Lost leads. Forgotten tasks. Missed opportunities.
For real estate agents, few problems inflict more damage than poor customer relationship management.
But there is a solution - a robust CRM platform purpose-built for real estate professionals.A CRM acts as mission control for your client relationships.
Need to nurture new leads into sales-ready prospects? CRM helps you target communications to move inquiries along the sales funnel.
Want to deliver consistent five-star service? CRM centralizes every client interaction for personalized follow-up.
Got a complex deal nearing close? CRM provides deal-tracking tools so you can proactively head off obstacles.
Yet many agents rely on makeshift systems of scattered emails and spreadsheets to manage one of their most valuable assets: client relationships.
This fragmented approach means lost leads, frustrated clients, and missed sales.
To thrive in today's competitive market, real estate professionals need a CRM that seamlessly handles the heavy lifting of building client relationships.
This guide will explore how the right solution helps you increase sales, productivity, and client loyalty.
But before we go any deeper, here are the top ways you can generate leads in 2024 and beyond:
Let's examine why forward-thinking agents are embracing CRM to drive business growth.
Chapter 1: Why Real Estate Agents Need a Good CRM
Source: Capterra
For real estate agents and agencies, having a CRM system in place delivers a multitude of benefits that directly translate into higher productivity, increased sales, and stronger client relationships.
Here are some of the key reasons a good CRM is a must-have for any real estate business in the 21st century:
1. Improved Client Relationship Management
At its core, a real estate CRM helps you nurture relationships with clients more efficiently.
Features like centralized contact profiles, email integration, and calendar syncing gives you instant access to each client’s history and key details in one place.
This makes it easier to personalize your interactions and provide high-touch service.
With a CRM, you can set reminders for important dates like birthdays or lease renewals.
Automated email sequences can be used to follow up with new leads or check in with past clients.
These small personal touches make a big difference in building lasting relationships.2. Streamlined Sales Processes
Juggling prospective deals while servicing current clients is a delicate balancing act.
A real estate-focused CRM gives you tools to streamline your sales pipeline and ensure no opportunities slip through the cracks.
Lead and deal stages help you identify where each prospect is in your sales process - from initial inquiry to closed sale.
Task and workflow automation ensures important follow-ups never fall by the wayside.
Instant access to your pipeline gives you greater visibility into your sales forecasts.
Overall, an intuitive real estate CRM transforms all your client interactions into actionable data you can use to convert more leads and close more deals.3. Enhanced Client Communication
Communication is the cornerstone of good real estate service.
Without a CRM, details about client interactions can easily get lost in scattered emails and phone calls.
This fragmentation creates gaps that impact your ability to deliver consistent and personalized service.
With a CRM, every interaction is logged for instant access.
Email integration links email conversations to contact profiles.
Built-in phone tools allow you to record calls and log them to the relevant deal.
Notes, tasks, and reminders keep the lines of communication open.
This complete view of client interactions helps real estate agents nurture the level of service today’s consumers expect.Follow-ups are more meaningful and informed.
Problems get resolved faster. Communication gaps leading to dissatisfaction are avoided.
4. Increased Productivity
Fielding inquiries, scheduling showings, handling paperwork - a real estate agent’s responsibilities span a wide range of important but time-consuming administrative tasks.
Managing these solely through emails and spreadsheets leads to lost productivity.
A real estate CRM delivers helpful productivity enhancements:
Email templates for faster, brand-consistent replies
Integrated calendars to quickly schedule showings
Mobile apps to access data and complete tasks on-the-go
Custom workflows to standardize repeatable processes
reporting dashboards to quickly analyze performance
With these capabilities, agents can spend less time on busywork and more time on revenue-generating activities.
Streamlined processes help agents work smarter and accomplish more each day.5. Better Data Organization and Management
Real estate deals generate an enormous amount of data - buyer needs, property details, marketing materials, signed contracts, disclosures, and much more.
Trying to manage this information scattered between different systems, folders, and filing cabinets is incredibly inefficient.
A real estate CRM centralizes all this data for quick access and management.
Robust search functionality makes it easy to retrieve client details and documents.
Customizable data fields allow you to capture all relevant property, lead, and deal data in one place.
Better information management ensures you have accurate, real-time visibility into all your leads and deals.
