Website behavior alerts are the website telling on your leads, and they're some of the best leads you'll get all week. When someone views a handful of homes in one sitting, saves a house, comes back after a long quiet stretch, or sends a question, they're looking right now. The clock is short. Call while they're still at the screen, and mention the exact home.
The short answer
Four alerts, four response times. Hot browsing and saved a home: call within the hour. Back on site: call or text today. New inquiry or showing request: call within five minutes. An alert doesn't change the stage. You do, on the call.
The four alerts
| Alert | What it means | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Hot browsing | Viewed 5 or more homes in a short span. | Call within the hour. Name a specific home from the list. |
| Saved a home | Favorited a property. | Call within the hour about that exact house. Offer to get them in the door. |
| Back on site | Quiet for 30+ days, then came back and viewed a home. | Call or text today. Mention the home and ask what changed. |
| New inquiry or showing request | Asked a question or picked a day and time to see a home. | Call within 5 minutes. No answer? Text, then try again. |
Step by step
- Open the note. It should list the homes they viewed or saved.
- Pick one home to mention. Price, street, one feature.
- Call. "Hi (name), it's (you) with (brokerage). I saw you were looking at the place on (street). What caught your eye?"
- Check the saved search. Are these the right homes? Tighten it while they're on the phone.
- Offer a showing on anything they liked.
- Set the stage. The alert doesn't. Hot, Warm or Nurture, based on what you learn.
- Note, tags, next task.
The back-on-site call
This is a re-engagement call, so lead with curiosity: "Hey (name), it's (you). I noticed you were looking at a couple of homes again this week. Last time we talked, you were thinking about (their words). What changed?" Then listen. Something did.
Nothing is booked until you confirm it
A showing request is a request. Confirm the time with the listing side, then confirm back to the lead. See the showing request SOP.
A worked example (illustration only)
Alert, 7:12 PM: Hot browsing. Viewed 6 homes, all 3-bed ranches, $400K to $450K, two suburbs.
7:20 PM call: "Hi Morgan, it's Pat with Main Street Realty. I saw you were looking at the ranch on Willow. What caught your eye?" Morgan says no stairs is a must. Pat notes "one-level living," confirms the search, books Saturday showings for two of the ranches. Stage: Hot.
Illustration only.
How to explain it to your client
Some leads are surprised you noticed. Be transparent:
"When you save or look at homes on our site, I get a heads-up so I can help while you're looking. If you'd rather I didn't call about it, just tell me and I'll keep it to email."
Watch-outs
- Be transparent, not creepy. "I saw you were looking at..." is fine when they registered on your site. Don't recite their whole browsing history.
- Turn alerts off for people you already talk to daily. Use a "no behavior alerts" tag so alerts stay meaningful.
- Respect "has an agent." Tag them so alerts stop.
- Same response for every lead. Never decide who gets a fast call based on anything but behavior and timing.
- Follow calling and texting rules and your brokerage policy.
This is training for real estate agents. Follow federal and state calling and texting laws, privacy rules and your brokerage policy.
Questions
Will calling about an alert annoy people?
Not if you lead with the home and offer help. If they ask you to stop, stop.
What if the same lead triggers alerts every day?
That's a Hot lead. Call, set the stage, and book a showing.
Should I email instead?
Call first. Alerts mean they're looking now.
What if I can't reach them?
Text with the specific home: "Saw you liked the one on Willow. Want to see it this week?"
Do alerts work on archived leads?
They should. An archived lead coming back to your site is the best archive call you'll make.
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.