The 8 Best Places to Buy Real Estate Leads (2023 Updated!)
Considering buying real estate leads? There are tons of paid lead generation opportunities out there, and sometimes it’s difficult to sort legitimate lead sources from the frustrating time-wasters. We know that every single real estate agent, team, and brokerage is unique. Real estate isn’t a one-size-fits-all business, and your paid lead generation strategy shouldn’t be either.
That’s why we don’t offer just one recommendation here, but rather a list of eight of our favorite places to buy real estate leads for agents. Agent Advice has spent hundreds of hours comparing and ranking the best providers for you if you’re looking to grow your lead funnel on a budget. Our top picks are based on features, price points, efficacy, and integration. Here are the best places for you to buy real estate leads that will convert into clients.
8 Best Places to Buy Real Estate Leads
- Overall Best Place to Buy Real Estate Leads: Real Geeks
- Best Full Lead Gen System (Leads + Supporting Tools): Zurple
- Best Leads For Solo Agents: Market Leader
- Best Real Estate Buyer Leads: zBuyer
- Best Real Estate Referral Network: Sold.com
- Best Seller Leads: CINC
- Most Affordable (but still good quality) Leads: USLeadList
- Best For Expired Listings & FSBO Leads: RedX
Overall Best Place to Buy Real Estate Leads: Real Geeks

Why we chose it: Real Geeks is an end-to-end solution for agents that want to buy real estate leads. Real Geeks uses three main components: SEO-friendly, custom branded, MLS integrated agent websites, full CRM capabilities, and done-for-you-lead generation. Lead creation and lead nurturing through client creation and past client follow-up are what you’ll get. Essentially, you can write Real Geeks a check and have an entire web presence, inbound lead flow, and CRM management.
Real Geeks started like many other real estate lead generation companies at the dawn of the internet lead generation game. They convert on the first conversation and require extensive and ongoing follow-up (over months and years). They build what has now become their CRM. This, coupled with the understanding that most agents’ marketing budgets are limited, led them to add organic SEO to the mix, which requires the creation of agent-branded websites to attract traffic. These components continue to live at the core of the product offering.
This is a quick way for solo practicing agents to create a brand identity with a supporting website and create 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. And while many lead generation companies focus on one single source to create leads, Real Geeks has lead generation for realtors to generate leads on Facebook and Google as well.
- Easy and fast set up of core elements
- Quick turnaround to get leads flowing
- CRM is robust
- Agent websites look really, really good
- Customer support can be spotty
- Agent driven lead location verification required
- Zero transparency on media spend
Best Full Lead Gen System (Leads + Supporting Tools): Zurple

Why we chose it: Zurple gets leads to you through paid ad traffic. The service is known for converting the leads it tracks through advanced analytics. The bulk of lead prospecting happens through site visits, where prospective leads are forced to enter their contact information if they want to view listings. You can also pay a monthly fee for leads generated from online ads if that is more your speed.
If you really want to dive deep and learn more about who your leads are, you can tack on the Lead Intelligence Bundle, which will find and share the lead’s social media information with you so you can further tailor your follow-up approach.
After you’ve collected your leads, Zurple’s Conversations tool makes nurturing easy. It takes advanced data and information collected from site visitors’ behavior to create highly personalized and targeted email follow-ups. Realtors have noted that the language used in the automated email campaigns read as being very natural and organic, especially because they include information relevant to the specific listings your leads are interested in.
Zurple always keeps you in the loop with Hot Behavior alters, which notify you when leads are at their prime for follow-up. You’ll receive reports on metrics related to follow-up efforts, too, including information about how often your communication efforts were engaged with by prospective leads.
Because customers and agents can both list their preferences, it creates a mutually beneficial space for only serious clients. Zurple also integrates with other lead generation sites, like Zillow and Realtor.com, to bump up your lead generation efforts.
Zurple is an awesome tool to have on your belt if you are looking for an automated approach to lead generation, lead purchasing, and marketing efforts. With so many features wrapped up in one service, it can be a one-stop shop for those looking for organically generated leads.
- Hyperlocal websites
- Highly targeted lead nurture
- Behavior analytics
- Pretty expensive
- Lack of task management
Best Leads For Solo Agents: Market Leader