This enhances your ability to track performance, forecast revenue, and make data-driven business decisions.6. Improved Decision Making
In real estate, success depends on making the right decisions about leads to focus on, deals to pursue, marketing strategies to invest in, and more.
Without proper data, these choices essentially boil down to guesswork.
Robust analytics and custom reports equip agents with valuable data-driven insights into their pipeline and marketing ROI.
This helps identify what strategies and actions deliver results so you can double down on what’s working.
Access to accurate information ensures you make the right choices to convert leads, retain clients, and maximize your earnings.7. Enhanced Team Collaboration
Real estate often involves large teams working across different locations.
A cloud-based CRM enables seamless collaboration so that agents, brokers, assistants, and partners can access the same up-to-date information from anywhere.
Activity streams provide visibility into interactions with shared clients and deals.
Team task management ensures handoffs are completed smoothly.
With a centralized hub connecting your team, you can provide consistent service and a unified brand experience.8. Powerful Marketing and Lead Generation
The right CRM empowers you to take a more proactive approach to lead generation and sales.
Segment contacts for targeted email campaigns and drip sequences.
Integrate social media for expanded reach.
Track online behaviors such as email opens and website visits to gauge engagement.
Use analytics to determine interest levels and identify when to follow up.
With these marketing tools built-in, you can nurture prospects until they are sales-ready.9. Access to Third-Party Integrations and Add-Ons
The right CRM platform offers an ecosystem of third-party integrations and add-ons to further expand capabilities.
Common integrations include email marketing, SMS, accounting software, phone systems, and more.
Add-ons provide niche tools for areas like lead generation, transaction management, and digital signature.
With an open platform, you can customize your CRM to meet your real estate business’s unique needs.Chapter 2: Top Features to Look for in Real Estate CRM Software
Real estate CRM platforms offer varying features. When comparing options, there are certain must-have capabilities for managing your real estate business effectively:
Contact Management
This provides the core CRM ability to store centralized profiles for all your contacts - leads, clients, partners etc. Key features include:
Custom contact profiles: Capture all relevant details including lead source, contact stage, notes, tasks, communication history etc in a centralized profile.
Smart contact segmentation: Categorize contacts based on attributes like lead source, agent assigned to, property types of interest etc for better tracking and communication.
Email integration: Sync email conversations into contact profiles for quick access to communication history.
Contact timeline: See all activities like calls, emails, meetings associated with a contact on their timeline.
Saved searches/groups: Save frequently used contact search queries for quick access. Create contact groups to segment your database for communication.
Social profiles: Sync social media profiles for relevant contacts into their CRM profile.
Contact analytics: Charts and graphs to analyze contact volume, source, sales cycle length etc.
Predictive lead scoring: Automatically score leads based on attributes like demographics, behaviors etc to focus sales efforts on hot leads.
Duplicate management: Merge duplicate contacts and standardize data for a single source of truth.
Contact workflows: Set up automation based on contact actions like email replies, form fills etc.
Lead Management
Specialized tools to capture new leads from all sources and route them efficiently through your sales process:
Lead capture forms: Create web forms to easily capture lead details from your website, social pages, etc.
Email lead capture: Capture leads directly into your CRM from email inquiries.
Lead assignment rules: Automatically route new leads to appropriate sales reps based on territory, load, etc.
Lead stages: Categorize leads into different sales stages, from inquiry to closed/won.
Lead scoring: Score leads based on profile attributes, behaviors like page views, email opens etc.
Sales pipelines: Visual sales funnels by stage to analyze and monitor your sales conversion process.
Lead reports: Analytics on lead volume, conversion rates, sales cycle length etc.
Deal Management
Specialized tools to move top prospects through your sales pipeline to closed deals:
Deal stages: User-defined stages to capture deal progression from lead to close.
Custom deal fields: Capture all important deal details like property specifics, financing, contingencies etc.
Deal workflow: Set up deal stage progression rules, tasks, alerts etc to systemize your sales process.
Deal calendar: Central calendar to track deal milestones like inspections, appraisals, closing dates.
Document storage: Central system to store and share all documents connected to a deal.
Email deal sync: Link emails to relevant deals for quick access to client communication.
Deal analytics: Custom reports on deal performance - volume, velocity, fall out rate etc.
