Is HubSpot the right CRM for a real estate agent like you?
You’ve probably heard about this “powerful CRM software,” but does it live up to the hype?
After all, there are dozens of other CRMs out there, so how do you know if HubSpot is the right one for you?
Well… If you’ve been asking these questions, you’ve come to the right place.
Today, we’re going to take an in-depth HubSpot review for real estate agents.
We’ll look at:
- The pros and cons of the software
- The differences between HubSpot’s products (and which one suits real estate professionals best!)
- Whether or not this is the right real estate CRM for you
And many more!
Let’s dive right in!
Do We Recommend HubSpot CRM for Real Estate Business?
Real estate agents are always pressed for time.
So if you don’t have time to read our in-depth analysis, that’s cool.
Here’s the quick answer:
Absolutely.
HubSpot lives up to the hype — it’s one of the best real estate CRM choices out there.
It’s got it all — inbound marketing, database in one place, insights and reporting, app integrations, and even lifetime free account.
However, HubSpot might be a bit more expensive than other real estate CRM such as Top Producer or Zoho.
The free account has “lite versions” of the premium features, which is great to an extent.
Beyond that, plans start at $45/mo and climbs all the way up to $3,200/mo.
Now, that three-thousand-dollar price tag might seem overwhelming.
But don’t worry.
Unless your real estate business is thriving and you’ve got dozens of agents, you probalby won’t need to spend that much. HubSpot has a lot of great lower-priced plans as well.
Overall, HubSpot is a superb CRM that’s going to be a huge help in keeping your real estate agent career a breeze.
Okay…
So before we deep-dive into the details of HubSpot, here’s a quick summary of the good and the bad when it comes to HubSpot:
| The Good | The Bad |
| Your database in one placeModern, easy-to-use interfaceEfficient, automated workflow for teamsPowerful inbound marketingFree-forever accountMobile appApp integrations and extensions | There are cheaper alternativesToo many plan options, it gets confusingBetter used as an all-in-one tool instead of a standalone CRMNo refunds |
HubSpot for Real Estate Agents – The Good
When it comes to the good stuff, HubSpot boasts plenty of that.
It’s got more than just a smooth user experience and pleasant interface.
Here are the pros of using the HubSpot CRM:
Your customer database in one place
A real estate agent’s life will be a hundred times easier with CRM.
For starters, it keeps a directory of your contacts and listings, letting you focus on other aspects of your business.
With HubSpot, once you get a new project or client, you can type down the details, click a few buttons, and they’re in your directory for good.
The days of juggling client’s names in your memory or jotting them on Post-Its are finally over.
And if you think that’s already great, HubSpot has more features, keeping everything smooth for you down to the minor details.
When you tap on your client’s name or a project, it will show the entire history of your transaction.
From agents assigned, email, phone, text, and call exchanges, when you last followed up, and more.
This makes it easier to catch up with a project or see which steps you need to take next.
If you had to do that manually with notebooks or spreadsheets, phew, that’s going to be a lot.
Modern, easy-to-use interface
One of the best things about HubSpot is that it’s beginner-friendly.
You might need time to adjust at first, but it isn’t as complicated as it seems.
Take the Sales Deals dashboard, for example.
It shows a neat kanban board of your sales pipeline for every client and project.
The sales pipeline management is super easy, you can easily see which stages a project is at, who is in charge of it, which tasks need to get moving, etc.
And as your project or client completes stages, you can just drag their names to the next column.
How’s that for saying goodbye to spreadsheets?
You can even customize the Deal dashboard stages to fit your process: inquiries, appointment scheduled, intent to purchase, contract sent, and closed projects.
But if you’re still unsure, HubSpot has a short demo after you sign up.
They will show you around and teach you the basics of how to operate.
And if you’re not confident with just demos and YouTube tutorials, you can pay an additional fee for onboarding.
You get to go on a one-on-one session with a HubSpot professional, a.k.a. Implementation Specialist.
Efficient, automated workflow for teams
HubSpot promises to remove the stress out of planning and coordination.
It’s an efficient platform for both real estate businesses and solo agents.
You can connect your team’s calendar so there won’t be any double bookings with the rest when anyone schedules meetings with clients.
Working with an efficient platform also lets you track everyone’s progress.
Another perk is syncing all client information and using templates available to make everyone’s lives easier.
Speaking of templates, HubSpot also lets you create email templates to add a more personal touch.
You can send these to your clients through email drip campaigns which are essentially nurture campaigns on autopilot.
That’s the advantage of having an automated process.
You just have to sit back, relax, and wait for the right emails to reach the right people.
Powerful inbound marketing
Inbound marketing is a must for real estate agents who want to attract the right clients and get new leads.
