31 real estate text message scripts to convert more leads [free templates]

If you’re here, you probably count yourself among those who prefer to communicate with clients via text. But are you sending the right message at the right time?

In the modern game of real estate, text messaging is about so much more than speed to lead. In this guide, we’ll share a complete list of scripts and best practices to help you use text messaging to build organic relationships that convert.

Best real estate text scripts

• Initial responses to a buyer lead
• Initial responses to a seller lead
• Initial inquiry (general)
• Determining interest
• Conversation starters to gauge lead stage
• Text after calls to boost responses
• Follow-up text after missed call or voicemail
• Text updates to spouses or joint-investors
• Coordinating appointments between multiple parties
• Keeping agent, ISA, and seller in the loop
• Checking in with stale leads
• Introducing a lender or vendor
• Responding to a Google lead
• Nurturing your past clients and sphere

Initial responses to a buyer lead

• Hi first_name, re: inquiry_address, what’s the best time for me to call?
• First_name, I see you like inquiry_address. Awesome! When would you like to see it? 
• Hi first_name, I see you’re looking to move into the _____ area! What brings you to this part of town? Any questions?

Initial responses to a seller lead

• Just received your home eval request, first_name! Is there any other information you would like to share about your home?
• Thanks for your inquiry, first_name! When is a good time to chat about getting your home sold?
• Hi, first_name! Thanks for reaching out! If you could have your home sold by a certain date, what would that be?

Initial inquiry (general)

• Got your message on source_name. When is a good time to call you?

Determining interest

• I have a few buyers looking in your area, is your home still available?
• First_name, are you free Wednesday or Thursday evening to take a quick tour of a home I picked out for you?
• Still debating if it’s a good time to sell? What has you hesitant?
• Is city_name the only city you’re looking in, or are you open to other areas?
• I put together a few notes on getting your home sold faster, do you have time to meet and discuss over coffee this week?

Conversation starters to gauge lead stage

• First_name, are you still interested in selling your home this season?
• Hey, first_name! Since you like inquiry_address, would you be interested in seeing more homes like it?
• First_name, I see you have your home listed yourself, is there anything that would make you want to work with a real estate agent?
• It’s been a while since we touched base! How are things going, first_name?

Text after calls to boost responses

• Hi first_name. Thanks for speaking to me today! Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know about inquiry_address. Enjoy the rest of your day.
• Inquiry_address has a huge backyard and a sunny bay window. Might be right up your alley, want to see it?

Follow-up text after missed call or voicemail

• Hi first_name. How are you? Just sent you a VM. Let me know when is a good time to call. Thanks!
• First_name, looks like we keep missing each other! Still interested in chatting?

Text updates to spouses or joint-investors

• Hey first_name and first_name! Just wanted to give you a quick update. We've successfully submitted our offer. I'll let you know as soon as we have a response!

Coordinating appointments between multiple parties

• Hi everyone! I hope you're doing well. Can you please let me know your availability for property viewings this weekend? I'll do my best to schedule appointments that work for everyone.

Keeping agent, ISA and seller in the loop

• Hi team! Just wanted to provide a quick update on the progress with the seller. We've received a counter offer and are currently in negotiations. I'll keep you all informed on any developments. Let me know if there are any specific details or questions you'd like me to address.

Introducing a lender or other vendor

• Hi first_name, meet first_name! They're our trusted mortgage specialist who will guide us through the home loan process. They'll be joining our conversation moving forward, so feel free to reach out to them for any questions or assistance. Excited to embark on this home buying journey together!

Checking in with stale leads

• New homes just hit _link_, have you seen them first_name?
• Hey, first_name! It’s agent_first_name from team_name. How’s the house hunting going? Still looking in city/neighborhood_name?
• First_name, you came to mind when I listed this property_type in the neighborhood_name. Take a look at this and tell me what you think of the hardwoods: (link)
• First_name, I was just thinking back to the conversation we had a while back. Are you still thinking things over or ready to move forward?

Responding to a Google lead

• Hi first_name, regarding property_name, what’s the best time for me to call? -agent_name
• Hi! I'm agent_name, a local real estate agent. Saw your interest in property_name. Let's schedule an appointment to chat about your home needs!

Nurturing your past clients and sphere

• Hi first_name, just wanted to say hello and see how you're doing. If you need any real estate assistance or have any questions, I'm here for you. Stay well and hope to hear from you soon!

Text messaging for 1:1 lead nurturing

Text messaging has become a key element in many modern real estate businesses. The question is, are you using it to its full potential?

The role of text messaging in your lead conversion strategy will depend on a variety of factors, including your:

• Lead sources
• Lead management process
• Ad campaigns
• Email campaigns
• Social media strategy

And more. For example, Robert Slack of Florida-based mega team Robert Slack LLC uses text messaging to connect ISAs and agents with a higher volume leads, on a more personal level. “We were only connecting with 34% of our leads, but since we instituted a 45-day text campaign, that number has risen to 65%,” says Robert.

Here’s the breakdown on his strategy for engaging with new leads from Realtor.com:

• Integrate Follow Up Boss with CallAction
• Engage by text message within two seconds of receiving the lead
• Use inside sales agents to connect with leads immediately via phone call
• Create Action Plans to send additional nurture texts
• Serve all leads with targeted ad campaigns via social media
• Encourage agents to take detailed notes to personalize their follow-up

Even if your lead gen strategy doesn’t include a high volume of paid leads, there are plenty of ways to use SMS to drive a real connection with the people in your database.

