As an experienced real estate professional, you already know about the benefits of responding to online reviews, such as attracting new clients, boosting customer retention, and improving your ranking in local searches. The challenge lies in finding the best, most productive response strategy.
Not only do you need to respond to your reviewers swiftly, you also need to know what sort of language to use in your responses. You may even need an efficient system for monitoring review platforms, publishing review responses, and requesting more reviews in the future.
This guide explains how to successfully manage Google reviews for real estate agents, including tips and best practices for responding, examples of real review responses, and modifiable templates your business can use to reply to reviewers.
We cover six must-watch review platforms, discuss how to manage reviews efficiently, and answer some of your most frequently asked questions about real estate reviews.
Responding to online reviews, such as Google reviews, can help you attract new customers by showing that your real estate agency is trustworthy, helpful, and attentive.
However, you can’t simply write anything you want in your reply. For example, you should never argue against negative reviews or attempt to explain why the complaint is “wrong” – even if you disagree strongly with the feedback.
Regardless of whether you’re responding to negative, mixed, or positive reviews, there are certain practices you should follow (and avoid) when engaging with reviewers on Google.
Following best practices will help you ensure that your responses sound professional and consistent, reflect positively on your business, and meet consumers’ expectations around client service and customer support.
Here are five must-follow tips when responding to Google reviews for real estate agents:
In the age of smartphones and social media, consumers expect businesses to be responsive and accessible. For example, one study showed that 46% of consumers expected businesses to respond to customer support inquiries “faster than 4 hours,” with 12% of consumers “expect[ing] a response within 15 minutes or less.”
Potential buyers and renters want your real estate company to answer their questions and handle their issues within hours or even minutes.
Responding swiftly to your reviews – especially those that are negative – enables you to meet consumer expectations, resolve issues before they worsen, and improve customer retention.
You can improve your average review response time by using AI to generate review responses. Another speed-boosting strategy is to leverage a review response service, which enables you to create and publish personalized replies within hours or minutes of being reviewed – without spending any time on manual review tracking or publishing.
You should not only thank reviewers for positive feedback but also express gratitude for the negative reviews you receive. Thanking reviewers for negative feedback is a simple yet powerful way to demonstrate professionalism and signals that your business is willing to listen to its customers.
Since you'll be thanking every reviewer, vary the language you use to avoid repetition and give your responses a more personal feel. Here are some examples:
Here are some tips on how to personalize your review responses:
So how does that look in practice? Here are a few examples of ways you can customize your responses to Google reviews:
Think of your replies to reviews as opportunities to promote your brand. Every time you respond to Google reviews or ratings, you should highlight your organization's or community's positive features.
Just remember that if you’re responding to a negative review, the main focus of your response should be providing a solution for the customer. If you’re replying to a good review, on the other hand, you can devote more of your response to promoting your brand’s positives.
Here are a few examples of ways you can promote your agency’s best features when responding to Google reviews:
Whether it’s calling out new amenities, breathtaking views, security upgrades, 24-hour maintenance, an easy-to-use mobile app, your fantastic location, or simply a friendly atmosphere, be sure to reference a detail that will attract potential clients.
Whether they're former, current, or potential clients, encourage all reviewers to continue engaging with your business. Depending on the nature of the review, that might involve:
Depending on which of these scenarios you're dealing with, here are some examples of ways you can keep the conversation going:
Now that we've covered some tips and strategies for handling Google reviews, let's look at some real examples of how to put them into practice.
Below, we've shared six examples of real estate services responding to Google reviews, including negative, mixed, and positive reviews. We've also included six customizable response templates you can use to respond to your Google reviews or reviews on other platforms.
Type of review: Positive (5 stars)
Topics mentioned: Customer service, friendly staff members, leasing process, apartment search
Response template: “[ Reviewer Name ], your generous review truly has us smiling from ear to ear! Resident satisfaction is our top mission here at [Property/Community Name], so we’re extremely pleased to hear about the fantastic service you’ve received from [ Staff Member / our front desk team / our maintenance crew ]. We appreciate you taking the time to share your comments with us, and we hope you’ll continue to remain a part of our [ friendly / exciting / growing / etc. ] community next year!”
Type of review: Negative (1 star)
Topics mentioned: Pests/sanitation, crime and resident safety, maintenance issues
Response template: “[ Reviewer Name ], we appreciate your detailed feedback and are saddened to read your negative review. Our team is truly sorry for any miscommunication that may have occurred regarding a pest, noise, or maintenance issue. Please reach out to our [ leasing office / front desk/management team ] at your earliest convenience so that we can work to resolve your concerns and increase your satisfaction with our community. We look forward to hearing more from you soon.”
Type of review: Positive (5 stars)
Topics mentioned: Customer service, friendly staff members, helping families move, rental applications, move-in process
Response template: “Thank you so much for taking a moment out of your day to share your positive feedback with us, [ Reviewer Name ]! We’re thrilled to hear about the 5-star service you received from [ Staff Member ]. We’ll let them know how much you appreciate their assistance! It was our pleasure to help answer your questions about our community, and we hope to welcome your [son/daughter/parents/grandparents / etc. ] to [ Property Name ] very soon. Please don’t hesitate to reach out again with any additional questions, and thanks again for leaving us a review!”
