How to get buyer leads as a new agent, without referral fees

Start with the channels that cost time rather than a share of your commission: your own network, open houses, short local answers to the questions buyers are asking right now, and public communities where buyers ask for help. Add paid portals or referral networks later, once you know your numbers, because portals bill monthly whether or not you close and referral platforms take around 30 to 40% of your side.

New agents have more time than money and no track record yet. The channels below suit that: they're cheap, they build a reputation you keep, and none of them takes a cut of your first deals.

1. Work your network properly

Not a mass "I got my licence!" post, but a short personal note to the people who know you, saying what you do, which areas you cover and who you'd love to help (first-time buyers, condo buyers, families moving up). Then stay useful: a quick note when rates move, a heads-up about a first-time buyer program, an answer when someone asks. The people who refer you are the ones who remember you were helpful.

2. Host open houses

Ask experienced agents in your brokerage whether you can host open houses for their listings. Some buyers who walk in don't have an agent yet, and a good conversation about the neighbourhood is worth more than a sign-in sheet. Follow your brokerage's rules about who the listing agent's buyers belong to.

3. Answer the questions buyers are actually asking

The easiest content to write is an answer to a question someone asked this week. In our GTA Buyer Pulse for November 2026, the most common topics among GTA buyers' public posts were houses, mortgages and pre-approval, and condos, followed by questions about specific listings, budgets, townhouses, new builds and whether to use an agent at all. Each of those is a short, local post you can write from experience:

"Broker or bank: who got our clients the better pre-approval this fall?"
"Freehold townhouse vs condo townhouse in Mississauga: what the fees really cover."
"Buying pre-construction without a pre-approval: what can go wrong."

Post them where your buyers already are: your own site, your newsletter, and your social profiles. Keep them accurate and identify yourself and your brokerage clearly; in Ontario, RECO's advertising rules apply to social media too.

4. Be useful in public communities

People describe their home search in detail on Reddit and in local groups: the budget, the timeline, the listing they're unsure about. A genuinely helpful public answer, with one line saying you're an agent, is how new agents get noticed without paying for leads. Don't DM people who didn't ask, and don't paste pitches. Our guide to finding buyers on Reddit without breaking the rules covers how.

5. Build two or three professional relationships

A mortgage broker, a real estate lawyer and a home inspector all meet buyers before or alongside you. Refer good clients to good people and they'll often return the favour. If any of them would pay you, or someone related to you, anything for a referral, that's a financial benefit: in Ontario, RECO says you must disclose it to your client with an estimate of its value (RECO Bulletin 3.3).

6. When to pay for leads

Paid sources make sense once you know roughly how many conversations it takes you to get a client. Until then, it's hard to tell whether a lead source is bad or you just need practice. When you do pay, know the model:

Referral networks cost nothing up front but take a share at closing: HomeLight's standard fee is 33% of your side (HomeLight), and Zillow lists 40% on seller connections in its pay-at-close program (Zillow).
Portals charge monthly and often share leads with other agents unless you pay for exclusivity.
Flat-fee research, like LeadSynth's Buyer Briefs, costs the same every month and takes nothing when you close: $300 a month per market at the founding rate, first month free.

The full comparison, with sources, is in referral networks vs paid portals vs flat-fee research.

A plan for your first 90 days

Weeks	Focus	Every week
1 to 4	Set up: profiles that name you and your brokerage, a list of 100 people you know, two partner conversations	Ten personal notes; one open house; answer three public questions
5 to 8	Publish: one short local answer a week, based on what buyers asked that week	Ten more notes; one open house; answer five public questions
9 to 12	Measure: which channel started real conversations? Do more of it	Follow up every conversation; decide whether a paid source is worth testing

Questions

What's the cheapest way for a new agent to get buyer leads?

Channels that cost time rather than money: your own network, hosting open houses, writing short local answers to questions buyers are asking, and answering buyers helpfully in public communities. None of them takes a share of your commission.

Should a new agent buy Zillow or Realtor.com leads?

Usually not first. Portal leads cost money every month and are often shared with other agents, and pay-at-close programs take a large share of your side. Learn your conversion rate on free channels first, so you can tell whether a paid source is working.

How do I find first-time buyers?

Look where they ask questions: personal finance and city real estate communities, first-time buyer communities, and your own network. Answer their real questions, such as pre-approval, FHSA savings and condo vs townhouse, plainly and locally.

Can I pay a friend for referring a buyer?

Be careful. In Ontario, agents can only be paid for trades through their own brokerage, and Ontario brokerages describe paying unregistered people for client leads as not permitted. Ask your broker of record first; see our guide to referral fees in Ontario.

Sources

LeadSynth, GTA Buyer Pulse, November 2026 (sample of public posts, not a market total).
RECO, Bulletin 3.3, Financial benefits.
HomeLight Agent Help Center, What does HomeLight cost?
Zillow, pay-at-close pricing page.

General information, not legal or compliance advice. Your brokerage's policies and your regulator's rules come first.