Even if your business is 100% online, having great real estate business cards can only help your personal brand.
In order to give you some inspiration, we put together this list of our 20 favorite real estate business cards and seven mistakes to avoid when designing your own cards.
1. The New Century 21 Business Cards
While we haven’t exactly been quiet about our love of the recent Century 21 rebranding, the color theme, new logo, and new brand mark look especially great in the flesh.
These new cards for Century 21 are no exception. They manage to be subtle and elegant without being pretentious, and they’re just daring enough to be interesting.
To get a sense of what I mean, how easy would it have been to go all-out and foil stamp the logo in metallic gold?
While that might actually look pretty slick, it kind of kills the approachable high end vibe the new brand has in spades.
They look expensive, but not flashy. Perfect.
2. Leading Real Estate Companies of the World
Another great rebranding, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World didn’t exactly need to incorporate the casual elegance thing Century 21 went for. After all, this is a trade group that exists to promote the most exclusive brokerages on the planet.
Working with 1000watt, they wisely chose to stick to timeless and elegant rather than hip. The result is a lovely script typeface that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a logo in 1925. Or 1965. Or 2015 … You get the idea.
The deep rich blue background does give an otherwise staid and traditional logo a bit of playfulness and punch though.
3. Brown Harris Stevens Select
Dating all the way back to 1873, New York City luxury brokerage Brown Harris Stevens knows a thing or two about great branding.
That’s why it’s not surprising that these business cards for its ultra-exclusive Select New Development Marketing division are drop dead gorgeous.
Just bold enough to hint that they’re staying on the cutting edge of property marketing and subtle enough not to make waves at an East Hampton polo mixer, these cards walk a fine line and walk it well.
In what may be a case of keeping up with the Halstead’s, the firm also recently finished a top shelf rebranding worthy of the historic name.
While we have a lot more to say about this in a future article on branding, for now just check out the new logo and slogan. Pretty great right?
4. YOUR Business Card After You Hire a Talented Graphic Designer for Peanuts
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5. Fox Real Estate
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Adelaide’s Fox Real Estate went with a clever and bold approach for its business cards and branding.
While bringing semaphore, art deco, or even modern art to mind, these cards are actually a nod to fox hunting.
While that might make you think Fox has been closing deals as long as Brown Harris Stevens, in reality the brokerage only started in 2005.
That said, since they specialize in high end properties and the graphic design and art direction here are top shelf, they manage to pull it off.
Speaking of, can you imagine getting this card after a frustrating experience with a lesser brokerage? Talk about a reassuring tagline. This is branding done right. Cheeky but not obnoxious, bold but not over the top, and has an actual message behind the pretty imagery.
6. Real Broker, LLC
A virtual brokerage with great real estate business cards? It may sound like the start to a bad real estate joke, but New York City based Real Broker, LLC went with slick and modern looking vertical cards that show off its logo and not much else.
7. Kelly Group Real Estate
We’re loving these minimal black and white cards for Kelly Group Real Estate. The script works perfectly with their name, and offsets the jagged peaks the designer created to reference the mountains perfectly.
This is also a testament to having a great logo that looks good in black and white, color, and printed large and small. This is pretty important as you never know how and where your logo will be used for your business. What if you do extremely well next quarter and build a team that dominates your office? How will your logo look on a huge banner at the awards ceremony? How does it look as a teeny tiny icon on Twitter on an iPhone?
So working on your logo should be a first step toward designing a great business card or having one designed for you. If you’re a newer agent, don’t sweat it too much. You won’t need to hire a Madison Avenue firm to design your logo. Instead, just lean on your brokerages logo a bit in order to glean some of their E.A.T. (Expertise, Authoritativeness & Trustworthiness) signals.
