Guide

# The best marketing tools for new real estate agents in 2026

Paper Route is the best marketing tool for a new real estate agent with no listings: a content employee for real estate agents that texts you the week’s ideas and posts, writes each one from scratch for your market and puts you on screen, from $29 a month. Free plans cover the rest: Canva, HubSpot, Google Business Profile and Buffer. Every price is from the vendor’s own page, checked 4 Nov 2026.

By [James Anderson](https://trypaperroute.com/about)

[Start my free week](https://trypaperroute.com/signup) [See the tools side by side](#table)

Updated 4 November 2026

## Key takeaways: which marketing tools does a new real estate agent need?

A new agent needs a post maker, a CRM (the contact manager where you keep everyone you know), a free Google listing and a scheduler, each free or about $60 a month or less.

1. Paper Route is the best content tool for a new agent: Starter is $29 a month for 6 posts in market update and educational formats, and neither needs a listing.
2. A new agent’s first-year stack can cost $0 a month: Canva Free, HubSpot’s free CRM, Mailchimp Free, Google Business Profile and Buffer Free.
3. The under-$100 stack is Paper Route Starter plus Canva Pro: $47 a month, or $97 with Paper Route Pro.
4. Paper Route writes each post for your own market and texts it to you; Keeping Current Matters Social Edge ($59.95 a month) supplies national content with auto-posting.

## What does each marketing tool for new agents cost?

The table lists 8 tools: Paper Route at $29 to $79 a month and seven others from $0 to $59.95 a month. Each works with no listings.

| Tool and job | Free plan | Cheapest paid plan, billed monthly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Paper Route](https://trypaperroute.com/pricing) (posts made for you) | None; the first week free, no card | Starter $29 a month; Plus $39; Pro $79 |
| [Canva](https://www.canva.com/en/pricing/?countryCode=us) (design) | 1.6M+ templates, 1 Brand Kit | Pro $18 a month |
| [Keeping Current Matters](https://www.keepingcurrentmatters.com/pricing/) (market content) | None; 14-day free trial | Social Edge $59.95 a month |
| [CapCut](https://www.capcut.com/pricing) (video editing) | Free templates and basic editing tools | — |
| [HubSpot free CRM](https://www.hubspot.com/pricing/crm) (contacts) | Up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts | Starter $10 per seat a month (limited-time price) |
| [Mailchimp](https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/) (email) | 250 contacts, 500 sends a month | Essentials from $13 a month; Standard from $20 |
| [Google Business Profile](https://business.google.com/us/business-profile/) (local search) | Free | No paid plan |
| [Buffer](https://buffer.com/pricing) (scheduling) | 3 channels, 10 scheduled posts per channel | Essentials $6 per channel a month |

Posts made for you

## What does Paper Route do for a new agent with no listings?

Paper Route is a content employee for real estate agents: it texts you the ideas and the week’s posts; reply yes or ask for a change, with up to 4 edits per post. Every carousel and reel is written from scratch, never a template. You're on screen in two ways: film a take on your phone and we edit it professionally, or we make a hyperrealistic AI video of you talking to camera in your own cloned voice, with no filming.

Starter is $29 a month for 3 reels and 3 carousels in market update and educational formats. Plus is $39 for 8 posts in all five formats, posting to your Instagram once you say yes. The first week is free, with no card. See [Paper Route’s plans and prices](https://trypaperroute.com/pricing).

![Closing slide of a sample Paper Route educational carousel on HOA rules in Phoenix: a front door, the label “\[phoenix\]” and the line “Buying in Phoenix? DM me if you want help going through the packet before you write an offer.”](https://trypaperroute.com/_next/image?url=%2Fcarousels%2Fhoa-rules-phoenix%2F07.webp&w=3840&q=75)

Sample closing slide, synthetic agent, not a customer.

**Best for:** Paper Route is the best marketing tool for a new real estate agent who has no listings yet: it writes carousels and market update and educational reels from scratch for your market and texts them to you every week, from $29 a month.

**Not the right pick if** you want contacts managed, email newsletters sent or your comments and DMs answered: Paper Route is not a CRM, sends no newsletters and does not reply to messages. It is also not free after the first week.

