Highly successful real estate investors all have one thing in common: they have a seemingly never-ending supply of leads. They know where to go to identify great deals and how to get them closed quickly. But real estate investor lead generation isn’t always easy, especially when you’re first starting out. These tips will help you find the best leads for property investment.
Team Up With a Real Estate Agent
Having a real estate agent on your team helps you find leads in several ways. First, real estate agents have access to the MLS, which allows them to quickly scan available properties for those that meet your criteria. They will alert you when a property comes up on the MLS that looks like it might be a good fit for you. With the right real estate agent, you’ll get notified of these properties quickly so you can act just as fast.
Additionally, real estate agents know the local market better than anyone. They can give you the inside scoop on properties that are about to go on the market and even identify off-market leads. While you can do all this work yourself, by partnering with a real estate agent, you won’t have to because they’ll do a lot of the legwork for you.
Direct Mail Still Works
Some people believe direct mail marketing is dead or at least on its way out, but it’s not true, especially for real estate investors. Sending postcards or letters to a large number of homeowners asking if they have thought about selling their house can be an extremely effective way to identify off-market leads. You might have to send several mailings to these homeowners, but your name will be in their mind when they do decide to sell.
Be Social
Growing your social media audience is an excellent way to generate real estate investor leads. Eventually, you’ll be able to reach a large number of people with a single post and if that post gets shared, you’ll increase your following organically. Try being a regular source of real estate information by providing useful blogs, links to research, and tips for buying and selling real estate. Capture leads by offering insider advice in exchange for subscribers’ contact information.
You can also buy social media ads that target your desired audience as well, which is an effective way to reach even more people. Nearly all social media platforms have tools that allow you to identify your ideal customer and get your ad in front of those people. Start out with Facebook or LinkedIn, because they have some of the best tools, and expand from there.
Partner With a Lead Generation Company
There are many lead generation companies out there that can find qualified leads for you, but you want to make sure the company you partner with is an expert in real estate investing. You also want to select a company that can tailor your leads to your exact needs and audience. Otherwise, you’ll be casting a huge net and not keeping very many of what you catch. You’d rather cast a small net that’s full of good leads.
Conclusion
Lead generation is a critical phase of marketing for real estate investors. You don’t want those leads to dry up when you’re ready to make your next investment. Try these tips to ensure you always have new leads in your back pocket that you can quickly turn into deals.