11 Best Real Estate Lead Generation Companies: Where to Buy Leads in 2023

Jim Gray, Licensed Agent11/30/2023

Editorial Note: We sometimes earn a small commission from partners listed. This never affects editor opinions or evaluations. More

It’s no secret that successful Realtors use lead generation companies to find buyers and sellers. We evaluated dozens of companies focusing on lead generation for real estate agents before deciding on the best of the best. These companies produce top-quality leads from online ads, social media, the MLS, brokerage/listing sites, and more  – ultimately driving home sales and your commission.

Our top picks are based on features they offer, pricing, and reviews from real estate agents themselves (…and of course the quantity, quality, and type of leads produced). Here are the ten best real estate lead generation companies proven to help you take your business to the next level.

The 11 Best Real Estate Lead Generation Companies

Best Real Estate Lead Generation Company: Real Geeks

A+
Top Features: Fully customizable, Can be used for lead generation or stand alone CRM
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): Exclusive buyer and seller

Why we chose it: Real Geeks is an end-to-end solution that supports all facets of online lead generation and is great for all agents – both old and new. They use three main components: MLS integrated agent websites that are SEO-friendly and custom branded, full CRM capabilities, and done-for-you-lead generation.

Their lead creation and nurturing combined with past client follow-up ensures nothing slips through the cracks. Essentially, with Real Geeks, your entire web presence, inbound lead flow, and CRM management is taken care of for you.

The seamless integrations with internet data exchange websites also leaves you with more time to devote to your clients and customers, making Real Geeks the ideal solution for solo agents or small themes.  

With Real Leads by Real Geeks, you get marketing automation and a solution for getting more buyer and seller leads through social marketing and paid search. Their campaigns are tailored and constantly tweaked specifically for you and your market. This coupled with their CRM, allows you to take care of your leads from start to finish. A bonus feature that will save you a ton of time is their Reactive Responses feature that helps trigger your CRM to follow up with the right potential clients by checking for some key behaviors (i.e. frequently checking the same listing, adding favorites, or visiting your site multiple times). All these tools can make it easier to fill your sales funnel without breaking the bank. 

It’s also popular with brokers, and lots of brokers in our circles report that a significant portion (and often majority) of their agent’s leads and closings come directly from Real Agents. 

Something I love about Real Geeks is that they optimize their websites for SEO, helping you get the “free” leads as well. They have independent designers that can customize the design, and they have an “SEO Fast Track” feature set that allows to not only built out pages for every area in your MLS quickly, but also to use ChatGPT to write the copy.

If you are looking for high conversion rates, lots of customization options, and a CRM that will be integrated with your lead generating website, Real Geeks is definitely a top contender for you. They offer a quick way for solo practicing agents and small Teams to create a brand identity with a supporting website and have immediate lead flow without a lot of time invested. And because Real Geeks is so robust, many agents use it as their global business CRM and integrate it with all their lead sources. Full Real Geeks Review

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Real Geeks Pros
  • Quick turnaround to get leads flowing
  • SEO optimized websites
  • CRM is robust
  • Great automation and customization options
Real Geeks Cons
  • Customer support can be spotty
  • Agent driven lead location verification required
Starting at $$

2nd Best Real Estate Lead Generation Company: CINC

A+
Top Features: Lead gen flexibility to generate high-quality, guaranteed return on investment for first year, highly targeted Google ads and forecasting
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): Exclusive buyer and seller

Why we chose it: CINC is an all-in-one solution that offers hyper-local targeted leads, IDX websites, and a comprehensive CRM.  They generate free and pay-per-click leads plus nurture them through behavior-driven follow-ups. All of their offerings – the IDX listings presentation, lead generation, and nurture all work seamlessly without you having to stitch all the pieces together.  

They mostly source their leads from Google and Meta (Facebook and Instagram). Through these they can target niche property types, local submarkets, and advanced demographic sets with their proprietary technology. You can also use ListCast, which retargets leads on any of these platforms. Then once collected their AutoTrack feature uses behavior-driven follow-ups for all the leads. I would recommend taking advantage of their follow up training to help you close all these leads. 

CINC offers a host of other automated tools for you and your team, including automated email and text campaigns. Plus, you’ll get smart suggestions after every communication you have with potential clients as well as former clients on the best ways to convert. 

CINC makes it easier to facilitate collaboration and increase productivity as a team. They have automated lead routing to pair new leads with the right agent , plus their backend includes agent accountability and intelligent team management tools making tracking simple across channels and team members.

A feature I found really cool is CINC’s PROLINC Referral Network, which includes every CINC user in North America. You can receive referrals from other agents in different locations. The best part is it provides you referral leads who are ready to convert.

CINC has some really great features, and while subscriptions can get expensive, their multiple lead sources and team management tools can help busy teams streamline their approach. Their highly targeted ads and lead nurture tools alone are worth considering the price tag. Plus, they offer a guaranteed return on your investment for the first year.

It’s also a great solution for high performing agents that have been in the industry a while, and have a higher budget. Again, CINC is not a cheap option, but you get what you pay for. High performing agents typically have a higher budget, and have worked with other tool’s so the learning curve won’t be as steep.

In addition to being an easy tool to learn, CINC also offers Agent Advice customers $3,000 in free leads to first year users. That is 300-500 free leads for teams & agents in their first year using CINC.

Plus, they have a Guaranteed Sales Program which provides teams and agents a risk-free return on their investment by guaranteeing closed transactions. To determine this, CINC has built a proprietary Conversion Playbook and Success Program that clearly explains what teams and agents must do to succeed. If, while following the program, the team or agent does not close a minimum number of transactions in the first year, CINC will continue providing the platform for free until those transactions happen and the investment is recouped. Full CINC review

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CINC Pros
  • Powerful & flexible lead gen
  • No contract required
  • Guaranteed return on investment first year
  • Perfectly suited for brokerages
CINC Cons
  • Small learning curve for some features
  • Not great for new solo agents
  • Not as cheap (but definitely higher quality)
Starting at $$

2nd Best Overall Lead Gen System: Market Leader

A
Top Features: Straightforward and easy to use, guaranteed number of exclusive leads
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): Exclusive buyer and seller

Why we chose it: Market Leader truly covers everything for you. They offer lead generation,lead nurturing, automation, a robust CRM, website build outs and more. You will get a done-for-you internet lead generation option, property search friendly website, and lead nurturing that approaches the follow-up from different angles. Just give Market Leader your credit card, wait five days, and then POOF, you’re ready to go. 

With Market Leader, you can set a budget with their in-house marketing team and begin generating leads immediately by using Google or Facebook PPC. And, like waving a magic wand, leads begin to drop into the CRM. These leads get tagged upon import and automatic touch campaigns can be launched based on the tag applied. Something I love is Market Leader’s commitment to their lead generation. They guarantee you a certain number of leads each month. Market Leader calculates how many leads you can support and offer you a contract based on that. They even take it a step further, and offer Network Boost which can bring you 50+ exclusive (for you and only you) leads a month in whatever city/cities you are looking to target as well.

In addition to their excellent lead gen, For a long time, Market Leader was the primary strategic CRM vendor for Keller Williams Realty. So, most of the core features of this product were designed in large-scale, real-world scenarios with literally thousands of agents working every day on the platform. You can easily create listing alerts, develop and deploy electronic touch campaigns, and you can text directly from the platform interface to potential clients and leads. Their robust dashboard display helps you look at your business and set priorities for lead generation.

