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.
Let's examine why forward-thinking agents are embracing CRM to drive business growth.
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Chapter 1: Why Real Estate Agents Need a Good CRM
For real estate professionals and brokers, having a top CRM system in place delivers a multitude of benefits that directly translate into higher productivity, increased sales, and stronger client relationships.
The best real estate CRM software is vital for agents and teams to efficiently manage their business in today's competitive market.
Here are some of the key reasons a good CRM is a must-have for any residential or commercial real estate brokerage in the 21st century:
Source: Capterra
1. Improved Client Relationship Management
At its core, a real estate CRM helps you nurture relationships with leads and clients more efficiently.
Features like centralized contact profiles, email integration, and calendar syncing give you instant access to each client's history and key details in one user-friendly interface.
This makes it way easier to personalize your interactions and provide high-touch service that will impress your clients.
With a CRM, you can set handy reminders for important dates like birthdays or lease renewals so you never miss an opportunity to reach out.
Automated email sequences can be used to follow up with hot new leads or check in with past clients.
These small personal touches can make a big difference in building lasting relationships and referrals. As they say, it's the little things!
2. Streamlined Sales Processes
Juggling prospective deals while servicing current clients is a delicate balancing act - but a good real estate CRM is like having a trusty tight-rope to keep you on track!
A real estate-focused CRM gives you powerful tools to streamline your sales pipeline and ensure no juicy opportunities slip through the cracks.
Lead and deal stages help you identify exactly 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, even when you're running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
Instant access to your pipeline gives you greater visibility into your sales forecasts, so you can keep your eye on the prize.
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. After all, real estate is a people business!
Without a CRM though, details about client interactions can easily get lost in scattered emails, sticky notes and phone calls.
This fragmentation creates gaps that impact your ability to deliver consistent and personalized service. And in real estate, consistent communication is key.
With a CRM, every interaction is logged for quick access in a centralized database. Email integration links email conversations directly to contact profiles.
Built-in phone tools allow you to record calls and log them to the relevant deal.
Helpful notes, tasks, and reminders keep the lines of communication wide open.
This complete 360 degree view of client interactions empowers real estate agents to nurture the exceptional level of service today's consumers expect.Follow-ups are more meaningful and informed. Problems get resolved faster than you can say "SOLD!".
Dreaded communication gaps that lead to dissatisfaction are avoided like the plague.
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. It's enough to make your head spin!
Managing these solely through emails and clunky spreadsheets leads to lost productivity. But never fear, a real estate CRM delivers helpful productivity enhancements to the rescue:
Email templates for lightning-fast, brand-consistent replies
Integrated calendars to quickly schedule showings with just a few clicks
Mobile apps to access vital data and complete urgent tasks on-the-go
Custom workflows to standardize repeatable processes and zap inefficiency
Reporting dashboards to quickly analyze performance and gain actionable insights
With these heroic capabilities, agents can spend less time on tiresome busywork and more time on revenue-generating activities that actually grow their business.
Streamlined processes help ambitious agents work smarter, not harder, and accomplish way more each day. It's a productivity game-changer!
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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 so much more. It's an avalanche of information!
Trying to manage all this crucial info scattered haphazardly between different systems, messy folders, and disorganized filing cabinets is incredibly inefficient and downright frustrating. Talk about a major time suck!
But a real estate CRM swoops in to save the day by centralizing all this vital data for speedy access and stress-free management.
Robust search functionality makes it easy to retrieve client details and documents in a snap.
Customizable data fields allow you to capture all the relevant property, lead, and deal data you need in one tidy place.
Better information management ensures you have accurate, real-time visibility into all your leads and deals.
This seriously enhances your ability to track performance, forecast revenue, and make data-driven business decisions with total confidence. No more flying blind or going off of gut feelings alone! With a real estate CRM, you've got the data on your side.
