AI Lead Follow-Up for Real Estate: AI Writes It, You Send It

A portal lead comes in at 7:40 on a Tuesday night while you're at your kid's game. By the time you see it, another agent has answered, offered two showing times, and asked a good question. You didn't lose that lead on skill. You lost it on the five minutes it takes to write a decent reply with one thumb.

That's the part AI fixes: not by texting your leads for you, but by having a solid draft in your voice ready when you look at your phone.

In my classes I teach one rule for follow-up: AI writes it, you send it. Below are the six systems agents build in Claude, with the prompts and the setup that has drafts waiting for you.

Why shouldn't AI auto-send your follow-up texts?

Because you're responsible for every message sent under your name, and auto-sent texts carry real risk. Approval-first keeps most of the time savings with far fewer ways to get burned:

• Consent rules. Automated texts and calls are covered by federal rules like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), plus state laws that can be stricter. Whether you need consent, and what kind, depends on how the message is sent and what it says. I'm not a lawyer, and this isn't legal advice. Confirm with your broker or an attorney before you automate any texting.
• Brokerage policy. Many brokerages have rules about which AI tools you can use and what client info can go into them. Ask first.
• Wrong facts. AI can make mistakes and make up details. A wrong "finished basement" is a quick fix in review and a problem once it's sent.

Claude's Gmail connector works this way by default: it can read, search, and draft, and asks for your approval before sending. See Anthropic's Google Workspace connectors article.

How do you set up a Follow-Up project in Claude?

Create one Claude Project just for follow-up, load your voice samples and rules, and run every follow-up chat inside it. A Project is a workspace with its own instructions and files that every chat in it uses (Anthropic's Projects guide).

What to upload as files:

1. Voice samples. Five to ten real texts and emails you sent. Include short ones; "Sounds good, see you at 4" teaches Claude more than a polished newsletter.
2. Your follow-up rules. How often you touch new leads, what you never say, which sources get a call instead of a text.
3. Your standard facts. Name, sign-off, booking link if you use one.

Then paste something like this into the Project instructions:

You are my follow-up drafting assistant. I'm a real estate agent and I send every message myself.

Voice: match the texts and emails in my uploaded voice samples. Same length, same casual tone, same sign-off. Short sentences. Contractions are fine.

Rules for every draft:
- Never invent facts about a property, a price, a market, or a person. Use only what I give you. If something is missing, write [CHECK: what's missing] in the draft.
- Every message gives the person an easy reason to reply: a question, a useful fact, or a simple choice. Never "just checking in" or "touching base."
- Texts under 50 words. Emails under 120 words unless I ask for more.
- No exclamation points in a row, no emoji unless my samples use them.
- Don't describe neighborhoods by who lives there, schools, or demographics. Describe homes and places only.
- Label each draft with the channel (text, email, call notes) and when to send it.
- Never send anything. Draft only. I approve and send.

When I teach this in class, the first thing agents ask is whether their voice samples have to be "good." They don't. They have to be real.

How do you reply to portal leads fast with AI?

Paste the lead's message and the listing facts into your Follow-Up project and ask for a reply that answers their question, offers times, and asks one easy question. You hit send.

A fast reply that ignores what they asked doesn't help, so this prompt answers first and pitches second.

New portal lead. Draft my first reply.

Lead name: [FIRST NAME]
Source: [PORTAL OR WEBSITE]
Their exact message: "[PASTE THEIR MESSAGE]"
Property they asked about: [ADDRESS]
Facts I can share: [STATUS, PRICE, BEDS/BATHS, 2-3 FEATURES, ANY HOA OR SHOWING NOTES]
Times I can show it: [TIME 1], [TIME 2]

Give me:
1. A text reply under 45 words that answers their actual question first, offers my two times, and ends with one easy question.
2. A slightly longer email version under 100 words, in case they only gave an email.
3. If the home is under contract or off market, a version that says so honestly and asks what they liked about it so I can send similar homes.
If they asked something my facts don't cover, write that I'll check and get back to them. Don't guess.