Market Leader is a great option if you want an all-in-one solution. Their products by themselves may not be the best on the market, but combined they are truly a powerhouse that will streamline your lead gen and make you as efficient as possible. Their additional offerings will get you even more leads and help you grow your business further, all through one company to keep you efficient. Full Market Leader Review

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Market Leader Pros
  • Simple to set up
  • Cost effective for the single agent
  • Lead generation guarantee
  • Marketing automation
Market Leader Cons
  • Web development tool may not be advanced enough for some agents
  • No SMS messaging
  • Not great for teams
  • CRM takes time to customize
Starting at $

Best Real Estate Lead Generation for Brokers & Teams: CINC

A+
Top Features: Best-in-class technology, easy to learn platform
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): Exclusive buyer and seller

Why we chose it: CINC is one of the best lead generation solutions because they are able to pull in leads from a number of different sources. Leads come from paid search google ads, paid ads on social media channels like Facebook and Instagram, and unique product offerings. Because of this one-of-a-kind solution, you can get ahold of leads that are at different points in the home buying/selling process.

Google advertisements typically mean that someone is looking to make a real estate move fairly quickly, so those are best to give to newer agents on the team who might not have as much experience. Leads coming from social media channels are really low cost, but often do require more nurturing, so experienced agents are able to boost their pipeline.

CINC is also great because they are one of the only real estate lead generation companies to offer team listing ads. These ads quickly connect to your MLS to display an ad (that automatically updates) with your office listings. Using Facebook and Instagram’s best-in-class predictive targeting, ads are pushed to users most likely to be interested in your listings based on their recent activity.

CINC is best for medium to large teams because of the high price point, but it can also be a solution for high performing agents that have been in the industry a while, and have a higher budget.

It’s also popular with brokers, and lots of brokers in our circles report that a significant portion (and often majority) of their agent’s leads and closings come directly from CINC’s lead gen system and their supporting tools.

These ads are also optimized specifically for mobile, which is where a good chunk of prospects are actively searching. Lead ad forms drive 10%+ conversion rate on mobile while increasing contact validity by pulling in the user’s contact information. CINC also makes it really easy to identify the hottest leads first. Costs typically stay under $5 per lead, and around 40% of leads from Team Listing Ads indicated they would be interested in touring the listing they clicked on originally. Full CINC Review

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CINC Pros
  • Leads come from a number of different sources
  • Customizable lead nurture integrated with lead gen
  • Easy to identify hottest leads first
  • No contract required
  • Perfectly tailored for teams and brokerages
CINC Cons
  • Not as cheap (but definitely higher quality)
  • Small learning curve for certain features
  • Customization options are lacking
Starting at $$

Best for Small Teams & Indy Brokers: Top Producer Social Connect

A
Top Features: Great nurture capability, social media bio information capture
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): Buyer and seller

Why we chose it: Top Producer Social Connect is a full-service social media lead generation solution. Social Connect elevates your lead production and really helps reduce your workload in the process, making them the best option for social media leads. 

They use your potential clients social media habits as their bait. It’s pretty cool – they create ads targeting people in your desired locations, and once they click the ad their info from their social media bios is automatically added. Bonus, this will help you get better contact info, and make your conversations easier!  

I love that Social Connect combines social media advertising with automated multi-channel lead nurture to help you get and close more leads. Their nurture also lasts for at least 4 months, making sure your leads are engaged. Another perk, their follow-up is immediate and through text. It includes market reports along with relevant and engaging content that helps your leads through the home buying process while also ensuring they don’t forget you’re the one they should work with!

Something I like even more is that it brings you buyers with intent, not just looky loos. You set your target city and your budget, then let them take over. Top Producer Social Connect will create active and sold listing ads from your MLS database and display them on your Facebook and Instagram. Best part is those ads are highly targeted ensuring you are reaching leads with interest in buying. 

Top Producer Social Connect technology has been thoughtfully tweaked and tested over the past year to help enhance their social lead generation for you, and the experience your leads will have. They are an affordable option and their social media approach hits a large market to help increase your lead base, while also giving you everything you need for successful follow-up conversations. Full Top Producer Review

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Top Producer Social Connect Pros
  • Longer tail for lead nurture
  • Texting follow-up capabilities
  • Done-for-you social media advertising
  • Exclusive leads
Top Producer Social Connect Cons
  • Automation design interface has a small learning curve
  • Team option is for a maximum of 25 agents
  • Only social media lead gen
Starting at $

Cheapest Leads: Boostable.media

A
Top Features: Low effort & drives referrals without being pushy
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): Buyer and seller

Why we chose it: Boostable.media is a great lead gen platform for new agents.  They take a unique approach to social media and emphasize brand building, and nurturing existing contacts without being pushy.  

I love that you can automate your business pages on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn with a wide variety of real estate content.  You can also customize your wall with 64 different categories of content to choose from. This is all done for you, and a great feature with how important social media is in building your business. 

Boostable.media really shines with a unique 5 step marketing program. Each month, you’ll get a themed marketing campaign that targets your existing contacts. The campaigns keep your workload light, but are great at not looking like cookie cutter content. Boostable.media has a strong focus on marketing to the people already in your circle, and the people they know. Basically they help you throw very targeted darts instead of throwing spaghetti on the wall and just hoping something sticks.  

You will also get a personal website that has an agent profile, a blog, and a proven lead funnel system that comes fully equipped with Facebook ads, custom landing pages, and follow-up emails and texts. This is great for driving online leads.  Everything is connected to their backend dashboard, where you can track leads in the reporting suite.  

Bonus – you can also automate listings.  Just connect your MLS feed to your Boostable account, and house listings will post right to your social walls. You can set a budget and automatically advertise your homes, too. 

The platform is well designed, and easy to use.  Many items are fully automated, but the monthly marketing campaigns do require some manual work. Overall, I found Boostable.media to be a great option for the do-it-yourself agent that’s on a budget or just getting started.

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Boostable.media Pros
  • Easy setup
  • Makes you look legit on social and attracts leads to you
  • Very affordable
  • Great marketing to referrals and repeat leads
Boostable.media Cons
  • No CRM functionality
  • Some lifting required to work/manage leads
  • Newer platform with some kinks to work out
Starting at $

Best for Social Media Leads: Lighter Side of Real Estate

A
Top Features: Pre-written articles you can put your spin on, memes that can be personalized for your social media brand
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): None, marketing leads for attracting more leads

Why we chose it: The Lighter Side of Real Estate offers an all-inclusive content marketing solution that holds particular appeal for real estate professionals seeking to engage social media leads effectively.

Lighter Side of Real Estate serves as a one-stop-shop for content marketing. It grants access to an extensive content library, simplifying your content creation process. What sets it apart is the ease with which you can personalize each piece with your branding.

This platform excels in catering to the demands of social media. With over 2,000 scroll-stopping memes at your disposal, you can effortlessly customize and schedule them in advance. These memes cleverly intertwine real estate with pop culture, trends, and holidays, providing you with a constant stream of relevant content. This feature is a valuable time-saver, especially for solo agents who already manage numerous tasks.

Lighter Side of Real Estate doesn’t stop at memes. It offers 1,600+ pre-written articles covering a wide range of real estate topics. Simply select an article, share it, and the system automatically adds your branding. The same applies to their email and letter templates, which number over 230 and encompass introductions, outreach campaigns, holiday greetings, and more.

Going the extra mile, this platform provides pre-written, branded booklets that serve as comprehensive guides for common real estate scenarios. These booklets can be shared with potential clients to showcase your expertise and build trust. Additionally, you can leverage their postcard templates, which can be a potent tool in the right marketing campaign.

Recognizing the significance of peer support and collaboration, the Lighter Side of Real Estate offers an exclusive Facebook group. This platform provides a space for exchanging ideas, advice, and even referrals with fellow real estate professionals. This feature is particularly beneficial for agents not affiliated with a team, fostering collaboration and encouragement.

If you’re in search of an efficient content marketing solution tailored for social media lead generation, The Lighter Side of Real Estate is a strong choice. Its lighthearted approach to branding and content creation makes marketing feel more like enjoyable banter, providing a refreshing change of pace in your real estate marketing efforts.

