Email Marketing for Real Estate: Tips, Tools, Templates

In real estate, it’s all about relationships. People don’t rush big decisions, so checking in regularly keeps you top of mind when it’s finally time to buy or sell.

That’s where email marketing shines. It's relatively easy to to implement and, done right, it delivers impressive ROI. Plus, real estate consistently sees higher open rates than other professional services.

Ready to put email marketing to work for your business? I’ll walk you through how to use it effectively, with real-world examples and tips from agents who are already seeing great results.

Let’s dive in!

Is Email Marketing Effective for Real Estate?

When done well, email marketing can be a very effective channel for driving business in real estate, especially when compared to other marketing options.

In fact, in some ways, it’s especially well suited to email marketing.

Here’s why:

You Can Reach the Right People

Email marketing makes it easy to reach exactly the people you want to talk to. Whether you’re helping buyers, sellers, or investors, segmentation lets you group contacts based on things like transaction type, location, or budget. Most platforms offer simple drag-and-drop tools to manage this behind the scenes.

By creating different campaigns for each group, you can send relevant messages that are more likely to get opened - and acted on.

You Can Stay in Touch Until They’re Ready

Email marketing is a direct and cost-effective way to keep in touch with your potential clients until they’re ready to make that big purchase. ​Research indicates that a typical real estate transaction involves nearly 30 touchpoints between the initial contact and the final sale. This suggests that potential buyers engage with agents, marketing materials, or property listings around 28 to 30 times before making a purchase decision.

You Can Know What’s Working

Unlike with some other forms of marketing, it’s really easy to track results from email marketing. Most email marketing software will allow you to track open, click-through, and unsubscribe rates, which can help you understand if your tactics are appealing to your audience.

But you can also track how your email efforts are translating to your bottom line by tracking how many people take action, such as by scheduling an appointment. Even better, you can connect your email marketing tool to a CRM to fully understand the customer journey and understand how email fits into your overall strategy.

You Can Get Big Results on a Small Budget

Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach potential clients. Many platforms start as low as $8–$15 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, and some even offer free plans.

That’s a fraction of what you’d spend on print, TV, radio, or even cost-per-click (CPC) ads, which can run into the hundreds or thousands each month.

Plus, the return on investment is impressive: while most sources estimate an average ROI of $36–$40 per dollar spent, a study by Omnisend found that U.S. merchants were seeing returns as high as $68 for every dollar invested.

How to Use Email Marketing for Real Estate: Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to give email marketing a try? Here are some steps to get you started.

Set Initial Goals

If you’re planning to begin email marketing, you probably already have some ideas of what you hope it can do for you. Start there to come up with some goals. This will help you track whether your strategy is working and whether it has adequate ROI to be worth your time and money.

Maybe you have a list of potential clients who just never seem to start that search for a new home or that next investment property. Or, maybe, you have a list of contacts you’d like to deepen your relationship with.

Whatever it is that you want to achieve, figure out some goals that’ll help you assess whether you’re moving in the right direction. Overall, we recommend a S.M.A.R.T. approach to goal-setting.

For example, you might set initial goals to:

• Grow your email list by 25% using a lead magnet on your website.
• Increase the number of visitors to your open houses by 10% by advertising them to your email list and providing RSVP options.
• Meet five new clients per month by nurturing new contacts.

Choose Email Marketing Software

Every good email marketing campaign comes down to email marketing software. These tools make it easy to create campaigns, segment your list, and send out emails. Most also provide tools to track performance. Deciding which tool to use isn’t easy. You’ll have to assess the tools on the market based on your skill level, needs, and budget.

What's the best email marketing platform for real estate?

When it comes to choosing the best email marketing software, there’s no one right answer. The best email marketing platform for your real estate business will depend on your specific goals and budget. That said, our top recommendations here are:

• ActiveCampaign: We like ActiveCampaign for its strong automation functionality and excellent email marketing tools. It also provides the option for a built-in CRM, something every real estate professional needs.
• HubSpot: On the CRM side of things, HubSpot is a leader and offers much more sophisticated tools and options than most other email marketing platforms, but it still has strong email marketing tools, including automation.
• Mailerlite: If you’re looking for a cheap and easy place to start with email marketing, Mailerlite could be your ticket. Its automation capabilities are less advanced, but it makes building and sending emails easy and provides simple segmentation tools as well.

