When to use these past client and referral templates
Use these after the active deal is over. The job now is staying helpful enough that the relationship stays warm and referrals feel natural. NAR's 2024 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that 66% of recent sellers used an agent who was referred to them or one they'd worked with before. These seven emails keep that relationship active between transactions. The full real estate email template hub covers the earlier stages.
These emails should read like real check-ins. Keep the useful part in front and let the ask stay secondary.
Match the email to the moment
Start with what just happened, then pick the matching email. If you're reaching for a reason, wait until you have a real update, a useful contact, or a referral to acknowledge.
| Moment | Use this email | Wait when |
|---|---|---|
| Closing anniversary | Template 1: home anniversary note | The date is guessed or invented. A fake milestone feels like mail merge. |
| Warm relationship, no recent ask | Template 2: light referral ask | You haven't checked in recently. Warm the relationship before asking. |
| You just helped with a house question | Template 3: after-help referral ask | The client hasn't acknowledged the help yet. Let the favor land first. |
| Year-end, after real contact | Template 4: year-end referral ask | Your last touch was a generic campaign. Send one useful check-in first. |
| Seasonal home project | Template 5: vendor check-in | You sent a similar service note to the same person recently. |
| Local market shift | Template 6: market update | The data is broad or national. Use neighborhood-level movement. |
| Referral received | Template 7: thank-you | Don't wait. Thank them the same day. |
Closing anniversary
- Use this email
- Template 1: home anniversary note
- Wait when
- The date is guessed or invented. A fake milestone feels like mail merge.
Warm relationship, no recent ask
- Use this email
- Template 2: light referral ask
- Wait when
- You haven't checked in recently. Warm the relationship before asking.
You just helped with a house question
- Use this email
- Template 3: after-help referral ask
- Wait when
- The client hasn't acknowledged the help yet. Let the favor land first.
Year-end, after real contact
- Use this email
- Template 4: year-end referral ask
- Wait when
- Your last touch was a generic campaign. Send one useful check-in first.
Seasonal home project
- Use this email
- Template 5: vendor check-in
- Wait when
- You sent a similar service note to the same person recently.
Local market shift
- Use this email
- Template 6: market update
- Wait when
- The data is broad or national. Use neighborhood-level movement.
Referral received
- Use this email
- Template 7: thank-you
- Wait when
- Don't wait. Thank them the same day.
Home anniversary email
Use this around the closing anniversary or another natural milestone.
One year at [Address]
Hi [Name],
I was thinking about you because it's been [one year / two years] since you moved into [Address].
How's the home treating you?
If you need a contractor, lender, or cleaner, I keep a short list of people I trust and can send you a name or two.
Best,
[Agent Name]
Use a real milestone, not a fake one.
Don't make the referral ask the whole point of the message.
Filled example: home anniversary email
A filled email should feel like a real anniversary note, not a database reminder.
- Subject: One year in at 34 Rosewood Drive
- Opening: Hard to believe you've already had a full year at 34 Rosewood Drive. How's it feeling now that you've lived through all four seasons in the place?
- Offer: If that back deck you wanted to refinish is still on your list, I can send a couple of contractors I trust. And if you'd like a second read on a quote, I'll look it over and tell you what I'd do.
Referral ask emails
Template 2: Light referral ask
Use this after you've already maintained some relationship and you want to make the referral path easy.
If you hear of anyone in the market
Hi [Name],
Hope things are going well at [Address].
A good share of my business starts when a past client points someone my way, so it means a lot when you keep me in mind. If anyone in your circle is looking to buy or sell this year, I'd welcome the introduction.
Thanks for thinking of me,
[Agent Name]
This works better after a genuine check-in, not as the first message in months.
Don't make this sound scripted or urgent.
Template 3: After-help referral ask
Use this after you helped with a contractor, lender, neighborhood question, or house issue and the client replied warmly.
Glad that helped
Hi [Name],
Glad that [contractor recommendation / market note / house question] helped.
If someone you know is weighing a move this year, buying, selling, or just wanting a straight answer about their place, I'd be glad if you pointed them my way.
