What Are the Benefits of Sending Real Estate Text Messages?
SMS texting has become one of the most powerful communication channels in real estate, boasting impressive 98% open rates—far surpassing the industry’s average 21% for emails.
Even more compelling, most text messages are read within minutes, making SMS feel personal and immediate. But with great power comes great responsibility. As our industry caught onto these impressive metrics, the floodgates opened, leading to thousands of automated SMS messages being sent out daily.
Inevitably, this surge in messaging led to stricter regulations from carriers, cracking down on what they perceive as spam.
In this article, we’ll explore the most effective strategies and scripts for real estate SMS that not only boost your closing rates but also maintain your credibility with carriers, ensuring this valuable channel remains open and effective.
What Types of Texts Can I Use to Grow My Real Estate Business?
Not all real estate text messages are created equal. And as we’ll explain further down the article when we break down strategies from different real estate coaches, the more specific and original you can be in your SMS, the better.
Remember, this is now a crowded channel. So if you’ve been playing at it for a while, feel free to skip this section and go straight to our expert strategies.
But if you’re just starting out in the real estate SMS game, here are some of the situations in which you might want to have automated text messages in place.
1. Welcome Messages
A warm welcome can set the tone for your relationship with potential clients. When someone subscribes to your SMS list or reaches out for more information, sending an immediate welcome text helps establish trust and keeps the conversation going.
Example: “Hi [Name], thanks for reaching out! I’m [Your Name], your real estate agent here at [Neighborhood]. Just curious, are you looking to buy or sell, or just looking to tour some properties?”
As we go through this article, we want you to keep three things in mind about this message: it’s short, it’s relevant (and you’re using their name and their market of interest), and it asks a question.
2. New Listings Notifications
Timing is everything in our industry, and being the first to notify your clients about new listings can give you a competitive edge. Use SMS to send quick alerts about properties that match your clients’ criteria, ensuring they never miss out on an opportunity.
A good CRM such as Real Geeks or Follow Up Boss will make this process much simpler.
Example: “NEW LISTING! Beautiful 3-bedroom home in [Neighborhood]. Check it out: [Link]. Want to schedule a viewing this week?”
3. Appointment Reminders
No-shows and missed appointments can be costly. Automated SMS reminders help ensure your clients show up on time, while also giving them an easy way to reschedule if needed.
Example: “Friendly reminder: Our viewing appointment is tomorrow at 3 PM. Looking forward to seeing you there! Let me know if you’re good for it, please.”
4. Follow-Up Messages
After a showing or meeting, a well-timed follow-up message can keep the conversation moving forward. These texts can reinforce key points, answer lingering questions, or simply express your continued interest in assisting the client.
Example: “It was great seeing you today! What did you think of the property?”
5. Exclusive Offers and Incentives
Everyone loves a good deal, and SMS is a great way to share exclusive offers with your clients. Whether it’s a limited-time discount on your services or a special financing option, these messages can motivate clients to take action.
Example: “Special offer: Get a free home evaluation this month when you list with us. Reply ‘YES’ to learn more or ‘NO’ if you’re not interested”
As you can see here, we’re demanding an answer either way. We’ll cover why in more detail later on.
All of these are just some simple automations you can set up inside your CRM to get the ball rolling. But if you’re looking for some specific strategies from the best real estate experts, keep reading.
What Are the Best Services for Sending Real Estate Texts?
REAL GEEKS
Real Geeks is an all-in-one CRM that allows you to create highly targeted SMS and email campaigns by categorizing your leads through its Advanced Search Filters function.
- Personalization and Relevance: As we’ll discuss in more detail in the next section, personalizing your messages is crucial for effective text messaging in real estate. Real Geeks makes this easy with its robust filtering options.
- SMS Autoresponder: This feature automatically responds to new leads from your website, keeping the conversation going 24/7. You’ll receive alerts when it’s time for you to step in, ensuring you never miss an opportunity to connect with potential clients.
FOLLOW UP BOSS
Follow Up Boss is an Open OS tool designed to seamlessly connect you with your leads, making texting a core component of its offerings.
- Group Texting: Easily message multiple leads at once and include videos, images, and emojis to make your messages more engaging.
- Performance Tracking: With detailed reporting, you can monitor how well your texts (and those sent by your team) are performing, allowing you to refine your approach based on real data.
BONUS: A FREE WAY TO USE SMS
If you’re not ready to invest in a tool, you can still harness the power of SMS. In the strategies section, we’ll explore Rick Ginn’s approach to generating new leads using just a phone and a Google Voice account, which is free!
This method is a great starting point for anyone looking to dive into SMS marketing without a financial commitment.
The 3 Secrets of Real Estate SMS Texting
Greg Harrelson’s 3 Rules for Real Estate Texting
Greg Harrelson, one of the biggest names in real estate coaching, has identified three key rules for effective real estate texting. By applying these rules, you can ensure that your SMS engagement remains high and avoid being flagged as spam by carriers.
