A real estate lead follow up system that actually gets done

Every agent knows follow up matters. Almost nobody does it consistently. Not because they're lazy, but because a Tuesday with two showings, an offer night and a home inspection doesn't leave room to remember that someone asked about a condo three weeks ago.

So this isn't about working harder. It's about a system simple enough that you'll still use it in a busy month.

Why follow up is where deals are won (or lost)

Ontario has a lot of agents. RECO had 84,798 salespersons and 20,567 brokers registered at the end of 2025. Most of your leads know at least one other agent, and probably several.

That means the person who gets the deal is usually not the smartest agent. It's the one who was in touch when the client was finally ready. Some leads are ready this week. A lot of them are six months or a year out. A follow up system is how you're still there when they are.

The pipeline: 8 stages, no more

Keep it simple. Every lead sits in one stage:

1. New: came in, nobody has talked to them yet
2. Contacted: you reached them, or at least tried
3. Qualified: you know their timeline, budget and what they want
4. Viewing: they're seeing properties (or you're seeing theirs)
5. Offer: an offer is being written or negotiated
6. Under Contract: firm deal, waiting on closing
7. Closed: done. Now they're a past client, which is its own follow up list
8. Lost: went with someone else, or went quiet for good. Note why.

The rule: every lead in New through Under Contract has a next follow up date. No date, no system. That's really the whole trick.

A follow up schedule you can stick to

This is a schedule we suggest, based on common practice, not data from a study. Adjust it for your market, but don't make it more complicated.

New online inquiry

• Same day, ideally within the hour: call. If no answer, text and email.
• Day 2: second call attempt, short text.
• Day 4 or 5: email with something useful, like a couple of listings that match.
• Day 10: check in. "Still looking, or should I stop bugging you?" works surprisingly well.
• Then every 2 to 4 weeks until they're qualified or lost.

Qualified buyer or seller, not ready yet

• Every 2 to 3 weeks with something relevant: a new listing, a sold price nearby, an answer to a question they had.
• A quick call once a month. Texts are easy to ignore, calls aren't.

Past clients (Closed)

• A check in around the home anniversary.
• A few times a year with something actually useful, not just "thinking of you".

Sphere

• Once a quarter at least. Coffee, a call, a note.

The schedule matters less than the habit. If you open your CRM every morning and work the overdue list first, you're ahead of most agents.

Sample follow up messages

Write these in your own words. Clients can tell when it's a template.

First text after a web inquiry

Hi Sarah, it's Mike, the agent you contacted about the townhouse on Main St. Happy to send more photos or set up a showing. What's the best time to chat?

No reply after a few days

Hi Sarah, just checking back. Are you still looking in the area, or did your plans change? Either way is totally fine.

Qualified but not ready

Hey Sarah, a 3 bed came up two streets over from the one you liked. Not perfect, but thought you'd want to see it. Want the link?

Past client

Hi Dave, hard to believe it's been a year in the new place. Hope the basement project went ok! If anyone you know is thinking about moving, I'm around.

The CASL part (don't skip this)

In Canada, Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) covers commercial electronic messages, which includes most marketing emails and texts you send leads. The short version:

• You need consent, either express (they said yes) or implied.
• According to the CRTC, an inquiry gives you implied consent for six months.
• A purchase or a written contract, still in force or expired within the last two years, generally gives you implied consent for two years.
• Express consent doesn't expire unless they withdraw it.
• Every commercial message has to identify you, include a way to contact you, and have an unsubscribe option.

What this means in practice: when someone inquires, you have six months to turn that into express consent. A simple "Would you like me to keep sending you listings like this?" sent while the six months are still running, plus a recorded yes, does the job. The CRTC also says express consent has to be an opt-in, so the person has to actively say yes. And the person who claims consent has to prove it, so write down when and how they agreed.

This isn't legal advice, and the CRTC guidance is worth reading yourself. But tracking consent on every contact saves you a lot of worry.

Making it a system, not a sticky note

You can run all of this in a spreadsheet. Lots of agents start that way. It breaks down once you're past fifty or so active leads, or the first time you forget to check it for a week.

A CRM built for this should (more on choosing a CRM in Canada):

• Put overdue and due-today follow ups at the top when you log in
• Keep email, text and call history in one thread per person
• Show consent status on every lead
• Let you call, text or book a showing right from the lead
• Draft the message for you, so the blank page isn't the thing stopping you

That's what CloseFlow does for solo Ontario agents. It drafts follow ups in your voice, and you approve every message before it goes out. Nothing is sent behind your back. The pipeline uses the same eight stages above, consent is tracked to CASL, and you can bring in your existing list with a CSV.

There's a 14-day free trial with no card. Plans are CA$49 a month plus HST for Starter, CA$99 plus HST for Professional and CA$179 plus HST for Scale.

Start your 14 day trial, no card needed.