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Lighter Side of Real Estate Pros
  • "Fun" content can bring in more social media leads with little effort
  • Inexpensive approach
  • Packages come with tons of content to use on all platforms
Lighter Side of Real Estate Cons
  • Takes a bit of time to ramp up social media efforts
  • No auto-posting on your behalf
Starting at $
Need help choosing the right option?

With one-on-one help and personalized recommendations, we guide you to the best fit for your business.

Honorable Mentions

We had a high bar in picking the best of the best companies for real estate leads. These tools didn’t make the cut (frankly, they’re not as great as our top picks – but were also considered).

Ylopo

ylopo logo
Top Features: Branded website with IDX integration that is mobile optimized, Social media advertising capabilities, AI-driven lead nurture systems
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): Exclusive buyer and seller

My absolute favorite lead generation solution for all realtors by far is Ylopo – you get  an interactive property search website, top of the line lead generation, and smart lead nurture systems (like dynamic re-marketing and AI-driven chatbots). They go beyond bringing you in new leads – they also re-engage dead leads already in your database. 

Ylopo gives you a branded website with IDX integration and mobile optimization. Their IDX websites help make getting qualified clients (buyers and sellers) to engage easier. Once they’ve built  your lead generating website, you’ll use a dashboard that allows you to easily manage your advertising, Facebook, Google, etc., making your life easier and cutting down your work time.

Another area Ylopo stands out is with their social and PPC tools. Their social lead generation is powered by your IDX feeds, offering you dynamic ads (targetted!), and their PPC platform helps target high intent leads as well as quality targeting and control. Their Facebook leads perform especially well.The ads potential clients can see updated and accurate listings right from Facebook.

It’s great for agents or teams already using Facebook. While you don’t have to be excellent at Facebook marketing, it helps if you are familiar and using it since Ylopo really shines with these ads. Added bonus – you can use video ads to post your listing videos directly to your social media feed. You will then convert those visitors to new clients with your Ylopo real estate lead generation website. 

Something I really like about Ylopo  is their AI-driven lead nurturing systems that learn from user behavior and send personalized communications to each lead. This can help better engage potential clients. Through high quality new leads, and re-engagement of dead leads, Ylopo helps  you increase your client conversion rate with a larger audience.

Ylopo is a popular solution for agents just looking for leads. Since they don’t have a native CRM, this is where Ylopo will benefit you the most. Through their websites, ads, and nurture your lead gen will be taken care of, but you’ll want a CRM already in place or at least in mind.

With Ylopo’s ease-of-use with their products combined with their tools that can be on autopilot, you can grow your leads without having to dedicate a ton of your time. That’s what makes it great for teams or brokerages looking to grow, but not add too much additional work to their plate. Full Ylopo Review

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Ylopo Pros
  • Second to none in online lead generation technology
  • Advanced SMS-text real estate chatbot
  • Integrates with almost all best in class CRMs
  • Leading lead nurture platform to generate re-engagement of aged databases
Ylopo Cons
  • Not the greatest for SEO
  • No native CRM
  • Not great at customizing ads
Starting at $$

Zurple

Top Features: Intuitive lead nurture system, “smart” integration
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): Exclusive buyer and seller

Zurple is in the end-to-end platform class of lead generation solutions for real estate agents, with a focus on Google ads and social media lead gen. They build you a customizable and personally branded website that integrates with your local MLS feed and connects to their CRM. Where they really shine is their lead nurturing. It is intuitive and highly targeted ensuring you are focused on the right leads Zurple has warmed up for you. 

One of the things that makes Zurple different is its integration ability. While some lead generation systems are “dumb,” meaning the user designs all lead generation activities, Zurple’s tech connection gives it access to extensive consumer data pools. This data models consumer behavior, and based on behavior, the system can create triggers and deliver highly customized content to a lead. Kind of like the way it feels when Netflix or Amazon magically put stuff in front of you that you were thinking about…. just for real estate agents. Pretty awesome, right? 

Zurple has follow-up nurture strategies centered around email. While email is powerful and, if well done, can be effective, texting is becoming the predominant way to generate follow-up responses from leads. But, there can be a fair amount of content customization if you don’t like Zurple’s templated emails.

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Zurple Pros
  • Robust ended to end solution
  • Customizable website
  • Consumer behavior triggered automation
Zurple Cons
  • Not great for team agents
  • Websites rank organically, but SEO was not top of mind in creation
  • No mobile app
Starting at $$

RedX

B
Top Features: Active homeowner lead data, taps into underutilized lead data sources, connects agents with seller prospects
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): Seller, FSBO, expired listing, pre-foreclosure

Why we chose it: RedX is in a class of lead generation companies that uses existing data and then allows an agent to interact with and sort that data to generate leads. By gathering a pool of specific data that you can use to create leads and prospects, rather than the traditional lead generation methods, RedX is able to keep cost down making them budget friendly and our best candidate for cheapest leads.  

RedX takes multiple data sources, but the following are their bread and butter:

Expired Listings: In simple terms RedX can integrate directly with your MLS, pull out expired listings, and then match that data with phone numbers. Calling someone whose home was listed, but the listing contract expired before the house could be sold sounds basic, because it is, but in this case the basic option is a very successful lead generation tactic. Once that home comes off the MLS you are free to contact the seller to see if they want to re-list, but this time with you. These sellers are clearly already motivated, but possibly jaded that it didn’t sell the first go around, so be sure to perfect your pitch.  

For Sale by Owner: RedX scrapes hundreds of websites to gather the contact data of sellers that are giving it a go all by their lonesome, so sans an agent. We call these sellers FSBO’s, and while they may be harder to persuade, you can still have a positive outcome if you take the time to find the right way to appeal to them. 

Circle Prospecting or GeoLeads: If you have a particular market you want to focus on RedX can pull the contact data based on geography for you. They have made this a very easy way of generating leads in a particular area by allowing you to simply put in an address or drop a pin on a map to find information in that specific location. 

In addition to their lead solutions RedX offers other tools you can add on to help with things like follow-up, speedy prospecting, and social media lead generation. Two of the ones that are worth mentioning is their power dialer (there are multiple options to make this an add-on feature), and their Ad Builder. The power dialer is a great way to save you time, and while many of their competitors also offer this, RedX is keeping with their theme of being budget friendly by offering it at a very reasonable pricepoint. Ad Builder is their social media ad option. Again, this is not anything we don’t already see others offering, but RedX has kept it very simple and easy for you to use with a cheap pricetag. 

If you are willing to put in some extra work to keep your cost down and take advantage of leads others didn’t, RedX is a probably a good fit. You can customize your lead generation by purchasing one or multiple of their a la carte offerings and additional tools. This is not a fit for you if you are looking for an all-in-one lead generation tool, but for the pricetag it could be worth putting in a little more time to grow your business with some lead data sources you may not have given enough thought before. Full RedX Review

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RedX Pros
  • Cost effective
  • Very easy to access the data
  • Integrated dialer solution to help an agent process leads quicker
RedX Cons
  • Requires specific script training for success
  • Requires 3rd party CRM solution
  • Calling Expired and FSBO’s ain’t no picnic
Starting at $

Realty.com

A+
Top Features: Massive brand with massive reach, can stay with your brokerages, can retain 100% commission
Starting at $600/month

Lead Type(s): Exclusive buyer and seller

Why we chose it: Who doesn’t know of Realty.com? Realty.com, of course, has a massive, consumer-facing marketplace. And because they have so much consumer-facing reach, they have a strong lead-generation business on the agent side. 

One of the main draws of Realty’s lead generation operation is that you can grow your personal brand on their platform. For example, when a homebuyer searches listings, your name, logo, company, and contact information appears next to the listing. 

This is the big draw of the larger real estate companies: they allow you to attach your brand to their brand, and they allow you to leverage that not only to generate leads, but also to build authority in your local area, which can be a serious boon in the long-term.