6. Improved Decision Making
In the wild world of real estate, success hinges on making the right strategic decisions about which leads to focus on, what deals to pursue, which marketing strategies to invest in, and so much more.
Without proper data though, these critical choices basically boil down to educated guesswork and wishful thinking. Not exactly a recipe for success!
But fear not, robust analytics and custom reports equip savvy agents with incredibly valuable data-driven insights into their pipeline and marketing ROI.
This helps pinpoint exactly what tactics and actions are delivering the best results so you can double down on what's working and ditch what's not.
Access to accurate, real-time information ensures you make smart, informed choices to convert more leads, retain more clients, and maximize your hard-earned commissions. No more stabbing in the dark and hoping for the best!
7. Enhanced Team Collaboration
Real estate often involves large teams working across different locations. It's crucial that everyone stays on the same page, but that's easier said than done when info is scattered all over the place!
Luckily, a cloud-based CRM enables seamless collaboration, so agents, brokers, assistants and partners can all access the same up-to-date information anytime from anywhere.
Handy activity streams provide visibility into interactions with shared clients and deals, so no one is left out of the loop.
Team task management features ensure handoffs are completed smoothly without balls getting dropped.
With a centralized hub connecting your team, you can provide consistent service and a unified brand experience that clients will love. Teamwork makes the dream work, after all!
Chapter 2: Top Features to Look for in Real Estate CRM Software
Real estate CRM platforms offer varying features, but not all are created equal!
When comparing the best options for your brokerage, there are certain must-have capabilities that are vital for managing your real estate business effectively and efficiently.
Contact Management
This is the bread and butter of any good CRM - it provides the core ability to store centralized profiles for all your contacts, whether they're hot leads, loyal clients, trusted partners or anyone in between.
Think of it like your own personal rolodex on steroids! Key features to look for include:
Custom contact profiles: Capture all the juicy details in one place, including lead source, contact stage, notes, tasks, communication history and more.
Smart contact segmentation: Easily categorize contacts based on attributes like lead source, agent assigned, property types of interest etc. This allows for laser-focused tracking and communication that really resonates.
Email integration: Sync all those email convos right into the contact profiles for quick access to the full communication history. No more digging through your inbox!
Contact timeline: See all the activities associated with a contact in one handy timeline view, including calls, emails, meetings and more.
Saved searches/groups: Save those frequently used contact search queries for easy access later. You can also create special contact groups to segment your database for targeted communication. It's all about working smarter, not harder!
Social profiles: Sync social media profiles for your contacts right into their CRM profile. Stalk much? Just kidding - it's a great way to gain valuable insights!
Contact analytics: Get fancy charts and graphs to analyze key metrics like contact volume, lead source, sales cycle length etc.
Predictive lead scoring: Let the CRM automatically score your leads based on attributes like demographics and behaviors.
Duplicate management: Merge those pesky duplicate contacts and standardize your data for a squeaky clean database that would make Marie Kondo proud.
Contact workflows: Set up slick automation sequences based on contact actions like email replies or form fills. Work smarter, not harder!
Lead Management
You got to fill that funnel! A good real estate CRM will have specialized tools to help you capture new leads from all sources and efficiently route them through your sales process:
Lead capture forms: Create web forms to capture lead deets from your website, social pages, or wherever your leads may be lurking online.
Email lead capture: Capture leads straight from email inquiries right into your CRM. No more copying and pasting!
Lead assignment rules: Automatically route those fresh leads to the right sales reps based on factors like territory or bandwidth. Make sure those leads get attention while they're hot!
Lead stages: Categorize leads into different sales stages, from initial inquiry to closed/won.
Lead scoring: Score leads based on profile attributes, behaviors like page views, email opens etc. Know who's ready to buy vs. just window shopping.
Sales pipelines: Get a bird's eye view of your sales funnel by stage to analyze and monitor your sales conversion process.
Lead reports: Access detailed analytics on lead volume, conversion rates, sales cycle length etc. Nerd out on those data insights to your heart's content!
