themselves, potentially indicating motivation for a faster deal.
Pre-Foreclosure Listings: Target properties in pre-foreclosure to potentially help homeowners avoid foreclosure and offer them a win-win solution.
2. Real Estate Investment Websites: We’re going to go a little deeper in this section because it’s our bread and butter.
SEO, PPC, and social media.
Let’s start with SEO. SEO for real estate is what we consider the secret sauce of a successful real estate investor and investing marketing strategy.
Organic leads are where the majority of leads come from for our members.
It’s not theory; here’s a real peek behind the scenes…
We focus not only on SEO but also on how it builds into Evergreen marketing.
The definition of Evergreen marketing is: “a: retaining freshness or interest: perennial. b: universally and continually relevant: not limited in applicability to a particular event or date.”
In marketing terms, it’s marketing you do once, and it works for years… not hours, days, or weeks. Content relevant for a long time serves your best prospects and gets in front of them where they’re searching online.
Results grow momentum over time = Freedom
We then amplify Evergreen with paid marketing and even hamster wheel marketing.
Hamster wheel marketing is defined as: “any situation that seems endless without goal or achievement.”
In marketing terms, any marketing campaign that works for a short time after you do has a limited life span. Then, you have to do it repeatedly to keep results coming in.
Cold calling, direct mail, posting on social, open houses, etc.
Results stop when you stop = Stress
Growing increasingly into the Evergreen is where you create consistency, freedom, and flexibility.
You can significantly impact your business, but that’s where your most valuable and highest converting leads come from.
Building a solid lead generation engine for your real estate business will give you quality leads for life.
It’s a big goal, but don’t be intimidated.
Here’s some proof…
Tyler Ford has been getting 2x more motivated seller leads with Carrot than with his old site. The Carrot tools and Evergreen marketing content has helped him stand out in my crowded local market.
While paid advertising can immediately bring in motivated seller leads and help your business in the short term… SEO can build momentum and help grow your business over the long term.
But what is SEO?
It’s pretty simple.
When a motivated seller wants to sell their house fast for cash, many go to Google and type in “Sell my house fast in [MARKET CITY].”
For example, if I search for “Sell my house fast in Dallas,” Google thinks these real estate websites can help me.
Those websites get clicks and traffic from motivated sellers whenever someone types that phrase into Google… which is more often than you’d think.
That traffic then turns into leads (so long as the investor’s website is optimized for conversion), and the investor generates deals monthly through SEO.
You can also pay to get in those search results…
And that is a good idea when you’re starting. But it shouldn’t replace your SEO strategy.
More than 90% of people click on organic results before PPC results.
So here’s the question: how do you get Google to rank your website for a high-value keyword phrase?
Well, it can take time and some patience.
To start, you’ll need to put the correct title on your page, have a website that loads quickly, and do a few other things. Reference this SEO guide for help.
And at Carrot, we have TONS of tools to help you.
We give you monthly SEO-optimized blog post content. Our websites have an SEO-friendly tech stack. We also allow you to track your progress on target keyword phrases and alert you to missing optimizations on any page.
SEO for real estate investors couldn’t be any easier than with a Carrot site. :)
PPC is another valuable asset for generating motivated leads.
Google Ads can work so long as you have a solid strategy. Year after year, it’s one of our Carrot members’ top lead generation methods (behind organic leads).
Our real estate investor members consistently get feedback that their Google Ads leads are closing between 1 in 10 and 1 in 15 leads per deal.
Learn more about Google Ads for real estate investors in this ultimate guide.
3. Social Media Advertising: The power of social media targeting can’t be ignored. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to create laser-focused advertising campaigns. Target potential sellers based on demographics like age, location, and even interests related to downsizing or relocation.
4. Data Analytics & Lead Generation Tools: For a more sophisticated approach, consider investing in paid tools. These tools aggregate and analyze vast amounts of data on potential sellers. You can target outreach based on factors like absentee ownership, distressed properties, or recent life events that might trigger a homeowner to sell (e.g., job loss, probate, divorce). While these tools come at a cost, they can significantly enhance the quality and efficiency of your lead generation efforts.
One option worth exploring is USLeadList, a platform specializing in high-quality pre-probate inheritance leads for investors, wholesalers, and agents. Their data gives you a competitive edge in finding motivated sellers before your competition. With reliable leads at your fingertips, you can spend less time searching and more time closing deals.
