Real Estate Testimonials For Lead Generation – With Examples!

We originally published this post in 2014. In 2019, we’ve updated the page with fresh examples to support and inspire real estate professionals.

If you’re having trouble converting your visitors to leads on your real estate website, a testimonial can be your golden ticket. A well-executed testimonial immediately shows viewers you’re worth working with, builds a baseline level of trust, and can help drive more traffic to your page over time.

But it’s not always easy. This piece will deliver actionable strategies and examples for sourcing and designing quality real estate testimonials — and steering clear of mistakes.

As a Realtor, you’re the product.

Testimonials are your reviews.

Show off your testimonial on the front page of your real estate website

A testimonial falls under the psychology trait of social proof. Since humans are social by nature, we take cues from other people’s choices. In addition, through the internet, we are becoming more informed every day.

Here is a great example from Redfin on how to use social proof to your advantage and build trust with your visitors from the get-go of the whole home buying process:

Source: Redfin

This real estate testimonial includes names, images, and location of the home buyers for context – as well as a quote. Together, the pieces form a package that’s positive and relatable to the viewer.

Most of your prospects are going to want to gain as much information as possible before picking up that phone and inquiring about the asking price.

Testimonials are one of the easiest ways to help reduce any friction you might be having with conversions.

When you allow potential real estate prospects to see that other people have had great results working with you, it can quickly increase your conversion rate.

Have your real estate testimonials tell a story

A brief testimonial in the form of a review is helpful — but if you want to make a real impact, encourage your clients to tell a more comprehensive story.

Here are a few questions to prompt them:

• Was this their first time looking for a new home?
• What was their situation before using you?
• Were they looking for something specific that you helped them find?
• Did they have a dream home that you helped bring into reality?
• Were they in a distressed property and you helped the situation?

Whatever the story is, if you want your testimonials to really hit home, your biggest chance will be having clients give as much valuable detail as possible instead of a high-level review of your services.

Real estate testimonial example videos:

[Video Source: Greg Guinto]

Investing in a high-production video allows Realtor Greg Guinto to showcase the home and the couple that bought it in a variety of ways. The video tours the viewer through the client’s house, moving in and out of the rooms and zooming in on specific details.

Below, Realtor Finneus Egan provides a testimonial and personal story from one of his clients.

[Video source: Finneus Egan]

The testimonial includes exactly the number of offers client Heather V. got and the specific ways that Finneus went above and beyond to make prospective buyers feel welcome during the entire process, including bringing a cellist in for the open house!

Use video as a new source of traffic

With YouTube, you can start driving new traffic to your real estate website via your testimonials. The key is to be sure everything from your title to description has been optimized for YouTube searches. This is similar to how you would go about on-page SEO optimization.

YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world. Using this platform is an easy way to pick up a new referral source to your website with the power of your real estate testimonials.

Key points to a great video testimonial

• Include your real estate slogan in the intro and outro.
• Have your customer tell their story, not simply review you.
• High-quality recording and editing is a plus (but not required).
• Embed the video on your website and drive traffic to it there, not on YouTube.

Distribute video testimonials via social networks

Another great way for real estate professionals to drive traffic is to send the video through every social media outlet that you’re active on.

You’re going to want to embed the video on your real estate website and drive traffic to the website rather than YouTube.

This will help you capture leads that are just browsing. It gives you a higher chance of having someone browse your website since they’re already on it, whereas on YouTube they would have to actually click and go to your website. (In addition, the other videos on YouTube might distract them.)

• Instagram – Cut up the video and get it on your profile page, story, or even IGTV.
• Twitter – Post the link to your website, where the video is embedded. Consider pinning this tweet to the top of your profile page as well.
• YouTube – Make sure your titles and description are targeted to a specific search. People aren’t going to be searching for “Realtor testimonials.” They’re going to be looking for “City + real estate agent” and similar searches.
• LinkedIn – Post a status update with the testimonial and also write an article that includes a link to the testimonial.
• Pinterest – Create an infographic with the key points the client shared.
• Facebook – Post on your personal page and fan page. Even better, add it to the Reviews section on your business Facebook page. It’s a great way to see real people online backing you.

Ask your client(s) to share the video with their social network as well. This could also help you build a deeper relationship with them for the future.

Design visually stunning real estate testimonials for your listing presentations

Have a designer go through your testimonials and create a couple of pages that really show off who you are and the past clients you have worked with. When your presentation is over, be sure to leave some testimonial samples with your clients.

You can also use these tools to give your work a professional edge:

• Boston Logic. This intuitive Website Builder helps Realtors tailor templates that showcase specific property listings.
• Matterport helps Realtors create impressive 3D virtual tours that they can use alongside verbal testimonials.
• Boost allows you to automatically create Facebook, Instagram, Wave, and Google ads when new listings are shared on MLS.

For a full list of tools, see Homespotter’s 2019 guide.

Layout is what first captures the viewer’s eye. It is just as important as what your clients say.

Learn from these bad real estate testimonial examples

Before putting any type of testimonial on your website, you want to make sure that it looks 100% legitimate. If the content or visual design is poor, you won’t get the results you’re looking for. Even worse — some viewers might not believe you.

Video is king with testimonials, but — at the very least — you should have a picture attached with any quotes you’re thinking about using.

You can learn from this example. Without an image or further context for clients, it’s hard to verify:

These are common across the internet. Metrowest MA Real Estate, for example, could also add more details and images to make these testimonials more substantial.

Although this second example has a more polished design, it still lacks an image to help people connect with the people behind the words.

[Source]

Finally, although this site includes testimonials with names, additional personal details, and Realtor credentials, there’s a disconnect in the design. Not all of the testimonials include images and videos.

[Source]

Make sure it’s clear which video links to which review on your site — and include videos for as many of the reviews as you can.

How to source believable real estate testimonials

Use every platform that you can. The more the better. When people are reviewing a product, they like to see that it’s highly reviewed. This can take precedence over other things when they’re picking out the agent, such as how you will market their home. If they see lots of people reviewing you all over, they just assume that you’re going to be able to list and sell their home for a higher price than other agents.

• Facebook Reviews – Message people who are online and active. Get an update on their life first and then ask them if they could help you out with a quick review. Don’t make it all about you at first. This resource will also help you source reviews for your Facebook business page.
• Google Reviews – Since so many people are familiar with the Google brand, adding these to your site is a quick way to get people to relate and appreciate your reach.
• LinkedIn Recommendations – These are pretty easy to obtain. If you recommend other people, generally they’ll recommend you back. Displaying them prominently on your website will add more social proof — and increase its value.
• YouTube Testimonials – Personally call and ask clients if either you can meet them at their house and record a testimonial OR if they can take a quick one on their phone and send it to you. Their level of technical knowledge and creativity (as well as your relationship) will play a part in your decision.
• Yelp – Yelp has a high-quality review system. Many people who use Yelp to search for homes are serious about buying and selling, so building a strong presence on this platform will drive more traffic your way. Sending out an email to your contact list asking for reviews is a great way to get your page started.
• Comments from your blog – Another place where you can find people leaving great comments about you. Take screenshots if any of the comments really stand out and use them in other places, such as Facebook.

There You Have It!

Now, it’s time to source, craft, and distribute your own beautiful, unique, and valuable real estate testimonials. If you’re looking to put your testimonials on print flyers, our real estate flyers are a great place to start.