They also focus heavily on exclusivity. The portal allows you to generate both exclusive buyer and seller leads, and they operate on a market-exclusive basis, meaning that when a user browses listings in an area, they see your info on all listings.

In my opinion, the ability to position yourself as the expert in a market – even if it’s for a handful of users – makes this a really strong choice for solo agents. 

That said, Realty also has features that make it a strong choice for brokerages: namely, that agents can use the platform and generate leads while still staying at their brokerage. So, your whole team can build personal brands for their own segments of your local home buying and selling market. 

Realty.com also has a strong agency success ecosystem that includes 1:1 coaching, group coaching, webinars, etc. So there’s a lot here to help you work the leads you get.

Something else I like that’s often overlooked: unlimited free support. How much is a platform worth if you can’t figure out how to use it? All lead generation platforms are going to have a bit of a learning curve, but offering unlimited, free support to guide you through the process is a strong value prop. 

And lastly, you get to keep 100% of your commission. Realty.com stays out of the commission, making the income you generate from the platform a lot more predictable. 

Overall, this platform is a strong choice if you want to truly carve out a slice of your local market to be the authority in.

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Realty.com Pros
  • Strong way to build your personal brand
  • Offer exclusive buyer and seller leads
  • Can stay with your brokerages
  • Keep 100% of your commission
Realty.com Cons
  • Can be a touch pricey for exclusive leads
  • Minium spend of $600 to get results
Starting at $600/month

Sold.com

Top Features: Matches clients with the best agent for their situation
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): Buyer

Sold.com is a platform that specializes in helping buyers and sellers through the real estate transaction process. However, they also offer a partner center that allows agents to apply to be considered for their exclusive network. Here’s a summary of how they operate:

How Sold.com Works: The services Sold.com provides to clients includes matching them with the best agent for their situation. If you demonstrate that you are effective in providing excellent customer service and closing deals, the platform will send more referrals your way.  How an agent appears on the Sold.com report depends on their individual performance history which is taken directly from MLS data, consumer reviews and the agents history working with Sold.com referrals. 

How to Join: Joining Sold.com is easy. All you need to do is fill out their sign-up form. The platform will send you an outline stating the terms of partnership. If you agree to the terms, your profile will be activated, and you can start growing your business.

Agent Referral: Agents on Sold.com will get a chance to receive 25% off their Guaranteed Display program if they refer another agent. The Guaranteed Display increases your local market presence as well as your presence within the algorithm.

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Sold.com Pros
  • Saves time
  • Mentor helps with transaction
  • Improve sales outcomes
  • Join for free
Sold.com Cons
  • Algorithm can be confusing
  • Must sign contract
  • Does not integrate with CRMs
  • Agents are ranked by performance which can negatively impact new agents
Starting at $

Catalyze AI

Top Features: Identify target market & grow your business rapidly, exclusive leads, highly pin-pointed data
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): Exclusive seller

Why we chose it: Catalyze AI leverages machine learning to provide you with personalized leads over time. They aggregate and enhance hard-to-reach big data, reliably providing agents with one of a kind quality leads.

Not all predictive analytics platforms are created equal. I love that Catalyze AI recognizes this, and for maximum effectiveness, uses both event-driven and real-time data, in addition to property and owner characteristics. Each of these inputs helps improve output accuracy. Catalyze AI can predict as many as 60 out of 100 property sales, keeping up with the best predictive analytic solutions for real estate out there. By leveraging these techniques, you can translate insight into action, elevating your business growth.

Conventional marketing wisdom teaches real estate agents to target specific zip codes with digital and physical marketing materials, waiting for the stars to align when homeowners will receive the materials when they are actively looking to sell. Obviously this approach is flawed, but luckily Catalyze AI uses predictive analytics. This enables you to reveal which homes have a high likelihood to sell, so you’re targeting fewer homes, lowering marketing costs, and generating a higher conversion rate.  

In any given area, homeowners have choices when it comes to selecting a real estate agent. In fact, homeowners who are actively thinking about selling may already have a shortlist of options. By knowing which homes are more likely to sell through their predictive analytics, you can:

  • Deliver more personalized marketing campaigns
  • Allocate more time and energy toward high-probability homes
  • Demonstrate your local expertise with targeted marketing materials
  • Yield higher ROI for your efforts
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Catalyze AI Pros
  • 40% prediction precision to sell
  • All leads within 50 mile radius of agent
  • Exclusive leads uploaded every month
Catalyze AI Cons
  • Not fully launched in all markets
  • Newer platform with some kinks to work out
Starting at $

SignMore

Top Features: Property-focused agents have real estate industry knowledge, and offer bilingual services
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): None, answering service to nurture existing leads

If you’re looking for a 24/7 call answering service, then SignMore is a good solution to consider. Their property-focused agents have industry knowledge, and work around the clock, answering calls, collecting caller information, and scheduling appointments.  Those appointments can be booked directly into your calendar so you don’t have to worry about losing prospects. They also offer customized scripting, giving you control of how you want your business to sound.

One of the things I like the most about  SignMore is that it has tons of tech like a video tour that has one click instant video calling, and connects with buyers and sellers anywhere. 

Another major perk is the mobile app that lets you stay connected with your team and clients from anywhere while you’re on-the-go. You can stay up to date with real-time notifications of your messages, qualified leads, and call recordings. You can also upload and download contracts to sign deals anywhere.

You can add their live chat  function to your website and Facebook pages to engage with your visitors 24/7. Potential clients could easily be another agent’s client if you aren’t available when they get in touch, which is why SignMore’s 24/7 approach is so helpful. You can turn looky lu’s on your website  into qualified leads with SignMore’s team capturing those leads based on your set criteria. 

One of the downsides of SignMore is the pricing model. Calls are billed per minute, so if there is a recorded call that lasts 61 seconds, you’re charged for two minutes.

SignMore makes it easy to integrate with existing property apps. Many agents sync it straight to the tools they already use on a daily basis. A plus is that the answering service integrates seamlessly with CINC, BoomTown, Real Geeks, Top Producer, Wise Agent, and Follow Up Boss.

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SignMore Pros
  • Agents available 24/7/365
  • Full suite of tech to help maximize growth potential
  • Tons of property-based integrations
SignMore Cons
  • Calls are billed per minute
  • No free trial available
Starting at $$

SmartZip

Top Features: A valuable addition for agents looking to establish themselves in a specific area, predictive analytics
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): Seller

SmartZip is a lead generation platform that offers a suite of marketing and data tools. They use predictive analytics to find the most likely homeowners looking to sell. What sets SmartZip above the rest of the pack is its focus on generating location-specific seller leads. 

Something unique that I like about SmartZip is their proprietary algorithm that collects data on leads from a variety of sources. It uses property, behavioral, demographic, and consumer data to predict which candidates are most likely to sell a house in the next few months. It then shares that information with users on the SmartZip CRM. SmartZip’s data and market insights can help farming agents looking to grow their sphere. 

With Smart Targeting, their marketing tool, you’ll have complete control over your marketing efforts. I love this because it combines digital marketing—emails, targeted ads, branded landing pages—with direct mail solutions. You can adjust your marketing materials as much as you’d like, and then SmartZip will automate the process of sending them out. 

Another feature that is noteworthy is Reach150, an automated process for gaining positive reviews and referrals from past clients. These reviews can then be added to a website and social media profiles. They are also connected with Smart Targeting to be displayed as ads, helping you stay top of mind with your clients and show off your recent successes.

If you don’t have the time to qualify leads, you can use the add-on Outreach. Outreach works like a VA service. You will get cold calls to new leads and they will qualify them. With Outreach and Smart Targeting nurture campaigns, you can be sure that the leads you’re getting are warm. 