Forecasting: Predict future sales based on pipeline deals using sophisticated algorithms.
Task Management
These tools help you effectively manage your daily real estate-related activities:
Task lists: Log any actions or to-dos needed related to deals, clients, properties etc.
Recurring tasks: Schedule repeating tasks like monthly market analysis for clients.
Task assignment: Assign tasks to specific users or deal team members.
Task alerts: Pop-up or email reminders on task due dates ensure nothing falls through cracks.
Task reports: Get insights into task completion rates, overdue tasks etc.
Task automation: Automatically generate tasks based on events/actions like new lead assigned, deal stage change etc.
Task dependencies: Make certain tasks dependent on completion of predecessor tasks.
Task calendar: See all your upcoming and past due tasks in calendar view.
Email Marketing
Tools to manage your real estate email campaigns and newsletters:
Contact list segmentation: Divide your contact database into lists based on attributes like property type, lead score etc.
Email campaign creation: Quickly build targeted campaigns and send to selected contact lists or segments.
Email templates: Pre-designed real estate email templates can be customized for your brand.
Email automation: Trigger automated email sequences when contacts complete actions like email opens, website visits etc.
Email analytics: Track email metrics like open, clickthrough and unsubscribe rates to optimize campaigns.
Email compliance: Ensures all campaigns comply with anti-spam and marketing regulations.
Email calendar: Schedule and calendar upcoming email campaign sends.
Reporting & Analytics
Robust reports provide real-time insights into your CRM data:
Custom reports: Build reports filtered by any CRM data fields like lead source, deal stage, agent etc.
Real-time dashboards: Customizable performance dashboards spotlight your most important metrics.
Contact analytics: Reports on contact volume, sources, lifecycle etc help optimize your lead gen strategy.
Deal analytics: Track deal performance by pipeline stage, agent, property type etc.
Sales forecasting: Use historic deal data to predict future sales probabilities.
Sales leaderboards: Leaderboards foster friendly competition by comparing agent performance.
Email analytics: In-depth tracking of email campaign metrics helps refine your approach.
System reporting: Administrative reports on CRM adoption, system usage etc.
Integrations & API
Capabilities to extend system functionality via third-party integrations:
Email integrations: Connect popular email platforms like Gmail, Outlook etc to sync communications.
Calendar integration: Sync your CRM calendar with external calendars like Outlook, Google etc.
SMS integration: Send/receive SMS messages directly from client profiles.
Voice integration: Integrate with VoIP phone systems to log calls, play screen pops etc.
Accounting integration: Sync CRM with accounting software like Quickbooks for centralized data.
IDX integration: Connect the CRM with MLS listings from popular property data providers.
API and webhooks: Integrate with external apps via API and leverage webhooks for custom automation.
Payment integrations: Connect the CRM with payment processors to accept payments online.
Chapter 3: Top 10 Real Estate CRM Software Systems on the Market
The real estate CRM marketplace offers many options to suit solo agents, small teams, and large brokerages.
Based on popularity, features, and real estate-specific capabilities, we’ve compiled the ten best real estate CRM platforms currently available:
1. Follow Up Boss
Follow Up Boss offers a simple yet powerful real estate CRM focused on lead management.
Key Features
Innovative workflow automation for leads.
Flexible lead routing rules by availability, territory etc.
Built-in VoIP phone integration.
Calendar syncing with Google, Office 365 etc.
Customizable views, reports and dashboards.
Best For
Real estate teams who manage high lead volumes.
Teams who want simple yet robust lead management.
Teams who use Gmail, Google Calendar etc.
Pros
Unique workflow automation for managing leads.
Simple yet powerful interface.
Affordable pricing tiers.
Fantastic support and community.
Cons
Light marketing campaign features.
Less flexible customization of objects/fields.
Third party integrations cost extra.
Cost
$49/user/month for Professional plan.
$99/user/month for Enterprise plan.
2. Salesforce
The world’s most popular CRM, Salesforce offers a robust platform tailored for real estate.
Key Features
Custom objects for properties, listings, deals etc.
Branched sales process functionality.
Advanced configuration flexibility.
Robust apps extend functionality like marketing, accounting, contracts etc.
Powerful sales and system analytics.
Top-rated mobile access.
