What question should a newsletter survey ask to sell real estate leads?
Short answer
Ask if they plan to buy or sell a home in the next 12 months, then ask if they already work with a realtor. If they do, stop. If not, send the realtor their name, phone and email. Put it mid-survey, after people are committed, and sell each market to one exclusive realtor.
One question, placed right, is the whole product. A partner of mine sells each yes to a realtor for $30, and about one in 50 new subscribers says yes.
What exactly should it ask?
Are you planning to buy or sell a home in the next 12 months?
[ Yes, buying ] [ Yes, selling ] [ No ]
(If yes) Are you already working with a realtor?
[ Yes ] [ No ]The second question is the disqualifier. If they already have a realtor, stop asking. The realtor is paying for people who don't have one yet.
A homeowner's insurance quote is a natural companion question for people who already own.
Where in the survey does it go?
Mid-survey. Not first. By the middle, the person has answered a few easy questions and committed to finishing.
What does the realtor get?
Name, phone number and email. That's it. Keep it clean and fast.
Who should you sell it to?
One vertical, one buyer, per market. Exclusivity is what makes the lead worth paying for, and it makes the sale easier: "every real estate lead from our readers in this town goes to you."
How do you explain the price to a realtor?
Use their math. With a 25% close rate, the advertiser's cost per customer is four times the lead price.
| Lead price | Close rate | Cost per closed client |
|---|---|---|
| $30 | 25% | $120 |
Put that next to what they earn on a closed sale and let them decide. The close rate is the realtor's to prove, so don't promise one.
Are there better deals than cash per lead?
- Get licensed and take a referral cut. If you're in the US and don't already have one, I'd get a real estate license. Instead of charging agents, you take a referral cut. My understanding is a normal referral is around 25% of the commission, which on a million-dollar home is a lot of money. Rules vary by state and I'm not a lawyer, so check yours.
- Trade ads for leads. If you're a realtor with a newsletter, run ads for your mortgage partner in exchange for their leads. It costs you nothing, and they now have a reason to send business to you instead of someone else.
The full flow, with costs, is in how a signup flow pays for its own growth.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From partner demos and calls in 2026 and a Local Media HQ podcast conversation in 2025. Last updated .