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SmartZip Pros
  • Powerful tools for agents looking to get a foothold in a market
  • Customizable, targeted marketing
  • Pre-qualified leads with Outreach
SmartZip Cons
  • Relatively pricey
  • Non-exclusive leads
Starting at $$

All The Leads

Top Features: Auto-pilot feature removes the guesswork of what to do next, probate leads, 1-1 coaching
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): Buyer and seller

All The Leads taps into a market that has less competition than some others. They shine with “transitional” real estate leads like probate, pre-probate and divorce. In addition to leads that you don’t get from your average lead gen company, you will also get their system including a CRM, direct mail services, and custom probate credibility website. To help you succeed All The Leads offers training to help you in this niche market. 

With All The Leads, new leads come in like clockwork. You’ll get a fresh list every 30 days that is already scrubbed and run against DNC registries. You can also tweak and customize the leads to fit into your workflow. Don’t want attorney phone numbers or numbers on the DNC database? Just change your settings to delete them. To really take advantage of everything All The Leads offers I would try out their 1-1 on coaching. 

Something great with All The Leads is that every filing from your county’s courthouse is sent out, and includes address validation, up to 5 phone numbers traced for each lead, emails for the personal representative, and attorney information where needed. 

All The Leads seems to be the most beneficial when you use the  direct mail offering.  The part I love – they’ve done the trial and error, and packaged everything you’ll need into a set-and-forget system. You can choose from one of their postcard templates, or customize your own based on your brand. In addition to postcards you can use their brochures, flyers, business cards, probate checklists, magnets, door hangers and more to help build your business. 

The other thing I like about  All The Leads is the convenience of their auto-pilot setting. Each month you get new leads, and a mailing order that is  automatically generated with the settings you set. This immediately puts your letters into production, so your  letters will typically get mailed 1-3 days earlier than those who place their orders manually.

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All The Leads Pros
  • Provides tools to help agents nurture leads and convert at a higher rate than normal probate leads
  • 1-1 on coaching
  • Auto-pilot feature
  • Get up to 5 phone numbers for each lead
All The Leads Cons
  • Not all counties are available
  • Lead files can be glitchy
  • 30 day notice required if you decide to cancel
  • Leads delivered once a month in bulk
Starting at $$

iNCOM

Top Features: Custom lead generation landing page builder, mobile responsive MLS website, social media marketing tools
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): None, website solution to bring in more leads on your own

iNCOM offers a full-featured real estate website solution with excellent lead generating tools at a great price. They have designed their product to be a one-stop shop solution for you to set up your business online. 

iNCOM offers an automated lead nurturing system that is built into the CRM. You will have the ability to generate a .csv file of your lead lists through the import/export option, and they give you the option to use automated pre-created drip email campaigns. 

As an added perk you are given access to additional marketing tools to help you grow your business. While there are quite a few offered, some that stand out to me are: the automatic YouTube video generator with a slideshow of your featured listings and pre designed flyers and postcards, helping you reach a range of demographics. 

While iNCOM offers their package at a very good price point, if you have the budget you can also add offerings outside of their package. For a fee you can add on standalone services like PPC through Google Ads, Facebook advertising, customizing your website, or adding property landing pages to further your lead generation efforts. 

iNCOM is a great tool for agents and brokerages looking for marketing and lead generation support. They offer their tools at a  great price point and can also be customized with add-ons if you are looking for an extra lead gen boost. Even without the add-ons their customizable landing pages and marketing campaigns will give you everything you need to generate more leads and help grow your business.

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iNCOM Pros
  • A long-term contract isn’t required
  • Advanced marketing tools
  • Fully geared for agents & brokerages
  • One-stop shop
iNCOM Cons
  • Premium designs are add-ons
  • Limited CRM functionality
  • SMS feature requires Twilio phone number
Starting at $

Ruuster

Top Features: Works best for teams and independent brokerages 5-100+ agents
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): Buyer

Ruuster allows you to invite your clients through integrations into your CRM system. You can bulk upload, choose manual entry, or send them directly to your branded landing page to sign up. You will get a custom version of Ruuster that has you and your branding in front of your client during their experience from start to finish.

As we know your clients don’t use your IDX website on their phones so they are missing those property updates, and likely just going to Zillow instead. Ruuster has a solution to this problem – your own branded app, a personal Zillow meets Angie’s list if you will.

Your app with Ruuster sports your own branding both online and in the app stores. It comes with a full MLS integration with property updates that get sent via push notification (just like Instagram when someone “likes” your post). I love the intuitiveness as well. Their onboarding gets clients to indicate things like price range, credit score, when they want to purchase and more. It’s a great way to help you prioritize your leads effectively. 

A feature I thought was pretty cool was their chat system.  It keeps your conversations with clients in a central location where you can search by client to keep you organized, and makes booking tours and chatting about properties a breeze. The icing on the cake – it has an integrated vendor section that gives your clients access to people like your trusted lenders, insurance agents, home service pros, and more.

Ruuster is a good option if you are looking for an easy to use solution that gives you insight into your clients and helps you stay organized while on the go. By combining activity tracking with automations and data from your existing technology,  you can easily follow-up with clients at just the right moment.

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Ruuster Pros
  • Integrates with 3rd party CRM Systems
  • Live one-on-one webinars
  • Easy to use for clients and agents
Ruuster Cons
  • Smallest plan is 2 seats
  • 2-Year contract required
  • No CRM
Starting at $$

zBuyer

Top Features: Member resource center has top agents across the country help walk you through how to convert zBuyer leads, lead replacement program
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): Buyer

zBuyer is a real estate lead generation service that focuses on attracting home sellers interested in cash offers. That may not seem useful to you at first, but many of these homeowners would rather list with an agent than sell to an investor or iBuyer. The leads are reasonably priced, though you have to nurture them at first.

With 20 years of experience, zBuyer figured out the secret to finding home buyers and sellers that actually want to speak to a real estate agent, and I love their approach. They target sellers that are actively looking into real estate options, then ask them about a cash offer or market value of their home to get them interested. Once they give the potential seller photos and other information they can pull along with a home valuation of the property, zBuyer has you engage them (predominantly through the market valuation). 

While the approach is different, they have your buyer leads covered as well. zBuyer has a home listing portal called HousingNow.com where people come to get information on listings and want alerts for new listings, so they join the site. If any of these buyer or seller leads are bogus (think no phone number or already working with an agent) you can use zBuyer’s lead replacement offer. Then to make your life easier, all of your buyer and seller leads will be delivered directly to your CRM. 

zBuyer is a realtor-owned company that delivers a consistent amount of leads each and every month. They have features in place to protect you and your marketing spend. zBuyer offers a lead replacement program, lead count guarantee, and the ability to custom tailor your lead package. With any subscription, you will get access to zBuyer’s prospecting list, a database of leads in your area going back up to 2 years, allowing you to start looking for your next lead.

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zBuyer Pros
  • Ability to create custom lead packages
  • Lead replacement program for any bogus leads
  • No contract required
zBuyer Cons
  • Lead generation only, no CRM
  • Leads are not exclusive
Starting at $$

Audience.co

Top Features: Deliver a personalized experience without the typical personalized effort required
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): None, marketing service to send out postcards

Personalization can help real estate agents cut through marketing noise, which is exactly where Audience can help. They use robots that make your letter look like a handwritten note that you can personalize and include scannable QR codes. Yah – you read that right. Robots.  And it works really well. 

Audience boasts a 90% read rate (!!) and a response rate that is 6x higher than other direct mail solutions. It’s super time consuming to send handwritten letters at scale, but Audience gives you  an efficient and cost-effective way to do it. It’s great because it’s a door-opener that surprises leads and removes friction. 

Audience does more than just send personalized letters. You’ll receive text templates, an app to send one-off notes, and a dedicated account manager.

I am a big fan that they take care of lead generation for you before they send out a letter. You just provide them with zip codes and home values you’re looking for. Their lead database has hundreds of filters, making sure letters are mailed to the most targeted prospects and customers. Also, you can upload your contact list to their database or integrate them with your existing CRM. 