Want to compare these head-to-head? You can use our Comparison Tool for that. Or check out our comparison of HubSpot vs. ActiveCampaign.

We also recommend that you learn more about how to compare software. This will help you systematically narrow down your options to make the best choice for you.

Grow Your Email List

In order to send an email, you need people to send it to. This is often referred to as “lead generation.” Fortunately, real estate is full of great opportunities for doing this. Here are a few options to consider:

• Offer a “lead magnet” on your site, like a free guide to buying or selling a home.
• Use a tablet to collect visitor information at open houses, with the option to opt in to your email list.
• Run contests or giveaways that require email subscription.
• When people view properties on your website, give them the option to sign up for updates on these and comparable properties.

With a solid lead generation strategy, you can build a sizable mailing list over time. This allows you to stay in touch with many people, using minimal effort. Just ensure that you follow the laws and best practices that apply to email communication. You can learn more in our guide to email compliance.

Segment Your Leads

Now that you’ve got leads coming in, it’s time to organize them in a way that helps you market smarter. This is where segmentation strategy comes into play.

Instead of blasting your whole list with the same message, group people based on their needs - buyers vs. sellers, hot leads vs. cold, by neighborhood or property type.

Segmented campaigns consistently outperform general ones, with 14% higher open rates and double the click-throughs. It's a simple step that makes a big impact on results.

Create Great Content

Once you’re set up, it’s time to start sending out those emails and smashing your email marketing goals. You can either educate yourself on how to create content that converts or hire a professional to help you.

Fortunately, it isn’t hard to come up with engaging copy and photos when it comes to real estate. People in this market tend to be overwhelmed and eager for resources that will help them make the right choice. That said, most successful email campaigns have a few things in common:

• A clickable subject line. Be sure to do some A/B testing to find it.
• A beautiful email with engaging copy and great photos. In real estate, the visual side is especially important.
• A clear call to action to help move your relationship with potential clients forward. Do you want them to sign up for an open house? Set up a meeting with you? Make sure that’s clear … or they may not do anything at all.

Getting email marketing right is an art, one that relies on a lot of data to refine what is and isn’t working. You can start getting educated by reading about the basics of email marketing, email design for marketing, and email marketing success stories.

Monitor Your Metrics and Continue to Improve

If you really want to do excellent email marketing, you’ll need to get comfortable with monitoring and measuring your success. Decide what email marketing KPIs you’ll track based on your overall goals.

At a minimum, you should track:

• Open rates
• Click-through rates
• Conversions
• Unsubscribes
• Spam complaints

Then, carefully monitor them to understand what types of email and which strategies are most effective. Not sure what all these terms mean? Check out our list of 125+ email marketing terms.

Real World Real Estate Email Marketing Examples

Want to see what effective real estate emails look like in action? Here are a few standout examples from real estate pros who’ve used email marketing to drive results.

One Simple Email, 5 Offers

Ryan Dossey is a real estate broker and a co-founder at SoldFast.com. He wanted to attract sellers with properties he could purchase at a discount for his own portfolio. So, he set up a simple campaign to reach out to real estate agents in his area.

Here’s what he did:

• Used Propstream.com, a real estate data and leads provider, to gather 2082 email leads of real estate agents in his target area.
• Sent out a simple, single-email campaign. Here’s what it looked like:

This single, straightforward email resulted in 19 replies, eight email leads, five phone calls, and five offers made on properties.

$120,00 in Revenue in 1 Month

In real estate, clear messaging can go a long way. That's the approach Johell Aponte, the founder of Move On House Buyers, took with his three-part email campaign. The campaign consisted of:

• An introductory email highlighting the company’s services and how they could help homebuyers avoid the lengthy process of traditional home sales.
• A second email providing an in-depth guide on “How to Sell Your Home Fast for Cash” that addressed common myths about selling homes quickly.
• A third email that featured a testimonial from a satisfied client and included a clear call-to-action offering a free consultation.

The results? A 42% open rate, 18% click-through rate, and 75 leads generated. Better yet, 16% of those leads led to actual transactions, accounting for $120,000 in revenue!

20% Increase in Leads + More Direct Inquiries

Targeting the right potential buyers with email messaging is another simple strategy that can be really effective. Erica Nunley, founder and CEO of Nunley Home Buyers, used segmentation to target potential buyers who’d shown interest in similar properties.

