Put a +1 number on your listings and ads. US buyers call it like any US number, and you answer in an app or call back in their hours.
Real estate agents and developers outside the US put a US virtual number on listings and ads, so American buyers and investors can call a familiar +1 number. The TripoSIM number rings in an app, takes voicemail while you sleep and includes 300 minutes a month of calls back to the US and Canada. It receives texts but cannot send them.
An American looking at an apartment in Dubai, a villa in Portugal or a condo in Mexico often wants to talk before they fly out. Many will not dial a +971, +351 or +52 number from a listing. They are unsure of the cost, or they wonder whether anyone will answer. A +1 number is an ordinary call for them, and it shows you have set up to work with US buyers.
The TripoSIM US Virtual Number runs in an app on your phone over Wi-Fi or mobile data, next to your local SIM. Buyers call it and you answer like a normal call. When you are asleep or on a viewing, they leave a voicemail. Be clear about where you are: "Based in Lisbon, taking US calls 9 a.m. to noon Eastern" is honest, and a +1 number does not give you a US office.
Before you add the number to a listing site you do not run, check what that site allows in its contact fields. The business contact checklist has sample copy, and the area code guide helps you pick a code your buyers know.
Most buyers call during their own working day. New York is UTC-5 in the US winter and UTC-4 in the US summer, and Los Angeles is three hours behind New York. Here is when their day starts where you sell from:
| Where you sell from | New York 9 a.m. in your time | Los Angeles 9 a.m. in your time | A good call window for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | 5 p.m. in the US summer, 6 p.m. in the US winter | 8 p.m. in the US summer, 9 p.m. in the US winter | 5 to 8 p.m. in the US summer, 6 to 9 p.m. in the US winter |
| Lisbon | 2 p.m. most of the year | 5 p.m. most of the year | 2 to 5 p.m. for New York, 5 to 7 p.m. for Los Angeles |
| Mexico or the Caribbean | At or before the start of your day | Late morning or midday | Most of your working day |
Dubai does not change its clocks, so US hours arrive an hour later in your evening from early November to mid-March. From Lisbon, watch the few weeks each spring and autumn when Europe and the US change clocks on different dates: the gap to New York shrinks to four hours. The best time to call US clients lists the dates, and the US time-zone clock shows the time in each zone right now.
Write every viewing time in both zones, in the confirmation email and in the calendar invite. "Saturday 3 p.m. Lisbon time, 10 a.m. Eastern" leaves nothing to guess. A few habits help:
Most US calls will reach you outside your window, so the greeting does the work:
"You have reached [your name] at [agency], selling homes in [city] to buyers in the US. I return calls Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon Eastern. Leave your name, your number and the listing or project you are calling about, and I will call you back within one working day."
Messages can be up to 2 minutes, up to 30 a month, kept 30 days. With notifications and the microphone allowed, TripoSIM says calls ring even when the app is closed. The voicemail guide has setup steps.
Yes. The same person can have as many TripoSIM US numbers as they like on one account, each with its own plan, minutes and voicemail. A developer selling two projects can put a different number on each project's ads and record a greeting that names the project. When the phone rings, you know which project the buyer saw. Two numbers on the yearly plan cost $200 a year.
Each number is still one person's line in their own app. It does not ring several agents at once.
Calls buyers make to you are included up to a fair use of 300 minutes a month. Only calls you place, such as calling a buyer back, use your 300 minutes to the US and Canada. Each outgoing call is rounded up to the next full minute; unanswered calls are free. Three typical agents, worked out for a year:
| Example | Calls out to the US and Canada | Extra minutes | One year on the yearly plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| A few listings | 3 call-backs a week, 10 minutes each: about 130 minutes a month | None: within the included minutes | $100 |
| A busy season | 6 call-backs a week, 10 minutes each: about 260 minutes a month | None: within the included minutes | $100 |
| Plus investor calls | the same, plus 2 investor calls a week of 30 minutes: about 520 minutes a month | 27 × $5 = $135 a year | $235 |
Incoming calls do not use your minutes (fair use 300 minutes a month). Each plan includes 300 minutes a month out; extra minutes are $5 per 100, and unused extra minutes carry over to the next month, so the year counts the packs for all 12 months together. Prices before tax.
The monthly plan is $12.99 with the same minutes, which can suit a single launch. Try your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Calls coming in have their own allowance. Count them separately; do not add the two together.
| Month | Calls from buyers | Incoming minutes | Within fair use? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A normal month | 25 calls of 6 minutes | 150 | Yes |
| A new project goes live | 60 calls of 6 minutes | 360 | No: after 300 minutes, callers reach voicemail until the next month |
The number receives texts from US and Canadian senders, so you see a buyer's "is this still available?" in the app. Sending texts is not included, so you cannot answer from the number. Write "call or email" on your listings, not "call or text", and answer a text with a call or an email.
No. The number is for personal and small-business use. Buyers calling you about a listing, and you calling them back, is exactly that. It is not for bulk campaigns or calling through lead lists. Spam, robocalls, autodialers and call centers are not allowed, and the minutes are sized for call-backs, not campaigns. Call the buyers who asked you to, at a time they chose.
Two plans with the same number, minutes and app.
$100per year
About $8.33 a month, paid once a year
Renews yearly until you cancel
$12.99per month
Cancel the renewal anytime. $155.88 over 12 months
Renews monthly until you cancel
Prices in US dollars as published by TripoSIM. Payments are not refunded, except a full refund if your ID check fails or your number is not delivered within 72 hours, or where local law requires. Checkout continues on TripoSIM. Right after payment you complete an ID check with a selfie, then choose from the numbers available.