The follow-up formula: How top agents stay front-of-mind without being pushy

Following up is part of the job – but most agents either overdo it or let it slide.

Too many follow-ups and you feel like a nuisance. Not enough and someone else swoops in and wins the listing.

The agents who consistently win aren’t chasing every lead manually – they’ve built a formula that keeps them front-of-mind in a way that feels natural, relevant and easy to manage. And they’ve got the tools in place to make it happen automatically.

Here’s how you can do the same thing using your real estate CRM.

Why most follow up doesn’t work (and what to do instead)

A lot of follow-up falls flat because:

• It’s not consistent – a few calls here, a random check-in there
• It lacks purpose – messages feel vague or generic
• It’s done too late – by the time you get around to it, someone else has already listed the property

But with a few simple adjustments, your follow-up can become one of the most effective parts of your listing strategy.

A smarter real estate follow-up strategy (that doesn’t feel pushy)

Whether you’re following up after an appraisal, a past enquiry or an open home attendee – the key is structure.

Here’s a simple, proven formula top-performing agents use:

1. Plan follow-up before the appraisal happens

It might sound obvious, but many agents don’t log appraisal leads in their real estate CRM until after the appointment – or not at all.

That’s a missed opportunity.

By entering a new contact or appraisal into your CRM before the meeting, you can:

• Trigger a follow-up plan automatically
• Set a reminder to call them after a few days
• Send a tailored email or SMS without lifting a finger

You’re no longer relying on memory or sticky notes – you’ve got a system that does the remembering for you.

2. Be helpful, not just persistent

Generic check-ins are easy to ignore. What cuts through? Something useful.

Every follow-up touchpoint should offer something of value – even if it’s small:

• A quick update on recent sales in their street
• A short note about a similar home that just listed
• A prompt to book a second appraisal if the market’s shifted

With a real estate CRM, you can store those little details that make follow-ups feel personal – like when they said they were thinking of selling, or what style of home they have. It shows you’repaying attention, not just ticking a box.

3. Mix your channels (and your timing)

Following up doesn’t mean hammering people with the same message over and over. A well-rounded strategy uses a mix of:

• Emails (with market insights or updates)
• SMS (for quick nudges or inspection times)
• Phone calls (when there’s a reason to connect)

A good real estate CRM will help you map this out in advance – even automating the parts that don’t need a human touch, like the first post-appraisal email or a reminder text before your follow-up call.

4. Keep track of appraisals that don’t convert (yet)

Not every appraisal turns into a listing straight away. But many vendors do list – eventually. And if you’re not following up, someone else will be.

Here’s what top agents do differently:

• Tag every appraisal based on intent or timing
• Schedule reminders weeks or months ahead
• Set up nurture sequences that keep them informed until they’re ready

Your real estate CRM lets you track the entire contact history – so when they finally say “we’re ready to sell,” you’ve already built trust.

What makes good follow-up feel natural?

When follow-up is done right, it doesn’t feel like you’re selling – it feels like you’re showing up at the right time with something relevant.

You don’t need to be pushy. You just need to be present, prepared and easy to work with.

That’s exactly what a smart real estate CRM helps you do – by handling the admin, scheduling and repetition in the background, so you can focus on the relationships.

Want to build a follow-up plan that actually gets results?

If your current follow-up process feels consistent, manual or hit-and-miss – we can help.

Book a quick chat with one of our CRM specialists (or simply enter your details below, and we’ll reach out to you), and see how you can set up automated follow-up plans that feel personal, timely and way less effort.