Real estate investors looking to scale their lead generation often struggle with outreach consistency and data accuracy. This blog explores how Marawan Mahmoud, founder of two Egypt-based real estate outsourcing companies, built a 400-agent call center that delivers thousands of qualified leads through a structured cold calling system.
Learn how his team hires virtual real estate assistants, applies advanced skip tracing, and leverages AI to optimize every call for maximum efficiency.
Marawan leads two companies that provide full-service sales support for real estate investors. His teams manage cold calling, texting, acquisitions, dispositions, and lead management. They also run PPC (pay-per-click) and PPL (pay-per-lead) campaigns across U.S. residential, commercial, and land sectors.
Operating since 2017, Marawan supports over 600 clients, from solo wholesalers to large investment groups. With a focus on data precision, repeatable systems, and automation, his companies deliver consistent results through high-volume, data-driven cold calling and texting.
Want to hear it straight from Marawan? Watch this in-depth conversation where he breaks down how his 400-agent Egyptian call center powers U.S. real estate lead generation.
According to Marawan, successful real estate lead generation starts with accurate, segmented data. His team targets absentee owners, probate, pre-foreclosure, and vacant properties. Through list stacking, combining data from multiple sources, they uncover high-intent sellers more likely to engage.
Marawan tested various tools but found DealMachine to be the most accurate, achieving up to a 92% hit rate on absentee and vacant lists. Detailed filters like owner type, motivation signals, and recent activity ensure that each list matches specific exit strategies.
Skip tracing can quickly become expensive. Most providers charge 9 to 15 cents per record, but Marawan’s pro plus plan with DealMachine allows him to process up to 100,000 records at a fraction of the cost. Over time, this model has saved clients and his businesses over five figures annually. These savings allow broader list testing and faster learning cycles.
After six or seven call attempts, unresponsive contacts are exported into a CRM and entered into bulk texting campaigns. Marawan has found that sellers who ignore calls often reply to texts. His hybrid approach, call first, text second, significantly boosts response rates and conversions.
A crucial metric Marawan uses is the dials-to-leads ratio, calculated by dividing total dials by total leads. This helps determine which lists, markets, or campaigns yield the best results. For example, a 100:1 ratio (100 calls per lead) indicates efficiency and informs future campaign scaling.
Every call is tracked for total dials, connections, wrong numbers, and post-call time. Agents who show high admin time or low lead conversion receive targeted coaching. Monitoring post-call time ensures active dialing rather than idle gaps between calls, maintaining productivity across shifts.
Recruiting starts with a four-phase interview process. Applicants must demonstrate fluent English, clear pronunciation, and the ability to manage rejection. Marawan prioritizes tone and communication over script memorization, as authentic delivery drives trust and engagement.
Marawan has invested over $100,000 in top-tier sales training programs. His team trains on tone control, mirroring, pacing, and objection handling. Top performers become trainers responsible for refining scripts and coaching new hires in live sessions.
Marawan’s in-house software tracks screen activity and call performance. AI listens to live calls and scores tone, mirroring, and interruptions. These metrics provide instant feedback, allowing managers to deliver same-day coaching for continuous improvement.
Multi-line dialers integrated with CRMs streamline operations. These tools handle tagging, follow-ups, and performance reporting. The CRM doubles as a texting hub and real-time performance dashboard.
Marawan avoids eight-hour shifts to reduce fatigue. Instead, he assigns two part-time callers per seat, each working four hours at peak focus. This structure maintains energy, reduces burnout, and improves call quality.
The QA team reviews “not interested,” “wrong number,” and “no answer” tags to ensure reps make a genuine effort before moving on. This maintains quality control, prevents lead loss, and ensures accurate data tracking.
Match your list to your investment strategy:
Each market varies. Test multiple list types, track dials-to-leads, and scale only the best performers.
Q1: What is cold calling in real estate and does it still work?
Yes. Cold calling remains one of the most reliable methods for generating real estate leads when supported by quality data and consistent follow-up.
Q2: How do I hire and train virtual assistants for real estate cold calling?
Use multi-phase interviews focusing on voice, communication, and tone. Train assistants on pacing, active listening, and objection handling while using QA and AI tools for real-time feedback.
Q3: How do you measure cold calling success in real estate?
Key metrics include total dials, contact rate, dials-to-leads ratio, conversion rate, and agent activity time. Tracking these consistently ensures scalable results.
Q4: Is texting or calling better for generating real estate leads?
Cold calling builds rapport faster, while texting works best for follow-ups. Combining both creates a balanced, high-response workflow.
Marawan’s system proves that structured, data-driven cold calling works, even at global scale. His 400-agent operation shows how overseas teams can power U.S. real estate deals with precision, training, and technology.
Key Takeaways:
Cold calling remains one of the most powerful outbound channels for real estate lead generation. When supported by accurate data, short shifts, and continuous coaching, it becomes a repeatable, scalable system for success.
Pro Tip: Optimize your skip tracing budget by using data plans like DealMachine. The right balance of cost, accuracy, and automation ensures you can test more lists and scale faster while maintaining profitability.