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Referral business is crucial to your bottom line as an agent. Imagine if you could bottle the enthusiasm your clients have for working with you and use it to capture new business in 2024. That’s where real estate testimonials come into play. In this article, we’ll show how to procure top-notch client testimonials, where and how to share them, and how to leverage them to bolster your reputation and close more deals in 2024.
The good news is that most clients are excited to share their positive experiences. According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), 89% of buyers would recommend their real estate agent to others. Further, their study found that 36% of sellers who worked with an agent found them through a referral by friends or family.
How and where to use real estate testimonials and reviews
Prominently showcasing your real estate client testimonials can boost your credibility and demonstrate that you’re a hard-working, results-driven and trustworthy professional to work with. We recommend creating a space on your website and showcasing your best real estate client testimonials there. The goal is to drive traffic, showcase your listings, market knowledge and credibility, and capture leads through an email marketing or newsletter sign-up form.
Apart from your website, choosing the most effective platforms to host your real estate client testimonials will depend on your business and marketing strategy. If you find success through Zillow, then that should be your primary focus. Post them on Instagram or TikTok if you connect more impactfully with younger prospective clients through these social media channels. If you are targeting an older clientele, you may want to focus on LinkedIn or Facebook.
Always remember that posting reviews across multiple platforms will help to maximize your exposure to a variety of potential clients of different age groups and demographics. Target your messaging to each audience. We’ve listed some popular platforms to showcase your real estate client testimonials, and we’ll go over best practices and tips for testimonials below.
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How and when to request positive real estate testimonials
As an agent, you need to get comfortable with requesting testimonials and reviews from your real estate clients. After all, word of mouth is everything in an industry where people want to work with agents they know, like and feel they can trust. A firsthand recommendation from a trusted friend or colleague can go a long way to boosting your speed of trust with new prospects.
There are a few different ways to approach your testimonial request, depending on whether you’d like your client to provide your glowing review in written form or on video.
In terms of timing, we recommend that you ask your clients soon after their transaction has closed (but not in the stressful middle of it), when they are aglow with the success of their recent home sale or purchase. All of the details will be fresh in their mind, and they’ll still be feeling grateful to you for carrying them through one of life’s most stressful situations.
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Sending a written request for testimonials
Whether over email or text, be sure to express gratitude to your clients for choosing to work with you and remind them of one or two of the successful highlights of their home purchase or sale that you helped to deliver. If you got them more than their asking price or secured them a home in a highly desirable neighborhood they were very keen on, you should mention those specifics.
When asking for the review, note that you’re looking for their open and honest feedback to help build your reputation and your business. Remember to include a link to your profile on the site where you’d like them to share their review. If you’d like to add their testimonial to your personal website or create graphics to share it more visually on social media, it may be easiest to suggest that they send their testimonial directly to you via text or email.
[Name], thank you so much for choosing me as your real estate agent! It was a pleasure to work with you and I hope you’re pleased with your transaction. I’d like to ask you a favor: Will you take a few minutes and write a review of your experience with me? Your open and honest feedback will help me improve and will let other consumers who read your review know what it’s like to work with me.
Here is a link to my profile on [preferred site] [insert URL].
Thank you so much, [Name]. I appreciate you taking the time to give me feedback and I look forward to reading your thoughts.
To make things even simpler, you can also use Google Drive to create a Google Form with specific questions for your client testimonials. You can email the form to clients and their responses will automatically get filed in your Google Drive.
Calling your clients for testimonials
A follow-up call to see how your client is loving their new home is a perfect time to request a favorable testimonial from them. Ask politely if they’re interested in doing a written or video review for you, and provide further details based on what you’re looking for. Be sure to be specific about the length, some of the “wins” they had because of you, and a reasonable timeline for delivering it to you. Having a clear deadline that you both set forth will help to set clear expectations after you’ve confirmed their willingness to participate.
[Name], thank you so much for choosing me as your real estate agent! I hope you’re pleased with how your transaction went, and I would love your feedback about it. Could I ask you the favor of writing a review about working with me? Your feedback is valuable so I can continue doing the things you appreciated and improve on the things that you weren’t as satisfied with.
You can find my profile on [service] by searching [your name, details, etc.] If it’s easier, you’re welcome to email your remarks to me directly.
Thank you, [Name.] I appreciate you taking the time to give me feedback!
Meeting your clients in-person
You’ll want to be natural and personable when working face-to-face with a prospective reviewer. It can help if you bring up reviews early in the process of working with a client, such as asking if they read any of your reviews before contacting you. You can then mention that at the end of working together, you’d be grateful if they could provide a helpful review you might share with other buyers or sellers who may be looking for an agent.
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Effective real estate client testimonials + examples
We compiled some shining examples of real estate testimonials from a variety of platforms. Hopefully, these will inspire you (and your clients). We love how specific and enthusiastic these real estate agent reviews are, and we hope our tips, scripts and examples will help you capture similarly positive feedback.
