You spent time crafting the perfect email: polished branding, beautiful photos, a compelling call to action. But if no one opens it, none of that effort matters. In real estate, your emails are a direct line to buyers, sellers, and leads, with the subject line being your first impression. This post breaks down what actually gets people to open, read, and engage with your emails, with tips you can start using today.
1. The Open Rate Illusion
If you have an engaged audience, they'll save your email to read, no matter what time you send it or what the subject reads. Unfortunately, the reality is that you're likely working with a list of leads, not entirely engaged buyers and sellers.
The average open rate in the real estate industry hovers around 21%. But with intentional subject lines, agents can see 30% or higher.
2. Subject Lines That Actually Work
The subject line is where email success begins. It's not just about describing the content. It's about sparking curiosity, offering value, and connecting with your audience. Here are a few real estate-specific formulas that work:
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Curiosity: "This backyard has a surprise you’ll love"
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Urgency: "Last chance to tour this weekend"
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Location-First: "Just listed in River Oaks: 4BR with a pool"
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Personal: "Thought of you when I saw this listing"
3. When to Send
Based on our years of data, the best time to send is Sunday at 9PM. The truth that the data revealed was that the time you send will actually only have a fraction of a difference - making your Subject Line all the more important.
4. Make It Mobile-Friendly
More than 70% of real estate emails are opened on a mobile device. That means your subject line, preview text, and design need to be optimized for small screens:
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Keep subject lines under 50 characters to avoid getting cut off.
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Make sure your emails are responsive and easy to read on a phone—especially listing photos and CTA buttons.
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Don't send an email before checking the mobile settings. Hide any content that doesn't appear correctly on mobile, or adjust the settings just for the mobile version.
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5. Test and Improve
Not sure what will work best with your audience? Test it. You don’t need years of marketing expertise to run a simple A/B test:
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Send the same email to two small segments with different subject lines.
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Try sending at different times or days to see what gets more opens.
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Track what works and save winning subject lines for future use.
Over time, you’ll build a reliable sense of what resonates with your list.
