There are plenty of legitimately big cities in North America, but only a handful of them are in Canada and not the USA. Vancouver is a little bit unique in that it is a very geographically-constrained big city, and what’s meant by that is the fact that there is very little room the for the city to expand outwards. Theis contributes to the scarcity and expensiveness of real estate in Canada’s West Coast big city, and that also factors into real estate being a very competitive business there. A seller’s market and consistently high home sales prices are always going to mean more and more people choosing to work as real estate agents.
It is for this reason that being knowledgeable about how to generate Vancouver real estate leads is so important. It’s equally about making sure you have the clientele you need to make a living in the profession, and getting a needed leg up on your competition at the same time. If you don’t have hustle you are not going to be successful as a real estate agent in any city in Canada, but it may just be that’s more true for Vancouver than anywhere else. And agents will also be living in the city themselves and the high cost of living will be affecting them equally.
So finding more reliable real estate lead generation tips for Vancouver realtors is something that will be a priority for any of them, and especially if they are new to the business here. It’s a known fact that the majority of realtors who pass the licensing exam are not working as agents within two years of that completion, and that’s a testament to how anyone thinking it’s possible to get rich fast in real estate should be reconsidering that idea.
It’s better to understand that success and profitability comes gradually over time, and that paid real estate leads like the ones we provide can really help agents start making good money in real estate faster. Agents usually start to see real estate lead generation services as a really good investment in the growth of their PREC, as converting even just one or two leads into clients from each batch will make the cost entirely worth it.
So what we’ll look at with this blog entry is the best approaches to real estate lead generation in Vancouver, and trying to touch on everything that we know about the most effective means of getting potential clients into the fold and then hopefully having them enter your sales funnel. Boost your Vancouver real estate business today – get started with REL!
Real Lifeblood
The lifeblood of any real estate agent’s business is lead generation, and as we’ve said that’s going to be equally if not more true for Vancouver agents. Agents who have a solid lead generation strategy in place can adjust and iterate on it to initiate a steady flow of clients, while agents without one can expect to constantly scramble for their next deal.
A lead is just another word for a buyer or seller you’re going to help with the sale or purchase of a home. It is going to be best if those buyers and sellers to know who you are, what you do, and the fact that you are one of the better qualified professionals in the area for them to work with. When one of those buyer or sellers is brought into contact with you then they become leads.
So the question then becomes how are leads best generated, and then what’s the best approach to converting as many of them into clients as possible. In order to generate the best leads it will be necessary to lay the groundwork by first understanding what value and benefits you have to offer your clients. You’ll also do well to discover what niche you serve best, brand yourself accordingly, and then let the world know what you can do.
We will say that there are as many lead-generation strategies as there are real estate agents in any neighborhood and in generations past those agents would be knocking on doors in certain neighborhoods and that’s how they would come to meet homeowners who were considering putting their home on the market. Back then there was also the possibility to buy lists for expired listings and for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) listings and start cold-calling those sellers.
Then there’s the mail and print advertisements that agents have used for lead generation in the past too. Fast forward to 2024 (and soon to be 2025) and agents have many more options when it comes to generating leads. Especially with the way the Internet has opened up a new landscape of possibilities, and agents are generating leads using search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM). Along with social media marketing, blogs, videos, and other online channels that can be used to gather, engage, and nurture leads.
Conceptualizing Lead Generation in Real Estate
For a real estate agent a lead is going to be either someone who’s interested in buying a house or someone who’s interested in selling a home. In rarer instances it could also be someone who wants to rent a home and needs your help. The one commonality between any of them will be that they are not currently committed to working with another realtors, and that means the opportunity exists for them becoming your clients.
Here’s what you’ll need to see to qualify and lead before categorizing them as cool, warm, or hot leads:
- Interested in selling, buying, or renting a house
- Financially qualified to make the purchase if a potential homebuyer
- Open to sharing contact information with you for follow-up
From there any type of lead will start to move through what marketers refer to as the ‘customer journey.’ That’s a descriptive term for how the lead moves from awareness of the service through conversion (the purchase of the service, or an agreement in principle to work together in a commission on-sale arrangement in this case). Marketers will tell you how this would look like a funnel if you can conceptualize it. One with attrition at every stage, so what they will tell you is that you need to be have plenty of leads in order to be able to count on converting a few of them.
Which then leads us to the three stages in the customer journey as it relates to Vancouver real estate leads. The first stage is awareness, anrk with.