Here’s what she did:

• Created visually appealing emails that showcased the sales launch of a luxury condo development. The emails showcased the condo’s high-end finishes, facilities, and prime location.
• Targeted these emails to buyers on her list who had shown interest in similar properties or signed up for updates on this property.

In just one month, this simple email segment saw a 35% open rate and a 20% increase in leads. Nunley also started receiving direct inquiries about the property from interested buyers who’d received her emails. She has since launched similar campaigns for other properties.

Key Types of Emails Real Estate Agents Should Be Sending

As you can see in the examples above, real estate professionals take different approaches to using email marketing. Which ones are right for you will depend on your business and strategy.

Here are a few options to consider.

Welcome Emails

Welcome emails are a must for anyone building an email mailing list. These emails are designed to say “hello” to new subscribers and set the tone for what will come next.

New Listing/Just Sold Announcements

New listings and sold announcements can be a way to get your real estate listings in front of more potential buyers. But they’re also just a good excuse to reach out, a way to say, “Hey, I’m working hard over here, don’t forget about me!” They’re a nice way to make existing clients feel special and taken care of, too. After all, you’re advertising their property!

Open House Invitations

Open houses aren’t just about selling that particular property. They can be a great way to meet new potential clients and collect leads.

A successful open house can also help you build trust with the seller and show them you’re generating interest in their property. Here’s a helpful list of open house invitation templates you can use to start designing one of your own.

Newsletters

A regular email newsletter can be a great way for real estate professionals to give potential clients a sense of their expertise, personality, and values. You aren’t just selling property, you’re selling yourself!

There are lots of ways to do a regular email newsletter, but a few types that often work well for real estate agents include:

• Market Updates: Keep your audience informed with the latest market stats, trends, and shifts. It’s also a great chance to share your expert insights and offer recommendations based on what’s happening in the market.
• Neighbourhood Spotlight: Showcase different areas you work in by highlighting local neighborhoods. You can share what makes each one unique, feature recent sales, or tell success stories to demonstrate your experience and local knowledge.
• Educational Content: Real estate can be overwhelming for those unfamiliar with the process. By breaking down complex topics and offering helpful tips, you can guide your audience - and position yourself as a trusted expert.
• Community Events Updates: Not every email needs to be about buying or selling. Sharing upcoming local events, festivals, or news helps you stay connected with your community and keeps your name top-of-mind in a friendly, non-salesy way.
• Design and Style Tips: People love home décor! Share styling tips, renovation ideas, or photos of stunning local properties to engage clients who are passionate about beautiful spaces. It’s a fun and visual way to connect.

These are just a few ideas. The key is that whatever you choose should resonate with the brand you're building. Feel free to make your newsletter your own!

Event Invitations

Events can be a powerful way to promote your real estate business and attract new leads. Email is an ideal tool for spreading the word and encouraging people in your network to attend. You might host seminars for first-time buyers, organize neighborhood block parties, or sponsor local business events - and use email to promote them!

No matter the format, the goal is to get involved in the community. In doing so, you'll meet new potential clients and build stronger personal connections with your existing network.

Special Promotions and Offers

As with any business, real estate professionals can use special promotions and offers to help move more potential clients toward a purchase or sale. These can include reductions on commission fees, bonuses or referral fees, or other incentives like free home staging or discounted moving services.

Anniversaries

A little reminder of a job well done can go a long way. That’s where home anniversary emails come in. Set them up to send automatically each year on your client’s purchase date. It’s a thoughtful way to help them celebrate a major milestone - and a subtle reminder of the important role you played in making it happen.

Compare Your Email Marketing Options

For many real estate professionals, email marketing is a no-brainer. It’s simple, it’s inexpensive, and it works. Plus, real estate transactions tend to take a long time. Email marketing can help provide the touchpoints required to maintain and nurture those relationships.

While there are hundreds of email marketing software options out there, our aim is to make the decision process easier. That’s why we tested more than 230 email marketing software providers to come up with what we think is the very best email marketing software on the market.

Plus, because we know that software is never one-size-fits-all, we created lists that rank top email marketing software based on other key factors, including marketing automations, integrations, ease of use, and pricing.

We even have a list of our favorite free email marketing software options you can try. Or, if you want to try a quicker option, check out our Finder Tool. We’ll ask you a few key questions and choose the best software for you based on your answers!

Don’t forget to check out our guide on the basics of email marketing for more helpful tips. You can also read about how other professionals, like lawyers, dentists, and photographers, are successfully using email marketing.