5 things we learned from OBrien Real Estate: How to fix your prospecting habits using RiTA

Is consistency the single biggest factor in maintaining a steady stream of listings? Many senior principals agree that regular database contact is a key business priority. Regular touchpoints with your contacts may help prevent the pipeline rollercoaster, but manual prospecting is usually the first thing that gets dropped when your schedule fills up.

We sat down with Jason Mudford, General Manager at OBrien Real Estate, to break down how their network used smart technology to remove the daily friction from their database, beat phone dread, and secure more business. Here is how you can apply their blueprint to your own daily routine.

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1. How does automation stop agents from procrastinating?

Procrastination wins when the morning task feels too heavy. Staring at a massive, messy database makes it easy to find an excuse to do something else instead of picking up the phone.

RiTA fixes this by serving up a clean, targeted list of 20 qualified contacts for each agent every single morning. It removes the decision fatigue of wondering who to call next so you can focus entirely on the conversation.

"We're human and people do procrastinate," Jason says. " We get provided 20 contacts to call per agent every day. This is the opposite to being reactive. This is intentional."

2. What real volume can an agency generate from automated SMS?

When you combine consistent daily habits with targeted SMS automations sent by RiTA on your behalf, the results follow. Over a four-month period, the OBrien network generated clear momentum across different local markets:

• Metro offices: Sent between 5,500 and 6,000 automated SMS messages, achieving a 16% reply rate. This effort yielded 117 direct conversations and over 20 appraisals.
• Southeast offices: 18,000 outreach, delivering close to 100 appraisals.
• Regional offices: Sent just under 1,000 targeted messages, resulting in nearly 30 appraisals.

3. Why is automated outreach a better use of your time than cold calling?

Cold calling out of the blue drains energy and wastes hours on unanswered dials. RiTA’s SMS automations handle the initial touchpoints in the background so you only spend time speaking with people who want to talk to you.

"I think it's a way better use of people's time," Jason says. "You're not actually spending any time to get those, the SMSs are all automated."

RiTA starts the conversation, allowing you to step in the moment a property owner raises their hand.

4. What types of database campaigns drive the most appraisals?

Effective prospecting is not just about hunting for immediate listings. It is about keeping your local market updated so you are the clear choice when a homeowner is ready to sell.

Jason points out that RiTA allows teams to run highly relevant, localised campaigns that go far beyond generic marketing blasts.

"It's not just chasing an appraisal, it's keeping a seller updated on the market, it's keeping a buyer updated on the market," Jason says. "It's actually geotargeting a just listed and a just sold to those prospective vendors."

5. How can real estate principals use AI to protect their market share?

Building a resilient business requires a clear standard that does not rely on constant manual tracking. Implementing an automated workflow makes clean database habits the path of least resistance for your team.

"I really think you've got to have a go at this technology," Jason says. "This is AI. This is the easiest system. There's not many other programs as good as this that we have in our business."

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