Traditional Strategies: Building Relationships and Hitting the Pavement
While the digital world offers a wealth of opportunities, tried-and-true traditional methods still hold value:
1. Direct Mail Campaigns:Direct mailers can be a powerful tool for reaching motivated sellers. Here’s the key: customization. Craft compelling mailers that address specific needs. For example:
Absentee Owners: Highlight the challenges of managing a property from afar and offer a cash solution for a quick, hassle-free sale.
Probate Leads: Express your condolences and offer a streamlined process to sell a property inherited through a probate sale.
Distressed Homeowners: Present yourself as a solution to financial burdens associated with unwanted property.
2. Networking with Local Professionals: Building relationships with individuals “in the know” can be a game-changer. Here are some key connections to cultivate:
Real Estate Agents: Agents often encounter sellers facing various situations. Develop relationships with agents who understand your investment criteria and can connect you with motivated sellers.
Property Managers: Property managers deal with absentee owners and may come across situations where a quick sale benefits all parties.
Title Companies: Title companies handle property transactions and might have insights into potential sellers facing challenges.
3. Cold Calling: Don’t underestimate the power of a well-executed cold call. Here are some tips for success:
Do your research: Identify the owner’s name and any relevant details about the property beforehand.
Be clear and concise: Introduce yourself, explain your purpose quickly, and highlight the benefits you offer as a buyer.
Prepare for objections: Anticipate common objections, such as “I’m not interested in selling,” and prepare responses emphasizing a win-win solution.
4. Driving for Dollars: This strategy involves driving through neighborhoods looking for potential leads. Target areas with neglected properties, overgrown lawns, or “for sale” signs that have been up for extended periods. These signs might indicate absentee ownership or seller motivation for a quick sale. Once you’ve identified a potential lead, research ownership information and send a targeted mail flyer or make a cold call to initiate contact.
One option is to use Google Maps Street View and apps such DealMachine. You can drive for dollars without leaving your house.
Creative Strategies: Thinking Outside the Box
Beyond the traditional methods, consider these creative approaches to expand your pool of motivated sellers:
1. Attend Local Events:
Foreclosure Auctions: While attending foreclosure auctions can be competitive, they offer opportunities to connect with distressed homeowners directly. You might be able to strike a deal before the auction or offer a solution outside the formal auction process.
REO (Real Estate Owned) Sales: Banks often hold sales for properties they’ve repossessed (REO). While competition can exist, attending these sales allows you to potentially negotiate directly with the bank for a good deal.
Community Events: Local fairs, neighborhood gatherings, or even investment seminars can be a chance to connect with potential sellers. Introduce yourself as a real estate investor and explain your interest in buying properties in the area.
2. Offer Value Propositions:
Don’t just wait for sellers to come to you. Instead, consider offering valuable services to attract motivated sellers:
Free Consultations: Provide free consultations to homeowners considering selling. Analyze their situation, explain your buying process, and highlight the benefits of a quick cash sale.
Market Analyses: Offer free market analyses to homeowners. This establishes you as a knowledgeable resource and opens a conversation about their selling options.
By providing value upfront, you build trust and position yourself as a solution-oriented buyer, increasing the chances of converting a consultation into a successful deal.
3. Build Partnerships:
Collaboration is key in real estate investing. Partner with other investors who share your goals:
Cash Buyers: Partner with cash buyers who can offer quick closings, attractive to motivated sellers needing to sell fast.
Other Investors: Collaborate with other investors to combine resources and expertise. You can expand your reach and target a wider range of motivated sellers by working together.
Thinking creatively and building strong partnerships can unlock new opportunities to connect with motivated sellers and achieve your real estate investment goals.
Quick tip: Reaching out via email is a great way to build partnerships. Using a LinkedIn email finder can also help expand your network and reach potential leads, further improving your ability to identify cash buyers and motivated sellers.
The Difference Between Inbound & Outbound Lead Generation
We’ve shared many different strategies on this blog for real estate lead generation: Traffic plus Conversions, and we’ve shown you a bunch of great strategies for building traffic. If you haven’t read those posts, click those links to check them out… I’ll try not to duplicate much here.
