6 Low-Cost Listing Strategies That Actually Work For Real Estate Agents

Real estate agents across the country are feeling the pinch. When transactions dip, the natural instinct is to cut back on marketing. But pulling back often creates what Jimmy Mackin calls a death spiral: fewer conversations, fewer listings and fewer closings until you’re just hanging on.

The good news? Growing your business doesn’t have to mean spending more money. With creativity and consistency, you can ball on a budget and generate new listings right now. Mackin and I recently broke down some of the most effective low-cost listing strategies agents are using to secure seller leads in this market.

6 low-cost listing strategies that work

Here’s how you can put them to work in your own business.

1. Stop sending emails that go nowhere

Mackin began the discussion by saying, “If there’s one marketing channel agents consistently underutilize, it’s email. And that’s shocking considering the numbers: Data shows that 6 percent to 8 percent of your database will transact every year. But here’s the catch: Up to 90 percent of them won’t use you.

“That’s not a leaky bucket. That’s a bucket with a hole in the bottom. The fix? Stop sending generic emails and hoping for replies. Instead, use email to build your call list.”

Mackin recommends writing subject lines that act like “dog whistles” — they attract only the people most likely to be sellers.

Examples:

• “Read this before you sell your home in 2025.”
• “How to avoid losing $25,000 when you sell.”
• “I started to sell my home but stopped. Here’s why … ”

The people who open those emails have raised their hands. If 20 people out of 1,000 click, that’s your hot call list for the week.

Action step: Stop worrying about open rates. Start focusing on who is opening. Call them. Conversations with the right 20 people beat blasting 1,000 with no plan.

2. Create irresistible offers

Sometimes, the secret isn’t what you’re offering; it’s how you frame it. Mackin shared a story about KFC in Australia that had been running a promotion that was effective for years, but it began to see less and less effectiveness over time. The promotion was French fries for $1. Although it had been extremely effective in the past, the sales were flatlining.

The solution? They reframed the offer as “A deal so good you can only buy four.”

By creating scarcity, demand exploded. Orders of four fries jumped 86 percent.

That’s value framing. And it works in real estate, too.

Mackin suggested instead of sending, “Would you like to know your home’s value?” (yawn), try this:

“Most of my clients are surprised when they see how much equity they’ve gained. Even if you’re not thinking of selling, knowing where you stand helps. These take me a while to prepare because I dig into comps, analyze recent sales and factor in details algorithms overlook. Can I prepare one for your home?”

That subtle shift, from a free tool anyone can get online to a custom analysis that takes effort, makes your offer irresistible.

Action step: This week, send one email framed as an exclusive offer. Make it sound valuable and scarce. You don’t send these often, but when you do, they get results.

3. Send more emails than you think you should

Most agents are terrified of “over-emailing.”

“You already send 25 emails a day — just one at a time. Why not send 25 to your database?” Mackin said. 

“The best email marketers don’t email weekly. They email daily, or even twice a day,” Mackin noted.

The trick? Provide value every time. Market updates. Coming soon announcements. Neighborhood news. “Deal of the Week” emails.

The more often you show up in inboxes, the more surface area you create for opportunity. Repetition builds recognition. Recognition builds trust.

Action step: Set a goal of 20 to 25 emails a month. Mix in:

• Listings and open houses
• Market updates
• Client success stories
• Educational content (“3 things buyers want in 2025”)

4. Market like you gossip

Social media is another low-cost listing machine — if you use it right. Mackin shared how one agent generated $400,000 in commissions in 18 months from Instagram alone.

The secret? “Market like you gossip.”

Instead of polished, generic posts, share quick, raw, curiosity-driven content that spreads like whispers:

• “Over 140 price reductions in Boston this week. Want the list?”
• “Thinking of selling your house? Here’s what most owners don’t realize about today’s market … ”
• “Debated not posting this, but I’m curious, who’s still planning to buy in 2025 despite rates?”

Pair those posts with Instagram polls in Stories. They’re free, fast and wildly effective. 

Action step: Post one Instagram Reel per week (listings, market updates or faceless slideshows with text and AI voiceovers). Pair it with one Story poll every week. Collect responses, and follow up immediately.

5. Repurpose delistings 

Over the summer, delistings were surging, up to nearly 50 percent, according to Realtor.com data.

“Delistings are growing faster than inventory overall, and in some markets, for every two or three fresh listings, one home is being pulled,” Realtor.com senior economist Jake Krimmel said.

The playbook here is simple:

• Send a series of six or seven letters over 45 days.
• Use call and text scripts to make contact.
• Leverage authority posts on social media to educate sellers (“Longer time on market is the new normal … ”).

And when you win one? Share the story everywhere.

Mackin highlighted an agent who did just that. She told the story of a home that expired with another agent, and how she reworked the strategy, staged it and relaunched it with a YouTube video and neighbor mailers. The result? Forty-six showings, two offers and $87,000 more than the prior list price.

Her video ended with: “Know someone stuck in the same situation? Send them this video.”

That call to action turns your followers into referral partners.

Action step: Pick one expired listing campaign this week. Send the first letter, post an educational video, or text homeowners whose listings just came off the market.

6. Add new pillars without new costs

Every major brand that scaled, such as Birkenstock, Stanley and Carhartt, did it the same way: They optimized their core business and added a new pillar.

The same applies to real estate. Improve what you already do (email, social, referrals), but don’t stop there. Add one new lead pillar. Expireds. Instagram. Neighborhood farming.

“Get good at the things you do often. Then add one new thing,” as Mackin put it.

Balling on a budget doesn’t mean cutting back until there’s nothing left. It means doubling down on the free and low-cost listing strategies that already work: smarter emails, irresistible offers, more frequent touchpoints, curiosity-driven social posts and expired listing campaigns.

Every one of these ideas costs little more than your time. Put two or three into play this week, and you’ll create the momentum needed to finish strong in 2025.

“The agent who has the most conversations wins,” Mackin reminded us.

Jimmy Mackin is the co-founder of Listing Leads, and he can be found on Instagram.