## What does a new agent's first-year marketing stack cost?

A new agent’s stack costs $0 on free plans, or $47 a month with Paper Route Starter and Canva Pro. The $47 stack hands the writing to Paper Route. The [under-$100 social media guide](https://trypaperroute.com/guides/real-estate-social-media-under-100-a-month) covers social alone.

| Stack | Tools | A month | What you still do each week |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $0 stack | Canva Free, HubSpot CRM or your brokerage’s, Mailchimp Free, Google Business Profile, Buffer Free | $0 | Pick the topic, write the caption, design the post, schedule it |
| Under-$100 stack | Paper Route Starter ($29), Canva Pro ($18), plus the free tools above | $47 | Reply yes or ask for a change, answer your own comments and DMs, add contacts |

No listings

## What can a new agent post with no listings?

A new agent can post two things that need no listing: a market update and an educational post. Paper Route Starter writes both, as reels and as carousels, from scratch for your market.

- **Market update:** what changed in your local market, with the numbers checked, ending on a reason to reach out.
- **Educational:** one question answered under your name, such as pre-approval versus pre-qualification or what an appraisal gap is. Topics rotate, so you do not repeat one.

Neither format needs a listing, so a new agent can post in week one. The sample slide above shows how a carousel closes.

Content you make

## Which design and content tools fit a new agent's budget?

Canva Free and CapCut Free cost $0 and leave the writing to you; Keeping Current Matters costs $59.95.

### Canva and CapCut: free design and video editing

[Canva](https://www.canva.com/en/pricing/?countryCode=us) is a design tool; its Free plan lists 1.6M+ templates, and Pro is $18 a month. [CapCut](https://www.capcut.com/pricing) is a video editor with a free plan. **Best for** an agent who likes designing or films their own clips; **choose them if** you want to make the posts yourself. See [the AI tools guide for real estate agents](https://trypaperroute.com/guides/ai-tools-for-real-estate-agents).

### Keeping Current Matters: national posts with auto-posting, $59.95

[Keeping Current Matters](https://www.keepingcurrentmatters.com/pricing/) lists, in Social Edge, a weekly posting plan built for you, auto-posting to Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, an email and newsletter builder and national market data, personalized with your name. It is $59.95 a month after a 14-day free trial. **Choose Keeping Current Matters if** you want ready-made content, automatic posting and a newsletter builder on one plan. Social Edge lists national data only.

Contacts and follow-up

## Which free CRM and email tool should a new agent use?

HubSpot’s free CRM holds 1,000 contacts at $0, and Mailchimp’s free plan emails 250 of them. Ask your broker first, because the brokerage may already supply a CRM.

### HubSpot free CRM: 1,000 contacts at $0

[HubSpot](https://www.hubspot.com/pricing/crm) lists its free CRM, a place to log each person and your last conversation, for up to 2 users and 1,000 contacts, with contact and deal management, email tracking and meeting scheduling. **Best for** an agent building a list of past clients and leads; **choose HubSpot if** your brokerage supplies no CRM.

### Mailchimp: a free monthly newsletter

[Mailchimp](https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/) lists a free plan of 250 contacts and 500 sends a month; Essentials starts at $13 a month and Standard at $20. **Best for** an agent who will email a short market note to their sphere each month. Build a list worth emailing before you pay for a plan.

Being found and scheduling

## Which free tools help a new agent get found and post on time?

Google Business Profile puts a new agent on Google Search and Maps for $0, and Buffer Free schedules 10 posts per channel on 3 channels.

### Google Business Profile: free local listing

[Google Business Profile](https://business.google.com/us/business-profile/) says: “Yes, creating a Business Profile and listing your business on Google is free.” [Google’s eligibility page](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177) lists real estate agents as individual practitioners and allows a storefront-free business one service-area profile. **Best for** an agent who works a defined service area and wants to show on Google Search and Maps. Set it up in week one.

### Buffer: free scheduling for 3 channels

[Buffer](https://buffer.com/pricing) is a scheduler: Free covers 3 channels with 10 scheduled posts per channel, and Essentials is $6 per channel a month. **Best for** an agent who makes posts by hand; **choose Buffer if** you want them published on time. Paper Route Plus posts to your Instagram once you say yes.

Skip for now

## What should a new agent skip in the first year?

A new agent can skip paid leads, a team CRM, a custom website and an agency until closings pay for them.