Why we chose it: Market Leader is a one-stop solution for nearly every step of the lead generation process. Their platform and services offer paid lead generation alongside many other tools: a website builder, CRM, marketing automation, and more. Market Leader is one of the easiest and most affordable all-in-one solutions out there.
Market Leader is an industry leader in lead generation. They’re uniquely accountable, in that they guarantee a certain monthly volume of leads. They calculate how many leads you can support and offer a contract based on that. Afterward, they run PPC ads on Facebook or Google, routing leads to HouseValues.com for sellers, or your IDX website. You pay for leads, not visitors.
Speaking of which, you get a client-facing, IDX-enabled website. They’re attractive and customizable with a drag-and-drop website builder that includes dozens of widgets and page templates to add. The websites also have integrated lead capture options, which is integral to their nurture strategy. Their websites connect directly to their CRM.
Every lead you get is populated in their CRM. It’s simple and intuitive interface will make lead management and tracking a breeze. You can set up text alerts and track website visitor behavior, too. The CRM also includes the Marketing Center to contact leads right away, including automated email, print, and social media campaigns. They even offer a mobile app with its own features so you can work on the go.
Market Leader even has a selection of add-ons to further refine the process of finding leads. For example, agents can get exclusive seller leads tied to your market area from the HomeValues website.
Market Leader is a great all-in-one solution for those looking to streamline their lead generation efforts. It’s also a great solution for individual agents without coding experience to build a website and grow their online presence. They’re accountable, too, providing a fixed number of real leads every month or your money back.
- Full CRM and website integration
- Marketing automation
- Lead generation guarantee
- Basic functionality
- Web development tool may not be advanced enough for some agents
Best Real Estate Buyer Leads: zBuyer

Why we chose it: zBuyer is a real estate lead generation service that focuses on attracting home sellers interested in cash offers. That may not seem useful to an agent 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. The truth is everyone is trying to run an ad to generate a lead for something nowadays. Learning the algorithm of the right CTA, getting your ads shown to the right audience, and creating quality leads is something that can take months and years to perfect. With zBuyer, the guesswork of lead generation is taken out of your hands while you get buyer and seller leads 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 prospecting and mining for your next lead.
- Ability to create custom lead packages
- Lead replacement program for any bogus leads
- No contract required
- Lead generation only, no CRM
- Leads are not exclusive
Best Real Estate Referral Network: Sold.com

Why we chose it: 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.
- Mentor helps with transaction
- Join for free
- Improve sales outcomes
- Saves time
- Agents are ranked by performance which can negatively impact new agents
- Does not integrate with CRMs
- Must sign contract
- Algorithm can be confusing
Best Seller Leads: CINC

Why we chose it: CINC is a comprehensive lead generation platform rich with features. While some of these features are only accessible as add-ons, they can add a lot in terms of automating workflows. Their services include paid and unpaid lead generation options and CINC is designed to make full use of PPC ads.
All users have access to a CRM that carries contracts from other databases over and creates custom labels. The CRM sets up automated drip campaigns so that lead nurturing is made easy. If you aren’t a fan of CINC’s CRM, you can also integrate your own.
If you’re looking for extra bells and whistles, CINC also has a unique AI tool. It takes the timing out of lead follow-up, as it starts a dialogue with leads the moment they try to connect with you. It’ll facilitate an initial conversation and get leads warm for you. And, if you prefer maintaining communication with your leads via calls, you can take full advantage of CINC’s Dialer. It can handle three lines per month and will track important data from calls and even takes notes.
When it comes to paid lead generation, CINC uses Google and Facebook/Instagram ads. They can target niche property types, local submarkets, and advanced demographic sets. They even have ListCast, which retargets leads on any of these platforms. Once collected, they use behavior-driven follow-ups.
CINC has a lot to offer, especially teams of real estate agents. It features options to establish referral networks and lead pairing so that all of your agents are prepared to close. It’s a great solution for buying real estate leads for agents, and as a cherry on top, can handle plenty of other needs, too.
- Full-service solution
- Great for sharing leads
- Great PPC Leads
- Features can be difficult to master
- Website customization lacking
Most Affordable (but still good quality) Leads: USLeadList

Why we chose it: USLeadList is a one-stop-shop for finding real-estate leads for 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. Whether those leads are rural or urban based, this list has proven to be successful in all real-estate markets. You can subscribe to your areas of interest, then each month, a new list of fresh data will get sent directly to your email.
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 gives rise to real opportunity in the most challenging of areas.
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 agents and investors don’t pay for anything that they can’t use. It weeds out any and all cold leads.
- Fresh, quality leads delivered each month
- Only sells each lead 3X max
- Pay-Per-Lead, no contracts, commitments, or minimums
- Leads can be sold up to 3x, so you're competing with other agents
- Only inheritance leads are available
- Leads are sold at the county level
Best For Expired Listings & FSBO Leads: RedX