Best For
Mid to enterprise brokerages.
Teams with complex sales processes.
Companies already using Salesforce.
Pros
Incredibly customizable platform.
Scales to support largest brokerages.
Extensive AppExchange integrations.
Powerful sales productivity features.
Cons
Steep learning curve due to complexity.
Complicated pricing model.
Overkill for smaller brokers and agents.
Cost
Contact Salesforce for quote based on features and user count.
3. Zoho CRM
Zoho offers an affordable yet full-featured real estate CRM loved for usability.
Key Features
Intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
Built-in real estate templates and reports.
Email marketing and campaign automation.
Social media integration and monitoring.
200+ app integrations via Zoho Marketplace.
Best For
Real estate teams and small-mid brokerages.
Agents who value simplicity and ease of use.
Companies already using other Zoho apps.
Pros
Simple, intuitive user experience.
Inexpensive compared to other enterprise CRMs.
Tight integration with Zoho ecosystem of apps.
Great base features for most real estate workflows.
Cons
Less flexible/customizable than other enterprise CRMs.
Smart campaigns automation costs extra.
Limited file storage in basic plan.
Cost
$15/user/month for Standard plan.
$25/user/month for Professional plan.
4. HubSpot CRM
HubSpot offers a free, user-friendly CRM integrated with their powerful marketing software.
Key Features
Free basic CRM for small teams.
Out-of-the-box sales automation workflows.
Native meetings and email tracking.
Seamless integration with HubSpot Marketing hub.
Social media publishing and monitoring.
Best For
Teams who are new to CRM software.
Brokerages who want easy marketing automation.
Teams who value simplicity and ease of use.
Pros
Free version has robust features for small teams.
Very intuitive and easy to use interface.
Tight integrations between CRM and marketing.
Strong support community and education.
Cons
Light on specialized real estate features.
Advanced customization and reporting requires paid upgrade.
Email marketing and automation costs extra.
Cost
Free CRM for 2 users.
$45/user/month for Professional plan with marketing.
$400/user/month for Enterprise marketing and sales.
5. Pipedrive
Pipedrive markets itself as sales CRM specifically designed for smaller teams.
Key Features
Intuitive interface focused purely on sales.
Built-in sales reporting and analytics.
Activity-based sales pipeline management.
Customizable deal stages and sales processes.
Lead scoring and deal forecasting.
Best For
Real estate agents and small teams.
Teams who value simplicity and ease of use.
Teams who need robust sales functionality.
Pros
Simple to learn and use for sales teams.
Affordable pricing tiers for small businesses.
Strong focus on sales pipeline management.
Great for tracking real estate deal flow.
Cons
Light on marketing campaign automation.
Less flexibility to customize fields and objects.
Advanced features like forecasting cost extra.
Cost
$12.50/user/month for Basic plan.
$24.50/user/month for Advanced plan.
6. Freshsales
Freshsales offers an affordable, sales-focused CRM designed for high-velocity sales teams.
Key Features
Simple, intuitive sales-based interface.
Built-in phone, email and social media engagement.
Automated sales workflows and playbooks.
Robust customizable pipeline management.
Suite of productivity features for sales.
Best For
Real estate teams with quick sales cycles.
Teams who value simplicity and ease of use.
Teams who need sales automation.
Pros
Simple, straightforward sales interface.
Affordable pricing tiers for small teams.
Suite of sales productivity features.
Strong email and phone integration.
Cons
Light on marketing campaign automation.
Less flexibility in custom fields and objects.
More limited API and customization capabilities.
Cost
$19/user/month for Blossom plan.
$35/user/month for Garden plan.
$65/user/month for Estate plan.
7. Copper
Copper CRM focuses on relationship-building and engagement for sales teams.
Key Features
Strengths-based contact relationship profiles.
Email and calendar integration with G Suite.
Activity tracking with automated reminders.
Robust sales pipeline management.
Customizable views and sales processes.
Best For
Real estate teams who use G Suite.
Teams focused on building client relationships.
Teams who need light-touch sales automation.
Pros
Unique relationship-based contact profiles.
Deep Gmail, Calendar and Drive integration.
Simple interface with robust capabilities.
Affordable pricing for small teams.
Cons
Less flexibility in system customization.
Light marketing campaign automation.