Another feature I like is their digital marketing approach to lead gen. They find the emails and LinkedIn profiles of your leads, And once the letter is sent, Audience provides digital retargeting for recipients, sending out automated emails and LinkedIn profile follow-ups. This keeps you top of mind with any of your prospects and clients.

Best part – Audience also offers exclusivity. When you become an Audience client, they won’t send notes to the same addresses as competitors, meaning you get those leads all to yourself.

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Audience.co Pros
  • Handwritten notes sent at scale
  • One day turnaround(!)
  • 45-day risk-free trial
Audience.co Cons
  • Limited to traditional marketing
  • Somewhat pricey
Starting at $$

Realtor.com (formerly Opcity)

Top Features: Built in data for buyers that are already active in the market, live-transferred pre-screened leads
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): Buyer

Realtor.com is the home of the most extensive home listing database, aside from the MLS.Their popularity can bring highly qualified buyers with a high intent to purchase, and probably don’t have a realtor yet. Buyers can see who the agent is for each property so they can reach out to you directly. Unlike other tools that get buyers to come to you, realtor.com already has data on active buyers that are active in the market, and their secret sauce lies in connecting agents to these high-quality buyers.

Fun fact – by seeing what buyers are getting pre-approved for, Realtor.com is able to connect buyers with lenders. And, once buyers are pre-approved, they can be connected to youto facilitate the transaction. This means you are getting buyers that are one step ahead making you closer to closing.

You have a few opportunities for real estate lead generation with Realtor.com – namely, organic (the free stuff) and promoted listings. Organically, the properties you have for sale will automatically have your name attached to them if they are listed on Realtor.com, so buyers can get in touch with you directly. You will also get market insight reports to share and automation to help with your lead nurturing.  

For those leads that you don’t get organically, they have two options to fit your budget, a pay upfront for a predictable amount of leads or pay only when you close the leads. They get to those leads right away, and the big bonus is they screen them for things like price point, the areas they are interested in and more. Keep in mind, if you choose to go the risk free route and pay for leads after you will have to compete with other agents to claim the lead so make sure you’re readily available. 

Realtor.com can cover you with sellers as well. To capture seller leads, realtor.com has added a home value calculator where a user can input their address and stay in the know on market trends in their neighborhood. These leads are generally high-quality and have intent, making them prime picking for your seller leads strategy. 

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Realtor.com (formerly Opcity) Pros
  • Website allows buyers to search for agents directly
  • Captures seller leads with home value calculator
Realtor.com (formerly Opcity) Cons
  • Delay on available listings
  • Leads take extensive nurturing
Starting at $

BoldLeads

Top Features: Lead flow begins immediately, done for you setup, exclusive leads
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): Exclusive buyer and seller

Bold Leads gives you an all-in-one lead generation solution. Essentially, you write a check, and they give you leads. It’s very straightforward. 

I am a fan of working smarter not harder, and Bold Leads helps you achieve this with their do it for you approach to lead gen. They primarily work from Facebook and sort by zip code to keep ads targeted to users in your preferred area. One of the flagship lead generation ads is the offer of a free home value report, which has been super successful.

They take care of all the marketing for you, letting you focus on what you do best, real estate! Here’s my favorite part – the leads are exclusive, so they are for you and only you. They flow effortlessly to their CRM, where you can manage and nurture them. 

To take it a step further in the done for you lead gen department, Bold Leads offers Concierge, their text platform that qualifies leads for you, making sure you are getting top quality and more closes. It not only manages the leads they bring you, but will re-engage your dead leads too. 

Some of the other features that will help you succeed are their daily training classes, and lead conversion webinars. 

One thing to keep in mind is that leads developed on Facebook take a longer time to convert. What this means is that you will be following up with these leads for a longer time compared to other lead sources. Just be ready to do lots of nurturing.

If you are looking for a lead gen company that will lighten your load upfront, but will require more of your efforts on the follow-up, look no further. Bold Leads will bring you new leads, re-engage old leads, and make sure you’re not fighting for your future clients with other agents. Just be ready for a longer tail of lead nurture, and you’re good to go. 

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BoldLeads Pros
  • Simple quick set up
  • Lead flow begins immediately
  • Good agent support
BoldLeads Cons
  • Contracts of 6 months or more
  • Can get costly
  • Long nurture process
Starting at $$

Deallanders

Top Features: Leads are pre-screened and require little to no nurturing
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): Exclusive buyer and seller

DealLanders is an all-in-one referral platform that provides pre-screened leads that have been double verified. Your leads are your leads, they do not give them out to multiple agents. They put quality over quantity. All the referrals you get come with details, like timeline, budget, any asking price, recent renovations or appraisals etc.

To get you started they schedule your appointment. If your leads express interest in selling in a time frame of over 30 days, DealLanders will schedule an appointment on your behalf in the next 24 to 48 hours. They will then follow up and send you the full recorded conversation with notes. This is great because it prepares you for a meeting by knowing their expectations etc., but it most importantly it lets you hear it straight out of their mouth that they are not in contract with another agent and confirms that they are interested in selling.

Here’s what I found exciting. If the leads timeline is 30 days or less for selling their home, DealLanders often does a live transfer, introducing you to the owner on the spot over the live call. This helps make the process a lot more seamless This type of referral network is top-notch because All leads are warm and require very little nurturing.

DealLanders also has over 400 lead sources for search engine optimizations, google, yahoo, websites and influencers. Social media advertisements like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bing, etc. so that you get a mix of leads coming in from different places. And, you have the ISA’s that are calling and verifying your leads info. You’re basically paying for the exclusivity of these leads, and you make that payment at closing.Meaning you only pay if you saw success. 

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Deallanders Pros
  • No hidden fees
  • No contract required
  • Mix of pre-screened leads
Deallanders Cons
  • Pricey
  • Takes time to learn the process
Starting at $

Realiztify

Top Features: Targeted marketing with constantly updated statistics, never engages more than 5 realtors in any given area
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): Buyer and seller

Realiztify is a relatively new service committed to providing high qualified leads for realtors, and digital marketing solutions that bring in organic inbound leads through SEO, PPC, social media marketing. They also generate leads through a wide variety of means, and then filter them based on geographic location, timeframe, type of property, and budget.

I love that they have a pre-screening process after they filter the leads. They verify the contact information and gather follow-up preferences from the leads themselves and even send an email and text to them. Once that is complete, Realiztify schedules appointments for you and the other partner agents based on location or they live transfer. The nice thing is your leads are exclusive, and they limit the number of agents in a given area to 5 to not oversaturate any location.

It’s good to know, once a lead is handed over, it’s on you to nurture it. Realiztify doesn’t maintain contact with the prospects once they’ve passed their initial check. This is a little downside given other referral networks often include a few touches, but it isn’t always included, you might have to pay for it. The bright side of taking on more of the leg work is you don’t pay as much at the end of closing as you do with other networks. because they put more of the responsibility in your hands.

While you take care of the nurturing they have made the user experience very simple. It was designed to help you check out all your profile updates and incoming leads on a single, easy-to-navigate interface, so  you can track your progress and keep in touch with any news and profile interactions.

Realiztify is a little more basic than some options, but you only have to pay for what you get, and you are getting exclusive leads. It does come with a simple-to-use listing creation system. Once your listing is created, it will be placed on their network in front of tons of people  to attract potential clients with no added expense.

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Realiztify Pros
  • Listing creation system
  • Profile presented to a large audience
  • Low referral fee
Realiztify Cons
  • Nurturing is your responsibility
  • Still working out kinks
Starting at $

Lofty (formerly Chime)

C-
Top Features: All-in-one CRM platform, and automated social media marketing (Social Studio)
Starting at $$

Lead Type(s): Exclusive buyer and seller

Why we chose it: Lofty’s (formerly known as Chime) all-in-one platform was designed from the ground up for real estate professionals to drive more leads to close. Their lead generation suite sets you up on day one with a multitude of ways to capture leads. It is most cost effective for teams or brokerages, but could still be a great choice for a high volume individual agent. 

