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Residential Real Estate Agent: Best Referral Sources

Who should be sending you clients, and the rooms they are already sitting in.

Get the networking events worth showing up to

Tell us where you are. We will send you the best rooms for residential real estate agents and the next meeting dates. Add a ZIP and this page will also show your local chapters and which seats are open.

Most business owners network where their competitors are, not where their referral partners are.

Your own trade group is for learning. Your partners' groups are where the work comes from. Everything below starts with one question. When something happens that makes people need residential real estate agents, who else gets a call that same week?

Residential real estate agents sell to individuals and households, and most of the work starts when somebody buys a house. People take their time deciding, so a recommendation carries most of the weight. Clients return now and then, so the introduction has to keep paying off.

What starts the work
  • Home purchasewhen somebody buys a house
  • Home salewhen somebody puts a house on the market
  • Divorcewhen a marriage ends
  • Death / probatewhen somebody dies and an estate has to be settled
  • Job changewhen somebody changes jobs or gets relocated
  • Retirementwhen somebody retires
  • Aging / care transitionwhen an aging parent needs a different living situation
  • Move-in / relocationwhen a family moves into a new place
Block one

Who should be sending you clients

Ranked by what starts the job, not by who sounds close to your trade.

  1. 01

    Mental Health Therapist

    Two-way
    65

    Trigger: a marriage ends

    You and therapists and counselors both get the call when a marriage ends, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  2. 02

    Attorney Estate Planning & Probate

    Two-way
    63

    Trigger: somebody dies and an estate has to be settled

    You and estate planning attorneys both get the call when somebody dies and an estate has to be settled, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  3. 03

    Mortgage Broker / Loan Officer

    You send them work
    61

    Trigger: somebody buys a house

    You hear about it when somebody buys a house, before mortgage brokers do. Expect to give more than you get back here.

  4. 04

    CPA / Accountant

    Two-way
    61

    Trigger: somebody dies and an estate has to be settled

    You and CPAs both get the call when somebody dies and an estate has to be settled, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  5. 05

    Attorney Elder Law

    They send you work
    60

    Trigger: somebody dies and an estate has to be settled

    Elder law attorneys hear about it when somebody dies and an estate has to be settled, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  6. 06

    Home Health Care

    Two-way
    60

    Trigger: an aging parent needs a different living situation

    You and home care agencies both get the call when an aging parent needs a different living situation, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.

  7. 07

    Staffing / Recruiting

    They send you work
    59

    Trigger: somebody changes jobs or gets relocated

    Staffing and recruiting firms hear about it when somebody changes jobs or gets relocated, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  8. 08

    Attorney Family Law

    They send you work
    58

    Trigger: a marriage ends

    Family law attorneys hear about it when a marriage ends, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.

  9. 09

    Attorney Real Estate

    You send them work
    57

    Trigger: somebody buys a house

    You hear about it when somebody buys a house, before real estate attorneys do. Expect to give more than you get back here.

  10. 10

    Home Inspector

    You send them work
    57

    Trigger: somebody buys a house

    You hear about it when somebody buys a house, before home inspectors do. Expect to give more than you get back here.

Block two

Where those people actually are

Ranked by how many of your best partners are in the room, and how much work each one can send you.

Start here

Your local estate planning council

Your partners are in this room: estate planning attorneys, CPAs, and elder law attorneys.

Estate lawyers, CPAs, bankers, and insurance people in one room on purpose. It was built for this kind of referral.

Your partners' association Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
Find your local chapter →

Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.

  1. 01

    Your local estate planning council

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: estate planning attorneys, CPAs, and elder law attorneys.

    Estate lawyers, CPAs, bankers, and insurance people in one room on purpose. It was built for this kind of referral.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  2. 02

    Aging Life Care / senior care provider network

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: therapists and counselors, elder law attorneys, and home care agencies.

