The short answer
At ACE, we help realtors farm smarter. ACE Data finds homeowners in your farm area who are showing signs they may sell soon, and we clean the list. Then each home gets a personal offer from you. The homeowner can unlock a real gift card for watching a short video about you, or for requesting their home value update. Owners who engage are the ones to call. Rewards are for engaging with you, never tied to listing, buying or closing.
Step 1: Pick the right farm
A farm only works if homes actually sell there. Before you commit, look at:
- Turnover. How many homes sold in the area over the last year compared to how many homes are there. Low turnover means a long wait for listings.
- Competition. Is another agent already dominating the neighborhood? A less crowded farm can pay off faster.
- Fit. Pick an area you know, can talk about with confidence, and can serve well.
- Size. Big enough to produce listings every year, small enough that you can reach every home regularly.
Step 2: Find the owners most likely to move
Not every homeowner in your farm is equally close to selling. ACE Data finds homeowners in your farm area who are showing signs they may be getting ready to move, like researching home values or agents, and scores them high, medium or low intent. Start with the high-intent owners, but keep reaching the whole farm.
We verify phones and emails and scrub phones against Do Not Call lists before anyone is contacted.
Fair Housing matters here. Target by neighborhood and behavior, never by race, religion, national origin, sex, disability, familial status or any other protected trait. ACE builds farm lists by geography and buying signals only.
Step 3: Reach every home on a steady schedule
Farming is about consistency. One mailer does nothing. Twelve months of showing up does.
- Direct mail reaches every address in your farm, including homes you'd never door-knock.
- Text and email to the cleaned list, sent from your own accounts after you approve the contacts and the message.
- Neighborhood updates. Recent sales, new listings and market trends for that specific area. Homeowners read news about their own street.
See all of ACE's delivery options.
Step 4: Give homeowners a reason to engage
"Thinking of selling? Call me!" gets ignored. Give owners something real for one small step:
- Watch. The homeowner watches a 60-second video about you: who you are, how long you've worked the area and what you've sold nearby.
- Earn. A real gift card unlocks when they finish, like a coffee on you.
- Request a home value update. Owners can ask for a personal update on what their home might sell for. That's the conversation you want.
The reward is for engaging with you, never for listing with you, buying or closing. Real estate commissions and states have their own rules on gifts and inducements. ACE reviews each campaign with you, and you should confirm with your broker and attorney.
Step 5: Follow up with the owners who engage
When an owner watches your video or asks for a home value update, call or text within minutes. Lead with something useful:
"Hi [Name], this is [Your Name]. Thanks for watching my video. I put together a quick update on what homes like yours on [Street] have sold for lately. Want me to send it over, or walk you through it?"
Most owners aren't ready to list today. That's fine. You're now the agent they know.
Step 6: Stay in front of them until they're ready
- Monthly neighborhood updates by mail and email.
- A yearly home value update for every owner in the farm.
- Automatic follow-up for owners who engaged but aren't ready yet.
The owner who watched your video in March is the listing you get in September.
What we've seen
Across ACE campaigns, engagement has ranged from about 5% to 28% across direct mail and digital, far above typical response rates for a standard mailer. Farm results depend on the area, your market and how consistently you show up. These are past results, not a promise for your farm.
When this isn't the right fit
- You won't commit to a full year. Farming rewards consistency. A two-month test won't tell you much.
- Your farm has almost no turnover. Pick a different area first.
- You can't follow up quickly. Owners who engage need a fast, helpful reply.
Learn more about ACE for realtors.
Frequently asked questions
How do realtors pick a farm area?
Look for neighborhoods with steady home sales, manageable competition, and enough homes to produce listings every year, in an area you know well.
How long does real estate farming take to work?
Plan on at least a year of steady contact. Farming builds familiarity, and listings follow when owners are ready to sell.
What should I send to my farm area?
Neighborhood updates, recent sales, home value updates and a short video about you. Give owners a reason to engage, not just a postcard to toss.
Can realtors give gift cards to homeowners?
Rules vary by state. ACE rewards are for engaging with you, like watching your video, never for listing, buying or closing. Confirm with your broker and attorney.
How do I find homeowners who are thinking about selling?
ACE Data finds homeowners in your farm who are showing signs they may sell soon, like researching home values or agents, and scores them by intent.
About the author
Jake Nicks is the founder of ACE (Actual Consumer Engagement), a customer acquisition firm in Frisco, Texas. He has 10 years in paid media and has directed more than $2 billion in ad spend. ACE's verified-action gift card technology is protected by U.S. Patent No. 11,847,634 B2.
See which homeowners in your farm are thinking about selling. On a free 15-minute call, we'll pull 50 people in market for what you sell in your area, live while you watch, scrubbed against Do Not Call lists. You keep the list. Claim your free 50