📊 Where Should You Be Focusing Your Lead Gen in 2025?

Real Trends, Real Stats & Real Advice for Realtors Who Want to Grow

By Jenny Aldrete, Founder of The Realtor Hive & Luxe Mortgage Team

If you’ve felt a little pulled in every direction with your marketing lately—you’re not alone. Social media keeps shifting, buyers are browsing differently, and the "what’s working now" advice seems to change by the minute.

Let’s quiet the noise.

I’ve rounded up the latest lead generation trends and stats so you can focus your time, energy, and content where it actually counts in 2025.

🔍 Where Are Your Leads Really Coming From?

• 43% of buyers used a real estate agent recommended by someone they trust

• 65% of sellers worked with an agent from a previous transaction or referral

• 71% of buyers and 81% of sellers interviewed only one agent before committing

👉 What this means for you:
If you're not following up and staying top of mind, someone else is. Referrals and your sphere should still be your #1 source of leads—so keep showing up for them.

💸 What Are Agents Spending on Lead Gen?

• 46% of agents spend $0–$250/month

• Many are seeing solid results from low-cost efforts like social media, networking, and referrals

👉 Strategy Tip:
Focus on consistency over complexity. You don’t need to throw money at lead gen—you need to build trust, offer value, and follow up regularly.

📱 Top Social Platforms for Agents in 2025

According to NAR data:

• Facebook – 92% of Realtors use it

• Instagram – 68%

• LinkedIn – 52%

• Pinterest – 28%

• Twitter – 18%

• YouTube – 44%

👉 Where to focus:
Start with Facebook and Instagram. Add YouTube or LinkedIn if you’re ready to branch out. Want a niche edge? Explore TikTok—only 12% of agents are using it, but it’s gaining ground fast.

💌 Email Still Dominates for Lead Nurture

• Tuesday = Best day to send

• Email still offers the highest ROI for nurturing leads

• Most agents don’t send enough—or anything at all

👉 Quick Win:
Send one email a week. Share a tip, a story, or a market update. Keep it personal, simple, and helpful.

📞 Let’s Talk Conversions

• Average conversion rate: 2.4%

• Email leads: 3.5%

• Cold Referrals: 2.7%

• Warm Referrals: 30–70% 

• Phone after online search: 61.7% (yes, seriously!)

👉 Real Talk:
You don’t need more leads. You need better follow-up and real conversations. The agents who call and connect convert more.

🔁 Referrals = ROI

• Referred clients = 25% more profitable

• New clients cost 6–7x more than keeping an existing one

👉 Strategy:
Pop-bys, birthday texts, post-close check-ins, client events—they all matter. Relationships drive results.

🧠 TL;DR – Where to Focus in 2025

• Stay connected with your sphere & past clients

• Create consistent content on Facebook & Instagram which will help with the above ☝️

• Use email weekly to nurture leads

• Add video (Reels, Stories, YouTube, TikTok for Niche) for visibility + trust

• Text or call your leads—conversations convert

📌 Actionable Strategies:

1. Leverage Your Network: Prioritize building and maintaining relationships with past clients to generate warm referrals.

2. Optimize Phone Communication: Be readily available to respond to inquiries from online platforms, as timely phone interactions can lead to higher conversion rates.

3. Enhance Email Campaigns: Focus on creating personalized and targeted email content to engage leads effectively & stay top of mind with sphere.

4. Track and Analyze: Regularly monitor your lead sources and conversion rates to identify which channels yield the best results, allowing for data-driven decision-making.

🎁 Want Weekly Lead Gen Tools Without the Guesswork?

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👉 Join the App Now - App Sign-Up **Sign up with a gmail, hotmail, or yahoo account. No vanity urls or business accounts.
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👉 Explore Our Loan Programs (not exhaustive—there’s more!)

Need a mortgage partner who helps you grow? Jorge and I are here for that too. Text intros are the best way to connect us with your buyers — and feel free to include me too so I can help keep everything on track.

Here’s to smarter marketing and more closings this year. You’ve got this. 💛
— Jenny Aldrete
Founder, The Realtor Hive & Luxe Mortgage Team