How to make the most of real estate testimonials to attract new clients

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.

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.

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.

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.  o

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.