Written real estate testimonials — examples we love
Zillow
This client review for Lori Acosta of Ebby Halliday is a great example of a client getting specific in their testimonial. The client talks about their experience with past agents and how Lori went above and beyond to help them get into their first home.
Yelp
This client review for The Odd Couple Team – Keller Williams was so long that the entire thing didn’t fit in one screenshot! This review stands out because the client details the pros and (nonexistent) cons, calling out specific interactions and team members they worked with.
Google Business
This review for Chet of Mark Dietel Realty goes into detail about working with him and his communication style and frequency, which is helpful in setting expectations for prospective clients.
Your website
This review for Kinga Mills gets specific about her work coordinating documentation, photography and marketing for the client. Additionally, it’s hosted on the Testimonials page of her own website made through Luxury Presence, and a great example of the type of testimonials page you can create on your own real estate website.
Video real estate testimonials — examples we love
Instagram/TikTok
This client testimonial for Nancy Hargrove of Coldwell Banker is short and sweet, and the enthusiasm from her clients shines through.
YouTube
This review for Realtor Darius Cincys features the client describing his family’s experience working with Darius and Darius’ expertise in his local market with enthusiasm — and all under 3 minutes!
Best practices for requesting real estate testimonials
The best real estate client testimonials are detailed and specific. Whether written or recorded, you should prompt your clients to expand on these two important areas.
Ask for detailed feedback
It’s difficult for a one-sentence review to attract new clients or serve as useful feedback for your work. Ask your clients to share thorough descriptions of their experience with you — what you did well and why they would work with you again. A little personal flair doesn’t hurt to make their testimonial memorable.
Getting specific about format, length & expectations
Prompt clients to get specific about their experience or situation. If you went above and beyond to help a first-time homebuyer or meet a difficult deadline, remind them to include that. It’s important to give them a word count or suggested video length, too. General requests will yield vague results, so be sure to ask clients for exactly what you need.
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Best practices for written real estate testimonials
If you’re asking clients for reviews in writing to use onyour website, on Google, Zillow or Yelp, here are some tips from the pros:
Ask helpful questions: It can be intimidating for a client to start from scratch when writing a review! You can help them get started by providing some questions, such as:
- Why did you choose me as your real estate agent?
- What did you like best about working with me?
- What do you think I could have done better?
- Would you recommend me to your friends and family?
Make it simple: When asking clients to leave a written review or testimonial, provide the direct link to the service(s) you use, if possible. Removing the step of having to find your profile on Google Business, Zillow, etc. makes it that much easier for them and eliminates any confusion. If you host reviews on your personal site, have them send their review directly to you via email for your use.
Share it: Once you have a written testimonial, you should consider making it into professional-looking graphics and sharing it across your social media platforms. The service Coffee & Contracts supplies a monthly suite of customizable posts to ensure your social media content is branded and consistent, and all of the design work is done for you for a monthly subscription fee.
Best practices for video real estate testimonials
If you’re in need of killer reviews for your social media audiences on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Facebook, be sure to follow this advice:
Choose the right clients: Being on camera can be intimidating, so be sure to select enthusiastic clients who seem comfortable with the prospect of being on camera when asked. It can help to prepare them with relevant questions beforehand, such as “What did I do well?” or “What was your favorite part of working together?”
Film in the right format: Many short-form video platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, are built for vertically oriented videos. YouTube videos, on the other hand, are often filmed in a horizontal format that fills the entire screen. Make sure you’re filming correctly to set yourself up for success on your chosen platform, and ask your clients to do the same. Let them know which format works best for your purposes, depending on which platform you want their video testimonial to appear on.
Be easy to find and contact: Make it easy for potential clients to find you by including your location in the video title/description. In addition, include a call to action in the video description with your contact information, relevant hashtags and direct phone number so that viewers can reach out to you for their real estate needs.
Keep it short: Shorter videos tend to get more views, especially on the vertical video platforms. Best practices say to keep them under three minutes — they’re more likely to be watched in full that way, too.
Keep it interesting: Part of keeping your video engaging and short is in the editing process. For client testimonials, you’ll want to hone your video editing skills using tools like PowerDirector 365 or Zoomerang. Using background music can help set the tone and cutting out any downtime or awkward pauses can keep visual interest.
Be accessible: Captions are important, especially on social media platforms where viewers might scroll through with their sound off. Use captioning features to display words as they’re spoken. Apps like BIGVU allow you to add captions to videos on your smartphone quickly and easily.
The full picture: Real estate testimonials
To succeed in the real estate industry, you must leverage your sphere of influence effectively. In a business built on referrals, testimonials from satisfied clients are invaluable as a tool to generate a steady flow of new clients and garner new business from them.
The best approach to gathering great client testimonials and reviews is to ask for them. Remind your clients that you’re looking for detailed, specific feedback on their experience working with you.
Once you start receiving positive real estate testimonials, be sure to make them as visible as possible by sharing them on social media, on your website, and on review sites like Yelp and Zillow. Your positive reviews will help prospective clients get a feel for your client service, professionalism, working style and commitment to your clients.
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