Lofty focuses on not only building out your website to be a lead magnet, but also making sure you’re bringing in leads in a multifaceted approach. They offer lead nurturing systems that can be automated, Social Studio, which is their automated social media marketing, PPC and SEO. Lofty also helps you optimize your lead generation efforts with competitive market analysis. All of these top of the line features make it a good option if you’re looking for a full lead gen system with supporting tools.

Outside of social media and other lead capture tools Lofty offers, they have also included a smart dialer as an additional way to get more leads. This feature allows for lead calls, the ability to leave a pre-recorded voicemail, record notes, schedule follow ups and more features, allowing you to go the extra mile in your lead retention efforts. An extra plus is the fact that Lofty offers mailers and postcards with geo-farming capability built into their platform.  

As a whole Lofty stands out in the auto-integration category. With auto tracking, nurturing, and smart insights helping reduce your workload and the efficiency of your team. 

Another thing I liked about Lofty was their referral network lead system. It allows customers to invite lenders to refer and collaborate on leads. 

Lofty is a great option for teams (big and small) looking to scale their business and benefit from a robust tool that offers a multitude of ways to generate leads. They have covered all your bases to help ensure no stone is left unturned in their lead generation approach. Full Lofty Review

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Lofty (formerly Chime) Pros
  • Super easy to use
  • Comprehensive solution for lead generation
  • Time-saving automation
Lofty (formerly Chime) Cons
  • Support options are limited
  • More expensive option
  • Must commit to structured onboarding process for best results
Starting at $$

USLeadList

Top Features: Inheritance lead list is meticulously scrubbed to weed out bad leads
Starting at $

Lead Type(s): Exclusive seller

USLeadList is a one-stop-shop for finding real-estate leads for pre-probate off-market deals across the country. Their bread and butter is carefully crafting fresh inheritance leads and providing a nationwide list of homeowners who are hungry to sell. This list has proven to be successful in rural and urban locations. You can subscribe to your areas of interest, then each month, a new list of fresh data will get sent directly to your email. 

Something to note is the recent shift in the real estate industry has made many popular areas become highly competitive and over-saturated, that’s why USLeadList limits their inheritance lead sales. They do not sell any one lead across the nation more than three times, which means you are getting more exclusive leads. This change, combined with the quality of unique leads generated each month can really help you.  

Here is the best part – to ensure that each list is as targeted and relevant as possible, USLeadList scrubs each property against tax assessor records and Zillow. If the property is for sale, pending, or has been sold in the past year, then the property will be removed from the list entirely. This ensures that you and investors don’t pay for anything that you can’t use, and weeds out those pesky cold leads. 

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USLeadList Pros
  • Fresh, high-quality leads delivered each month
  • Only sells each lead 3X max
  • Pay-Per-Lead, no contracts, commitments, or minimums
USLeadList Cons
  • Only leads, no CRM
  • Only inheritance leads are available
  • Leads are sold at the county level
Starting at $

What to Look For When Buying Real Estate Leads

Being a real estate agent implies spending most of your marketing time chasing leads. This can be a very challenging thing to do because leads are not always readily available. So, you may have to resort to buying real estate leads. Now, this is where another issue comes up – how do you find suitable real estate leads? The most obvious place? A list of the most reputable and best real estate lead generation companies.

Real estate lead generation software tools aren’t all the same, each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The best lead gen for realtors should work to help you meet your goals, stay within budget, and should be comprehensive to use. A pared-down list of the services you might pick from can help you get started, and if you’re still not sure what to choose, these considerations may help sway your decision one way or another. 

Only work with reputable companies

Most real estate lead generation software solutions require a long-term contract that can range from six to twelve months, so you want to be sure that you can trust the company you are working with. Doing your due diligence and researching a solution’s background can save you a few headaches later down the line. 

Here are a few ways to ensure that the solution you select is reputable:

  • Look through user reviews, good and bad. Pay attention to how or if the customer service team has responded to those concerns. 
  • Ask colleagues, friends, or industry experts to make recommendations. 
  • Some businesses have reviews listed through the Better Business Bureau, which is an additional resource to consider taking into account if you aren’t sure where to go. 

Keep in mind that the leads you receive should be high quality, and reputable services are more likely to provide leads you can trust. Remember that your decision for a lead solution can be a long-lasting one, so choose wisely! 

You can also trying looking for niche leads. For example, new real estate agent leads if you are just starting out. This is a great way to get your footing. 

Consider solutions that work specifically in your targeted location

If you’re looking to get started in a specific local market, you should consider a lead generation solution that has worked in that area before. Not only will this add convenience to scheduling, but it can make a huge difference if you are hoping to establish a local presence. 

Larger lead generation companies, like Zillow and Realtor.com, have broad commercial presences, so there may be less to worry about there, but you should always verify that your solution generates leads in your target zip codes.

Also, you might want real estate lead generation software that lets you claim an area or zip code, like Bold Leads. This helps target lead generation efforts and can help you increase your exposure in an area, especially if the service you select also features location-based marketing tools.

Remember that some services are more expensive depending on the location you’re in. For instance, Zillow Premier Agent’s pricing scales depend on the area you’re targeting. 

Ensure that you are only buying leads you can work with

If you have a niche you specialize in, choosing a lead generation tool that helps you target that area of expertise can be a huge advantage.

You should know the type of lead you want when shopping for leads. Do you want to target first-time homebuyers, or are you in the luxury market? Maybe you’re looking for a tool that will scour the MLS for expired listing leads.

Depending on the leads you are looking for, you may opt for one solution over another. For instance, Zillow is great for finding real estate buyer leads, but you’re not going to find many seller leads through them. Not all services offer these features, so check to ensure that the service you select can find the leads you need, and whether it is included in a package you can budget for. 

Look for extras when buying real estate leads

Having leads will only get you so far; effective marketing and a closing strategy will help you seal the deal.

While you are looking for a place to buy leads, finding a platform that acts as a one-stop shop never hurts, especially if it makes nurturing leads more convenient.  

This can include anything from building a website that increases exposure to analytics tools that help you tailor your approach. Whatever it is, add-ons can be an investment that helps you convert leads into clients. 

Here are some “bonus” features to look for:

  • Buyer communication tools
  • Automated follow-ups and autoresponders
  • Lead management and tracking tools
  • Marketing automation and reports
  • Email marketing tools
  • Social media integration

The more you can get out of one service, the less you’ll need to shop for other tools down the line, plus you get to avoid worrying about integration and working across multiple platforms. 

Price point when considering where to buy real estate leads

Buying real estate leads shouldn’t break your budget and a price tag doesn’t always translate to quality. 

Investing in an expensive tool because it seems better isn’t worth it if you or your team can’t leverage the features you are paying for. Some leads are geared for large teams while others work best for single agents, and it wouldn’t make sense for either party to invest in leads that don’t fit their needs. 

Look for a company with features and add-ons that you can see yourself frequently using without being tempted to invest in fancy bells and whistles that will collect dust because they’re too complicated. Be sure that the tool you are investing in, no matter how expensive or cheap, returns leads that are high quality. 

As you shop, consider different packages and add-ons, always weighing the costs to the relative gain it will give you in terms of exclusivity, lead quality, and additional lead nurturing features. 

FAQs

What are real estate lead generation companies?

Real estate lead generation companies help agents discover potential new clients by identifying people who are interested in buying or selling a home. These companies use several methods, including leveraging their own real estate websites, posting ads on search engines and Facebook, and utilizing predictive analytics data for housing markets.

