Automating Lead Follow-Up for a Real Estate Team

Where they started

Leads arrived from portal ads, social, and the brokerage site. Agents called when they could. Nights and weekends lagged; speed-to-first-touch averaged 1–5 hours. Tasks were manual, and a chunk of leads never got a second attempt.

Objectives we aligned on

• Contact every lead in under 5 minutes, 24/7.
• Increase showing bookings by 15%+ within 60 days.
• Give leadership clear visibility into response SLAs and leakage.
• Keep PII secure and compliant; avoid spamming.

Solution architecture

Play-by-play build

1) Capture and normalize

We ensured every lead source hits HubSpot with UTM/source tags. Duplicates merge; renters vs. buyers flagged at intake. Required fields keep routing accurate.

2) Routing to the right agent

n8n uses a schedule + availability table: first match is territory + on-duty; if no response within 10 minutes, it reassigns to a backup, then to a shared pool with a loud Slack alert. Response reasons (contacted, voicemail, bad number) are recorded.

3) Instant outreach

Within 3 minutes, the lead receives an SMS and email with a calendar link and 1–2 relevant listings. If they reply, the same agent continues the thread; if not, tasks create in HubSpot for day 1, 3, and 7 touches.

4) Nurture without spam

For low-intent leads, we branch to a lighter drip. Opt-out keywords immediately halt messages. All sends include brokerage details for compliance.

Outcomes after 60 days

• Speed-to-first-touch: under 3 minutes, day or night.
• Showings booked: +18% versus the prior 60 days.
• Closed deals: +9% lift; higher agent morale from fewer missed leads.
• Leadership: real-time SLA dashboard; leakage down materially.

Implementation timeline

• Week 1: Source mapping, routing rules, first SMS/email templates.
• Week 2: Automation build in n8n, HubSpot tasks, dashboards.
• Week 3: Pilot with one territory; tune messaging and SLAs.
• Week 4: Rollout to all territories; add drips for low intent.

Risks and mitigations

• Over-messaging: Opt-out honored instantly; limit to 3 touches in 7 days unless replied.
• Bad numbers: Carrier lookup and bounce handling; email fallback.
• Agent fatigue: Fair-routing and shared pool after misses reduce burnout.
• Compliance: TCPA-friendly language and footer; no data leaves the CRM.

Want this for your team?

Start with a single territory and clear SLAs. Instrument every step, then automate routing and outreach. Add nurture only after speed-to-first-touch is solid.