Besides getting someone on the phone, nothing matters more than the saved search for real estate leads. It sends them the homes they want, every day, from you. That creates value before you ever meet. People open those emails because they're full of homes they like. When you finally call, they know your name, and they pick up. I've sold homes to leads I'd never spoken to first. They called me, because the emails kept coming with homes they wanted.
The short answer
Build the search before you leave the record, from what they actually viewed. Check it on every call. Name it the way they think. Keep it running for years. A lead with no saved search is a lead you're losing.
Step by step
- Open the lead and look at what they viewed. City, price band, beds, property type. That's your first draft.
- Build the search before you leave the record. City, price range, beds, type, daily email. If your system builds one automatically, check it matches what they viewed.
- Email them the matching homes. Short note, real homes, no pitch.
- Then call. Now you have something real to talk about.
- Fix it on the call. "Are the homes I'm sending you the right ones? What should I be leaving out?"
- Read the criteria back. "So I've got three bedrooms, under (price), in (areas). Change anything?"
- Check it every time you talk. Still the right city, price, beds? Tighten it while they're on the phone.
- Keep it running. Through Nurture, through archive, after closing. After closing, switch it to something useful, like a home value update.
Name it the way they think
The name of the search is often the email subject line. "Maple Grove townhomes under $450K, 3+ beds" gets opened. "Search 1" gets deleted. Use their words.
The filter question
People tell you their real criteria when you ask what to remove, not what they want. "If I set this up so you only get the ones worth looking at, what should I filter out?" You'll hear "no HOA," "no busy streets," "no stairs." Those filters are what make the search feel personal.
A worked example (illustration only)
A lead viewed five townhomes, $380K to $450K, all in one suburb.
- Search built: that suburb plus the next one over, $375K to $460K, 3+ beds, townhome, daily email.
- Named: "Northfield townhomes, 3 beds, under $460K."
- On the call: the lead says no HOA over $300 a month, and one more suburb. Agent updates both on the spot.
- Three weeks later: the lead saves a home from the email. Behavior alert. Agent calls. Showing booked.
Illustration only.
How to explain it to your client
"I'll set you up so the right homes come to you the day they hit the market, from me. If anything I send is off, tell me and I'll tighten it. The better it gets, the less time you spend scrolling."
Watch-outs
- Five right homes beat fifty wrong ones. A sloppy search trains people to ignore your emails.
- Ask permission to email. "Is it alright if I send you the ones that fit?"
- Don't filter on people. Searches are about the home, price and area, never the people who live there. Fair housing.
- Respect unsubscribes. If they unsubscribe from the search, honor it.
- Every lead with a good email gets one. The only reason not to is a bad email address.
This is training for real estate agents. Follow fair housing laws, email consent rules and your brokerage policy.
Questions
When should I build the saved search?
Before you leave the record, ideally before or during the first call.
What if they won't talk to me?
Build it from what they viewed. It keeps working while you keep calling.
How broad should it be?
A little wider than what they viewed. Then tighten it from the conversation.
What if they stop opening the emails?
Call and ask what's off. Usually the price or area changed.
Should past clients have a saved search?
Yes. Switch it to a home value or neighborhood update after closing.
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.