Inbound marketing for real estate investors
By Josh MillerUpdated 4 min readInbound marketing gets sellers to find you: paid search ads on phrases like "sell my house fast," a website that ranks for local seller searches, reviews, and referrals from agents, attorneys and past sellers. Search ads work right away at $13 to $35 a click; ranking and referrals take months but cost less per lead, and most investors pair inbound with outbound mail to owners with a recent filing.
Inbound means the seller comes to you. It's the dream: no cold mail, no cold calls, just a phone that rings with people who already want to sell. It works, slowly or expensively, and it reaches a different seller than outbound does.
The inbound channels
| Channel | Speed | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Paid search ("sell my house fast") | Same day | About $13 to $35 a click |
| A website that ranks in local search | Many months | Your time or an SEO budget |
| Reviews on Google and elsewhere | Builds over time | Free; ask every seller |
| Referrals: agents, attorneys, contractors, past sellers | Builds over time | A thank-you, or a fee where legal |
| Social posts and video | Months | Your time |
Who inbound reaches
Sellers who are already searching. That's good: they're ready. It also means they're searching every investor at once, and they're comparing you with listing. Speed and trust win those calls.
Who it misses
The owner who hasn't searched yet. Most owners who end up searching for a cash buyer had something happen first: a foreclosure filing, a listing that died, a lien. Those are public records. Outbound mail reaches them before they search, and before every other investor's ad does. In the county records, owners with an expired listing or a foreclosure filed sold off-market at 12 to 13 of every 100 within a year.
Use both
The mail makes your name familiar; the inbound catches them when they're ready. A seller who got your letter and later searches "sell my house fast" clicks the name they recognize. Compare your cost per deal by channel.
Questions investors ask
What is inbound marketing for real estate investors?
Marketing that lets sellers find you when they're ready: search ads, a website that ranks in local search, reviews, content and referrals.
Is inbound or outbound better for wholesalers?
They reach different sellers. Inbound catches sellers already looking; outbound, like mail to owners with a recent filing, reaches them before they look. Most investors use both.
How long does SEO take for a we buy houses website?
Usually many months to rank for local seller searches, and competition in big markets is heavy. Paid search works the day you turn it on.
What's the cheapest inbound channel?
Referrals: agents, attorneys, contractors and past sellers. They cost a thank-you, or a referral fee where legal, and the sellers arrive trusting you.