Why we chose it: RedX is a prospecting and lead management tool that provides pre-verified leads from various sources. You can subscribe to a selection of lead categories including expired listings, FSBOs, FRBOs, pre-foreclosures, and their very own GeoLeads. They also offer a lead management system and Power Dialer to contact prospects from the platform.
RedX collects its leads from public, private, and proprietary databases and provides you with contact information, mailing addresses, property information, and more. All leads are pre-verified, meaning this information is always up-to-date.
One of RedX’s best qualities is how easy it is to streamline everything from one spot. After you’ve generated a prospect list, you can use the integrated Power Dialer to easily contact new leads. It even has its own lead management system, Vortex, that allows you to organize and track your leads effortlessly from the RedX platform.
RedX wants you to succeed, and they’re very supportive. They have live support as well as a phone line and contact form for any issues you might have. They offer the RedX Bootcamp and podcasts to develop your prospecting skills, too. RedX even provides script templates for each kind of lead so you’re prepared to have a conversation that gets you closer to closing.
RedX is one of the most affordable lead generation tools individual agents can invest in, especially those looking to connect with leads directly. With RedX, you’ll get a curated list of leads and the tools to call them effectively. If you’re an experienced agent looking to save time on prospecting, RedX offers great tools to generate leads on your own.
- All of your prospecting tools are in one place
- Full Vortex and power dialer integration
- GeoLeads
- Requires a third-party CRM solution
- May need to upgrade for additional features
- No team pricing
Honorable Mentions
We had a high bar in picking the best of the best companies to buy real estate leads for agents. These tools didn’t make the cut (frankly, they’re not as great as our top picks – but were also considered).
Catalyze AI

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. For maximum effectiveness, both event-driven and real-time data should be taken into consideration in addition to property and owner characteristics. Each of these inputs helps improve output accuracy. The best predictive analytics solution for real estate agents can predict as many as 60 out of 100 property sales, as is the case with Catalyze AI. By leveraging these techniques, real estate agents searching for how to sell more homes can translate insight into action, yielding elevated business growth.
Conventional marketing wisdom teaches real estate agents to target specific zip codes with digital and physical marketing materials. Over time, the hope is that some homeowners will receive the materials when they are actively looking to sell while others will keep the agent in mind for the future.
The problem is that this approach targets large segments of the market where many homeowners are highly unlikely to sell in the near future. By revealing which homes have a high likelihood to sell, predictive analytics enables real estate agents to target fewer homes, thereby 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 predictive analytics, real estate agents can:
- Deliver more personalized marketing campaigns
- Allocate more time and energy toward high-probability homes
- Demonstrate their local expertise with targeted marketing materials
- Yield higher ROI for their efforts
- 40% prediction precision to sell
- All leads within 50 mile radius of agent
- Exclusive leads uploaded every month
- Not fully launched in all markets
- Newer platform with some kinks to work out
Audience.co

Why We Chose It: Personalization can help real estate agents cut through marketing noise, which is exactly where Audience can help.
Audience uses robots that replicate human penmanship to write personalized letters that include scannable QR codes. Once the code is scanned, you’ll receive an alert.
Audience boasts a 90% read rate (!!) and a response rate that is 6x higher than other direct mail solutions. It’s really difficult to send handwritten letters at scale, but Audience provides an efficient and cost-effective way to do it.
Their letter is just the start, though. In fact, it’s the door-opener that surprises leads and removes friction.
Audience does more than just send personalized letters, too. With your account, you’ll receive text templates, an app to send one-off notes, and a dedicated account manager.
They take care of lead generation for you before they send out a letter. All you have to do is 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.
During lead generation, they’ll find the emails and LinkedIn profiles of your leads. Once the letter is sent, Audience provides digital retargeting for recipients, sending out automated emails and LinkedIn profile follow-ups. This will ensure you’re top of mind with any of your prospects and clients.
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.
- Handwritten notes sent at scale
- One day turnaround(!)
- 45-day risk-free trial
- Limited to traditional marketing
- You'll need to acquire lead information separately
Great For New Agents: SmartZip

Why we chose it: SmartZip is a lead generation platform that offers a suite of marketing and data tools. SmartZip uses 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.
SmartZip has a 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. Smart Targeting 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.
The Reach150 feature offers 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. Reach150 reviews are also connected with Smart Targeting to be displayed as ads. It’s a great way to 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. ISAs cold call new leads for you and qualify them. With Outreach and Smart Targeting nurture campaigns, you can be sure that the leads you’re getting are warm.
SmartZip is more than just a place to buy leads. You get a boatload of valuable data and lots of automated marketing tools. If you’re a farming agent, Smart Targeting and Reach150 are great additions to your toolkit.
- Powerful tools for farming agents
- Customizable, targeted marketing
- Pre-qualified leads with Outreach
- Relatively pricey
- Non-exclusive leads
Best For Experienced Agents: Zillow Premier Agent