8. One Eleven Murray Street
Look at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it. Oh my God, it even has a watermark …
Ha-ha. Sorry. Couldn’t resist working that quote in … If you know what this is from, ping me on Twitter or Pinterest for a top secret free prize. 😎
Anyway, these cards were designed by the world’s most serious branding agency (Pentagram) for a jaw dropping Tribeca condo development. We should treat them with the respect they deserve.
The vertical layout is ideal for an almost super tall skyscraper coming in at 64 floors, and the marble and embossed logo on the front gives a sublet nod to just what we’re talking about here. Tribeca luxury.
And that’s something that can be kind of tricky actually. After all, glittering glass skyscrapers are a little more Battery Park City than Tribeca. That might mean a danger of losing Tribeca street cred by going with something tacky and modern. The marble makes sure that’s not even on the table.
9. Planomatic
OK, let’s bring things back down to earth for a minute and talk about another killer example of great real estate business cards from 1000watt.
These cards for real estate tech company Planomatic just WORK. A layout like this is a sure fire signal that the company you’re dealing with takes design seriously.
10. The W Collection From Windermere Real Estate
Designed by, you guessed it, 1000watt, the W Collection from Windermere was designed to complement its collection of ultra-exclusive waterfront mansions and estates in Washington that would make Bill Gates blush.
The brand mark is suitably master of the universe worthy and, yeah, wouldn’t look out of place on a priceless car or emblazoned on the door of an ultra-exclusive private club.
Black and gold was the natural choice here, but added in nice touches like debossing and foil stamps seals the deal.
11. Bright MLS
Going from ultra-high end to tech company cool in a single bound, next up we have another entry from 1000watt for Maryland’s Bright MLS.
Charcoal and orange was the right move here, and the logo manages to make what may be the dullest business model on earth look like a hip, young startup.
12. Brentwood Real Estate Group
Another great real estate business card design from SM Sold, these cards for Brentwood Real Estate Group are clean, minimal, and take advantage of that unbeatable blue and orange color theme. I especially love the subtle pops of color on the email address and social media icons.
13. Henshaw Fox
There’s bold and cool, and then there’s BOLD and COOL. These cards for UK based Henshaw Fox definitely fall into the latter camp. That said, the Canary Warf startup up vibe on the front is toned down a bit on a minimal and elegantly laid out back. Of course that minimal fox head logo brings us right back to hipster tech company.
14. NextHome
Another one from Pentagram, NextHome’s cards are one of the few we have on our list that manage to work in headshots without looking tacky. No small feat!
The rounded edges soften the feel to something more approachable and friendly. Perfect for real estate.
15. 100 Barrow Street
Another killer card from a Manhattan new development, these cards for 100 Barrow tick all the boxes. Elegant and timeless typography, grounding charcoal background with a subtle cube design, and a bright orange edge to add some drama.
This is a card buyers keep in a desk drawer years after closing. It’s just too pretty to throw away!
16. Will Doyle RE/MAX
Here’s what the results of a contest on 99 Designs can get you. Though they’re not cheap (you pay somewhere between $350 and $900 depending on the skill of the designers) you can get great, professional looking results.
These bold red cards from RE/MAX agent Will Doyle just work.
17. HighPark
Here’s a jaw dropping example of an elegant black and gold foil stamped card done right. Super minimal, but still packs a punch.
18. Bloom Group Real Estate
While we’re generally not fans of unusually sized cards (see below) we’re making an exception for these stunners from Bloom Real Estate and SM Sold. The layout, color, and typography all work together in perfect harmony with the square shape.
19. These Fun Jam Jar Real Estate Card Things
OK, OK. We know. If you read the next section of this article you’ll see us adamantly and let’s face it, rather harshly, diss funny-shaped business cards. However … We found this cute little jam jar business card thing on Etsy and well, we couldn’t resist.
So. Are we suggesting you use funny shapes for your business card? Hell no. BUT, just remember that sometimes rules can be broken and if you’re careful and it fits your brand, you can get away with something fun once in a while.