Third-party integrations cost extra.
Cost
$19/user/month for Essential plan.
$39/user/month for Advanced plan.
$125/user/month for Premium plan.
8. LionDesk
LionDesk provides an affordable all-in-one real estate platform with CRM capabilities.
Key Features
Custom objects for properties, listings, deals etc.
Email, text and voicemail integration.
Built-in IDX integration with MLS listings.
Marketing automation for drip campaigns.
Custom reporting and analytics.
Best For
Solo real estate agents.
Small real estate brokerages.
Teams who want integrated tools beyond CRM.
Pros
Simple, easy to learn interface.
Inexpensive comprehensive platform.
Great base features for real estate workflows.
Built-in website, marketing and IDX integration.
Cons
Less flexibility for advanced customization.
Light sales features compared to dedicated sales CRM.
Basic contacts, deals and emails cost extra.
Cost
$99/month base fee.
Add-on fees for contacts, websites, marketing etc.
9. Propertybase
Propertybase offers an end-to-end real estate platform with built-in CRM and marketing.
Key Features
Custom objects for properties, listings, deals etc.
Drag-and-drop campaign builder for email marketing.
Built-in IDX integration with popular MLSs.
Robust lead management and nurturing features.
Highly customizable platform.
Best For
Real estate teams who want integrated marketing.
Brokerages who need centralized MLS listing data.
Teams who want highly customizable platform.
Pros
Excellent real estate specific features.
Built-in listing data, website, marketing and CRM.
Highly customizable platform.
Helps centralize real estate data and tools.
Cons
Steeper learning curve due to extensive features.
Can get pricey for large or enterprise teams.
Lead engagement features cost extra vs bundled pricing.
Cost
$499/month for Pro Suite platform.
$799/month for Pro Plus Suite.
Custom quote for Enterprise.
10. Wise Agent
Wise Agent provides an affordable, easy to use all-in-one real estate CRM and marketing platform.
Key Features
Custom objects for properties, sellers, buyers etc.
Drag-and-drop email and campaign creation.
Contact management with sales pipelines.
Built-in dialer, text and voicemail.
Calendar integrations and task management.
Best For
Solo real estate agents.
Small real estate teams and brokerages.
Those wanting simplicity without sacrificing functionality.
Pros
Extremely easy to use for real estate workflows.
Comprehensive yet affordable platform.
Fantastic features for the price.
Great consumer reviews and support.
Cons
Less advanced customization capabilities.
Maximum contacts capped on lower tier plans.
Third party integrations cost extra.
Cost
$39/month starter plan.
$69/month professional plan.
$129/month enterprise plan.
Chapter 4: How to Choose the Right Real Estate CRM Software
With so many options, choosing the right real estate CRM platform can feel overwhelming.
Follow this structured process to identify the best real estate CRM software for your needs:
Step 1: Determine Your Real Estate CRM Must-Haves
Your business has unique needs. Make a list of features that are absolute must-haves based on:
Company Size: Solo agents have different needs than large brokerages. Prioritize core contact, deal and task management vs. marketing and automation.
Workflows: What are your sales processes? Do you need advanced workflows or deal stages? How many active leads and deals do you manage at once?
Tools You Use: Do you rely on Microsoft, Google or Zoho ecosystems? Prioritize CRMs that integrate seamlessly.
Marketing Needs: What level of email, content, social media and advertising capabilities do you need?
Data and Integration: What other data like listings or software like accounting do you need to integrate?
Budget: Decide the budget you can allocate towards CRM software per month.
Identifying must-haves keeps your search focused only on real estate CRM platforms that can truly meet your needs.
Step 2: Research Leading Real Estate CRM Solutions
Now that you know your must-haves, create a list of leading real estate CRM software systems that satisfy your core requirements. Our comprehensive guide above is a great place to start this research.
For each contender, dig into:
Core features: Do they offer the contact, deal, sales and marketing tools you need?
Real estate functionality: How much do they cater to real estate vs. generalized sales?
Integrations: What other apps and tools can you connect?
Technology: SaaS vs. on-premise, etc. Mobile access?
Customization: Can you customize to match unique processes?
Support and community: What do reviews say about onboarding and ongoing support?
Vendor viability: Will they be around and investing in growth?