But before diving into the rules, there’s one foundational step you need to take: Verify your identity. If you’re using a CRM like Real Geeks, this process is quick and straightforward, taking just a couple of minutes. It’s an essential first step to avoid being marked as spam.
Now, let’s explore Greg’s three rules:
1. Real Estate Text Scripts Need to Be Short
Ever noticed how spammy messages are often full of unnecessary fluff? That’s a red flag for both recipients and SMS carriers. One way carriers identify spammers is by tracking whether your texts receive responses. A message that sparks a conversation is less likely to be flagged as spam.
To encourage responses, keep your messages short and to the point—like you’re texting a friend. Skip the formalities and focus on brevity.
A Bad Example: “Hey there! Thank you for opening my latest Market Activity Report. I’m John from Realty Group X. Let me know if you have any questions about any of these properties. Have a great day!”
A Good Example: “Hey Jack! Check out this 3-bedroom home [link to home from the report they opened]. Want to check it out this week?”
2. Real Estate Text Scripts Need to Be Relevant
Long, drawn-out workflows with dozens of touchpoints are a thing of the past. In today’s fast-paced world, maintaining relevance is key. Greg suggests creating targeted workflows with just two or three touchpoints for different lead categories in your CRM.
By using tools like Advanced Search Filters in Real Geeks, you can create tailored messaging that resonates with each segment of your audience.
A Bad Example: Having a single SMS workflow with 24 different touchpoints spread out over a year.
A Good Example: Create an Advanced Search Filter for leads you haven’t contacted in the last 30 days but who recently opened a market activity report. Then, send them a personalized message like the one in the previous example. If needed, follow up with one more touchpoint, but keep it concise and relevant.
3. Real Estate Text Scripts Need to Be Valuable
To get a response, your messages need to offer something of value—whether it’s access to a property, a report, or a question that helps you better understand their needs.
Here are some examples of how to frame your SMS closing lines to encourage engagement:
- “Want me to send you a report for your neighborhood?”
- “Want to check out this property tomorrow?”
- “Is the kitchen in this property what you were looking for?”
- “What do you think of the price of this property?”
- “Want to schedule a call so I can walk you through it?”
- “I just sent you an updated Market Activity Report for your neighborhood. I just want to make sure that’s going through, did you get it?”
- “Want me to send you a more in-depth Home Valuation report for your property?”
By keeping your messages short, relevant, and valuable, you’ll not only increase engagement but also build trust with your leads—ensuring that your SMS strategy is effective and sustainable.
5 SMS Strategies that Will Give You Insane Results
Reverse Prospecting with John Shoenly
Josh Shoenly talks about using mass texting for reverse prospecting, the concept of finding a property in your MLS, finding all of the buyers in your database who’s criteria matches that of the property, and sending it out.
This text script will work better if the property matches some of the following criteria:
- it has recently experienced a price drop
- it’s close to you (so you can easily show it this week)
- it’s one of the few, or the only property in that price range for that ZIP code
These all give you a reason for why you’re sending out this property, which will turn up the urgency in your buyer’s mind, and make it that much more interesting for them.
Let’s say the property has recently experienced a price drop. Here’s what the text should be:
“PRICE DROP! hey [FirstName], thought this listing might be of interest to you. they just reduced the list price by 10K. lmk if you’d like more info or to schedule a private tour?”
Josh deliberately phrases the last sentence as a question even if it isn’t grammatically correct. Because a question begs an answer.
The Jab-Jab-Hook Method with Zach Ginn
Zach Ginn warns us against using certain words that will automatically label us as SPAM by text delivery services.
For example, if you send out something like:
“Hey, is this 57 Newbury Street? I’m looking to buy properties in the area, and if you’re interested in selling, I can get you a cash offer, and I’ll close very quickly!”
…you’re going to get a 50% deliverability rate. And your deliverability will only get worse from that point on.
Words like “cash”, “offer”, “sell”, and even the word “house” sometimes can trigger these text companies to flag you as a spammer.
So Zach recommends using the Double Whammy script, where, much like boxing, you jab twice, and then you hit them with a hook they were not expecting.
Because of how these SMS carriers work, when you get a response to a text message, you’re much more likely to be considered a legitimate sender rather than a spammer.
So you should start by sending out an SMS text that gets plenty of replies, such as:
“Hey, I’m one of your neighbors. Just drove past your house. Just curious to know if you’re the owner?”
You’ll likely get a reply, even if it is something like: “Who is this?”.
And that’s when you send out the right hook: “I’m John, me and my partner are looking to buy some properties in the area, and I was wondering if you were interested in selling that property for cash.”
If you were to send out that second text first, you would’ve probably be labeled as SPAM, but because you got a response and established yourself as a legitimate SMS sender, you’ll get a much better deliverability rate this time around.
Generating Leads from Zero with Rick Ginn
Rick Ginn loves SMS texting for solo agents, because it allows you to generate leads every single day for free, just with:
- a phone, and
- a Google Voice account
And while mass texting is not illegal, you want to do it the right way to not get flagged as SPAM. And the best way to do this is by limiting yourself to sending just 10 SMS an hour.
