Direct Mail Is Not Dead! 16 Examples That Are Working Now in the Real Estate

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Direct mail is not dead; it just needs to be reconsidered. I interviewed 10 agents and industry experts to find 16 examples of direct mail pieces that are building brands and generating results right now.

The following examples include newly marketed letters and postcards, letters and postcards for local farms, out-of-date campaigns, and classic branding campaigns with updated twists.

These first four examples include variations of direct mail campaigns from Tom Ferry and Jimmy Mackin, founders of Listing Leads. The rest are examples from active agents who are using direct mail in their businesses now.

If you are looking to improve the use of direct mail in your business, this is the article for you.

Newly Sold Messenger, Noah Escobar

Noah Escobar, from the 30A market in the Florida panhandle, put a spin on the reimagined Just Sold campaign from Ferry and Mackin. They shared that an average postcard sold means things like three-day sales, multiple offers, and selling above list price.

They go on to say that sharing those bullet points can lead homeowners to think the process is easy and that real estate agents are overpaid or, in some cases, unnecessary.

They suggested sharing the story of what the agent did to sell the home quickly, how they generated multiple offers and how they negotiated the highest possible price for their client. Based on that suggestion, Escobar created the book below.

He also used one of the suggestions made by Mackin about creating curiosity about the title of the book. In this email, Escobar begins at the top of the page saying. “Have you heard about your neighbor?” This is the top wrapping of the letter, and it is placed in the envelope where it comes out of the house owner as soon as he opens it.

He then creates a story that goes over the process from the first home owner to the marketing plan he used and the process of negotiating a high price and good terms for his realtor. The use of a QR code to show the quality of his video marketing is an example of showing his marketing instead of talking about it.

This is a great example of how to rethink your Just Sold campaigns.

Recently Sold with a twist, Collins Group Realty

The following example comes from Chip Collins of Collins Group Realty, which serves the Lowcountry of South Carolina. This is an example of a traditional card that has just been sold with a few modern improvements. He used another suggestion Mackin and Ferry made by using a negative Zestimate from Zillow to grab the reader’s attention.

In this example, you’ll notice that they boldly say, “The Zestimate was wrong! We sold for $510,000 on Zillow” with the “Ask Us How” call to action. Collins also used the tagline “Other Sea Pines Home Sold.” The subtle addition of “other” highlights their success in the area. The use of a QR code that leads to a group video is a great way to introduce the group.

Zestimate Book, Fissori Real Estate Team

The Zestimate letter is a personalized mailing to the homeowner that is used to generate listing opportunities. This is an example of a strategy, taught by Listing Leads, from Kathy Fissori and Peter Joehnk with the Fissori Real Estate Team serving the San Luis Obispo County market in California.

This strategy involves screenshotting the Zillow Zestimate for a particular home. Most Zestimates are low compared to the actual value of the home. This creates an opportunity for a mailer like the one below to generate conversations for listing opportunities. Adding a yellow sticky note with a handwritten message like the one on the letter below is another way to make the letter even more personal.

Outdated results book, Listing Leads, Jimmy Mackin and Tom Ferry

The last example from Listing Leads is a letter of expired listings. The book uses a copywriting framework called PAS, which is an acronym for Pain, Agitation and Solution.

P: Pain

The beginning of the book calls the pain of the house not to sell.

A: Rub it

Part of the upheaval includes seeing their frustration, embarrassment and anger piled high with calls from agents to re-list their home.

S: The solution

The solution in this book includes that you have already identified how you can help alleviate their problem in a different way than other agents are reaching out to.

This is a practical book for agents who want to add expired listings to their lead generation strategies in 2025.

6-24 month old list book, Jake Garay

As the market normalizes, we continue to see more and more outdated listings. Good marketing often involves identifying a group of prospects that have a need that few competitors are focusing on. Then craft a message that captures the prospect’s attention in a way that leads to action.

That’s exactly what Jake Garay and the Garay-Michaud team for New York’s Hudson Valley did with the letter below. Targeted at homeowners who had their home for sale, but the listing expired 6-24 months ago. This book produced three listings that sold over $1,000,000, another great example of an effective message to a receptive group of prospects.

Local farming: Throw a party or donate, Julie Colin

Julie Colin, of St. Louis, Missouri, uses local events to provide benefits to his farms. One of these events is his “Drop or Donate” event that he held in the spring. The event includes setting up a dumpster and a Habitat for Humanity truck near the neighborhood so residents have a way to declutter and clean out their home or garage.

The postcard below highlights an active event that sets Colin apart as a neighborhood resource for whatever residents need. Effective marketing is not just about real estate, and this is a unique example of a value-added service that will eventually be rewarded with business.

Spatial Farming: Consistency for Attention, Jason Gruner

Consistency is the key to brand awareness in local farming. Jason Gruner, from Nashville, Tennessee, uses a simple, consistent postcard format to leverage four sales opportunities on his lists. This increases the exposure of the owner of his business and shows his success in the area.

Neighborhood Farming: An Overview of the Neighborhood Market, Jason Gruner

The next example comes from Jason Gruner as well. In this postcard, he focuses on making his neighborhood a star. He rates his marketing and draws the homeowner to a video overview of the market with a QR code. This is a piece that can be posted monthly, quarterly or as an end-of-year review for a particular area.