When hiring managers need new real estate professionals, they look for talent that can capitalize on the good times and stay active in the downturns. Whether you sell or support those who do, you will need a real estate cover letter that builds your career momentum and land you the job of your desires.
With expert tips and resources, Resume.io is here to help you develop a real estate cover letter that will get your candidacy off the ground floor. In this cover letter guide, along with the corresponding real estate cover letter example, we’ll cover the following topics:
- How to choose the best cover letter format and what paragraphs the cover letter should include
- How to maximize the effect of each cover letter paragraph (header, greeting, intro, body and conclusion)
- What approach to take when writing your cover letter
- What mistakes to avoid when writing your marketing cover letter.
So, what will set you apart from other candidates? How do you write a convincing letter that clearly states your message and highlights your career? The guide below will analyze the details (and you can also check out our library of 125+ cover letter examples.)
The median home value is forecast to be up 14.9% with median number of days on the market down more than 20%, according to Fortune Builders. That’s great for housing specialists. In business real estate, office leasing is showing some signs of improvement, but if even a fraction of companies decide to allow employees to continue working from home, that’s a huge blow, New Geography says.
Best format for a real estate cover letter
All real estate transactions start with a standard contract containing common elements that can be adjusted to suit. Cover letters do the same. Before you get started building your letter, you should know what to include.
A real estate cover letter should contain the following elements:
- The cover letter header
- The greeting / salutation
- The cover letter intro
- The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)
So what makes a cover letter different from a real estate resume? A cover letter gives you room to express your style, tell a bit about yourself and sell! sell! sell! your candidacy. It is here that you establish a clear message and write in a style that tells hiring managers who you are.
You can find even more writing advice in our comprehensive cover letter guide.
Below you’ll find our real estate cover letter sample which can be adapted for your own experience!
Dear Mr. Stetson,
I am writing to convey my interest in joining Berkshire Realtors as a dedicated and enthusiastic Real Estate Agent. I understand how busy your agency is, and I know that the community relies on your real estate services to achieve their buying and selling needs. I bring forth several years of experience as a Real Estate Agent, where I worked tirelessly to foster strong relationships with existing clients and establish new clients through networking.
As a Real Estate Agent I have found how important it is to work in an agency where agents support one another in an uplifting and cooperative professional environment. I can assure you that I exude positivity and encouragement, not just with my clients, but also with my work peers and superiors. I am truly passionate about delivering exceptional service resulting in high client satisfaction ratings and return clients.
I would be thrilled to work with Berkshire Realtors and bring that passion and enthusiasm to your clients. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to further discuss this opportunity.
Best Regards,
Gemma Wright
If you’re looking for additional inspiration for cover letter writing, you can check out our related real estate cover letter samples:
Cover letter header
Staging and curb appeal make a huge difference in real estate sales. It takes a special buyer to see past a weed-filled yard or a cluttered interior to the fabulous bones of the house. Apply that same principle to your real estate cover letter. The header is the one spot where you can make a design choice that will have hiring managers wanting to open the door and step in (or read your text).
The main purpose of the header is to prominently display your name, email and phone contact information, but you can also catch a hiring manager’s attention by creating a clean design.
Remember the ATS
You may be familiar with Applicant Tracking Systems or ATS when it comes to resume writing. Don’t disregard that software in your cover letter either. Some ATS algorithms may take your cover letter text into account as well.
We don’t recommend “stuffing” your letter with keywords and phrases, but do keep them in mind as you write. You do want to target the job listing throughout your letter, so a second look at the requirements of the position will never hurt.
The aim of this section: Create a memorable first impression and make it easy for recruiters to contact you for that coveted interview.
Cover letter greeting
What do you say to new clients when you meet them or when you answer the phone to schedule appointments? Adopt that same tone in your greeting. Our cover letter samples typically begin with “Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms. Surname” because that opening treads the line of being both personal and business-like. You can’t go wrong there, so we recommend you do the same, but be careful to triple check that you have the spelling and honorific correct.
Real estate is a personal business, so do your best to address the hiring manager or your prospective boss by name. If you absolutely cannot discover the name of the person responsible for hiring, “Dear (Company Name) Hiring Team” can work well or even “Dear real estate (assessor, inspection, contract, etc.) team” if you are sure the company style is casual.
The aim of the cover letter greeting: Set a friendly tone and show you’ve gone the extra mile by addressing the hiring manager personally.
