Guide
Real estate CRM in Excel: what to track and how to set it up
A paid CRM is not always the right first step for a small real estate team. A well-planned Excel sheet, used every day, beats an expensive tool nobody updates. Here is a structure that works for a broker, a channel partner or a small in-house sales team.
Columns every lead row needs
| Column | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Date received, Source | Shows which ad, portal or referral produces buyers, not just leads. |
| Name, Phone, Project interested | The basics, kept in separate columns so you can filter. |
| Budget, Timeline, Loan needed | The three facts that decide how serious a lead is. |
| Score, Category (HOT / WARM / COLD) | Calculated by formula, so your team calls the right people first. |
| Last contact, Next action, Next action date | Every lead must always have a next step with a date. |
| Status (New, Contacted, Visit booked, Visited, Negotiation, Booked, Lost) | Lets you count how many leads reach each stage. |
| Lost reason | Teaches you what to fix: price, location, timing or follow-up. |
Use formulas, not memory
- Score: add points with simple IF formulas. See how to score leads HOT, WARM or COLD.
- Follow-up queue: a filtered view of rows where Next action date is today or earlier. This is the sheet your team opens every morning.
- Overdue flag: a conditional format that turns a row red when the date has passed.
A weekly dashboard in 5 numbers
- New leads this week
- Leads contacted within 1 hour
- Site visits booked and visits done
- Bookings
- Top lead source by visits (not by lead count)
Habits that make it work
- Update the sheet right after each call, not at the end of the day.
- One owner per lead. Shared leads get ignored.
- Never delete a lost lead. Move it to a monthly nurture list.
- Keep a backup copy each week.
Prefer not to build it yourself? The Growth and Complete packages include a ready Lead CRM and Conversion Dashboard in Excel with scoring, follow-up queue and charts, built with formulas only.