The third draft is the one agents forget. Plenty of portal leads ask about a home that's already pending, and an honest reply with a real question keeps the conversation going.

What should a 5-touch new-lead follow-up sequence look like?

A good five-touch sequence spreads useful messages over two to three weeks, mixes channels, and gives the lead a reason to reply every time. Here's a structure that works for most buyer leads:

My Claude prompts list has a quick four-text version. This one mixes channels, adds call notes, and plans for replies.

Build a 5-touch follow-up sequence for a new lead, in my voice from the Project samples.

Lead: [FIRST NAME], came from [SOURCE] on [DATE]
What they told me: [WHAT THEY WANT: area, price range, timing, beds, must-haves, anything personal they shared]
What I don't know yet: [e.g., pre-approval status, timeline, whether they're selling first]

Use this schedule:
- Day 1 text: reference what they asked about specifically.
- Day 3 email: a short intro to how I help, plus a placeholder [HOMES: I'll add 2-3 listings] for homes I'll pick myself.
- Day 6 text: one question that fills a gap from "What I don't know yet."
- Day 10 call: give me 3 bullet talking points and a 20-second voicemail script.
- Day 17 text: a friendly easy out that asks if they want me to keep sending or pause.

Rules: every touch gives them a reason to reply. No "just checking in." No pressure language. Don't invent homes, prices, or market stats.
After the sequence, give me 3 short replies I can use if they respond with: "We're just looking," "We already have an agent," or "Maybe next year."

How do you follow up after an open house with AI?

Upload a photo or export of your sign-in sheet with a few notes from the conversations, and ask Claude for a personal follow-up for each visitor. You review and send.

The notes make it work. "Asked about the roof, selling a condo first" turns a generic thank-you into a message that shows you remember them.

I held an open house at [ADDRESS] on [DAY]. I'm uploading my sign-in sheet.
My notes from conversations: [PASTE NOTES, e.g., "Sarah K - loved the yard, asked about the HOA, renting until spring"]

For each visitor:
1. Put them in one bucket: Hot (asked about next steps or offers), Warm (interested, longer timeline), Neighbor/curious, or Has an agent.
2. Draft a follow-up text under 45 words that references something from my notes. If I have no note on someone, write a short general thank-you and flag them with [NO NOTE].
3. For anyone marked as having an agent, write a short polite thank-you only, no pitch.

Facts about the home I can share: [2-3 FACTS, e.g., price, HOA dues, inspection status]
Output a table: name, bucket, contact info from the sheet, draft. If you can't read a name or number on the sheet, write [UNREADABLE] instead of guessing.

How do you stay in touch with your sphere and past clients using AI?

Upload your past client and sphere list with your notes, and ask Claude for short check-ins that reference a real detail and don't pitch. A few a week beats a quarterly blast.

The biggest mistake I see is the "Hope you're doing well, let me know if you need anything" message. Nobody replies to it. A check-in needs a reason.

I'm uploading a list of past clients and sphere contacts with: [NAME, HOW I KNOW THEM, CLOSE DATE IF ANY, NOTES].

Draft check-ins for these [NUMBER] people: [NAMES, or "pick the ones with the oldest last-contact date"]

For each person, pick ONE reason to reach out based only on my notes:
- A home anniversary coming up
- Something they told me they were planning (a remodel, a new job, a baby, a move)
- A useful seasonal reminder for homeowners (keep it general, no stats)
- A simple "you came to mind" with a real memory from my notes

Rules: under 50 words, no pitch, no "let me know if you need anything." End with a question they'd actually want to answer. If my notes on someone are too thin to write something personal, skip them and list them at the bottom as "Need more notes."

The "Need more notes" list shows you who you don't really know anymore. Call those people instead.

How do you run a Sunday follow-up batch from your CRM export?

