A real estate CRM is the system a team uses to capture every lead, decide who works it, follow up until the person is ready, and keep the history of every conversation in one place. CRM stands for customer relationship management. A general CRM tracks sales deals; a real estate CRM is built around the way agents actually get business: website registrations, portal leads, open house sign-ins, past clients and the sphere.
What a real estate CRM does
- Captures leads from every source. Your website, portals, landing pages and forms send new leads in automatically, with the source attached.
- Routes them. Each new lead goes to the right agent by rotation, area, price range or source, so nobody has to sort an inbox by hand.
- Runs follow-up. Plans send emails and texts and create call tasks on a schedule, and stop when the person replies.
- Keeps the timeline. Every text, email, call note, saved home and showing sits on one record, so anyone on the team can pick up the conversation.
- Tells you who to call. Scores, tags or lists put the people most likely to act at the top.
- Reports. Where leads came from, how fast they were answered, and which ones turned into appointments and closings.
Why speed is the first thing to measure
The single number a CRM can improve most is time to first reply. A study by James Oldroyd of MIT and InsideSales.com, presented in 2007, found the odds of contacting a lead drop 100 times and the odds of qualifying a lead drop 21 times when the first attempt comes at 30 minutes instead of 5 (Lead Response Management Study, checked 2026-10-20). A CRM that routes instantly and starts the first text on its own closes that gap. See speed to lead and the sourced statistics.
What to look for in the best CRM for real estate teams
There is no single best CRM for real estate teams. There is the one your agents will open every morning. Judge each option on these points.
A daily list, not a database
Agents do not want to search a database. They want a short list: who to call first and why. Look for a morning view that combines new leads, follow-ups due and buyers who just did something on your site.
Follow-up that waits for consent
Automated texts are useful and also where teams get into trouble. The plan should wait for consent before texting, respect quiet hours, honor STOP everywhere, and pause when a person replies so an agent takes over. The FCC's rules on automated texts are summarized in our TCPA explainer.
Texting from numbers registered to you
Businesses that text US numbers from ordinary 10-digit numbers have to register a brand and a campaign with the carriers (Twilio on A2P 10DLC, checked 2026-10-20). Ask whose name your numbers are registered under. If you leave the vendor, can you keep them?
A team inbox
When texts and emails sit in one shared inbox, a lead who writes back on an agent's day off still gets an answer. Check that the inbox shows who is handling each conversation and who has opted out.
Lead scores you can explain
A score is only useful if the agent can see why: saved a home, opened three alerts, asked about Saturday. Scores that move as people act on your site are worth more than a static rating someone set at intake.
It works on a phone
Agents work from the car. Every screen they need, from the lead to the inbox, has to fit a phone.
Integrations and your exit
Check that your lead sources connect, and ask how you export contacts, notes and history if you ever leave.
How teams use a real estate CRM day to day
- Morning. Each agent opens the daily list and calls the hottest leads first, then works the follow-ups due.
- New lead arrives. The CRM routes it, sends the first reply, and starts a follow-up plan. If the team uses an ISA, human or AI, it qualifies the lead and books the appointment. See what a real estate ISA is.
- Lead replies. The plan pauses. The conversation lands in the team inbox and on the agent's phone.
- Buyer is active. Saved searches and alerts keep them on your site; every view and save updates their record and score.
- Under contract. The deal, dates and signed documents sit on the same record, so the team can see where it stands.
- Weekly. The team lead reviews lead sources and response times and adjusts routing.
Some real estate CRMs and what they publish
Prices change, and several vendors do not publish them. This is what each vendor's own page showed when we checked.
| CRM | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Follow Up Boss | Grow $69 per user per month; Pro $499/mo for 10 users; Platform $1,000/mo for 30 users | 250+ integrations; team inboxes and unlimited calling on Pro and up (pricing) |
| Wise Agent | $49/mo, or $42/mo billed yearly | Up to 5 team members on a shared login; transaction management included (pricing) |
| Sierra Interactive | From $299.95/mo billed yearly for 1 user | IDX website and CRM; 12-month agreement (pricing) |
| Real Geeks | $399/mo with 2 users, plus $500 setup | IDX website and CRM; lead packages extra (pricing) |
| Lofty | Not published | IDX website, AI-powered CRM and AI agents (pricing) |
| Kept in Touch | Solo $249/mo for 1 agent; Team $449 for 5; Brokerage $999 for 25; Enterprise $1,499 for 100 | Home search site and CRM on every plan, or keep Follow Up Boss (plans) |
Vendor facts checked 2026-10-20.
Where the Kept in Touch CRM fits
The Kept in Touch CRM is built around the morning list. Open it and the Today brief says who to call first, with the reason next to the name. New leads arrive with a score, a heat level and a next step, and scores move as people act on your home search site. Follow-up plans run email, text and task steps; a text waits for consent and for the morning, STOP is honored everywhere, and a reply or tour request pauses the plan. Texts go out from numbers registered to your brokerage, into a team inbox anyone can pick up. Routing and reports show where leads come from and how fast your team answers.
If your team already runs Follow Up Boss, you do not have to switch. Turn the Kept in Touch CRM off and leads, saved searches and home views flow into Follow Up Boss instead. Add Nadia AI ISA to either one to answer every new lead within a minute. Comparing the two? Read our Follow Up Boss alternative guide.
Every plan includes the CRM and the home search site, with a 30-day free trial and no card.
Questions
What is a real estate CRM?
Software that captures leads from every source, routes them to agents, runs follow-up, and keeps every conversation and activity on one record per person.
What is the best CRM for real estate teams?
The one your agents open every day. Look for a daily call list, follow-up that waits for consent, texting from registered brokerage numbers, a team inbox, scores you can explain, and a phone-friendly design.
Do I need a CRM if I already have a website?
Yes, if more than a few leads a month come in. The website captures the lead; the CRM makes sure someone answers it, follows up, and remembers the conversation.
Can I text leads from a CRM legally?
Yes, with consent, in allowed hours, from registered numbers, with opt-outs honored. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm your obligations with counsel.