Focus on Front 2
d it’s when the buyer or seller becomes aware that you are an overweight real estate agent who works in their area. The next stage is evaluation, and it’s where buyers or sellers are in the process of discovering more about you compares what they learn to your competition (other agents). The last one is conversion, and it is when a buyer or sellers makes their decision on which agent will be best for them to wo
It is in those first 2 stages – awareness and evaluation – that a realtor will be able to capture more leads. That’s because it is in these two stages when prospective clients will be weighing their choices and will be the most open to working with any agent rather than any one over another. Be mindful that the awareness, evaluation, conversion customer journey applies to customers who know they have a problem to solve.
This will be for buyers who know they want to buy a house, and applies the same way for homeowners who know they want to sell. The buyer and seller leads who haven’t taken that step or made that decision aren’t represented in the funnel, but they should still be on the agent’s radar. Engaging with leads before they know they have a problem, or after they’ve solved that problem (for next time) is an integral part of lead conversion for real estate agents.
We’ll now move to looking at inbound vs. outbound leads, and with the understanding that neither have anything to do with real estate lead generation services. Many realtors will already understand the difference between the two, but it’s good for anyone to have a firmer understanding of this and how it relates to getting new clients for realtors.
Inbound marketing is attracting leads through the creation of resources and assets that you foresee being of value to those prospective clients. Think a downloadable checklist or eBook that you promote on social media, or using SEO or SEM to draw search engine traffic to your website. In order for any to qualify as a lead here the would-be buyer or seller must be willing to provide accurate contact information in order for you to be able to legitimately have them added to your collection.
Inbound marketing is sometimes referred to as ‘permission-based marketing’, and this can be conceived as you asking your leads for permission to talk to them about their real estate interests and then having them directed to your website or social media page using the resources and assets you’ve created.
Outbound marketing is decidedly different, and will traditionally involve advertising your services to strangers with an eye to having those who need those services then seeing you as the fit they need before moving to start viewing homes or putting theirs on the market. A classic example would be buying a billboard alongside a busy commuter route to promote your business to working homeowners.
Outbound marketing is also called ‘interruption-based marketing’ and that’s based on the fact the lead does not have a choice whether or not to pay attention to your message because you are sending it to them, rather than having them to come to you. So outbound marketing is naturally a little bit more intrusive, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It is going to be most effective if you have some basic knowledge about your target audience.
Get Social, Often
Social media is always going to be a key part of real estate lead generation tips for Vancouver realtors. Being smartly active on social media platforms can allow you to target your audience even more specifically. Social media in real estate can be paired with outbound marketing approaches and your marketing collaterals used can be directing would-be clientele to your real estate agent website and your social media profiles and Facebook Business Page for real estate.
Effective tactics in the content there will direct strangers to the website and social media platforms, and you’ll see even better returns on your efforts when you have accurate contact information. That’s because that information will ideally be going into a CRM for real estate agents that really empowers them with nurturing clients and staying in touch with them for repeat business in the future.
Using a CRM is also highly recommended as part of any agent’s lead pursuit. Make sure you are coordinating all your leads into a single source and tracking their progress through your funnel and their individual customer journeys. All of this is underneath the overarching principle that a multi-tier approach to lead generations is always going to be best. Along with getting the fast-track advantage of paid real estate leads when you Boost Your Vancouver real estate business today – Get Started with us!
Community Involvement & Provider Networking
There are more opportunities to get involved with community initiatives when you live and work as a real estate agent in one of these densely-populated urban areas, and that’s very much the case for Vancouver. If you are a new realtor and you have the time to commit to it then volunteering or making yourself available in another capacity is very recommended to it. Not only do people admire people who are civic-minded, but when you’re a realtor there will be prospective clients who see your interest in making their hometown a better place to live as a big plus.
So much so that it may be a decisive factor in their choosing to work with you if they are soon to buy or sell a home in Vancouver or any other big Canadian city where you’re working. Be involved to a certain extent and it should be nearly impossible not to get Vancouver real estate leads from your efforts. You may also want to consider sponsoring some events if your marketing budget will allow for it, and as anytime you can have your name there and have it made clear you’re a realtor ready to work with clients you will stand to gain from it.
The last thing we will talk about in this entry is a lesser-know approach to getting leads in real estate but that probably shouldn’t be the case. There are many other professionals whose services will overlap with the ones a realtor provides for their clients, and it’s these folks who you should be reaching out to and proposing a mutually-beneficial arrangement where you refer client leads to each other. This can be for everyone from tradespeople to landscapers to mortgage brokers and home inspection providers in Vancouver.
All you need to do is suggest it, and if you’re a realtor who’s starting to make a name for themselves in the city these people will be even more likely to agree to the referral plan as you’ll likely have clients now and in the future who may need to have what they offer as professionals. Pair all of this with paid real estate leads and see your PREC grow faster starting immediately. Boost your Vancouver real estate business today – get started with us!