We’ve said elsewhere that it’s important for real estate agents to think about the number of touchpoints you’re planning to have with past clients who aren’t necessarily in the buy or sell phase right now.

There’s this delicate balance where you want to stay in touch with those in your real estate database, invest in a relationship by getting to know them, and stay top of mind. Doing this means the next time they or someone in their sphere of influence is looking to buy or sell a home: you’ll be the natural choice. On the other hand, you don’t want to have your e-mails sent to spam, or even worse, turn people away from using your services again. So, what are you supposed to do?

A good way for real estate agents to deal with this is to have a structure for when you’re going to contact people. A quarterly e-mail for past real estate clients, with follow-ups for milestones such as their home anniversary, can hit that elusive mark of communicating enough, but not being over-bearing.  

Now that we’ve established how many e-mails are appropriate…what are you going to say in them? Well, we’ve got some e-mail templates to help you with this.

Q1 Email

Before we get into what to write, something for you to think about here is the timing of your Q1 e-mail. We don’t know about you, but our inboxes are usually inundated with ‘Happy New Year!’ messages from our dentist, dog’s groomer, retailers, and everyone in between.

If you’re just sending out a “Happy New Years from our team at Generic Realty”, your e-mail will likely find its way to the trash folder unopened…but given the situation that’s to be expected.

Solution? Send your Q1 e-mail mid-to late January.

This is one of those instances where rather than trying to perfectly optimize your subject line to cut through the noise, you’re better served simply sending when there is less in people’s inboxes for you to compete with.

Now, on to the template!

Hi [First Name],

It’s been a while since we connected, and I wanted to touch base. How are you finding your home?

I know many individuals plan their home renovations for spring and summer. If that’s something that’s been on your mind for the upcoming year, I’d be happy to chat with you about what to expect from the process, and which home improvements increase your home value the most. I can also put you in touch with contractors and landscapers if you’re ready to take the next steps.

Talk soon,

[Signature]

 

Q2 Email

For your second quarter e-mail, take advantage of the upcoming buying season to remind past clients of the ongoing services and value you can offer.

Hey [First Name],

I hope this finds you well. As we enter peak home-buying season, I thought you’d be interested to know how properties in your area are being priced.

[Insert city/neighborhood stats summary, or link to a report on your site]

Of course, this is a general overview and actual home valuations can vary quite a bit based on the features and upgrades to your home. If you’d like to know what your property is currently valued at, let me know and I’d be happy to arrange a home appraisal for you.

Best,

[Signature]

 

Q3 Email

Providing comment on current market conditions provides you with a natural opening to ask for referrals.

It’s pretty common in other real estate templates we’ve seen to mention how important referrals are to your business. While this can work for some people, we’d caution you to think twice about centering yourself in the ask. Instead, emphasize how passing along your information benefits the people being referred. This increases the odds of getting a referral because it makes your ask feel less transactional and centers on them.

Hi [First Name],

How is your summer shaping up so far?

It’s been a [busy/slow] home-buying season, with homes selling at [higher/lower] than had been predicted. This makes it a great time to [sell for a nice profit/get into a bigger home at a great price]!

If you know anyone who might want to take advantage of this opportunity to buy or sell their home, please feel free to pass along my contact information. I’d be happy to provide them with advice, a complementary home appraisal, and help them with the process.

Stay cool out there!

[Signature]

 

Q4 Email

To wrap up the year, continue your trend of providing timely information.

Hi [First Name],

In anticipation of colder weather, I thought you’d enjoy these great tips on winterizing your home:

[Insert Article 1]

[Insert Article 2]

I hope you and your family enjoy what’s left of 2022!

[Signature]

 

Ideas for further customization

Other things to include:

• Neighborhood events

• Interesting home renovation and decor articles (by the way, if you don’t have time to go hunting for these check out our curated list here)

• Personal touches from past conversations (you can see your entire conversation history and notes right from their client profile)

• Financial tips, such as articles on current interest rates or what to expect when refinancing your home

• Links to your calendar where your past clients can book themselves in to speak with you

• Listings in their neighborhood of similar or aspirational homes

Conclusion

As a real estate agent, you want to cumulatively build your book of business. This means putting in the effort to stay in touch with the individuals in your real estate database - even if they aren’t planning to buy or sell in the foreseeable future. After all, you don’t want to be long forgotten by the time their next home purchase rolls around.

Using these e-mail templates to stay in touch with your past real estate clients means that over time, you won’t have to be constantly battling with other real estate agents, trying to win business from the same set of buyers and sellers. Instead, you can build a solid foundation from the clients you have already worked with to dominate the market in your area!

Between marketing your business, juggling showings, and staying on top of your leads, you need a system to manage your workload in a stress-free and intuitive way. RealOffice360 is an unbelievably simple CRM, business tracker, and daily planner for real estate agents and Realtors®. Rather being just a data dump for client information, RealOffice360 helps you visually build your business plan, cultivate your real estate database towards your goals, and ultimately keeps you focused on what matters most: your clients and your deals. Get started for free - no credit card required!