Real estate investors can generate motivated leads using both outbound and inbound (paid and organic) sources.
Confused?
Let me make it more simple.
“Outbound” marketing is direct mail, cold calling, and driving for dollars.
“Inbound” marketing is Google Ads, Microsoft ads, and Facebook strategies, with good content through organic search rankings or SEO.
The Simple Motivated Seller Lead Generation Formula
To generate more motivated seller leads for your business, you first have to understand the simple formula for lead generation.
That is, how is a lead generated in the first place?
Different investors will answer that question differently. Some will say that cold calling is how you generate leads, others will say direct mail, and others will say by personally connecting with people in the community.
And none of those answers are wrong.
Successful investors also use direct mail and/or cold calling to generate consistent business leads.
But they also do something that very few investors don’t do.
They systematically generate leads by using the formula below…
TRAFFIC + CONVERSION = LEADS
Let’s break that down.
Traffic is when people visit your website. They might come through paid advertisements you’re running (like Facebook Ads or Google Ads) or organically through a search engine (Google) or a social media site (Facebook).
Wherever they come from, one thing is for sure… you can’t generate leads on autopilot through your website if you’re not generating traffic.
Paid ads effectively drive immediate traffic to your website. Building your organic traffic takes a little more time (but the payoff is massive) — more on organic traffic or “SEO” shortly.
What about conversions?
A conversion is when a person takes the action you want them to take after visiting your website. Usually, that’s filling out a form that provides you with their contact information or calling your business directly.
And voila! You have a lead.
Those are the two vital elements to generating motivated seller leads.
You have to drive traffic to your website consistently and consistently convert that traffic into leads for your business.
And Carrot websites have the highest conversion rate in the industry (usually between 10% and 20%).
A conversion rate on one Carrot member’s website.
That’s why we believe in our product so much.
We know that if someone takes their organic traffic seriously and uses Carrot to create their website, they’ll have everything they need to build a winning business.
How to Negotiate with Motivated Sellers
When it comes to negotiating with motivated sellers, there are some commonalities.
We all know that price is not something that’s set in stone. And neither is a seller’s immediate inclination to work with or not with you.
They could call you ready to sell but a few days later lose interest. Or they could call skeptically and leave the call prepared to sign.
Part of what determines these outcomes is how you negotiate. What you say, what questions you ask, and how you talk could impact.
So, we asked some experienced real estate investors how they negotiate with sellers to close more deals.
Negotiating with Motivated Sellers: Securing Profitable Deals
Unearthing motivated sellers is a crucial skill in real estate investing. However, negotiation is equally important to convert those leads into successful transactions. Here’s a breakdown of the key steps involved:
1. Market Research and ARV Determination:
The foundation of any negotiation lies in accurate information. Start by conducting thorough market research to determine the property’s After Repair Value (ARV). This represents the estimated market value of the property once repairs are complete. Consider seeking assistance from a qualified real estate agent who can provide valuable insights and access to comparable property data (comps).
2. Repair Cost Estimation:
Accurately estimating the cost of necessary repairs is critical. For complex repairs, consider engaging a professional contractor to provide a detailed estimate. This ensures your calculations reflect the true cost of bringing the property up to market standards.
3. Max Cash Offer Calculation:
Once you have a solid understanding of the ARV and repair costs, it’s time to calculate your maximum cash offer. A common strategy employed by real estate investors is the 70% rule. Here’s how it works:
Example: Assume the property’s ARV is $200,000 and estimated repairs come to $30,000.
Following the 70% rule, your maximum cash offer would be:
($200,000 ARV – $30,000 Repairs) x 70% = $119,000 Max Cash Offer
This calculation ensures you leave sufficient room for profit, even if unforeseen repair needs arise during renovations.
4. Strategic Offer Presentation:
While you’ve determined your maximum offer, it’s often wise to start negotiations with a lower figure. This leaves room for compromise and creates the potential for additional profit if the seller accepts your initial offer. A common approach is to subtract $20,000 or more from your calculated maximum cash offer. This becomes your opening bid, allowing for negotiation flexibility while still securing a profitable outcome.
By following these steps and employing effective negotiation tactics, you can increase your chances of securing motivated sellers and achieving successful real estate transactions.