Deal Management
Wanna turn those top prospects into done deals? You need specialized tools to move them efficiently through your pipeline:
Deal stages: Set up clear user-defined stages to capture deal progression from lead to close. It's like a roadmap to the commission promised land!
Custom deal fields: Capture all the important deets for each deal like property specifics, financing, contingencies etc. The devil's in the details!
Deal workflow: Set up automated deal stage progressions, tasks, alerts etc to systemize your sales process. No more deals falling through the cracks!
Deal calendar: Track key milestones for your deals in one central calendar view, including inspections, appraisals, closing dates and more.
Document storage: Keep all your deal-related docs organized in one central, easy-to-access system. No more hunting through endless email chains or messy Dropbox folders!
Email deal sync: Link relevant emails to their respective deals for quick access to client communication. All your convos in one place!
Deal analytics: Get custom reports on deal performance including volume, velocity, fall out rate and so much more. Identify top performers and potential problem areas at a glance.
Forecasting: Predict future sales based on pipeline deals using sophisticated algorithms. It's like having a fortune teller for your real estate business!
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Task Management
With a million things to do, you need effective tools to stay on top of all your daily real estate tasks and to-dos:
Task lists: Got something that needs to get done related to a deal, client or property? Log that sucker in your task list! Extra points for color coding.
Recurring tasks: For those pesky repeating to-dos like monthly market analysis for clients. Set it and forget it!
Task assignment: Easily assign tasks to specific team members or users. Collaboration is key!
Task alerts: Get handy pop-up or email reminders on task due dates so nothing falls through the cracks. Your clients (and your broker) will thank you!
Task reports: Gain valuable insights into task completion rates, overdue tasks and more. Hold your team (and yourself) accountable!
Task automation: Automatically generate tasks based on key events/actions like new lead assigned, deal stage change etc. Let the robots do the heavy lifting!
Task dependencies: Make certain tasks dependent on completion of earlier tasks. It's like a big ol' connect-the-dots for maximum productivity!
Task calendar: See all your upcoming and overdue to-dos in one handy calendar view. Procrastinators unite!
Email Marketing
You've got a killer contact list, now it's time to nurture those leads! Look for a CRM with built-in tools to manage your email campaigns and newsletters:
Contact list segmentation: Divide that database into targeted lists based on key attributes like property type, lead score etc. Personalization is the name of the game!
Email campaign creation: Quickly build and send targeted campaigns to selected contact lists or segments. Flex those marketing muscles!
Email templates: Pre-designed, brand-specific real estate email templates you can easily customize. Make your emails look like a million bucks (literally)!
Email automation: Trigger slick automated email sequences based on contact actions like email opens or website visits. Nurture those leads while you sleep!
Email analytics: Track crucial email metrics like open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribes and more to optimize future campaigns.
Email compliance: Sleep easy at night knowing your campaigns comply with all the anti-spam and marketing regs out there. No sketchy stuff!
Email calendar: See and schedule all your upcoming email campaign sends in one handy calendar view. Plan ahead like a pro!
Automated Outreach:
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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.
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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.
Bringing It All Together
At the end of the day, the right real estate CRM can be an absolute game-changer for your business.
From streamlining your daily operations to closing more deals to providing unparalleled client service, a good CRM impacts every aspect of your real estate career.
When weighing your options, don't be shy about taking advantage of those free trials and demos most providers offer. Get in there and kick the tires before committing.
Make sure it's the right fit.
So don't settle for anything less than the best.
Do your homework, compare your options, and invest in a real estate CRM that will propel your business to new heights.
Ignite Your CRM’s Full Power with Ylopo’s CRM Integrations
Stop struggling with disjointed tools that bleed leads and revenue.
Ylopo’s bi-directional sync electrifies any CRM into a streamlined command center with complete consumer visibility.
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.
Holistically analyze performance and pivot faster.
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