No pressure either way. I just appreciate you keeping me in mind.
Best,
[Agent Name]
Name the useful thing you already helped with so the ask doesn't feel detached.
Don't turn a useful follow-up into a bill for the favor.
Template 4: Year-end referral ask
Use this near year-end only if you've had useful contact with the client in the last few months.
Before the year wraps up
Hi [Name],
As the year wraps up, I wanted to say thanks again for trusting me with [purchase / sale / address].
If real estate comes up with a friend, neighbor, or family member next year, I'll give them a straight read on their options whenever they're ready.
Even a quick introduction is enough.
Best,
[Agent Name]
Use the actual transaction or relationship context. A vague year-end note sounds like a list blast.
Don't send this if the last contact was a generic campaign.
When not to ask for a referral
Time passing isn't a reason to ask for a referral. Wait until the relationship feels warm again, not just overdue.
- The last time you talked was a closing or a one-off transaction, and nothing since has given you a reason to reconnect.
- They had a rough experience with you, and that still needs repairing before you ask them for anything.
- You haven't given them anything lately that reminds them why they'd send someone your way.
Vendor check-in email
Use this when you want to be useful first and stay memorable through service, not self-promotion.
Need a recommendation?
Hi [Name],
A lot of clients need a [contractor / painter / landscaper] around this time of year.
If you have a project coming up, I'm happy to send over a few names I trust.
Best,
[Agent Name]
Name the specific service category if you already know what the client needs. The narrower the better.
Don't bolt a referral ask onto every useful email.
Market-update email
Use this when there is a real local shift and you want to offer context without turning it into a newsletter.
What [Area] homes are selling for now
Hi [Name],
The market in [Area] shifted this quarter.
Days on market are now [X], inventory is [up / down] [Y%], and homes like yours are landing around [range].
Curious what your place would do in today's market? I'll run your home against these numbers and send back a price range this week.
Best,
[Agent Name]
Keep the update local and short.
Don't turn this into a generic newsletter blast.
If you use market data, cite it
If you include market numbers in an email like this, use local board, MLS, or REALTOR.ca market data and time-stamp the month or quarter.
- Don't drop in generic national numbers when the client cares about one neighborhood or price band.
- If the data is thin or stale, keep the email qualitative and offer to pull the local numbers before you send anything broader.
Thank-you email after a referral
Use this right after a past client introduces someone to you.
Thanks for the intro
Hi [Name],
Really appreciate you introducing me to [Referral Name]. We had a great first conversation, and I think we're off to a strong start.
I'll keep you posted as things move along. Thanks again for thinking of me.
[Agent Name]
Use the referral's name and keep the tone warm.
Don't overdo the gratitude to the point that it sounds transactional.
Seasonal timing that feels natural
Timing changes how these emails land. Home-anniversary notes carry their own reason. Market updates need a real local shift behind them, because sending one just to fill a calendar slot turns it into noise. And referral asks land better when they follow useful contact, not months of silence.
Avoid the predictable pile-on dates when every agent sends the same check-in. If you want the message to stand out, send it when there is a real reason for this client, not when the calendar tells every other agent to do the same thing.
- Use home anniversaries and move-in milestones for warm relationship emails.
- Use market updates when the local numbers actually changed in a way the client would care about.
- Use referral asks after you've already been useful again.
- Be careful around major holidays when inboxes are full of forced outreach.
How to stay top of mind without getting ignored
Past-client email works when the message still helps the person receiving it. For active deals, the lead follow-up templates cover the earlier, more time-sensitive stage. For the longer relationship cadence, use the real estate lead nurturing guide.
If a past-client email promotes your services, asks for referrals, or sends a market update to a Canadian recipient, check CASL consent and unsubscribe rules before sending.
- Use a real reason to write: anniversary, local shift, house help, or a genuine check-in.
- Keep the ask secondary. The useful thing should come first.
- Write less often, but make each email feel more grounded.
- Test each email by asking whether this client would know it was written for them.