Real estate agency: why visibility and traditional prospecting are no longer enough
Listings, leafleting, cold calling: the classic levers are running out of steam. In the US, 66% of sellers pick an agent they were referred to or already knew. How an agency can stand out and create its own opportunities.
Key takeaways
- 1France's resale market is recovering (around 921,000 transactions over twelve months to end September 2025, according to Notaires de France), but competition between agencies remains intense.
- 2In the US, 66% of sellers found their agent through a referral or chose one they had worked with before (NAR, 2025).
- 3An agency that can express its difference wins listings more easily, and relies less on fees to convince.
- 4Creating your own opportunities relies on lasting sources of business: network, referrals, local presence.
For a long time, the recipe was well known: be visible, prospect regularly, multiply listings. These actions are still necessary, but they no longer make the difference. When every agency in an area uses the same channels with the same messages, visibility becomes the entry ticket, not an advantage.
A recovering market, still intense competition
After two difficult years, France's resale market has regained momentum. According to Notaires de France, the number of existing-home transactions over a rolling twelve months was estimated at 921,000 at the end of September 2025, up almost 11% year on year, compared with 803,000 at the end of February 2025.
That is good news, but it doesn't settle the underlying question. Volume is recovering for everyone, and every seller is still approached by several agencies. The recovery will benefit first the agencies that sellers have a clear reason to choose.
Visibility has become a baseline
Portal listings, shop window, social media, leafleting: these actions remain essential. But every agency now does them. For a seller comparing agencies, they don't answer the only question that matters:
Why should I entrust my property to this agency rather than another?
If the agency can't answer clearly, the seller will decide on the easiest criterion to compare: often the fees.
What data says about choosing an agency
There is little detailed public French data on how sellers choose their agency. US data, collected every year by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), is very precise, and its lessons are illuminating.
According to NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, covering transactions between July 2024 and June 2025:
- 66% of sellers found their agent through a referral or chose an agent they had worked with before;
- only 5% of sales were made without a professional, a historic low.
The US market works differently from the French one, and these figures don't transfer as they are. But the mechanism they reveal is universal: choosing a professional comes down to trust first, and trust travels through referrals and past experience far more than through visibility.
Expressing your difference
A credible difference can't simply be declared. It rests on concrete elements:
- what your clients actually say about you, not what you would like them to say;
- your verifiable strengths: knowledge of an area, a sales method, quality of follow-up, observed time to sell;
- what your competitors don't do, or do less well.
The challenge is to turn these elements into a simple message that the whole team carries in the same way. A good test: ask each negotiator to explain in thirty seconds why a seller should choose the agency. If the answers differ, clients will perceive the same confusion.
| Generic message | Differentiating message |
|---|---|
| "We're a local agency" | "We sold X homes in this neighbourhood last year, here's how" |
| "We offer quality service" | "You get a progress update every week, with viewing feedback" |
| "We have wide visibility" | "Here's who buys in your area, and how we reach them" |
Creating your own opportunities
Beyond prospecting, an agency can build more lasting sources of business:
- network: partners, referrers (notaries, mortgage brokers, tradespeople, property managers), local professionals;
- referrals: satisfied clients who talk about you, provided you help them do so;
- local presence: being recognised as the go-to contact for a neighbourhood or a type of property;
- past clients: today's buyer is often tomorrow's seller.
These levers take consistency, but they produce opportunities that are less contested than cold-prospected listings. They also have a decisive advantage: a seller who comes through a referral compares less, and negotiates fees less.
Turning referrals into a process
Referrals shouldn't be left to chance. A few simple practices make them much more frequent:
- stay in touch after the sale, with a useful message rather than a sales pitch;
- ask explicitly for a referral, when the client is most satisfied;
- always thank those who refer, and keep them informed;
- track the share of listings that come from referrals as an indicator in its own right.
As much a team issue as a strategy issue
A differentiation strategy only works if the team owns it. If every negotiator presents the agency their own way, the difference gets diluted. Aligning the team on one message and shared priorities is often the most underestimated lever.
Into action
Rethinking business development doesn't mean changing everything. It means:
- clarifying your difference and expressing it simply;
- identifying two or three priority sources of opportunity;
- aligning the team on one message;
- building a realistic action plan, with tracking indicators.
That is the purpose of the course Why your agency rather than another?, designed for real estate professionals.
Sources
- Notaires de France, property press kit of 8 December 2025 and 2025 market notes, notaires.fr (in French).
- National Association of Realtors, 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, summarised by Virginia Realtors, "Key Takeaways from NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers", December 2025.
Key takeaways
- 1
France's resale market is recovering (around 921,000 transactions over twelve months to end September 2025, according to Notaires de France), but competition between agencies remains intense.
- 2
In the US, 66% of sellers found their agent through a referral or chose one they had worked with before (NAR, 2025).
- 3
An agency that can express its difference wins listings more easily, and relies less on fees to convince.
- 4
Creating your own opportunities relies on lasting sources of business: network, referrals, local presence.
Frequently asked questions
Should we stop traditional prospecting?
No. It remains useful, but it should be part of a broader strategy, with a differentiating message and other sources of opportunity, especially referrals and the local network.
How do sellers choose their agency?
Available data shows that trust and referrals weigh more than visibility. In the US, according to the National Association of Realtors (2025), 66% of sellers found their agent through a referral or chose one they had worked with before.
How do we find out what sets our agency apart?
Start from what your clients actually perceive, your verifiable strengths and what your competitors don't offer. It is work that benefits from an outside view.
How can we grow referrals?
Make them easy and natural: stay in touch after the sale, ask explicitly for a referral at the right moment, and give satisfied clients concrete reasons to talk about you.
Can the whole team attend the training?
Yes. The course “Why your agency rather than another?” runs over one 7-hour day, inter- or in-company, on-site or remote.
Does your agency have a clear answer?
Let's talk about your market, your team and your growth goals.
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