How to Stay in Touch With Past Clients: A 12-Month Plan for Real Estate Agents
Stay in touch with past clients through about one useful touch a month: a home anniversary note, a short market update, seasonal home tips and the occasional personal call. Ask for referrals only after you’ve been helpful, and make it easy by mentioning that you’re happy to help their friends and family too.
In NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 91% of buyers said they would use their agent again or recommend them. Yet 43% of buyers found their agent through a referral, and another 18% went with an agent they had worked with before. Those numbers are the whole case for past client follow-up: people like their agent, and they ask friends for names. The agent they remember is the one who kept in touch.
Why past clients go quiet
Most agents don't lose past clients to another agent. They lose them to time. Closing day is a high point, then life takes over, and two years later the buyer can't quite remember your last name when a coworker asks for a recommendation.
A light, steady system fixes this without turning you into a newsletter factory.
The 12-month past client plan
| When | Touch | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Closing day | Thank-you and small gift | In person |
| Week 2 | "How's the move going?" | Text |
| Month 1 | Useful local list: trash days, utilities, favorite spots | |
| Month 3 | Quick market note for their neighborhood | |
| Month 4 | Seasonal maintenance reminder | Text or email |
| Month 6 | Personal check-in call | Phone |
| Month 7 | Market note | |
| Month 9 | Seasonal tips, plus "I'm happy to help friends and family too" | |
| Month 11 | Holiday or end-of-year note | Card or email |
| Month 12 | Home anniversary, with an estimate of what their home is worth now | Text and email |
After the first year, drop to a quarterly market note, a home anniversary message and a couple of personal check-ins a year.
The touches that matter most
The home anniversary
This is the single best past client message, because it's personal and easy to remember. When you close, add the one-year anniversary to your calendar right away, linked to the client, and add the next one each year when you send the message. In BrokerMule, you can add the event on your calendar and link it to the client so it also shows on their page.
The neighborhood market note
Homeowners care about their own street. A short note on what's selling near them, and for how much, is always opened. Keep it to a few lines and one number. Our real estate newsletter ideas include more topics.
The personal call
Once or twice a year, call a past client with no agenda beyond saying hi. Ask about the house, the kids, the job. Write down what you learn on their client record so the next touch can mention it. On BrokerMule, that's what private notes on the client page are for.
How to ask for referrals without being pushy
- Be helpful first. Ask after you've sent something useful, not as a standalone pitch.
- Be specific about who you help. "If anyone you know is thinking about buying in the South Coast area..." is easier to act on than "send me referrals!"
- Make it easy. Give them a link they can forward. Your invite link lets a friend sign up and enter their own home search in a minute.
- Thank every referral, whether or not it turns into a deal.
Keep past clients organized
Don't delete past clients or let them drift into a forgotten spreadsheet tab. Keep them in your CRM with a clear stage like Closed with me (or rename it Past client), so you can see them at a glance and pick them out when you send an email. See real estate pipeline stages for a simple setup, and managing clients for how stages work in BrokerMule.
Pause their automated listing texts after closing, since they've already bought, unless they ask to keep watching the market. Then send your quarterly notes and seasonal tips through email campaigns, which include automatic unsubscribe links.
Do it in BrokerMule
All guidesEmail campaignsPick a template, personalize it, choose recipients, send yourself a test, then send. Includes merge tags and monthly email limits.
CalendarMonth, week and day views; double-click to add an event; link it to a client and property; book tour requests in one click.
The client pageA tour of every section on a buyer’s page, from live chat and private notes to saved homes, tour requests and the full text history.Frequently asked questions
How often should you contact past real estate clients?
About once a month in the first year after closing, then roughly quarterly after that, plus their home anniversary each year.
What should I send past clients?
Home anniversary notes, short market updates for their neighborhood, seasonal maintenance tips and occasional personal check-ins.
How do I ask past clients for referrals?
After sending something helpful, mention who you help and offer a link they can forward, such as your sign-up link. Keep it short and thank every referral.
Should past clients keep getting listing alerts?
Usually not, since they have already bought. Pause their alerts after closing unless they ask to keep watching the market.
Sources
Competitor pricing and features change often. These were the references used when this page was last reviewed — verify anything critical before making a purchase decision.
Keep reading
Marketing & growth30 Real Estate Newsletter Ideas Your Clients Will Actually Open30 ideas, a 12-month content calendar and subject lines that get opened, for buyers and past clients.
Lead follow-upReal Estate Lead Nurturing: How to Stay Top of Mind With Buyers Who Aren’t Ready YetA simple system for buyers who are months away: what to send at each stage and how to spot when they’re ready.
Marketing & growthReal Estate Pipeline Stages for Buyer Agents: A Simple System That ScalesThe stages every buyer agent needs, what belongs in each and a daily routine to keep the pipeline moving.