How Real Estate Agents Can Generate More Leads: 3 Tips for 2026

Generating leads is a crucial part of being a real estate agent. It’s pretty hard to sell a house to someone that isn’t looking to buy. And the pool of new buyers has never been tighter. First-time buyers made up just 21% of home purchases, a record low since tracking began in 1981 and well off the pre-2008 norm of 40%. The typical first-time buyer is now 40 years old, the oldest on record, according to NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers (published November 2025, covering purchases from July 2024 through June 2025). From passing out flyers to buying ad space on a bus bench, realtors have been known to go to great lengths to get their name out there. However, you don’t need to overcomplicate things. Some leads can be generated simply with the help of an online rental application and instant tenant screening report. For those looking for easier, cheaper ways in which to create leads, here are a few effective tips.

Tip No. 1: Represent Rental Properties

Before you turn away in disgust, hear us out. With the rising prominence of online rental applications and instant screening reports, rentals have become much easier to represent.

Additionally, while it might not be the best way to generate income, representing a rental can give you access to future leads. If you please a customer when settling them into a rental, they will more than likely go to you when they move out and look to buy. As the saying goes, today’s renters are tomorrow’s buyers, and the data backs it up: 64% of first-time buyers rented an apartment or house immediately before purchasing, per NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers (Exhibit 1-20).

While this may not happen immediately, representing first-time buyers can have a lasting impact and it can be the start of a long-term relationship with a client. Creating relationships like this is important if you are plan to be an agent for the long haul. That runway is getting longer. Renters’ average self-reported likelihood of ever owning a home slipped from roughly 52% in 2015 to about 35% in 2025, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s SCE Housing Survey (annual February waves, 2014–2026). The agent who stays in touch is the one still there when the renter is ready.

In addition, if you become familiar with a certain complex, you can hold promotional events there. Apartment complexes are lead goldmines, with most tenants being temporary. About 1 in 6 renter households (16.8%) moves in a given year, compared with 3.7% of owner households, roughly 4.5 times the turnover. Those figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent geographic mobility data, covering 2023 (Table 7, householder-level). Getting to know apartment complex application coordinators is a great way to initiate the relationship.

Tip No. 2: Create Relationships With Landlords/Property Management Groups

In addition to apartment complexes, relationships with landlords and property management groups are another great source for future first-time buyers. Because of the temporary nature of rental properties, landlords often deal with their tenants moving out to become buyers. That is a large pool to work from: 46.8 million renter households, about 35% of all occupied homes in the U.S., as of the Census Bureau’s second-quarter 2026 homeownership release (published July 28, 2026).

If you refer good renters to these landlords using an online rental application, they may return the favor by referring their ex-tenants to you when they are moving out.

However, it is important that you give them good tenants. In order to do so, you should have a rigorous screening report that has comprehensive information about your tenants’ financial and criminal history. A RentSpree screening report gives you that in one place: a credit report with ResidentScore, a background report, and eviction records drawn from more than 25 million records nationwide, powered by TransUnion. Most reports come back within 2 hours (as of August 2026). Once you have a good reputation as someone who provides good renters, you can establish relationships with multiple landlords and property management groups, eliminating the need for any other lead sources. However, just like tip Number One, this is a more long-term focused tip.

Tip No. 3: Cherish the Leads From Your Broker

If you want a more short-term lead solution, you don’t have to look any further than your broker. Most brokerages have a list of leads they distribute among their agents. This matters most early on, because a referral pipeline takes years to build. The typical NAR member earned 28% of their business from past clients and customers in 2025, up from 20% a year earlier, and among agents with 16 or more years of experience repeat business accounted for about half the pipeline. For the median agent with 2 years or less in the business, it was 0%, according to NAR’s 2026 Member Profile (published June 2026, reporting 2025 activity).

However, it is important that you don’t slack on these leads because they will be reluctant to give you future leads if your track record suggests you’ve had a hard time closing in the past. The best leads go to the best agents. With that in mind, you should cherish the leads you receive and take them very seriously. That discipline compounds. Median gross income was $59,200 across all REALTORS® in 2025, and $88,500 for those with 16 or more years of experience, per the same NAR 2026 Member Profile.

In conclusion, the best way to generate steady leads (especially when starting out) is to not shy away from rental properties. Apart from putting money in your pocket quickly, the rental process is now easier than ever with the advent of online rental applications and screening reports. Today the application and screening side is already handled: RentSpree partners with 300+ MLSs, associations, and brokerages (as of August 2026), and Nurture keeps you in front of those renters until they’re ready to buy.