Simply put, it’s the opposite of outbound or traditional marketing — broadcast, print, telemarketing.
While the latter throws ads out to the world, hoping the target market will respond, inbound marketing creates content that zeroes in on their target.
Search engine optimization (SEO), email campaigns, social media posts, and targeted ads are the secret weapon.
The results? Cost-effective marketing with high conversions and sales.
And HubSpot can help real estate business with that.
The CRM doesn’t only store your client’s info, it can also track their behavior online to an extent.
Which pages they land on your website, for example, and the info they will provide when they fill out your form.
This will let you tailor a message or a nurture campaign to engage with potential customers better.
HubSpot’s Sales Hub is already a great standalone real estate CRM.
But when used with the rest of the Growth Suite (Marketing and Service Hubs), you can maximize HubSpot’s inbound marketing to include social media, website building, and SEO.
HubSpot Free Tools
Say you’re a little strapped for cash at the moment, or maybe you want to take the CRM for a test drive.
We’ve got good news for you.
HubSpot offers a free lifetime account.
In our article on the best CRMs for real estate, we tagged HubSpot as the best free real estate CRM, and that couldn’t be more true.
Some of the free tools at your disposal are:
- Contact management
- Contact website activity
- Tasks & activities
- Company insights
- Gmail and Outlook integration
- Email templates
- Calling
- Meeting scheduling
- Project management tools
And more!
But that’s not where it ends.
That list above applies to users of all products.
You also get additional free CRM tools specific to the product you choose.
For the Sales Hub, there’s free live chat, basic bots, deal pipelines, quotes, and a whole lot more.
Here are just some of the best things about getting a free account on HubSpot:
- It’s a lifetime account that’s 100% free.
- 1,000,000 free contacts
- Unlimited free users
We know what you’re thinking: “This is too good to be true!”
There are hidden charges, right?
Nope!
While HubSpot offers dozens of free tools at your disposal, these come with limits.
The software describes it as “lite” versions of their paid products which translates to “You won’t be getting the full experience.”
When the time comes that you want to upgrade to get more power out of your CRM, you might get charged a hefty sum depending on the number of your contacts and HubSpot’s contact tier pricing.
But overall, a free account with HubSpot is still a superb idea.
There’s a mobile app
You’ll have no problem working on the go with HubSpot.
Need to walk your dog and at the same time keep an eye on a deal?
No problem.
The HubSpot app gives you access to your work wherever you are.
You can create tasks and reminders, access your contacts, and close deals.
All that from the convenience of tapping away at your phone or tablet.
The app is available for free on both Android and iOS.
However, it is only available for the Sales hub.
It’s fortunate for real estate agents since they can thrive solely on the Sales hub, but it sucks for small businesses who opted for the Growth Suite.
To get the whole experience, you still have to log in to your computer.
App integrations and extensions
Those who aren’t new to real estate CRM know that it’s essential to have one with app integrations and extensions.
HubSpot has hundreds of apps you can integrate into your CRM, and they make your life a breeze.
You can integrate popular tools like Gmail, Outlook, Mailchimp, LinkedIn, Slack, Zoom, and more.
This makes sure that all of your tools are synced, and you won’t be missing out on any crucial details.
HubSpot is also continuously adding more apps to its marketplace. That’s how you know it’s not a stagnating CRM.
And even if the app you want is not available in the marketplace, you can shoot HubSpot an inquiry, and they can find a way for you.
That’s future-proofing your real estate career right there.
HubSpot for Real Estate Agents: The Bad
Now that we’ve seen what HubSpot CRM can do for the real estate industry, let’s look at the opposite side.
It’s fantastic at what it does but are there cons you need to know?
Let’s begin with…
There are cheaper alternatives
Let’s be honest here.
While HubSpot does pack a punch, it also comes with a price tag.
Their plans range from $45/mo for the Starter plan to $3,200/mo for the Enterprise plan.
That even depends on which hub you’ll be using.
Marketing Hub will have you paying by the number of connections you have.
For instance, if you have 1,000 connections, you could do well with a Starter subscription that’s at $45/mo.
But if you exceed, you have to upgrade to the Professional plan, which will set you back $800/mo.
On the other hand, the Sales and Service Hubs require extra payment for additional users.
But if you check out other real estate CRM, you’ll find ones more affordable with almost the same features.
Zoho also has a free-forever account and a top-tier pricing plan that’s at $52/mo.
Even Top Producer only charges $85/mo for its Advanced plan.
Compared to HubSpot’s $3,200/mo most expensive plan, that’s a shocking difference.
