Do these five things. That’s enough to start getting found, collecting reviews, and emailing as yourself.
1) Google Business Profile · 2) Realtor.com · 3) Match your info · 4) Ask past clients for Google reviews · 5) Send email as hi@kevintoups.homes
Your list
1. One rule before you start
Public name = Kevin Toups. Not NextHome. Not the company. People should search your name and find you.
- Business / profile name: Kevin Toups
- Category: Real Estate Agent
- Website: https://kevintoups.homes/
- Phone: (828) 424-3107
- If a form forces a brokerage line, put NextHome Partners second, never first
2. What to have open
Only what you need for the steps below.
- Google login you will keep long-term (password manager)
- Phone in hand for verification codes
- Realtor.com Pro login
- One good headshot on your phone
- A short list of happy past clients (name + phone or email)
- Your normal email inbox open: kevin@nexthome828.com
3. Google Business Profile
This is the main one. Google Search + Maps + reviews all hang off this.
Create or claim your profile
- Go to business.google.com
- Sign in with your long-term Google account
- Search for Kevin Toups first. If a listing already exists, claim it. Don’t make a duplicate.
- If nothing real exists, add the business
Use these exact fields
- Name: Kevin Toups
- Category: Real Estate Agent
- Phone: (828) 424-3107
- Website: https://kevintoups.homes/
- Areas: Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Asheville, and nearby towns you actually serve
- Hours: hours you really answer
Do not name the profile “NextHome” or the office brand. Google should show Kevin Toups.
Verify + complete the basics
- Complete Google’s verification (text, phone, video, or postcard — whatever it offers)
- Upload your headshot
- Write a short description in your voice: local WNC agent, honest valuations, towns you serve
- Add services: buyer help, seller help, home valuation
Copy your Google review link
- In Google Business Profile, find Ask for reviews / share review form
- Copy that direct link
- Save it in your notes. That is the link you will text clients.
No middle page for now. When this link is ready, clients go straight to Google.
4. Realtor.com
Second place that matters for agent discovery and client ratings.
Clean your profile
- Log in at dashboard.realtor.com
- Open your public profile and check:
- Name reads as Kevin Toups
- Phone is (828) 424-3107
- Website is kevintoups.homes
- Photo is current
- Bio sounds like you, not a franchise ad
- Go to Profile → Ratings & reviews
- Turn on display of ratings if it’s off
Request a review from the dashboard
- Click Request a new review
- Enter the transaction + client info
- Send it
Your public profile is already here if you need it:
Realtor.com profile
5. Match your info
Same name, phone, and website everywhere. That’s half of local SEO.
- Google Business Profile shows Kevin Toups + (828) 424-3107 + kevintoups.homes
- Realtor.com matches those three
- Homes.com / other directory pages match those three when you can edit them
- Facebook (only the one you control) matches those three
Skip wrong-person social profiles. If a LinkedIn or Facebook isn’t clearly you, don’t link it.
6. Ask past clients for Google reviews
After your Google profile is verified and you have the direct review link, text a few recent happy clients.
- Ask people with a good closing, soon after closing
- Send 5–10 first, not your whole list at once
- Reply to every review Google shows you
- Do not pay for reviews or script fake details
7. Send email as hi@kevintoups.homes
Mail sent to hi@kevintoups.homes already lands in kevin@nexthome828.com. This step lets you reply and send as hi@kevintoups.homes from that same Gmail/Google inbox.
Already done for you: receive/forward is live. You only need the Gmail “Send mail as” setup below.
Add Send mail as in Gmail
- Open Gmail signed in as kevin@nexthome828.com
- Click the gear → See all settings
- Open the Accounts tab (sometimes labeled Accounts and Import)
- Find Send mail as → click Add another email address
- Use:
- Name: Kevin Toups
- Email address: hi@kevintoups.homes
- Leave Treat as an alias checked
- Click Next Step
Use Gmail’s servers when offered
- If you see Send through Gmail / send via Google, choose that
- If it forces SMTP instead, use:
- SMTP server: smtp.gmail.com
- Port: 587
- Username: kevin@nexthome828.com
- Password: your normal Google password, or an App password if Google asks for one (2-Step Verification on)
- Secured connection with TLS
Click the confirmation email
- Gmail sends a confirmation to hi@kevintoups.homes
- That message should appear in kevin@nexthome828.com (same inbox — check spam if needed)
- Open it and click the confirmation link
- Back in Gmail → compose a test → click the From dropdown → choose hi@kevintoups.homes
- Send a short test to yourself or Jared
Day-to-day use: put hi@kevintoups.homes on the website and in your signature. Keep reading mail in kevin@nexthome828.com. When you write clients, pick From: hi@kevintoups.homes.
If confirmation never arrives, tell Jared. Receive/forward is already on; we only need to re-check the alias path.
8. Done when
- Google profile is verified under the name Kevin Toups
- Phone, website, photo, and short bio are filled
- You have the direct Google review link saved
- Realtor.com shows the same name, phone, website, and photo
- You’ve texted the Google review link to a first batch of past clients
- Gmail can send as hi@kevintoups.homes (From dropdown works)
That’s the essential 80%. Everything else can wait.
When you have the Google review link, send it over and we can wire it into texts / follow-up for you.
Updated July 27, 2026 · Kevin Toups · local expert setup · hi@ send-as steps added · no passwords stored on this page