Why Real Estate Marketing Must Work 24/7 Today
In modern real estate, leads don't arrive during "office hours." Home seekers browse listings at 11:30 p.m., sellers send inquiries on Sunday mornings, and those interested in a viewing expect confirmation within minutes. Meanwhile, the agent is either busy with appointments, driving between inspections, or simply needs a break.
The problem is simple: when the response is slow or inconsistent, the contact cools off and chooses another agency. The solution isn't to work harder, but to build an automated real estate marketing engine that consistently captures, qualifies, and nurtures leads. And today, the most natural way to do this, in Italy, is WhatsApp Business.
In this guide we will see how to create a capture-to-close system based on SendApp, automations is Conversational AI, with practical examples for Italian real estate agencies and agents.
Where leads are lost with traditional marketing
Many agencies invest in portals, social media campaigns, and websites, but then lose value in follow-up. The most common areas of dispersion are:
- Out-of-hours requests: forms filled out in the evening or on weekends with no immediate response.
- Unqualified leads: curious, “dreamers,” generic requests that steal time from truly ready contacts.
- Irregular follow-up: postponed calls, forgotten emails, unmanaged reminders.
- Administrative tasks that skip: document requests, appointment confirmations, floor plans, post-visit feedback.
- No conversational tracking: Conversations scattered across personal WhatsApp, notes on your phone, and unarchived voice messages.
An automated system on WhatsApp solves these problems because it intercepts the lead on the channel they already use every day, responds in real time, collects information in a structured way, and activates nurturing sequences without depending on the agent's memory.
How to Build a 24/7 Real Estate Marketing Engine with WhatsApp Business and SendApp
An effective "engine" isn't a single automated message: it's a set of flows that work together. The goal is to transform every contact into a guided journey: entry → qualification → proposal → appointment → follow-up.
1) Capture every request as it arises
The first step is to get leads to WhatsApp in a simple and measurable way. In Italy, the lowest friction is a "Write to us on WhatsApp" button or a direct link with a pre-populated message.
What to do in practice:
- Insert a WhatsApp CTA on your website and landing pages (e.g., “Receive the property list in 30 seconds”).
- Use QR codes in windows, flyers, “For Sale/For Rent” signs, and open houses to start the chat.
- Connect Facebook/Instagram campaigns to WhatsApp, so the lead enters the conversation without intermediate steps.
Italian example (seller acquisition): A landing page titled "Find out how much your house in Milan is worth" leads to a WhatsApp message with a pre-populated text: "Hi, I'd like a free appraisal. Area: ___, sq. m.: ___." As soon as the contact signs in, SendApp starts the data collection process.
SEO/UX Tips: Promise an immediate benefit: "Valuation," "Property Details," "New Releases List," "Book a Visit," "Mortgage Advice." WhatsApp is perfect for quickly delivering what the user asks for.
2) Instant response with automatic WhatsApp messages (without sounding like a robot)
The first response is crucial. Even simply confirming receipt and providing a handling time increases the likelihood of conversion. With SendApp, you can set up automated messages and routing logic, so every lead receives a consistent experience right from the start.
Recommended sequence (first interaction):
- Welcome message (immediately): “Perfect, I'll be happy to help you. Do you prefer to buy or sell?”
- Quick menu with buttons/guided responses: “Buy”, “Sell”, “Rent”, “Valuation”, “Property visit”.
- Collection of essential data: city/area, budget, timing, type, telephone contact.
Objective: in less than 2 minutes collect information that usually takes 2-3 phone calls.
3) Automatic qualification: less wasted time, more useful appointments
In real estate, time is the most expensive commodity. Qualification helps you understand who's ready and who needs to be nurtured. With SendApp, you can set questions and rules to segment contacts and trigger different actions.
Key questions for buyers:
- Area of interest (specific neighborhoods)
- Maximum budget and method (mortgage/cash)
- Timeframes (within 30 days / 3 months / 6+ months)
- Requirements (elevator, balcony, garage, square footage)
Key questions for sellers:
- Address or area
- Type and square meters
- Property condition
- Sales times
- If it is already in charge of other agencies
Practical scoring example: If a buyer indicates a defined budget, a deadline of "within 60 days," and availability for a visit, the lead is marked as "hot," and SendApp immediately notifies the agent. If the deadline is "within 6-12 months," however, nurturing begins with periodic updates.
4) Nurturing on WhatsApp: How to keep contacts "warm" without chasing them
Not everyone buys or sells immediately. Nurturing helps you maintain a valuable presence, without spam. WhatsApp, when used well, has much higher read rates than email and allows for micro-interactions that accelerate trust.