Now, it’s essential to mention one more thing.
Before you bring your offer, you should’ve had a few conversations with the seller.
You should know why they’re selling, how much they hope to get, and how motivated they are.
If you don’t, get that information before you enter into negotiations. That’s cannon fodder for the discussion you’re about to have — if you know why they’re selling, then you can explain why your offer is what it is and how it will help them.
Conclusion: A Multi-Faceted Approach to Finding Motivated Sellers
The landscape of motivated seller lead generation is constantly evolving. In 2025, a diversified approach is crucial for success. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the abovementioned strategies – both online and traditional methods have their merits.
Here are some key takeaways:
Cast a Wide Net: Utilize a variety of online platforms, explore creative strategies, and build relationships with local professionals.
Target Strategically: Tailor your approach to specific seller types, whether it’s absentee owners, distressed homeowners, or those navigating probate.
Track & Analyze: Monitor the success of each approach. Analyze which methods generate the most leads and the highest conversion rates in your market.
Remember, the key to finding motivated sellers is consistent effort and a willingness to adapt your strategies.
Empower Your Journey:
Becoming a successful real estate investor is an ongoing journey. Here are some resources to fuel your knowledge:
Industry Publications: Stay up-to-date on market trends and best practices by subscribing to industry publications or blogs.
Online Courses: Invest in online courses or workshops from reputable sources to refine your skills and learn advanced lead generation techniques.
By combining these resources with the strategies outlined above, you’ll be well-equipped to identify and connect with motivated sellers, paving the way for successful real estate transactions.
After spending over a million dollars on ads over 12 months and reviewing dozens and dozens of accounts, we’d like to share our findings on which platforms are giving investors the best bang for their buck.
Demo Carrot: How many deals are you losing to your competitor’s website?
At Carrot, we’ve helped tens of thousands of real estate investors generate millions of motivated seller leads — through evergreen marketing and our holistic lead generation hub.
Brandon Bateman has done a scaled version of this but in the paid advertising realm. Specifically, he spent millions of dollars in Google and Facebook ad spend for his real estate investor clients over 2021 to generate leads and land deals.
For this guide, our team collaborated with Brandon to comprehensively compare SEO vs. Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads for real estate investors trying to find motivated sellers.
We’re going to look at the pros and cons of each channel. Then we will compare the average cost per lead, deal size, and conversion rate of each channel. And finally, we’ll give you the ultimate real estate investor marketing roadmap for creating synergy between all three marketing methods to scale your business systematically.
Let’s dive in.
Facebook Ads Pros & Cons
Facebook Ads are probably the most popular type of advertisement that real estate investors leverage. You can use Facebook Ads to either target a brand new audience or retarget people who’ve already visited your website.
The most significant upside to Facebook Ads is that they’re pretty easy to set up, allowing you to access a broad audience. The biggest downside is that Facebook advertising is a form of interruption marketing, meaning that people are on the platform for something else when your ad interrupts them. That doesn’t mean it’s ineffective… but it’s something every advertiser needs to keep in mind.
Pros:
Advertise Across Multiple Platforms
Facebook Ads allow you to target your ads to specific people on Facebook, Instagram, and Audience Network. and Messenger. So you have a very expansive reach and can show your ads wherever people prefer to hang out.
Detailed Targeting & Retargeting
Facebook Ads also offer detailed targeting options. You can target people based on their interests, demographics, behaviors, and purchasing history. And you can also retarget people who have visited your website or engaged with your Facebook page.
Resources like FB Ads Library, allow advertisers to view and analyze other ads running on the platform. This feature enables them to gain insights into successful ad campaigns within their niche, helping them refine their own strategies for even greater effectiveness. So you can laser-focus your advertising to reach only the most relevant people.
User Friendly
Facebook Ads are very user-friendly. The creation process is simple, and you can get your ads up and running quickly.
Cons:
Lack of Knowledge Means Wasted Money
The biggest downside of Facebook Ads is that many real estate investors don’t know how to use them effectively, so they end up wasting a lot of money on ads that don’t reach their target audience.
Strict Facebook Advertising Policies
Facebook also has very strict advertising policies. If you violate their policies, your account can be shut down, and you end up in “Facebook jail” for quite some time before you can rerun ads.
