How I Cut My Real Estate Marketing Budget By 60% (Without Losing Leads)

I was spending $2,000+ every month on Zillow leads, Facebook ads, and random marketing "experts" who promised results.

My bank account was bleeding, and half the leads were garbage anyway.

Then I got frustrated enough to try something different:

What actually worked:

Stopped paying for cold leads – I started asking every past client for just ONE referral. Sounds basic, but I made it easy: "If you know anyone even thinking about moving in the next year, just text me their name." Got 12 warm referrals in the first month.
Went hyper-local instead of broad – Instead of Facebook ads targeting "everyone interested in homes," I joined 3 neighborhood Facebook groups and just answered questions. No pitching. Someone asks about good contractors? I help. Someone asks about property taxes? I send info. People started reaching out to ME.
Repurposed everything – One open house = 5 Instagram posts, 2 emails, and a neighborhood flyer. I stopped creating new content from scratch every single day.

The result? I went from $2,000/month to under $300/month, and my lead quality actually got BETTER because people were coming to me already warm.

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