If you want past clients to think of you when a friend mentions buying or selling, the worst way to get there is a text that asks for it directly. Referrals come from relationships, not requests — which means the goal of this text isn't to generate a referral, it's just to get back into their mind as a real person.
Anything generic — "Hey! Randomly thought of you today, how's everything going?" — reads as safe but forgettable. And anything that mentions real estate too soon reads as exactly what it is: a lead-gen text wearing a friendly disguise. The moment someone senses a message is a blast, the warmth is gone and it reads as marketing, no matter how it's worded.
The difference between a text someone responds to and one they ignore is almost always a single specific detail — something about their home, their family, or the transaction that shows you actually remember them, not just their name. "Hey [name], how's everything going?" gets ignored. "Hey [name], hope you're still loving that backyard — how's the family settling in?" gets a reply.
No ask. No mention of real estate. Just genuine. When they respond — and they usually do — that response is the actual conversation. If it naturally drifts toward real estate, you can add something like "I'm getting back into it full time and honestly loving it — if you ever hear anyone talking about buying or selling, I'd love the intro." But only if it flows; don't force the pivot.
There's no single text that works for twenty people and still feels personal — but there is a way to reach a larger list without it collapsing into a mass blast. Split your list into three buckets based on what you remember about each person:
Bucket 1 — recent clients (bought in the last couple of years):
"Hey [name]! How are you loving the house? Can't believe it's already been [timeframe]! 😊"
Bucket 2 — settled-in clients (further out from their purchase):
"Hey [name]! Randomly thought of you today. How's everything going with the family?"
Bucket 3 — anyone you have a specific memory about: Write something unique for this group. It takes longer per message, but it's worth it — these are usually your warmest relationships.
You're still sending a template within each bucket, but each one is tailored to where that person actually is in their life. That's the sweet spot between doing this at scale and keeping it authentic.
A batch like this — personalizing texts to a meaningful chunk of your past clients — typically takes well under an hour total. If even a handful respond warmly, you've reactivated relationships that can produce real referral business down the line. The time investment is trivial next to what one referral is worth at your average price point.
Pick your list, sort it into the three buckets above, and send the first batch today. Always use the person's first name, and always end with a question — a text without a question mark is easy to read and forget; one that asks something invites a reply, and the reply is the entire point.
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