Useful content for buyers:
- New releases in the area (only if consistent with the criteria)
- “3 similar properties sold in the last month” (to guide expectations)
- Checklist of documents for proposals and mortgages
- Video tours or mini-sheets in PDF
Useful content for sellers:
- Summary report: requests in the area, average sales times, price range
- Low-cost home staging tips
- How to prepare documents (APE, compliance, inspections)
Example (Rome): A contact is looking for a three-room apartment in Monteverde. Instead of sending 20 listings, SendApp can send three targeted offers each week, asking for quick feedback: "Which interests you most: A, B, or C?" This feedback updates the segmentation and improves subsequent offers.
5) Automatic appointment booking and confirmations: fewer no-shows, more efficiency
Missed appointments are a huge cost. Automating confirmations and reminders reduces no-shows and makes the experience more professional.
Recommended flow:
- Offer of 2-3 visit slots via WhatsApp.
- Automatic confirmation with address, meeting point, estimated duration.
- Reminder 24 hours before and 2 hours before.
- Message "Are you arriving by car or public transport?" to prevent delays and manage logistics.
Example (Turin): “A viewing has been confirmed for Via ___, tomorrow at 6:30 PM. Would you like me to send you the Google Maps location and property details?” A simple “Yes” will automatically send the materials.
6) Automated post-visit follow-up (which increases deals)
After a visit, many agents wait for the customer to "get in touch." In reality, the best time frame is within 2-6 hours: the impression is fresh and the customer is still emotionally engaged.
Helpful post-visit messages:
- Request structured feedback: “On a scale of 1 to 5, how much did you like it? What's missing?”
- Send similar alternatives based on the responses
- Proposal for a second visit with a family member/technician
- For sellers: visit and price perception reports
Example (Bologna): If the buyer responds “I like it but it’s dark,” SendApp can automatically suggest two brighter properties in the same area and warn the agent that the main objection is the light, not the price.
7) Conversational AI: Intelligent responses even when you're on a date
The real leap forward is integrating conversational AI capable of handling frequently asked questions and guiding users without making them feel abandoned. It's not about "replacing" the agent, but about filtering and preparing the groundwork.
What AI can effectively handle:
- Questions about availability, square footage, condominium fees, and energy efficiency rating (if available)
- Document requests and checklists
- First buyer/seller qualification
- Collection of preferences and constraints
- FAQs about mortgages, offers, deadlines, and deposits
When to pass the baton to the human: Negotiations, price negotiations, complex objections, legal requests, sensitive cases. The ideal workflow is AI preparing + agent closing.
8) Examples of ready-to-use automations for Italian agencies
Here are 5 concrete automations you can implement to get quick results:
- “New releases in the area”: the contact indicates the neighborhood and budget, receives targeted updates and can respond “I want to visit”.
- “Real Estate Valuation”: property data collection + sending preliminary range + appointment proposal for accurate evaluation.
- “Open House RSVP”: QR code on poster → registration → reminder → follow-up with alternatives if no-show.
- “Cold Lead Recovery”: after 30 days without a response, polite message: “Are you still looking in the area for ___ or have you already solved the problem?” with quick options.
- “Request for documents”: for sellers, automatic sending of document list and reminders until delivery is confirmed.
9) Measure and optimize: what to check every week
A 24/7 engine isn't a "set and forget" system. Check these indicators every week:
- Average first response time (goal: seconds/minutes, not hours)
- Qualification completion rate (how many answer the questions)
- Appointments scheduled by channel (website, social, QR, portals)
- No-show rate before/after reminder
- Conversion from lead to visit and from visit to proposal
When you see a bottleneck (e.g. many contacts stop at the “budget” question), change the copy and options: often it’s enough to make the choice simpler (“less than 200k / 200-300k / 300k+”).
Why WhatsApp is the best channel for real estate in Italy
In the Italian market, WhatsApp is the standard communication method between individuals and professionals. For the real estate industry, this means:
- Greater speed regarding unanswered emails and phone calls
- Contextual conversations (links, photos, floor plans, vocals)
- More human relationship and continues
- Frictionless Automation: the user does not have to learn anything, he just has to respond
Add automation and conversational AI to this, and you get a system that works while you’re visiting, in a meeting, or on vacation, without sacrificing quality.
How SendApp can help you
SendApp offers complete solutions to manage WhatsApp Business professionally and efficiently:
- SendApp Official – Official WhatsApp Business API for bulk sending and automation
- SendApp Agent – AI chatbot with integrated ChatGPT for intelligent automatic responses
- Request a free consultation – Talk to an expert to find the ideal solution
