These are common questions real estate agents, teams and brokers ask before they hire help with marketing, answered from published rules and Google’s own help pages. If yours is not here, ask it in the contact form.
Marketing For Realtor is an independent referral service, not a marketing agency. When you send the form, your details go to an independent marketing agency that prepares any proposal and does any work.
About this site and the proposal
The form takes a minute. Your details go to one independent marketing agency that works with real estate agents, and it can contact you by phone or email. The questions below cover what happens next and what to look for.
About the marketing itself
Most questions about real estate marketing come back to a few things: where leads come from, how Google works, what housing ads may say and what you should own. Each has a page of its own: lead generation, SEO, Facebook ads, website design and choosing an agency.
Questions agents ask
Is Marketing For Realtor a marketing agency?
No. Marketing For Realtor is an independent referral service, not a marketing agency. When you send the form, your details go to an independent marketing agency that prepares any proposal and does any work. The site does no marketing work itself.
What does it cost to ask?
Nothing. Sending the form is free, and you never have to hire anyone. Any fee is set out by the agency in its proposal.
Who will contact me?
An independent marketing agency that works with real estate agents, teams and brokers. It can contact you by phone or email, and you can ask who it is before anything is agreed.
Who receives my details?
Your request is emailed to this site’s operator and passed to one independent agency so it can contact you. See the privacy policy.
Can agents outside big cities ask?
Yes. The site takes requests from real estate agents anywhere in the United States. Say where you sell in the form.
How do real estate agents advertise their listings?
On their own website through IDX and a page for each listing, on social media, with Facebook and Google ads, with video, through email to buyers who saved a search, and with signs and open houses. The best plans point all of these at the listing page on the agent’s own site.
Do Facebook ads work for real estate?
They can, when the ad shows something people want, reaches the areas you serve and every reply is answered quickly. No one can tell you in advance what an ad will produce. See real estate Facebook ads.
What does SEO mean in real estate?
Search engine optimization: the work that helps an agent’s website and Google Business Profile show up when people search for homes, areas and agents, without paying per click.
Can anyone guarantee a top ranking on Google?
No. Google says “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google” and warns against SEOs that claim a special relationship with Google.
Can I pay Google for a better spot on Maps?
No. Google says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity.
Should I take my office address off my Google profile?
No. Keep your real address on your Google Business Profile. If you also travel to clients, Google lets you enter both your address and a service area.
Can I add my town to my Google Business Profile name?
No. Google’s guidelines say the name should be your real-world business name, with no keywords added.
Can I offer clients a gift for a review?
Not for a review on Google: Google’s policy bans incentives for reviews. The FTC’s rule on consumer reviews also bans incentives for reviews that must be positive. Ask every client for an honest review and offer nothing for it.
Does the Fair Housing Act apply to my marketing?
Yes. The federal advertising rule (24 CFR 100.75) covers any advertisement for the sale or rental of a dwelling, including ads, posts, emails and your website. For a legal question, ask a lawyer.
Do I have to disclose paid posts by creators or partners?
Yes. The FTC says a material connection, such as payment or free services, must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously where people will see it.
What does CAN-SPAM require of my emails?
Accurate headers, honest subject lines, a valid physical postal address, a clear way to opt out, and opt-outs honored within 10 business days.
Are Local Services Ads available to real estate agents?
Eligibility depends on the profession and the area. Check in Google’s Local Services Ads sign-up.
How much should I spend on ads?
No figure fits every market, and this site publishes none. In Google Ads you set a daily budget per campaign and can change it at any time. A proposal should explain any budget it suggests.
What should I own when I hire an agency?
Ask for the domain, the website and its content, and the Google and Meta ad accounts to be in your name, so they stay with you if you change agencies.
What should I ask an agency before I sign?
Google suggests asking for examples of previous work, whether it follows the Google Search Essentials, what results it expects and in what timeframe, how it measures success, its experience in your industry and city, and whether it will share every change it makes to your site.
Why does this site say “real estate agents”?
NAR says REALTOR is its membership mark, used by its members, not a general word for an agent. This site is not affiliated with NAR.
Is any of this legal advice?
No. It is general information drawn from published rules. For a legal question, ask a lawyer; for a license question, ask your broker or your state’s real estate commission.
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