After identifying prospective leads, these companies collect their contact information and then sell them to real estate agents looking for new clients and business. It’s important to note that the leads are not guaranteed, and there is a possibility that agents may get information about individuals who are not actively seeking real estate deals or whose contact details may be inaccurate or outdated.

How does real estate lead generation work?

Real estate lead generation is a method to discover prospective clients interested in buying or selling a home. Given the continuous need for real estate agents to attract new clients, a reliable means of identifying these prospects becomes crucial. Through real estate lead generation, agents pinpoint potential clients and initiate contact to guide them through their sales pipeline, with the ultimate goal of completing a transaction for them in the future.

Agents and brokers employ various strategies to generate their own sales leads, including referrals, social media engagement, advertisements, and hosting open houses. Alternatively, they can opt to purchase leads from real estate lead generation companies. The quantity and quality of leads significantly impact a real estate agent’s potential sales volume, as each lead represents a potential buyer or seller in the market.

How much do real estate leads cost?

The cost varies based on the amount of quality leads you are looking for. Most lead generation companies range anywhere from $49-$1,000/month, but detailed pricing really depends on your needs. There are also different pricing structures to consider, as some lead generation companies charge per lead or per area code, where others provide a steady stream of leads for a subscription service. 

When starting out, most successful real estate agents are trying to figure out how to generate real estate leads. It’s often helpful to test out a few real estate lead generation software services at once to find out which ones bring in the highest quality leads. When evaluated which tactics or companies work best for you, it’s important to look at conversion rates. For most agents, spending around $200 per lead is a great place to start. The best lead gen for realtors is always changing, so don’t be afraid to look into other options when one starts to feel like it’s getting stale.

That may seem high, but after you consider the typical sale price of a home in your market, and your typical commission, it is well worth it even if only 1 out of every 10 leads into a client. However, if you run those numbers, you’re conversion rate would need to be around 70-75%.

Is buying real estate leads worth the cost?

Investing in real estate leads can be a worthwhile expense, especially if you’re looking to expand your network and facing challenges in bringing on new clients through alternative methods. Real estate leads provide access to prospects with a genuine interest in buying or selling properties. While acquiring these leads involves a financial investment, successfully closing a transaction has the potential to yield returns that far surpass the upfront cost.

It’s important to note, however, that real estate leads do not guarantee transactions; they merely initiate the connection. Agents still need to navigate candidates through their sales cycle, and there’s always the possibility that leads may opt for other avenues or may not proceed with a real estate transaction. As you grow your business, diversifying your lead generation strategies, such as incorporating referrals or networking, can reduce dependency on paid real estate leads.

Do brokerages ever buy real estate leads to give to agents?

Yes, brokerages do sometimes buy real estate leads to provide to their agents. It is a common practice for brokerages to invest in lead generation strategies and systems to help their agents succeed. By purchasing leads on behalf of their agents, brokerages can provide them with a steady stream of potential clients and enhance their productivity.

Brokerages may employ various methods to acquire real estate leads. They can partner with lead generation companies or platforms that specialize in delivering high-quality leads. These companies employ marketing techniques, online advertising, and other strategies to generate leads, which are then shared with the brokerage’s agents.

The leads obtained by brokerages can be distributed to their agents based on different criteria, such as geographic location, specialization, or availability. Some brokerages may distribute leads on a rotating basis, ensuring each agent has equal opportunities, while others may assign leads based on performance metrics or specific lead preferences.

Providing agents with purchased leads can be advantageous for brokerages and agents alike. It allows agents to focus more on client engagement and conversion rather than spending excessive time on lead generation. Additionally, brokerages can maintain a consistent brand presence, generate more business, and support their agents in achieving their sales targets.

What is the best lead gen for realtors?

Most successful real estate agents are able to diversify their lead generation so that their business isn’t reliant on one single source. Paid lead generation, referrals, returning clients, open houses, social media, and organic marketing/networking are just a few examples of where real estate agents get leads.

If you want to ramp up your business, it’s important to create a customized real estate lead generation plan. You’ll want to keep a running list of where your leads are coming from, and the rate at which they’re converting. That will help you to decide what’s worth it, and what you should cut when looking at your budget.

Who is the best lead generating company?

Real estate lead generation companies provide different value for every agent. That being said, after evaluating each company based on pricing and the features offered, our current “best overall” pick can be found here.

You want to look for real estate lead generation software that guarantees a certain number of leads every month that come from a variety of sources. You can also look for companies that provide unique leads, that way they aren’t sent out to other agents in your market.

Our Methodology:

Our in-house real estate experts spent hundreds of hours researching, scoring, and ranking the top real estate lead generation companies on the market.  We looked at everything from pricing and ease of use to the specific real estate industry features that are available. We’ve ranked and rated each lead gen tool on 5 different factors to come up with the very best real estate lead gen companies. The short version of factors considered are: 

  1. Cost: Not all real estate lead generation tools are created equal, so it’s important to look at what’s included with your purchase. Some companies charge upwards of $300/month for outdated leads with bad contact information, which is why we take into account the price of the service and compare it to the features and extra resources provided to help each agent succeed.
  2. Features & user friendliness: Different lead gen services come with different feature sets, some more important for teams than solo agents. Additionally, agents don’t have a lot of extra time to learn a complicated lead gen system, so the more it just works with their natural workflow, the better. That’s why we’ve rated the tools that are easier for agents to navigate without a tech team higher than the ones that are more complicated to use. 
  3. Lead quality: Leads are the lifeblood of any business as they help provide a steady flow of predictable revenue. However, some lead generation methods are more effective than others. The type of leads you need may vary depending on the type of business you are operating. Real estate agents want to be able to bring in an even mix of buyer and seller leads that will convert quickly – which is why this is a big factor we’ve considered.
  4. Customer support: Many real estate agents don’t have the time to fix technical glitches and/or don’t have access to a tech team, so customer support is very important. Whether you might need help setting up integrations or just to get the software up and running, customer support plays a big role in finding your ideal software—especially when it comes to a real estate lead gen service that you’ll be using on a daily basis. 
  5. Overall performance: At the end of the day, all lead generation investments need to have a good ROI. Our experts looked for how the features meet the specific needs of real estate agents and teams. Real estate agents need leads that are more likely to convert, and require as little nurturing as possible.

Want more info? Check out our full methodology.

Closing Thoughts

The home buying landscape has changed drastically over the past ten years and now, more than ever, it’s crucial to have a sound strategy to attract real estate leads for yourself, your team, or your brokerage. It’s also important to make sure to keep track of your lead generation expenses with the right real estate accounting software.

We live in a world of instant gratification and short memory spans. As such, it’s important to ensure that once you’ve selected your real estate lead generation tool, that you put in place a strong follow-up process that helps guide searchers from initial inquiry through to close.

With this list of the best lead gen tools for realtors now at your fingertips, we suggest you give them a look and find the one that makes the most sense of your business. Some focus strictly on leads for real estate agents, while others offer a full-service solution to your marketing, lead generation, nurture, and close process. So, just know there isn’t a one type fits all solution out there, you’ll have to figure out what the term “best lead gen for realtors” means to you. If you feel like you don’t currently have the budget for a lead generation system, then try circle prospecting instead.

We hope you found this article insightful, feel free to send any feedback that you may have regarding this or other articles along our way!

Sources & Additional Resources

Reviewed by Chris Heller | Fact checked by Kayla Conboy

About the Author

Jim Gray got licensed in 2013 and sold 57 houses in his first year. Over the next 6 1/2 years he went on to sell 437 homes with a small team. He went on to manage the lead generation department of the 13th largest expansion team at Keller Williams and designed lead generation and conversion systems for 60 agents in 7 locations in 4 states that drove 600 home sales in a 2 year period. Jim currently does real estate team development and coaching for some of the largest real estate teams in the country. Connect with me

Last Updated: 11/30/2023