- **Paid leads:** buying leads from a portal is a cost you carry before you have closings; wait until a closing can pay for it.
- **A team CRM:** [Follow Up Boss](https://www.followupboss.com/pricing) Grow is $69 per user a month, and [Lofty](https://lofty.com/pricing) lists “Request Pricing”.
- **A custom website:** a free Google Business Profile covers year one. Build a site when you have listings to show.
- **An agency:** [White Birch Marketing](https://whitebirchmarketing.com/) lists $697 a month plus a $299 setup fee for Essentials.

How to start

## How should a new real estate agent market themselves?

A new agent should market in three steps: tell your sphere (the people you already know) first, post every week, then pick one local niche.

1. **Sphere first.** Put everyone you know into a CRM and tell them you are licensed.
2. **A weekly post.** Paper Route Starter texts you 6 posts a month for $29; a free stack means writing your own.
3. **One local niche.** Pick one town or one property type, such as condos, and set it as your service area on Google Business Profile.

To budget a first closing, use the [real estate commission calculator](https://trypaperroute.com/tools/real-estate-commission-calculator).

Which to pick

## Which marketing tool should a new agent pick for their situation?

Paper Route Starter, at $29 a month, is the one paid tool to pick first; on $0, use the free stack.

- **One paid tool, or no time to make posts:** Paper Route Starter: it writes the posts and you reply yes by text.
- **Part-time, evenings only:** Paper Route Starter.
- **Your brokerage already gives you a CRM or an agent website:** use them and skip HubSpot and a custom site.
- **Ready-made national content with auto-posting:** Keeping Current Matters Social Edge.
- **You like designing:** Canva Pro at $18 a month.
- **Video of you without filming:** Paper Route.

FAQ

## What do new agents ask about marketing tools?

### How much should a new agent spend on marketing a month?

A new agent can spend $0 a month on free plans, $47 on Paper Route Starter ($29) plus Canva Pro ($18), or $97 with Paper Route Pro ($79). Each price is from the vendor's own page, checked 4 Nov 2026.

### Does a new agent need a CRM?

Yes, but not a paid one. HubSpot's free CRM covers 2 users and 1,000 contacts (checked 4 Nov 2026), and your brokerage may already supply one, so ask your broker first. Paper Route is not a CRM; it writes your posts.

### Does a new agent need their own website in the first year?

No. A free Google Business Profile lists you on Google Search and Maps (checked 4 Nov 2026), and a custom site can wait until you have listings to show. Ask your broker whether the brokerage gives you an agent page.

### Is Canva enough on its own for a new agent?

No. Canva Pro, $18 a month, gives you design tools, and a chat assistant such as ChatGPT can draft captions, but you still choose topics and design and post every piece. Paper Route Starter, at $29 a month, writes the posts and texts them to you.

### Is AI-made content allowed on Instagram?

Yes, with a label: [Meta requires its disclosure tool](https://about.fb.com/news/2024/02/labeling-ai-generated-images-on-facebook-instagram-and-threads/) on organic posts with photorealistic video or realistic-sounding audio made digitally. A Paper Route AI video of you, or a reel in your cloned voice, counts, so check your brokerage and MLS rules too.

Method and sources

## Where do these prices come from?

Every price is from the vendor’s own page, read on 4 Nov 2026. Canva, HubSpot and Buffer open on yearly billing; the prices here are from their Monthly toggle.

1. [Canva Pro](https://www.canva.com/en/pricing/?countryCode=us)
2. [Keeping Current Matters](https://www.keepingcurrentmatters.com/pricing/)
3. [CapCut](https://www.capcut.com/pricing)
4. [HubSpot](https://www.hubspot.com/pricing/crm)
5. [Mailchimp](https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/)
6. [Google Business Profile](https://business.google.com/us/business-profile/)
7. [Google Business Profile eligibility](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177)
8. [Buffer](https://buffer.com/pricing)
9. [Follow Up Boss](https://www.followupboss.com/pricing)
10. [Lofty](https://lofty.com/pricing)
11. [White Birch Marketing](https://whitebirchmarketing.com/)
12. [Meta on AI labels](https://about.fb.com/news/2024/02/labeling-ai-generated-images-on-facebook-instagram-and-threads/)

## Start with the posts. Try Paper Route free.

[Start my free week](https://trypaperroute.com/signup) [See pricing](https://trypaperroute.com/pricing)