How often should real estate agents follow up with past clients?
Plan on frequent contact in the first 90 days after closing, then about one personal touch a month for the rest of the first year. The week-one call, the 30-day check-in, the first season of home tasks and the one-year home anniversary matter most. After that, a touch every month or two keeps you remembered.
What is a good post-closing follow-up schedule for realtors in the first year?
A good first-year schedule puts several touches in the first 90 days, then settles into about one a month until the home anniversary. Use the table below as a starting point and move the dates to fit the client. Each touch is short, and each one is about the house.
| When | Touch | What it's about |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Phone call and a handwritten thank-you | How the move went, and one real moment from the deal |
| Day 30 | Check-in text | What has broken or turned out to be confusing |
| Day 90 | Phone call | How the house is working out, and whether they need a pro |
| Spring | Seasonal reminder | Getting the cooling system checked before summer |
| Month 6 | Short note | Something you remember about them, with no ask |
| Fall | Seasonal reminder | Getting the heating system checked before winter |
| Other months | A pop-by or a short text | One small home task for that month |
| Month 12 | Home anniversary | Congratulations and one useful reminder |
The seasonal touches have a real reason behind them. ENERGY STAR advises checking the cooling system in spring and the heating system in fall, and inspecting or changing air filters once a month. A reminder like that is useful to your client whether or not they ever need you again.
The first week is covered in more detail in what to do after closing. For the monthly touches, see pop-by ideas by month, and for the words, see follow-up texts and emails. The month-12 touch has its own scripts in home anniversary messages.
How often should I contact past clients after the first year?
After the first year, a touch every month or two is enough to keep you remembered. The home anniversary and the change of seasons stay as fixed points. The rest can be a short text, a pop-by or a note when something comes up, like a new baby or a new job.
This page covers past clients only. Staying in touch with friends, neighbors and everyone else you know is a different plan, and sphere of influence covers it.
How do you keep in contact with past clients without becoming a nuisance?
Make every message carry something useful for the house or the client, and never a sales ask. A reminder to change the furnace filter is welcome, while a fourth "thinking of selling?" email is not. When a client stops answering, send fewer messages, not more.
Write each message to one person, so it reads like you and not like a newsletter. If a client asks you to stop, stop that day, and take them off whatever list you keep.
How do you keep track of who is due for a touch?
A calendar or a simple spreadsheet is enough. Give each client a row with their closing date and the date of your last touch, and look at it on the first of each month. Referrals give you another natural reason to check in, because a client who hired a roofer from your list has something to tell you.
Sources
Proferral lists the referral check-ins that are due
The follow-up queue in Proferral lists a check-in when a referral you logged is still pending 14 days later, and you send it from your own phone or email. It doesn't schedule your other past-client touches or track anniversaries, so keep your calendar for those. See the follow-up queue.
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