Export your contacts from your CRM as a CSV, upload it to your Follow-Up project, and ask Claude to pick who needs a touch this week and draft each message. You spend Sunday editing instead of writing.

The weekly batch

Most CRMs can export last-contact date, stage, source, and notes. That's all Claude needs. This is a fuller version of prompt 20 with priorities and a call list.

I'm uploading this week's CRM export. Columns include: [LIST YOUR COLUMNS, e.g., name, phone, email, stage, source, last contact date, notes].
Today is [DATE].

Build my follow-up plan for the week:
1. Active leads (stage = [YOUR ACTIVE STAGE NAMES]) not contacted in [NUMBER] days.
2. Past clients with a home anniversary in the next 14 days.
3. Sphere contacts not touched in [NUMBER] days, oldest first.
Cap it at [NUMBER] people total.

For each person: why they're on the list this week, best channel based on my notes, and a draft message using their notes.
Then pick the 5 people who deserve a phone call instead of a text and give me two talking points each.
Output as a table. Never invent details. If notes are empty, say "no notes" and keep the draft general. I'll review and send each one myself.

The "who did I forget" list

This is the prompt agents get the most out of, because it finds the people who fell through the cracks.

Using the same CRM export, find the people I've probably forgotten:
- Anyone whose notes mention a future plan ("selling next year," "lease ends in June," "waiting on a job") where that time has arrived or passed, and I haven't contacted them since.
- Anyone I talked to more than 3 times in the past but haven't contacted in over [NUMBER] days.
- Past clients with no contact logged at all since closing.
- Leads with a stage that hasn't changed in over [NUMBER] days.

For each one, quote the note that put them on the list, say how long since last contact, and suggest one reason to reach out. Sort by who I'd regret losing most. Don't draft messages yet; I'll pick who to contact.

Run it monthly even if you skip everything else here.

How do you get drafts into Gmail and schedule the weekly batch?

Turn on the Gmail connector so Claude can save drafts to your inbox, then set up a scheduled task that runs the weekly batch on its own. You review and send.

Connect Gmail

In a Claude chat, open the + menu, go to Connectors, and connect Gmail by signing in with Google. On Team or Enterprise plans, an owner has to enable it first. Then add a line to any prompt above: "Save each email draft in my Gmail drafts, addressed to the right person, and don't send." Claude can also search your mail to see whether you already replied before it drafts.

Schedule the batch

Scheduled tasks run on a cadence: hourly, daily, weekly, weekdays, or manual. Describe the task and how often in a conversation, review the name, schedule, and instructions, and click Schedule. They run in the cloud, so your laptop can be closed, and they're on paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise). See Anthropic's scheduled tasks article.

A weekly follow-up task might read:

Every Sunday at 6 PM: Look in my Google Drive for the newest file named "CRM export" and read it. Using my follow-up rules and voice samples, pick up to [NUMBER] people who need a touch this week (active leads first, then anniversaries in the next 14 days, then the oldest sphere contacts). Save an email draft in Gmail for each person who has an email address, and don't send anything. Then give me a summary table of everyone on the list, including text drafts for people with only a phone number, plus a short "who did I forget" list.

You still need to drop a fresh CRM export into Drive each week unless your CRM can do it for you. Read the first few runs closely, and if the drafts are off, fix the instructions, not each draft. You can also save the process as a skill so Claude follows it exactly; see Claude skills for real estate agents.

What should you do about follow-up this week?

Don't build all six systems at once:

1. Today: create a Follow-Up project, upload five real texts, and paste in the instructions above.
2. This week: run the portal lead prompt on your next lead and the "who did I forget" prompt on your CRM export.
3. By next Sunday: ask your broker about their policy on AI tools and automated texting, then schedule the Sunday batch to save drafts only.

Every message still goes out because you read it and pressed send. If you're new to Claude, start with the free Claude 101 kit.