Type of review: Negative (2 stars)
Topics mentioned: New reviews, review follow-ups, initial reviews; noise issues, rent increase, pricing, lease renewal, front gate access/resident security, maintenance issues
Response template: “Hi [ Reviewer Name ], thank you for sharing your review. We’re truly sorry to learn that your satisfaction with our community has decreased over time, as resident satisfaction is our team’s highest priority. We’re committed to providing a clean, quiet, and comfortable environment for all of our [residents/community members/tenants], and we sincerely regret that we fell short of the mark. We would appreciate an opportunity to learn more about your experience and discuss your concerns about [maintenance/noise / etc. ] in detail. Please reach out to us at your earliest convenience so we can work together to help resolve these matters for you.”
Type of review: Mixed/negative (2 stars)
Topics mentioned: Reasonable pricing, fast move-in process; lack of communication with residents, maintenance issues, laundry issues
Response template: “Hi [ Reviewer Name ], thanks for sharing your feedback with our team. We sincerely apologize that your experience fell short of the high standards we strive to meet here at [ Property Name ]. We take the issues you mentioned seriously and would value the opportunity to discuss your concerns about [maintenance/laundry machines / communication from our leasing team / etc. ] in more detail. Please contact us at [ phone number or email address ], and our team will work to improve your satisfaction and turn your negative experience around! We look forward to speaking with you soon, [ Reviewer Name ].”
Type of review: Positive (5 stars)
Topics mentioned: Customer service
Response template: “Hi [ Reviewer Name ], thanks for your positive rating and kind comments about our community! At [ Property Name ], it’s always our pleasure to provide our valued residents with fast and efficient service. We’re happy you’ve had a 5-star experience and encourage you to reach out if there’s anything else we can assist you with. Thanks again for sharing your feedback and being a part of our [cozy/friendly/exciting / etc. ] community!”
If you’re a real estate agent or manage a real estate business, you need to be monitoring industry-specific review platforms like Zillow and Realtor.com.
You should also be tracking feedback on generic review platforms like Google, as well as social media platforms like Facebook.
Let’s look at six of the top websites and mobile apps for real estate agent reviews in 2024.
Whether your market is luxury homes, budget apartments, retirement communities, or student housing, Google is hands-down the most important review platform you need to be monitoring. Not only is Google the most highly trusted review platform, it’s also the most widely used.
To get started responding to reviews on Google Maps, you'll need to create a Google Business Profile. This will also enable you to edit information about your business.
Facebook isn’t just a social media platform – it’s also a place where customers can review and recommend businesses.
Due to the social aspect of Facebook, site users will frequently comment on reviews, which can amplify the impact each review has. This, along with the platform’s sheer popularity, makes it essential to manage Facebook reviews.
Zillow is an online real estate marketplace where users can browse listings, compare property values, and post and read reviews of real estate services. Users can filter reviews based on the experience the reviewer shares, such as renting an apartment, buying a home, or selling a home.
Realtor.com is a website where users can browse apartment and home listings, check on property values, and rate and review real estate professionals. Realtor.com receives about 74 million unique monthly visitors on average, making it an essential platform to watch.
Nextdoor functions like a social media platform based on neighborhoods and communities. It also allows users to recommend businesses and post reviews, such as a review of a local real estate agent. According to Nextdoor, the site receives about 40 million visitors every week.
Unique on our list, Alignable is focused on professional networking and peer reviews – not consumers and customers. According to its website, “You can use Alignable to connect with other businesses, share your expertise, ask for advice, and refer customers to your fellow small business owners.”
You already know that increasing the quantity and frequency of your Google reviews is beneficial. The question is, what's the best way to get more reviews?
Data from BrightLocal shows that certain review request strategies tend to be more successful than others. Based on the top methods that consumers prefer, here's how to request reviews most efficiently and effectively:
All of these methods can help you collect reviews from previous clients – but why spend valuable time gathering feedback, when you could skip over that task and move straight to acting on feedback?
Shout About Us generates review requests on your real estate agency’s behalf, eliminating the hassle of review collection while providing real-time insights into your customers' wants and needs.
Satisfy customers, convert prospects, and minimize churn with a review response strategy tailored to the real estate industry. ResponseScribe and Shout About Us make it effortless by automating key elements of your review management process.
Our done-for-you response product, ResponseScribe, delivers personalized review responses to your customers, handling the entire process from writing to publishing. Not only does this approach save you time, it also ensures consistency and speed.
Human-powered responses are delivered in under 24 hours, and AI-generated responses are delivered within minutes. Your team also has the power to review and approve all responses prior to publication, including the ability to request revisions.
If you need additional tools for navigating reviews (apart from answering them), take a look at ShoutAboutUs, which helps with:
Pick and choose only the services you need a-la-carte, or go for a comprehensive approach that includes review tracking, removal, generation, and response. Explore pricing to find a plan that's right for your organization's needs.
You can even automate the task of replying to reviews with our done-for-you review response service, ResponseScribe, which offers both AI-assisted and human-powered options.
Ready to streamline your review responding? Start your free trial today.
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