How are you communicating with your signed clients—clients who have signed a buyer agency agreement or a listing contract with you? Are you keeping them informed and engaged throughout the process?
We’re in a new era of working on the buy side. With the shift toward signed agreements on the buy side—whether exclusive, non-exclusive, or property-specific—it’s essential to adapt. While listing contracts for sellers have been standard for decades, many agents still find it challenging to adjust to this new reality of buyer representation.
That’s why I’m focusing on “signed client communication.”
It’s about maintaining regular, meaningful contact to reassure clients that they remain a top priority. The last thing you want is for your clients to feel like, “Once they got my signature, they practically ghosted me. And (as far as I know) I did most of the work finding/selling my home.”
Signed client communication is different from lead follow-up and prospecting. Now, the goal is client retention—ensuring they’re satisfied with the actions you’re taking and the results you’re delivering. This is where a lot of agents drop the ball. One of the most common complaints clients have about real estate agents is that they never hear from them.
To help you avoid this pitfall, I’ve developed a two-pronged strategy to maintain consistent communication with both your buyer and seller clients.
Communicating with Buyer Clients
Let’s start with the buyers. Imagine you are working with a new buyer, and there aren’t any new properties to show them. This happens all the time, and it’s a really big gap in the communication process.
A lot of agents just wait for their buyer clients to tell them what they want to see—which is not being proactive, and it’s not playing offense in your business.
If you have any sort of signed agreement with a buyer—exclusive, non-exclusive, or property specific—call them and email them at least once a week.
The call can go something like this:
“Hey Brian, hey Wendy, it’s Tom Toole here with RE/MAX. I know there haven’t been any new properties that you’ve reached out to me about that you want to tour.
“I want to let you know I’ve been scouring the market, keeping my eyes peeled for new opportunities, and checking for homes that may be lingering on the market where there might be an opportunity to negotiate.
“I’ll also be sending properties outside of your preferred search area if they check your boxes. I’m not sure if any will be for you, but I’ll continue to do that. I just wanted to let you know that I’m on it, constantly looking at the market, and if you need anything, I’m just a phone call or a text away.”
You could also ask questions like,
“Hey, just out of curiosity, have you thought about adjusting your home search to see more options? I’m not sure if this would be for you, but I’ve got a couple of properties that aren’t exactly what you’re looking for. Would you like to go take a look at them?”
That’s the phone call, but it could also be a voicemail.
A weekly phone call or communication goes a long way with your actively signed clients because they know you’re there for them and in communication. You can have a conversation and engage to see if anything is changing on their end. This is really important.
You can do the same thing with an email. The email is going to be a little more tactical with identical messaging:
“I know you haven’t reached out, but I wanted to give you an update on everything that’s happened so far over the past seven days. We looked at these three properties; none were a fit. One went under contract. I saw a couple of new listings that I sent to you. I’m not sure if those are what you’re looking for. I knocked on a few doors, reached out to homeowners in the neighborhoods you’re interested in, and made X amount of calls.”
You’re letting them know all the things you’re doing behind the scenes. You can do that in a call or an email.
You can do both to stay ahead and make sure these people know you’re working on their behalf.
The important thing is to stay in communication, even if there’s nothing to report. This is critical in sales, especially with buyer clients, because now, we’re asked to enter into a contractual relationship with them on some level.
This should be an expectation and a staple in your business.
Communicating with Seller Clients
For years, people have already been staying in communication on the seller side. It’s the same type of phone call:
“Hey, we had X number of tours this week. Here’s the feedback we’re hearing: people thought the home was too small/a little dated/overpriced/didn’t like the location.”
Whatever the feedback is, review it and have a dialogue with people, telling them everything you’re doing to sell the home.
For example:
“I reverse-prospected the MLS. I have two open houses planned. I circle-dialed your neighborhood. I’ve been targeting homes that could be move-up buyers for your home.”
Whatever actions you’re taking beyond what you’ve already told them, communicate and reiterate those things.
You want to have regular phone call communication with sellers. Thursdays in the afternoon may be the best day to do this for potential sellers. That way, if you’re going to get a price adjustment, you can have the conversation before the weekend.
You can do the same thing in an email:
“Here’s your ShowingTime listing activity report. Here’s the Realtor.com report. We had 50 saves on Zillow and four tours this week. None of the buyers bought other properties. Here’s what they liked and didn’t like.”
This regular communication may sound mundane or too simple, but the intention is to let people know you’re still working on it. When things slow down, like the market has recently compared to the last four years, clients may think you’re not doing anything if you’re not communicating regularly.
So, implement this email and call strategy for buyers and sellers. You’ll have happier clients, and you’ll be their agent whenever they’re ready to transact.