Create a side-by-side comparison chart to evaluate how each CRM stacks up on your must-haves.
Step 3: Schedule Free CRM Demo Consultations
Don't decide purely on website content and reviews. Reach out to schedule personalized demos with your top contenders.
Come prepared with questions to take each platform on a test drive:
Walk through core workflows like adding a contact, creating a deal etc.
Dive into top features and determine if they work as advertised.
View pre-built reports and dashboard analytics.
Discuss requirements not covered out-of-the-box and customization options.
Understand onboarding, implementation and ongoing support.
Get pricing breakdowns based on your user count and needs.
First-hand experience is invaluable for making the right CRM choice. Take notes on pros, cons and pricing to finalize the software that best aligns with your goals and budget.
Step 4: Debrief with Stakeholders for Buy-In
For smooth adoption across your team, it's critical to socialize the final CRM recommendation and get stakeholder buy-in before purchasing.
Schedule a meeting to debrief key team members and decision makers on:
Current inefficiencies and pain points in your sales and marketing operations.
How the new CRM system will alleviate these issues.
Top features and functionality aligned with team needs.
Implementation plan and required resources.
Training and onboarding strategies.
Address concerns transparently. Make sure everyone is aligned on goals for the new platform prior to rollout.
Gaining stakeholder input and securing buy-in is essential for company-wide CRM adoption.Step 5: Develop an Implementation and Rollout Plan
Don’t make the mistake of buying CRM software and expecting your team to figure it out. Lack of onboarding and training is why many CRM adoptions fail.
Work closely with your CRM provider on an structured plan that covers:
Implementation Steps: All technical steps required for set up and configuration based on your workflows and processes.
Data Migration: Strategy for migrating existing data from other systems into the new CRM. Garbage in leads to garbage out.
Customization Plan: Determine any required custom fields, objects, workflows etc beyond out-of-the-box features.
Training Program: Both live and self-guided curriculum that empowers users to leverage the CRM effectively.
Rollout Cadence: Phased rollout plan starting with pilot groups before company-wide push.
Management: Resources dedicated to ongoing change management, adoption tracking and optimization.
Investing upfront in a thorough implementation and training approach is the best way to ensure your real estate CRM initiative is a success.
FAQs
What are the main benefits of a real estate CRM?
A real estate CRM centralizes your contacts, deals, tasks, and communications for more efficient relationship management. Key benefits include better lead and deal tracking, increased sales productivity, enhanced team collaboration, and more insight through robust analytics.
What core features should I look for in real estate CRM software?
Key features to look for include contact management, lead management, deal tracking, task and calendar management, email marketing and automation, reporting and dashboards, and integrations with other real estate software and tools.
What factors should I consider when choosing a real estate CRM?
Consider your team size, workflows, software ecosystem, marketing needs, required integrations, and budget. Your unique needs and processes will determine the best CRM solution.
What steps should I take to choose and implement a real estate CRM?
Determine must-have features, research top solutions, schedule demos, get stakeholder buy-in, and develop a detailed implementation plan for configuration, customization, data migration, training, and rollout.
How can a real estate CRM help me convert more leads into deals?
Robust lead management, workflow automation, and built-in sales nurturing functionality ensures you efficiently route promising leads to agents and monitor progress through the sales funnel. This helps convert more leads into closed deals.
Ignite Your CRM’s Full Power with Ylopo’s CRM Integrations
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Monitor buyer behavior, tailor listing alerts, deliver branded push promotions—all without ever switching screens.Make your CRM the real estate powerhouse it should be.
Integrate today to convert more prospects into delighted clients with our real-time consumer intelligence and attention-grabbing marketing.
Capture every promising lead instantly across devices.
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Outpace the competition when your CRM becomes the heart of your sales operations.
Schedule a demo now to integrate with Ylopo and ignite your CRM’s full revenue-driving potential.
About the Author
Aaron “Kiwi” Franklin
Head of Growth
Aaron "Kiwi" Franklin is the Head of Growth at Ylopo and an innovative technologist and serial entrepreneur who has over 25 years of experience creating digital solutions for major brands and pioneering companies at the intersection of technology and real estate. His depth of expertise stems from leading development of the first website for Apple to founding a global community of over 1,000 elite athletes. Connect with me