Review guide · Real estate agents

Real Estate Agent Reviews: When and How to Ask

How agents and property managers collect more client reviews on Google: the right milestones, request templates, deal-dispute replies and review rules.

By Plaudit Team · Updated October 1, 2026

People choose an agent on trust. They are handing over the biggest transaction of their lives, and the first thing most of them do is search for the agent's name and read the reviews.

Because every deal ends with a clear milestone, it is simple to build a review request into your process. This guide shows when to send it, and where agents can get into trouble.

When to ask for a review in real estate

A property sale takes weeks or months, and clients' feelings swing along the way. A review is only as good as the moment it was asked in.

Offer accepted

Within a day or two

The client has just had what they came to you for, and they are excited. The relationship is working, and they often say so.

Completion or closing

Two to five days after the keys change hands

The review then covers the whole journey, including the paperwork, rather than just the first win. Waiting a few days avoids the chaos of moving day.

Tenancy start (lettings)

A week after move-in

Landlords and tenants can judge communication and the handover once they have settled in.

Valuation that did not turn into a listing

Do not ask

They have not experienced the service you sell. A review request then looks like a pitch.

Which review sites matter for real estate agents

Google Business Profile

Where local searches for an agent land, and the platform to point nearly every request to.
Property portals

Large portals such as Zillow have their own agent review systems. Ask for these separately, using the portal's own process, and use Plaudit's spare link slot for another page you want to point clients to.
Facebook

Helps where your business gets work from local community groups. Keep it secondary to Google.

Review request templates for real estate agents

Swap the bracketed parts. In Plaudit these merge in automatically from your contact list.

Subject: Congratulations on your move, [First name]

Hi [First name], Congratulations again on [buying/selling/renting] your [home/property]. It was a pleasure working with you. If you were happy with how it went, a short Google review would be very welcome and helps other people choose an agent: [Review link] If anything could have gone better, please tell me directly at [email]. All the best, [Agent name]

Text message · 152 characters

Hi [First name], congratulations again on the move! If you were happy with how it went, a Google review would mean a lot: [link]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Only text customers who agreed to receive texts from you. See SMS review request rules.

Colleagues, family and the FTC's insider-review rule

Agents often ask friends, family and colleagues for a quick review to get started. That is where the FTC's rule matters.

The FTC's final rule on fake reviews prohibits certain reviews and testimonials written by company insiders that fail to clearly and conspicuously disclose the person's material connection to the business. It specifically names officers or managers, and bars businesses from disseminating insider testimonials they should have known came from an officer, manager, employee or agent.
In practice: do not ask your own team members, or people with a financial link to you, to post reviews as if they were clients.
Google's policy also treats fake engagement as prohibited, so reviews should reflect a genuine experience.

Sources: FTC final rule on fake reviews; Google Maps contributed content policy.

General information, not legal advice.

Replying to agent reviews

Deals involve confidential terms. Replies should thank people and invite a call without describing the transaction.

Positive, a first-time buyer

“As first-time buyers we were so nervous, and [Name] walked us through every step. Couldn't recommend enough.”

Thank you for trusting me with such a big step, and congratulations again on the new home. It was a pleasure helping you find it.

Negative, a seller unhappy with the price

“Sold for much less than they promised. Misled about value.”

I'm sorry the outcome wasn't what you hoped for. I'd like to talk it through with you, so please call me on [phone]. I can't discuss the details of any transaction here.

Negative, a buyer who lost a bid

“Never returned my calls when we were bidding. Didn't care.”

I'm sorry you felt unheard during such a stressful time. That isn't the service I want to give. Please call me on [phone] so I can hear what happened.

Negative, communication

“Took days to get any answer. Had to chase for everything.”

Thank you for telling us. Waiting days for an answer in the middle of a sale isn't acceptable and I'm sorry. I've [changed how I manage replies] and would like to hear more: [phone].

Want a draft for a real review? Use the free AI review response generator, and edit before you post.

Setting this up in Plaudit

Agents and small agencies usually start on Growth, since text suits fast-moving deals and follow-ups catch clients who are busy unpacking. If you run several branches, Pro supports multiple locations.

Export recently completed deals from your CRM (first name, email, mobile) as a CSV, or paste them in.
Set Google as the platform and choose a delay of several days after completion.
Use the spare link slot for a property-portal review page if you want a second link.
Keep clients who had a difficult sale off the list with the do-not-contact list.

Plans: Starter $19 (email, 1 platform), Growth $39 (adds SMS, integrations, follow-ups), Pro $79 (multiple locations). See pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Should I ask at offer accepted or after closing? +

Closing is better for a full-journey review, but offer accepted catches the moment of peak excitement. If your pipeline is long, you can do both with different wording, as long as you don't send the same client two near-identical requests.

Can my team and colleagues leave reviews to get me started? +

They shouldn't. The FTC's rule prohibits certain insider reviews that do not disclose the connection, and Google treats fake engagement as prohibited. A smaller number of genuine client reviews is worth more.

What about clients who both bought and sold with me? +

Ask after each transaction, but not too close together. A client who has done both can write a more convincing review, so mention in your message that they have worked with you more than once.

How should I reply to a review that complains about the price I achieved? +

Don't defend the number in public, and don't share any detail of the deal. Thank them, apologise that the outcome wasn't what they hoped, and offer a phone call.

Review guides for other industries

Also useful: How to reply to a negative review, How to ask for a Google review

All industries →

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