Here are some other ways real estate professionals can use text messages:

• Sharing updates on new listings with potential buyers
• Updating buyers on changes in listing price
• Checking in before or after an open house
• Following up after sending a home valuation report
• Sending additional resources to a first-time buyer
• Sending a quick appointment reminder before a showing
• Introducing a client to your preferred lender, photographer, inspector, etc.
• Texting a family to see what they like most about their new home
• Following up to say thank you after connecting with a referral

There’s virtually no limit to the ways you can use text messaging to grow your connections and business.

Once you’ve decided where in the lead journey text messaging will be most effective, take a minute to review your text message scripts in sequence with the rest of your real estate scripts to ensure a streamlined client experience.

The benefits and risks of using text messaging in real estate

Rainmakers like Robert have built multi-million dollar businesses with the help of targeted text messaging. But it’s not without its risks. 

With the cost of text scams reaching $360 million per year, text messaging compliance is a key priority for regulators and carriers.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the key risks and benefits to help you keep your text messaging compliant.

Benefits

• Quick and immediate communication
• Higher chance of reaching and engaging with leads and clients
• Ability to have individual conversations, ask questions, and address specific concerns
• Personalized experience for leads and clients
• Automation lets you reach multiple clients simultaneously
• Saves time while effectively nurturing leads

Risks

• Can be seen as more informal for sensitive topics
• Texts can be flagged by carriers if delivery rate, open rate and response rate are low
• Your number can be blocked and flagged if it’s marked as spam multiple times
• Fines can be high for those who don’t play by the rules

💡TIP: Personalize your follow up with Video Texting

Send short videos to clients or offer a warm welcome to new leads with simple video messaging straight from Follow Up Boss.

What TO DO when texting leads and clients

When texting your contacts, remember this golden rule: Would I read and reply to this myself?

If the answer is yes, hit send. Here’s a rundown of the other ‘dos’ of text messaging.

Do: Text immediately

Text a lead within five minutes of them submitting an inquiry on your website. If you aren’t able to call, send a text message after they’ve had some activity on your website, like favoriting a property.

Do: Time your text messages

Aim for times when your contact isn’t as busy, like in the afternoon. Regarding days of the week, research shows Thursday through Saturday may be the best days for texting. It’s not a hard rule, just something to experiment with to see what works for your prospects.

Do: Respond asap

Never leave someone hanging. Respond to every text as quickly as possible, even if it’s just to say you’ll get back to them.

Do: Keep it brief

When it comes to text messaging, shorter is better. While you may find your texts increasing in length the closer you get to a transaction, the general rule of thumb is to aim for 60 characters.

Do: Ask questions that generate a response

Questions are a great way to spark a conversation. Plus, it gives you a chance to use their answers to guide future conversations.

Do: As a question after sending a link 

Don’t just text someone a link to your website in the hope that they’ll visit and get back to you. Spark a real conversation by always asking a question immediately after sending a link.

Do: Keep it friendly

Make your prospect feel the same way they do when messaging a friend or family member. If you’re a fan of emoji, use them. If you make a spelling or grammar mistake, don’t sweat it. If you can send a video message, do it.

Do: Know who to text next

Unfortunately, it’s not always clear which of your leads should receive a text message next. And hitting your entire database with the same blanket text isn’t going to do much for your conversion rate (or your reputation).

In Follow Up Boss, Smart Lists help you determine who you need to follow up and when. 

To quickly pinpoint leads who could benefit from a text message, filter your Smart List for:

• All contacts with a birthday coming up in the next 7 days
• Sellers who you haven’t communicated with in over 2 weeks
• Leads that have never been texted
• Hot prospects whose last communication was over 3 days ago
• Leads who favorited a property today

Your Smart Lists will update automatically showing you exactly who to text next, or who to add to another type of nurture sequence.

From there, you can set your Action Plans to trigger an automatic text and email sequence for each of your lead sources. You can instantly fire a friendly hello, or even a video text, every time you get a lead from a specific source.

What NOT to do when texting leads and clients

The real estate industry has come a long way from the days of aggressive cold calling. Today’s tech-empowered agents can deliver a more relevant and personalized experience — and with the rise of automation, they can do it in a lot less time. 

But with an increase of text scams and robocallers, you can’t afford to “set it and forget it”.

Here are some tips to help you get more out of text messaging, without cutting corners on client experience. 

Don’t: Overwhelm your prospect 

Cramming lots of unnecessary info into your text messages will definitely hurt your response rate. Instead, encourage back-and-forth communication by creating a message that requires a short reply.

Don't: Send repeated messages 

Don’t message a prospect for several days in a row if they haven’t replied. This could potentially flag your phone number with your carrier and damage your ability to send future texts. Plus, it’s just not a good experience for your leads.

Don't: Treat texting like a replacement for calls

If an offer falls through, potential buyers pass on a house, or you need to discuss any other serious issue, a text isn’t the right method. Go for a phone call or email instead.

Don't: Send generic messages

Great engagement isn’t about how many texts you send. It’s about the quality of each interaction. To improve your response rate, focus on sending the right message at the right time rather than texting a certain number of leads.

Don't: Promote contests

No matter how legitimate, never promote a contest via text. This includes everything from your iPad giveaways to your holiday promotions. Stay compliant and keep it to social media and email.

Don't: Send sensitive documents via text

If you need to send documentation that is binding, don’t use a format that’s as informal as text messaging. Opt for email or another secure system instead.

Don’t: Use a text signature

Signatures in text messages can distract from the call to action. If you still want to personalize your texts, try adding your headshot to your Contact Card to put a friendly face to your name.

Check out Contact Card's in FUB!

Give your real estate text scripts a personal touch

Texting a real estate lead immediately is one of the surest ways to establish a connection. But it’s how you build trust beyond the text message that really moves the needle.

For effective text messaging that converts, you need scripts that are organic and aimed directly at your prospect’s needs. You also need a clear plan to keep your leads engaged, no matter where they are in their real estate journey.

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