On a 12 hour day, that’s 120 texts. You can certainly close some deals by texting 120 people a day.
Now, another way to make sure your deliverability remains high, says Rick, is by varying the SMS you’re sending out.
How? By leveraging the power of A.I.
Take the opening line from the Jab Jab Hook method we covered above, and ask ChatGPT to give you 10 variations of it.
Then, send each of these to a different lead every hour.
Three Difficult Texting Scenarios with Stefanie Lugo
Stefanie Lugo gives us three different scenarios, with three different, super efficient text message scripts.
The first scenario: You lost touch with a lead.
Maybe they ghosted you, or you dropped the ball in the follow-up.
This simple script is a great end-of-the-year activity that you can do to make sure you’re never losing touch with your leads.
“Hey! Last we spoke, you were looking to buy a home. Just wanted to check in before the end of the year. Is this still part of your plans, or did you end up finding something you love?”
And, if there are some leads where you feel almost embarrassed about sending this too, you can tweak the message a little bit. Stefanie recommends something like:
“Oh my Gosh! I could just kick myself for losing touch with you! Last we spoke you were looking to buy a house – how did it go?”
The second scenario: You’re speaking to somebody who’s far from buying or selling a home.
The idea here is to help the buyer or seller get clear on the specifics, because when someone’s far from making a decision, they’re often not asking themselves the right questions.
“They don’t know why they need to move, they don’t know where they need to move, they just know that something is causing them to start looking at this opportunity.” says Stefanie. So the goal here is to guide them along this thought process through this simple script:
“Hey, I know you’re not looking to buy anytime soon. But I was just wondering, when you do start looking at your next house, what would you change about where you’re living right now?”
A lot of the time we’re much more sure about what we don’t want rather than what we do want. And this is a great way to start a conversation where you hone in on the details with this potential buyer, so you know what to start guiding them towards.
The third scenario: You’re trying to set the appointment.
This one’s going to be even more relevant starting this year because of the NAR settlement. You want to use this script when you’ve been having a conversation with a lead, either through social media or email, but you’re not quite sure how to set that appointment to move things along.
This is a super effective, low commitment text you can send that won’t sound pushy to the potential buyer:
“Hey, I see you’re asking all these great questions and I want to give you a proper answer for all of them. I think it’d probably be easiest to have a quick conversation. Do you have 15 minutes for a chat?”
And you can use ChatGPT to get some variations on this casual, non-aggressive SMS.
The Holy Grail of Workflows with Greg Harrelso
Though Greg Harrelson is a big proponent of calling more and relying on automations less, he also knows that the right automations can supplement your outreach efforts like nothing else.
Just like we explained before, these automations need to be short, relevant, and valuable for them to be effective in today’s market.
And, the workflow that Greg advocates for the most, what he calls his Holy Grain of Workflows is a simple: TEXT – EMAIL – TEXT sequence, where all three steps are executed in the same day.
“The most unique step is going to be Step 1, the first text message,” he adds, “But after that, the email and the second SMS text are going to be pretty similar for every workflow”.
For example, to re-engage leads, he’ll set up an Advanced Search Filter to identify individuals with no engagement on his site in the last 3 to 6 months.
Then, he’ll send them a TEXT – EMAIL – TEXT sequence that goes as follows:
- TEXT: “Hey [Name], just wanted to know if you’ve been receiving the new listings I’ve been sending you.”
- EMAIL: An email containing a link to the MLS, with the new listings.
- TEXT: A second text (4 to 5hs later) simplifying access to automatically updated listings on his website.
The goal here is to get this lead to re-engage with your site. And when they do, they’ll be part of a different Advanced Search Filter, that triggers a different, highly personalized workflow.
Another example of his TEXT – EMAIL – TEXT strategy is the one he uses by creating an Advanced Search Filter for people who have favored a property on his site in the last 30 days.
- TEXT: “Hey [Name], just wanted to touch base with you. Would you like to visit the property you liked on my site recently? We can check it out this week!”
- EMAIL: Again, follow up with an email sending them the MLS with other listings on that neighborhood.
- TEXT: 4-5hs later, send a second text with a link to view more new listings on your site.
The goal here is to move these leads from a “dreaming phase” to a serious purchase consideration.
Finally, he uses this signature workflow for property owners, by creating an Advanced Search Filter for individuals who have viewed a Market Activity Report in the last 3 months.
“Ideally, you’d get on a call with these people.” he says.
But, in the case they don’t answer, you can set up another TEXT – EMAIL – TEXT workflow to maintain communication with them and get on a call in the future.
- TEXT: “Hey [Name], how are you doing? Is now a good time to call?”
- EMAIL: Follow up with them letting them know you called, and offer something of value, to advance the conversation (like a detailed Home Valuation Report), or let them know you might have some interested buyers and again, ask if you can get on a call.
- TEXT: 4-5hs later, send a second text letting them know you sent them some information via email, and asking if they’d like for you to break it all down on a call.
The goal here is to get them on a call, so you can become their first choice of agent to work with.
