How to Get Google Reviews as a Realtor:
The Closing Day Ask

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This is general marketing education, not legal advice. Your broker and your state's rules come first.

Why Google reviews matter when you already have reviews elsewhere

Reviews you earn on a real estate site are great, but they stay on that site. The stars a seller sees next to your name on Google Maps, when they search for a realtor in your area, come from your Google Business Profile.

That first look matters. The National Association of Realtors found that 8 out of 10 sellers contacted only one agent. You usually don't get a second shot.

Referrals don't skip this step either. Somebody's cousin says you're great, and the seller still looks you up before they call. If they see 4 reviews next to your name and 60 next to the agent down the road, that's the first impression before they read a word you wrote.

Step 1: Set up your profile first

Before you ask anybody for anything, make sure the profile they land on is yours and set up right. Sending people to a broken profile wastes your asks.

Google treats agents as individual practitioners, so in plain English you usually get one profile: yours. Your brokerage is separate. One profile per person, not one for buyers and another for luxury listings.

Some brokerages already run a profile for you. Reviews stay with the profile they were left on, so find out whose it is before you send a single client to it.

Step 2: Ask every client, not just the happy ones

Start with every client you've closed in the last few years, buyers and sellers. Don't only ask the ones you think were over the moon. Ask everybody.

Only ask real clients. Not your buddy, not your mom, not another agent in your office.

Write the list down: name, closing date, and the date you asked.

Step 3: Text it, don't email it

Email gets buried. A text gets read. They tap some stars, write a sentence, and it takes seconds.

Notice what's not in there: nothing about stars, nothing about five stars. You're asking them to share their experience, good or bad, and you send the same words to every client.

To get your link, open your Google profile, tap Read reviews, then Get more reviews (some profiles say Ask for reviews), and copy it. Save each text as a shortcut on your phone so next time it's one tap. If your brokerage reviews client messages, run the wording past them first.

Step 4: Ask on closing day

The best day to ask is the day the deal closes. They're relieved, they're grateful, it's one of the biggest days of their life, and they're already telling everybody about it. That's the easiest ask you'll ever make.

For past clients, send one friendly text. If they don't answer, one reminder a week later. After that, let it go unless you know them personally.

Step 5: Know the rules

• No incentives. Google doesn't allow you to offer anything in exchange for a review. No gift card, no discount, no drawing.
• The FTC agrees. Federal rules ban offering anything in exchange for a positive review.
• Closing gifts are fine, separately. Give one to every client and never tie it to a review. Some states limit closing gifts too, so check with your broker.
• Don't pick and choose. Asking only the clients you think were happy is against Google's rules. Same words, same link, everybody.
• Never write reviews for people. Each review comes from the client, in their own words, from their own account.

Step 6: Reply to every review

Reply to every one. Use the client's first name and mention something specific to the deal. It shows the next seller you pay attention.

Leave out the price, the address, the terms, and anything the client told you in confidence. Also leave out who the home would be "perfect for," like newlyweds or retirees. That describes people, not the property, and fair housing rules judge your words by how an ordinary reader would take them. Keep it about the home and the work.

If a bad one comes in, don't argue. Keep it short, own what's fair, and offer to talk it through by phone. The next seller reads your reply more closely than your five star reviews.

Your 30 day goal

Aim for 10 reviews in 30 days. Set up the profile, talk to your broker, make the list, text the same words to everybody the day the deal closes, and reply to every review. None of it costs a dollar.

Source: National Association of Realtors, Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. Google Maps user contributed content policy. FTC Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465).