What does a good reply to a REALTOR.ca inquiry look like?
It answers the question the person asked, uses the details in the lead email, offers one specific next step, and names you and your brokerage. It goes out by email, since that's how they reached you, and by a short text too if they gave a phone number. It does all of this in a few lines.
Our earlier post covered where REALTOR.ca inquiries get lost. This one is about the reply itself.
What's in a REALTOR.ca lead email that can shape your reply?
More than many agents use. According to CREA, all REALTOR.ca leads go to the listing agent, and lead emails can show whether the person is pre-approved for a mortgage, whether they're already working with a REALTOR, and their preferred time for a showing (CREA Cafe, November 2021).
Each of those details changes the reply. A pre-approved buyer with a preferred showing time should get that time offered back, or the closest one you have. A buyer who says they have a REALTOR should get a different reply, covered below.
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Should you reply by email, text or phone?
Start with email, because that's how they reached you. If they included a phone number, a short text saying you've replied by email helps it get seen. In Zillow's December 2025 report (US data), 50% of buyers who used an agent preferred texting or messaging apps, and 33% preferred phone calls.
We found no Canadian figure, so ask. One line such as "Is text or email better for you?" settles it and shows you're listening.
How do you write the reply, line by line?
Use this order:
- Subject line: the address, so it's easy to find in their inbox.
- Line 1: the answer to their question, such as yes, it's available, or the condo fee they asked about, if you have it confirmed.
- Line 2: the next step, using their preferred showing time if they gave one.
- Line 3: one question, such as text or email, or what matters most to them in a home.
- Signature: your name and brokerage name exactly as registered, a phone number, and a simple way to opt out of further messages.
What does that look like in practice?
Here is an illustrative example with a made-up buyer and listing:
"Hi Marc, thanks for asking about 210 Elm, Unit 4. It's still available, and the parking spot is included. You mentioned weekday evenings: would Wednesday at 6:30 work? Is text or email better for you?" Then your name, brokerage, phone, and a line saying they can reply to opt out of further messages.
Every fact in it should be one you've confirmed. If you're not sure about the parking, say you'll check and come back today.
What if the buyer is already working with another agent?
Answer their factual question about your listing, and suggest their agent contact you to book a showing. Keep it friendly and stop there. Don't start a sales sequence. If your brokerage has its own policy for these inquiries, follow it.
What if the listing is sold or conditional?
Say so in the first line. Then offer something useful: a note when similar homes come up, or a short call about what they're looking for. A buyer who just missed a home is often ready to move quickly on the next one.
What if they don't answer?
Follow up, briefly and on a schedule: a text the next day, another a few days later, then once a week or so with something relevant, until they reply or say STOP. Under Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, an inquiry gives implied consent for six months, and every message still needs your identification and an opt-out. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions
Should the listing agent reply, or a buyer agent on the team?
Decide it as a team rule, in writing. Whoever replies should be named in the first message, and the lead should have one clear owner from the start.
Can AI write the reply?
AI can draft it from the lead email and your approved wording. A person should check every fact about the home before it goes out, because a wrong detail in a listing reply is your responsibility, not the tool's.
Want a second pair of eyes on how your team answers REALTOR.ca inquiries? Book an AI Review. We trace one recent inquiry with you, and you choose the three jobs you'd most like off your plate. It's a short screen share, and you leave with a short written summary of your top three.
Sources
Brendon Bellerose, founderToronto, Ontario