Too many plan options, it gets confusing
Hubspot has different products or “hubs”: Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service.
Each hub comes with different pricing plans: Free, Starter, Professional, and Enterprise.
So if you’re new to HubSpot, it can get pretty confusing which product and which pricing plan best fits you.
On top of that, these plans can get expensive really quickly.
Say you started with HubSpot’s Sales Hub free account and you start growing your business.
You’re given an unlimited number of users on the platform and a million contacts to add.
Pretty soon you’ll want the full feature experience.
But the problem is, now you have thousands of contacts in the system plus more than two people using the platform.
So you finally get a Sales Hub Starter subscription which only limits you to two free users.
You’d have to pay an extra $23/mo per user.
That’s on top of paying the $45/mo for jumping from a free account to a Starter plan.
And if you switch to the Professional plan, that bumps you up to $450/mo with five free users.
Quite a considerable jump, if you ask us.
If you’re a little too short on the cash, it’s a tough decision.
It’s better used as an all-in-one tool, not a standalone real estate CRM
HubSpot unleashes its full potential when you use the Growth Suite or the three hubs — marketing, sales, and service.
The hubs are built to complement one another; a funnel customers will slide right through.
However, focusing on the Sales Hub standalone CRM can work for real estate agents strapped for cash.
But that might feel like preventing HubSpot from doing its complete job as a robust real estate CRM platform.
Of course, you could use tools from other CRMs at your disposal, but it could prove a challenge to operate it with HubSpot seamlessly.
They don’t give refunds
If you change your mind halfway through your subscription, you can cancel.
But HubSpot’s fine print reads that they won’t refund you for the rest of your unused subscription.
That’s money down the drain if you’re not satisfied with their product.
The same goes for when you forget to send them a notice of non-renewal.
When that contract renews, and you’re charged, your money is gone, even if it’s for the first week.
So since HubSpot is more on the pricier side, make sure you want to stick with the platform before subscribing.
What are the Different HubSpot Products?
Now that we’re done with the pros and cons let’s focus on how HubSpot can offer these — through their Growth Suite or the entire platform.
Which products consist of the Growth Suite?
First off, the Marketing Hub gives you the tools to attract and convert customers through inbound marketing campaigns.
Next is the Sales Hub, which gives you richer insights on your client data with tools that help you close the deals faster.
Finally, the Customer Service Hub helps you connect with your clients, retain relationships, and turn them into promoters of your business.
All three rolled into one could be a robust CRM software at your disposal.
It can operate as a single-shared tool for all your customers, a guide which lets them go through the entire funnel.
For real estate agents, a standalone Sales Hub is already a great choice.
But if you still prefer to use any of the hubs as a standalone platform, you can.
HubSpot Pricing
Now that the pros and cons are out of the way, this is what everyone has been waiting for:
How much is HubSpot going to cost you?
This CRM’s pricing is a little tricky since you’ve got five products with individual plans to choose from.
We admitted earlier that HubSpot might not be the most affordable CRM for real estate agents.
But we can guarantee others don’t have the range of products or the comprehensive tools, unlike HubSpot.
Here’s a quick rundown of the five products and their plans:
HubSpot Pricing Summary
| Starter | Professional | Enterprise | |
| Marketing Hub | $45/mo | $800/mo | $3,200/mo |
| Sales Hub | $45/mo | $450/mo | $1,200/mo |
| Service Hub | $45/mo | $360/mo | $1,200/mo |
| CMS Hub | $23/mo | $360/mo | $1,200/mo |
| Operations Hub | — | $45/mo | $720/mo |
The above pricing is billed annually, which actually saves you 10%.
You can go for a monthly payment, but that will cost you an additional $40-$50 per month.
Each product plan also has a set number of contacts and paid users, which you can add more for an additional cost.
To have an idea of how much that’s going to be, try HubSpot’s pricing calculator.
Create a bundle
One option HubSpot has that other CRMs don’t give is the option to get their products in a bundle.
Earlier, we mentioned that HubSpot is best used as an all-in-one tool. A bundle option is a way to do that.
“Create a Bundle” lets you combine different products and product plans in one checkout.
For example, you can add a Starter account from the Marketing Hub, a Professional account in the Sales Hub, and an Enterprise account in the Service Hub.
Hit check out, and you’re good to go with a powerful multi-product real estate CRM at your disposal.
We’re not going to lie, it’s going to cost you more, but you do need to invest in your career for it to flourish.
To be real estate agent-specific, you can try bundling plans from the Sales Hub and the Service Hub.
That way, you can get the benefits of both — from more substantial inbound marketing to better client nurturing.
HubSpot CRM Help & Support
Expert support is one of the pillars of good CRM software.