Some of Facebook’s advertising policies include…
No Misrepresentation
Ads must not contain false, deceptive, or misleading content, including deceptive claims, offers, or business practices.
No Discrimination
Ads must not discriminate against people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation.
No Controversial Content
Ads must not contain content that is inappropriate, offensive, or controversial. This includes ads for adult products or services, firearms, tobacco products, and political or religious content.
Of course, Facebook ultimately determines whether your ads are appropriate, which can be a bit problematic in its ambiguity.
Facebook Ads Are Interruption Marketing
Facebook Ads is interruption marketing. People are in the middle of doing something else when your ad pops up and interrupts them. So there’s a high chance that they will ignore it. That’s just the nature of interruption marketing.
Google Ads Pros & Cons
Google Ads is another powerful advertising platform for real estate investors. One of the best parts about Google advertising is that it’s not the same type of interruption marketing as Facebook Ads — because of the nature of the platform, people are searching for whatever your ad is promoting… so long as your keyword targeting is laser-focused.
The most difficult part about Google Ads is getting the keyword targeting where you want it — this can take hours of research and testing.
Pros
Google Ads Results Can Be Instant
When you create a Google ad, it goes live almost immediately. So you can start seeing results (or leads) very quickly. SEO takes much longer to see results.
Easy to Create Campaigns
Google Ads are also straightforward to create campaigns. The creation process is simple, and you can get your ads up and running quickly. Do keyword research, set your budget, and create a campaign.
Great Exposure in Search Results
Google Ads are also very effective at getting your business exposure on search engine results pages (SERPs). Your ad will appear as a sponsored link above the organic search results for your targeted keywords.
Google Ads Have Increased in Size
Google Ads have also been increasing in size over the past few years. So they’re taking up more real estate on the SERP… which means your ads can be more persuasive!
Testing & Optimization Options
Google Ads also offers a lot of testing and optimization options. You can test different ad copy, landing pages, bids, and other settings to see which combinations work best.
Budget Flexibility
Google Ads also offers a lot of budget flexibility. You can set your budget (big or small) to be per day, month, or click. So you can find a budget that works for you.
Cons
You Pay Per Click
One downside of Google Ads is that you pay per click. So even if someone doesn’t convert into a lead or sale, you still have to pay for that click.
Competitive Markets Have High Cost Per Click
If your market is competitive, the cost per click for your targeted keywords will be high. So you’ll need to have a larger budget to compete.
No Budget = No Leads
Another downside of Google Ads is that you need to have a budget to get leads. If you don’t have any money set aside for your marketing efforts, then you can’t use Google Ads. The same is true for Facebook Ads. When you stop the ads, traffic, and leads stop coming in.
Need To Have Laser-Focused Keyword Targeting
Google Ads also require laser-focused keyword targeting. Your ads won’t be effective if you’re not targeting the right keywords.
Steep Learning Curve
Google Ads has a bit of a steep learning curve. It takes some time to learn how to use them effectively — it can be a big investment to learn enough to run effective Google Ads.
Requires Excellent Landing Pages
Google Ads also require excellent landing pages. If your landing pages are not up to par, you will not see good results from your ads.
SEO Pros & Cons
For longevity, SEO is the most powerful marketing method available to real estate investors. Rather than depending on interruption marketing, you meet motivated sellers where they are — when they are looking for something in Google, you provide the answers. And as opposed to Google Ads, you do so organically without depending on a big marketing budget to put coal in the fire.
And once you’ve achieved high rankings for high-value keyword phrases in your market, you’ll likely stay in that position for years to come, creating a sustainable and predictable lead flow for your business.
The downside to SEO is that it takes an upfront commitment to produce content and typically requires three months to 6 months to start seeing results.
Pros
Sustainable Lead Flow
One of the biggest benefits of SEO is that it creates sustainable lead flow. Unlike methods like Google Ads, where you have to keep paying to get leads, with SEO, your leads will continue to come in as long as you rank in the search engines.
Longevity
SEO is also the most long-term marketing method available. Once you’ve achieved high rankings for your targeted keywords, you’ll likely stay in that position for years to come, creating a consistent and predictable lead flow for your business.
High-Quality Leads
SEO also generates high-quality leads. People who find you through organic search are already interested in what you have to offer — they’re farther down the sales funnel than people who come from other marketing methods.
