The short answer
A good real estate agent daily schedule is an order of operations, not a clock. Every morning, work these lists to zero, in order: showing requests and inbox, new leads, attempted contact, tasks due today, Hot, Warm, Nurture, website activity. Only then prospect. Appointments go on the calendar first; everything else fits around them.
Below: the eight steps, the smart lists that run them, a sample day by the hour, and what to do when you only have an hour.
Step by step: the real estate agent daily schedule in order
Most schedule advice tells you to block an hour for lead generation. Fine. But which hour, and which leads? People who raised their hand today come first. The order matters more than anything on it. Simple doesn't mean easy. It means there's nowhere left to hide.
- Showing requests and inbox. These people asked you for something. Get them on the phone first. Never drive out to show a home without speaking to the lead.
- New leads. Call as soon as they come in. Reached them? Have the conversation and set the stage. Didn't? Let your follow-up plan take over, or move them to attempted contact per your system.
- Attempted contact. Load them as a call list. Try a different time of day than last time. Text after every voicemail. Check off one call task per call. Never check off several at once to catch up.
- Every task due today. Today first, then overdue. Open each, do what the name says, mark it complete. Reschedule if you must. Never delete a task to make it go away.
- Hot (moving in about 0 to 2 months). Anyone you haven't touched in 7 days. Weekly, at minimum.
- Warm (about 2 to 6 months). Anyone you haven't touched in 30 days. Monthly, at minimum.
- Nurture (6+ months or no timeline). Anyone you haven't touched in 90 days. Quarterly. Don't call and ask if they're ready yet. Bring something useful. See long-term nurture.
- Website activity. Who was on your site today: viewed several homes, saved a home, came back after a long quiet stretch. Call while they're still looking. See behavior alerts.
Then go fishing. Archived leads who've been back on your site first. Then leads nobody's ever called. Then the cold pile. In our experience the cold pile picks up about one in a hundred calls, while Warm and Nurture pick up closer to one in five. Same dials, far more conversations.
Which Follow Up Boss smart lists should I work every day?
Build one smart list per step and number them so they sort in order on the sidebar. Then you never decide what's next. You work down until each one is zero.
| # | Smart list name | Who's on it | Goal today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Showing requests + inbox | Asked for a showing or replied | Called back, confirmed |
| 2 | New leads | Came in today, not yet reached | Called, stage set, saved search on |
| 3 | Attempted contact | Tried, not reached | One call and text each |
| 4 | Tasks due | Due today, then overdue | Zero left |
| 5 | Hot, 7 days | Hot, no contact in 7 days | Everyone touched |
| 6 | Warm, 30 days | Warm, no contact in 30 days | Everyone touched |
| 7 | Nurture, 90 days | Nurture, no contact in 90 days | Everyone touched |
| 8 | Website activity | On your site today | Called while they're looking |
Set the filters to match your own stages. Setup details are in Follow Up Boss setup basics.
A sample day by the hour (illustration only)
| Time | Block | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30 | Prep | Calendar check, coffee, no email yet |
| 8:00 | Lists 1 and 2 | Inbox, a showing request, two new leads |
| 8:40 | List 3 | Eleven attempted-contact calls, two conversations |
| 9:30 | List 4 | Six tasks done |
| 10:00 | Lists 5 to 7 | Hot, Warm and Nurture calls |
| 11:15 | List 8 | Website activity, one showing booked |
| 11:45 | Fishing | Archives back on the site |
| 12:30 | Lunch and admin | Email, paperwork, contracts |
| 1:30 to 6:00 | Clients | Showings, listing appointments, inspections |
| 6:30 | Close out | Notes, stages and tomorrow's first call |
Illustration only. Move the client block to fit your clients. Keep the morning order.
Before you log off
- Zero tasks overdue. Done or rescheduled.
- Every lead you touched has a note and the right stage.
- Tomorrow's first call is already on the calendar.
Know your pipeline in ten seconds
Your lists should answer three questions instantly. How many people are at each stage? What does each one need from me next? Where am I losing deals I should close? If you can't answer them, your stages aren't current.
How to explain it to your client
Clients feel the result. When a buyer says, "You always call back so fast":
"Anyone who asks me for something gets called first, every morning, before I do anything else. That's how I run my day."
Watch-outs
- If it's not in the CRM, it didn't happen. A detail you didn't write down is gone.
- Don't skip ahead to prospecting. The people who already raised their hand are worth more than any cold list.
- Don't bulk-complete tasks. It wrecks your data and your follow-up.
- Don't open email first. It hands your best hour to other people's priorities.
- Honor opt-outs and calling-hour rules on every list you work.
Keep going
- All CRM pages: CRM and Follow Up Boss training
- Next: Follow Up Boss setup basics, Hot, Warm and Nurture stages, agent activity standards, a day in the life of a real estate agent
- Running a team? Agent Scorecards give each agent a daily dashboard of calls, conversations and who to call next, plus a team leaderboard.
- Want the follow-up plan we run built in your own account? See 90 Days of Gain for Follow Up Boss.
This is training for real estate agents. Follow federal and state calling and texting laws and your brokerage policy.
Questions
What does a real estate agent's daily schedule look like?
Mornings on the phone, working people who asked for something first, then follow-up from hottest to coolest. Afternoons and evenings for showings and appointments. Admin fits in between.
What hours do real estate agents work?
It varies, and evenings and weekends are common because that's when clients are free. Protect the morning for calls so client time doesn't swallow your follow-up.
What should a real estate agent do first every day?
Call back showing requests and inbox replies, then new leads. Those two can't wait.
What if I only have an hour today?
Steps 1 and 2. Then put tomorrow's first call on the calendar.
How do agents use Follow Up Boss smart lists every day?
Build one numbered smart list per step and work each to zero before moving on. The lists update themselves, so they become your call list.
Where do social media and marketing fit?
After the lists are clear, or in a separate block. Never before step 1.
What if my lists are huge?
Then your stages aren't current. Clean them up with your team leader, one lead at a time.
Brian Lee Burke is the founder of PadLeaders, a Colorado real estate broker licensed since 2003, team leader of The Kenna Group at Keller Williams DTC (formerly Kenna Real Estate Group) and the author of Mastering Real Estate and The Real Estate Playbook. More about Brian.