Dear Mr. Stetson,
Cover letter introduction
Your introduction equates to showing off the best features of the property first. (Have you noticed the quartz countertops?) You know how to sell or to create a customer-friendly environment. Your intro should reflect your style while making a big pitch. The best cover letters are reflections of their authors and yours should be, too.
Hiring managers are looking for how you sell as well as how well you sell. Do some research on the real estate firm you want to work for. Find out the demographic it caters to, the most common types of property it sells and how it handles everything from gaining new sellers and buyers to sealing the deal. Then, craft a message that shows how you will become a fixture on the list of top salespeople or streamline office procedure.
Use positive, strong language to answer the question, “Why should I hire you?” If you can’t sell yourself, how are you going to sell that startup on some primo office space? Offer a glimpse of what’s to come in the rest of your letter to entice them to read on.
The aim of the cover letter intro: Send a message of success and a hint of what’s to come so hiring managers will read on.
Below you’ll find the introduction from our adaptable cover letter sample.
I am writing to convey my interest in joining Berkshire Realtors as a dedicated and enthusiastic Real Estate Agent. I understand how busy your agency is, and I know that the community relies on your real estate services to achieve their buying and selling needs. I bring forth several years of experience as a Real Estate Agent, where I worked tirelessly to foster strong relationships with existing clients and establish new clients through networking.
Cover letter middle part (body)
The middle part, or body, of your real estate cover letter is the house tour section. You’ve shown off the very best and now you are going to back it up with the large rooms and sunny backyard. You have a few paragraphs to get into your approach to real estate and client services. Tell a story of one particularly difficult transaction to show that you can handle the outliers.
Show you’re a well-rounded real estate professional by detailing your knowledge of regulations pertaining to your specific area. Emphasize your administrative competence. One missed deadline can ruin an otherwise smooth acquisition.
Take an appraisal of your career and choose three accomplishments to highlight in bullet items. This breaks up the paragraphs into easier to read chunks and serves to focus the hiring manager’s eye on the aspects of your job you are most proud of. Make sure these illustrate the ways in which you will fit into your prospective new role.
The aim of the body of your cover letter: Give a tour of your greatest career achievements and show how you will fit into the new company.
Here’s the body section from our real estate cover letter example.
As a Real Estate Agent I have found how important it is to work in an agency where agents support one another in an uplifting and cooperative professional environment. I can assure you that I exude positivity and encouragement, not just with my clients, but also with my work peers and superiors. I am truly passionate about delivering exceptional service resulting in high client satisfaction ratings and return clients.
How to close a real estate cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
In the conclusion, it’s time to seal the deal. Again, use your sales style to review your key points. Then add one personal item that will leave the hiring manager with a question to ask during your interview. What do you love most about your job? Why do you specialize in the area you do? What convinced you to buy your house?
Answering any of these questions reveals a lot about you and how you will fit into the company you wish to work for.
Your final task here is a call to action, or a request for an interview. It’s always better to explicitly say what you want. Our cover letter sample has wording you can use, or use your own language to convey your interest.
The aim of the close of your cover letter: Remind the hiring manager of your message and ask for an interview for the position.
Here’s the conclusion from our adaptable cover letter example.
I would be thrilled to work with Berkshire Realtors and bring that passion and enthusiasm to your clients. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to further discuss this opportunity.
Best Regards,
Gemma Wright
Basic mistakes in a real estate application letter (and how to avoid them)
- Get in and get out. By that we mean, keep the story short. Just as customers don’t want a 30-minute pitch, hiring managers won’t read through one either. If it’s a great anecdote, but requires explanation, save it for the interview.
- Avoid errors of oversight. Spellcheck, grammar check and have a friend look it over. You can’t afford to make mistakes here that leave your future employer wondering if you will repeat them on the job.
- Write naturally. Yes, you should be a bit more formal when you write than when you speak, but you don’t want to end up sounding like you just wrote a thesis for your doctorate in house hunting.
Just like the staging can make or break the sale, a great page layout can quickly leave a hiring manager wanting to know more. To avoid costly mistakes and create an attractive design, consider using a cover letter template.
Key takeaways for a marketing cover letter
- Your key message should reflect your sales or customer service style.
- Don’t neglect the administrative and regulatory knowledge you have gained in your career.
- Choose anecdotes that show you understand the requirements of the job you seek.
- Sound like yourself. You don’t want the hiring manager to wonder who is before them when you get the interview.