    People who help older adults and their families move, get care, and sort out the house. They are there when the family decides everything at once.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  3. 03

    State bar practice sections

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: estate planning attorneys, elder law attorneys, and family law attorneys.

    Classes, standards, and lawyers who share cases. The exception is across practice areas. Estate and family lawyers refer to each other all the time.

    Quarterly Under $500/yr ~2 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  4. 04

    Your city or county chamber of commerce

    Chamber of commerce

    Your partners are in this room: therapists and counselors, mortgage brokers, and CPAs.

    Too big and too broad on its own. The value is in one committee. Pick one and go every time. The same fifteen people show up, and they get to know you.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~4 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  5. 05

    Local mortgage bankers or brokers association

    Your partners' association

    Your partners are in this room: mortgage brokers and home inspectors.

    Loan officers know a house is selling 30 to 60 days before anyone else does.

    Monthly Under $500/yr ~3 hrs/month
    Chapter finder →
  6. 06

    BNI

    Structured referral group

    One seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.

    The biggest referral group in the world. You meet every week. Only one person per job. They expect you to show up.

    Weekly $500–$2,000/yr ~8 hrs/month One seat per category
    Chapter finder →
  7. 07

    LeTip International

    Structured referral group

    One seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.

    Weekly referral chapters. One person per job. Strong with trades and home services.

    Weekly $500–$2,000/yr ~7 hrs/month One seat per category
    Chapter finder →
  8. 08

    Network In Action

    Structured referral group

    One seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.

    Referral groups that meet once a month. Good if you cannot give up a morning every week.

    Monthly $500–$2,000/yr ~3 hrs/month One seat per category
    Chapter finder →
The competitor trap

Your local Realtor board or association

Most residential real estate agents join this room first. It is also the one most likely to be the wrong pick. Join as a vendor and you are in front of hundreds of agents. They need people they trust at every closing. Ask about the vendor committee and the classes for new agents, not just the parties. Everyone in it does what you do. Join it for the training, the licences, and the ties to manufacturers. Do not join it for referrals, and do not join it instead of the rooms above.

Your local Realtor board or association →

Let us be straight with you. For residential real estate agents, a weekly referral group is not the best pick. Your partners gather in professional groups instead, so spend your time there. We would rather say that than sell you a seat you do not need.

Block three

Is your seat open?

Prime Time takes one real estate agent (residential) per chapter. Put in a South Florida ZIP above and we will show you which seats are open.

Add a ZIP code at the top of the page to see which seats are open.

Get the dates

Have the next meetings sent to you

The rooms above are the answer. This is when they meet. Tell us where to send it and we will email you the next dates for residential real estate agents, with the one page plan.

We already know your trade and your area from this page, so there is nothing else to fill in. We do not ask for a phone number. Every email we send has an unsubscribe link.

Take this with you

Your one-page action plan

Five partners, five things to say, three rooms. Print it and keep it in the car.

Networking plan: Real Estate Agent (Residential)

The five people who should be sending you clients

  1. Mental Health Therapist (Two-way)
    Shared trigger: a marriage ends
  2. Attorney Estate Planning & Probate (Two-way)
    Shared trigger: somebody dies and an estate has to be settled
  3. Mortgage Broker / Loan Officer (You send them work)
    Shared trigger: somebody buys a house
  4. CPA / Accountant (Two-way)
    Shared trigger: somebody dies and an estate has to be settled
  5. Attorney Elder Law (They send you work)
    Shared trigger: somebody dies and an estate has to be settled

The three rooms to be in

  1. Your local estate planning council: Your partners are in this room: estate planning attorneys, CPAs, and elder law attorneys.
  2. Aging Life Care / senior care provider network: Your partners are in this room: therapists and counselors, elder law attorneys, and home care agencies.
  3. State bar practice sections: Your partners are in this room: estate planning attorneys, elder law attorneys, and family law attorneys.

Don't confuse this with networking: Your local Realtor board or association. Learning and supplier access, not referrals.