20. Patrick Woods / Keller Williams
When someone hands you a card and you take a couple extra seconds to feel it with your hands before sliding it into your purse or wallet, you know you are going to remember that person.
Patrick Woods of Keller Williams capitalizes on this knowledge by adding a tactile experience to his business card. His raised logo isn’t flashy or loud, it is something your hands and your mind linger over. We love this bold and minimized color approach as well.
Mistakes to Avoid: 7 Cringe-Worthy Real Estate Business Card Fails
21. Too Much Clutter!
Look, we get it. Even if you’re doing great, money is money. Spending extra for back and front printing can add up. Here’s the thing though, you’re going to have to sacrifice SOMETHING. That means trying to jam a million and one words onto one side of a card is going to make you look cheap.
22. Trying to Shoehorn Your Hobbies Onto Your Cards
Like millions of other people I’m a huge “Game of Thrones” fan. After each episode my friends and I would spend literally hours talking about what we just saw and trying to predict upcoming plot twists. Chances are, if you like “Game of Thrones” we would have a lot to talk about.
That said, when I’m looking to hire a professional, the LAST thing I want to know if what kinds of TV shows they like or whether or not they think Tyrion Lannister will end up riding a dragon. Why are you making it the sole focus on your business card?
23. Using Cheesy Stock Real Estate Pictures on Your Cards
OK, you work in real estate … I already know that because not only did you tell me when you handed me your card at a REAL ESTATE SHOWING, but it also says the name of your brokerage, and the word Realtor next to your name.
Instead of splashing out on full color printing for cheesy pictures, why not spend a little more time getting your layout and typography to look more professional?
24. Bad Photoshop…
Yes your cousin’s brother’s nephew has Photoshop. No that does not mean he knows how to use it properly. Cut out headshots, cheesy pictures, or weird text effects all scream 1995 and should have no place on your business cards if you’re a serious Realtor.
25. Not Learning The Business Card Etiquette of Other Cultures
Even if you’re working in the middle of nowhere in North Dakota, chances are if you do enough deals you’re going to start working with people from other cultures. Now, you may be thinking that you do this already, but people who have moved to the United States for work or school from other countries might still expect the professionals they work with to respect their country’s business culture.
Luckily, most countries have very similar business etiquette practices to the United States. The only exception here, and it’s a huge one, is China. Especially if you’re working in California or New York, learning Chinese business etiquette will help you stand out from your peers and help you close more deals.
The only things you really need to remember is to hand over your card with BOTH hands, never give them cards while sitting (stand up instead), and have a card case. You should never hand anyone a wrinkled or creased business card, but this is actually an insult in Chinese business culture!
26. Taking Advice From This Guy
This might sound a little hypocritical, but you should take all of our advice here with a grain of salt. Yes, we’re design snobs and yes we have a collective 30 years of experience in real estate and marketing, but always remember this is YOUR card. If you think you can pull off a headshot on your card, then go for it. Rules are meant to be broken. Whatever you end up doing though, just make sure you either hire a professional or get their advice before you send them off to the printers.
27. Funny Shapes
The novelty on long skinny real estate business cards lasts about as long as it takes one to get lost in the card pocket of your wallet. And these ALWAYS get lost in the card pocket of wallets. I think I have at least one buried in a deep dark recess of my wallet right now …
Are You a Design Guru?
If you know your way around InDesign and have a layout you are excited about, or maybe your office has access to a talented graphic designer who has just put together the perfect card, you need a place to print these cards. Our best suggestion: find somewhere online that specializes in this sort of thing.
There are lots of sites out there, but our favorite right now is called ProspectsPLUS!. It offers a lot of services including marketing and direct mail, but we love the ease and timeliness of its printing services.
Upload your design, decide on your finishes and stock, and you’re on your way to 250 new cards for as little as $25.
Over to You
Work for a brokerage with great real estate business cards? Let us know in the comments!
Tell us about you so we know what to send.