And HubSpot does not disappoint when it comes to giving you the assistance you need.
For starters, the website has a Help Center where anyone gets access to guides and helpful articles.
It’s also where a community of fellow HubSpot users connect to compare experiences or drop a tip or two.
But if you’ve hit a snag on the road using the software and you need professional help to fix it, HubSpot does have email, chat, and phone support.
However, support options are based on your product plan.
Starter accounts get access to HubSpot’s community as well as email and chat support.
Everything applies to Professional and Expertise accounts.
Unfortunately, if you’ve got a free account, you only have access to the community.
What Do the Reviews Say About It?
You already know we think HubSpot is great.
But don’t take our word for it!
HubSpot users have gushed about the CRM software time and again.
Software reviewing platform G2 rates HubSpot Sales Hub 4.3 out of 5 stars.
The 7,224 reviews mostly say the same thing: HubSpot delivers.
This reviewer shared that they love how HubSpot “unified everything into one platform, from marketing to sales and business development.”
Another review complimented how everything in HubSpot was as easy as clicking a button.
And another applauded the modern, clean user interface that makes for a great user experience.
Over at Capterra, another software reviewing platform, HubSpot rated 4.5 stars with 2,852 reviews.
One user mentioned she switched from using Microsoft Excel — what an upgrade!
The free tools were beneficial to the point where she couldn’t believe they were for free.
Although she did admit that the paid version quickly became too expensive.
Overall, the consensus is that everyone is satisfied with their HubSpot experience.
You could be the next one to add to the good reviews!
Hubspot Review for Real Estate Agents FAQ
And there you have it!
That’s everything real estate agents need to know about using HubSpot as CRM software.
But just in case you still have more questions, read on to be enlightened!
What is a CRM?
CRM (customer relationship management) software is a powerful tool that brings your marketing, sales process, and customer service needs together.
Being a real estate agent or an entrepreneur means there are many things you need to focus on.
CRMs help you out by:
- Streamlining your processes
- Organizing your client’s details
- Automating your workflow (email campaigns)
- Strengthening your inbound marketing
- Knowing your clients better and
- Helping you stay on top of your tasks
When used with a team, a CRM is an excellent platform for collaboration.
Without it, you’re left to your own devices.
We’re telling you now, you might survive with a customized spreadsheet, but you know that will have you collecting your tears in a bottle as the years go on.
Technology makes our lives easier — take advantage of it!
As a real estate agent, should I go for HubSpot as my CRM?
Our answer is a resounding yes after the pros, cons, and pricing we’ve discussed earlier.
Real estate agents need the help of a CRM so they won’t lose their minds trying to juggle a thousand things at once.
HubSpot will not only help you keep a directory of your clients, but they will also fine-tune your inbound marketing, offer templates for email drip campaigns and lead generation.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg here.
To make a long answer (a.k.a this entire article) short, HubSpot’s CRM is an excellent choice for most real estate agents.
What is the best HubSpot product for real estate agents?
Real estate agents can go for the standalone Sales Hub CRM if they can’t afford the Growth Suite.
The Sales Hub offers many premium features like a neat Deals Dashboard for an overview of the sales process.
There’s also Forecast which tells you where your team’s progress and how they can improve, and Playbooks, a library of sales best practices and resources.
That’s on top of the comprehensive sales analytics, smooth team workflow, and additional tools and automation.
HubSpot’s Sales Hub is enough to keep a real estate agent or sales team on top of their game.
But if you want a better edge in the industry, adding HubSpot’s marketing and service tools is still the best way to go.
Is a HubSpot CRM free account worth it?
Absolutely.
The “freemium” account is still worth checking out even if you only get offered a “lite version” of the premium features.
Although, we would only advise a free account for those starting on their real estate careers.
Or those who are just beginning to build contacts and get the feel of a real estate CRMs.
If you already have thousands of contacts and are established in the industry, there’s no other option — you need a subscription account.
That way, you can maximize the premium features HubSpot has to offer.
HubSpot Review for Real Estate Agents Final Thoughts
HubSpot’s robust features make it one of the best CRM software out there for real estate agents.
It organizes your contacts, tracks your lead generation and listings, automates your workflows, and fuels your inbound marketing.
You’ve got a platform that works great for solo agents and even better for teams and collaborations.
And although it’s a bit on the pricier side, you’d be hard-pressed to find a CRM filled with features, and that’s this good at what it does.
But if you’re struggling financially, HubSpot’s lifetime free account is worth a try.
Overall, HubSpot CRM for real estate agents is definitely something worth checking out.
So do yourself a favor.
Make your real estate career easier by checking out HubSpot CRM.