Cons
Takes Time to Rank
One downside of SEO is that ranking in search engines takes time. It typically takes three to six months to start seeing results.
Requires Consistent Content Production
To rank in the search engines, you must consistently produce high-quality content. If you slack off on your content production, your rankings will drop.
Requires Good Website Tech Stack
To SEO effectively, you need a good website tech stack. This means your website needs to be well-coded, have a fast loading time, and be mobile-friendly.
Average Cost Per Lead By Channel
Here’s the average cost per lead for real estate investors on each channel — these stats are taken straight from Bateman’s research.
Facebook
Median Cost Per Lead: $132
Average Cost Per Lead: $103
Google
Median Cost Per Lead: $279
Average Cost Per Lead: $206
(We also pulled data from 30 different Google Ads accounts amounting to over $1.2 million in spending. Our accounts averaged a $196.25 cost per lead in 2021)
SEO
This is a bit different because you’re not directly paying to get SEO rankings. You could reasonably not pay a penny and get leads and deals through SEO. Or you might pay a little bit — like through Carrot — to help with your website tech stack, consistent content production, and search engine optimization and pay around $100 per month to end up generating 30-100 leads per month entirely through SEO, for which the average close rate is about 1 in 10 or 1 in 15.
Average Deal Size by Channel
One metric that real estate investors forget to consider is the size of the deals they’re doing through each channel. Because believe it or not, different channels generate different quality of leads and, therefore, different quality of deals.
Brandon says his clients typically do 10% to 40% bigger deals through digital marketing than physical marketing.
Facebook: Facebook leads are less motivated but more likely to be exclusive, which often means they are the biggest deal size for our clients.
Google: Google leads are more motivated, but also more competitive. In heavy competition markets, deal sizes can be lower due to the various levels of negotiations.
SEO: SEO deal sizes generally follow the same trend as PPC in terms of deal size.
This number will differ for every real estate investor. Still, SEO almost always has a higher lead conversion rate than Google Ads or Facebook Ads because it’s entirely organic — that is, people, coming looking for you… so they’re more motivated.
Google Ads typically have a higher conversion rate than Facebook Ads for the same reason — because you’re simply advertising to people who are typing specific keywords into Google.
Here are some benchmarks…
Facebook: 20-30 leads per deal.
Google: 10-15 leads per deal.
SEO: 10 leads per deal.
But remember: 99% of your leads are NOT going to turn into deals after just a single point of contact — that’s why it’s so important to have an excellent follow-up process. You can learn more about how to follow up with leads effectively here.
The Ultimate Real Estate Investors Marketing Roadmap
Here’s a quick overview of what your real estate marketing mix should look like.
First, understand that if you invest in it starting now, SEO can make growing your business 1000x easier and more sustainable. So work on your website’s SEO and optimization rate from the get-go. After six months to a year of optimization, you’ll see consistent results from your efforts. If you don’t know where to start, go here.
Second, while you’re building the SEO arm of your business, it’s important to use other advertising and marketing tactics to keep the lead-flow momentum going. This includes direct mail, Facebook advertising, Google advertising, door knocking, cold calling, and many other tactics.
Do what you must to find leads while waiting to claim your SERP rankings.
At some point, the evergreen marketing arm of your business will take over the advertising arm, and you’ll be well on your way to lead-flow freedom.
We’ve seen many real estate investors achieve true freedom in their businesses by transitioning from what we call “Hamster Wheel Marketing” — the moment you get off the wheel leads stop flowing — to “Evergreen Marketing” — it keeps growing even when you’re not actively working on it.
So there you have it: A detailed comparison of SEO vs. Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads for real estate investors. As you can see, each has its benefits and drawbacks. And each should be used at different stages in the lead generation process.
But if we had to pick the best method for real estate investors, it would be SEO. Why? Because once you rank for your target keywords, the leads will keep coming in month after month with little to no effort on your part. That’s the power of evergreen marketing.
If you’re just getting started, though, focus on generating leads through all channels — Facebook Ads, Google Ads, direct mail, door knocking, cold calling, etc. — while working on your SEO.
And if you need help getting started, we have a free guide that will teach you everything you need about real estate marketing.
. Cya soon, Trevor