Why we chose it: Everyone knows Zillow—it’s one of the largest real estate search engines on the web. While you’re no doubt active on Zillow as an agent, Zillow Premier Agent can help you expand your outreach on the platform. Zillow Premier Agent allows agents, teams, and brokerages to purchase display ads for ZIP codes they want to target. You’ll be placed among the top agents on the platform.
Here’s how it works. When a Zillow visitor inquires for more information, Zillow prioritizes Premier Agents, presenting them as the first choice for visitors in a specific ZIP code. When a potential lead chooses you, their information is sent right to you. You’ll compete with other Premier Agents, so you’ll have to stand out through your reviews, but you’ll be placed above those without a membership.
The leads you get are high-quality, too. Why? Because, unlike Facebook and Google ads, those exposed to Zillow Premier Agent ads are actively looking for an agent to work with. Zillow’s popularity makes it likely that you’ll find a high volume of potential leads to work with. As long as you have solid Zillow reviews and a clean follow-up strategy, you’re sure to see a positive ROI here.
Besides lead generation, Zillow Premier Agent also comes with a ton of agent tools: a CRM with a mobile app counterpart, an IDX website, an ROI calculator, pipeline management, and virtual home tours. For teams and brokerages, there are also lead routing and team profiles.
If you’re a new agent, there’s no better way to build a steady flow of leads and increase exposure in your area than Zillow Premier Agent. Plus, you’re getting exposure with Zillow’s partners, like Trulia and RealEstate.com. If you have the budget, reviews, and follow-up skills to back it up, Zillow Premier Agent is a great investment.
- Presence of quality leads
- Lots of tools for agents
- Most crucial place for reviews
- Leads are given to multiple agents
- A lot of zip codes are full
- Six months minimum contract
Realtor.com Lead Generation

Why we chose it: Realtor.com is a popular home listing database, creating a great opportunity to generate highly qualified, high-intent leads. Because the database is so popular amongst searching buyers and sellers, you’ll likely receive a high volume of leads.
Realtor.com’s lead generation service is called Connections Plus. It’s a lot like Zillow Premier Agent, where your name appears first to interested buyers and sellers. When you sign up for services, you’ll engage in a contract that starts at a half-year commitment.
When it comes to buying real estate leads through Realtor.com, you generally get what you pay for. Pricing for leads is based on zip codes and the property value of homes in that area, correlating your expense with potential commission. Paying for leads, however, does not make them exclusive unless you opt to upgrade as the exclusive agent in that zip code. If you’d rather not splurge on exclusivity, timing follow-up is key.
Luckily, Realtor.com’s integrated CRM also features the option to set up autoresponders that warm leads up until you can reach out yourself. You’ll also be able to refine your pipeline with market reports and analytics that you can easily access from a single dashboard.
They can connect you with high-quality buyers, and seller leads can be captured with a home valuation calculator. And because the leads that are being targeted are looking for an agent, Realtor.com makes it possible for users to not only search for listings, but agents, too.
If you like the way Zillow Premier Agent works, you may enjoy this service as well!
- High-quality leads
- Location targeting makes it easy to increase exposure
- Ability to search for agents
- Non-exclusive leads are competitive
- Delay on available listings
Offrs

Why we chose it: Offrs is a lead generation platform that uses a proprietary algorithm to comb through properties and homeowners that are most likely to sell in the coming future. They also offer marketing tools for email, social media, Google, and direct mail.
Offrs is a great platform for agents who are looking to build their lead funnel or client base. Because of their predictive technology, leads are hot and looking to sell, perfect for new agents who are working on their conversion strategy. Plus, if you’re paying for an exclusive ZIP code, you’re sure to get in the door first with leads, maximizing your conversion rates.
Offrs focuses on seller leads. With their platform, you’ll be provided with predictive leads, FSBOs, and expired listings on a daily basis. They generate these leads through their predictive algorithm, lead capture, and online marketing (mainly through Facebook and Google). You can pay per lead or pay for all the information on a specific ZIP code area, which you can upgrade to make completely exclusive.
The cornerstone of Offrs is their Smart Data feature. Their predictions are backed by hundreds of data points, and they boast that these are 70% accurate. With Offrs, you get more than just your leads; your dashboard will include property, consumer, and demographic data. All lead data is pre-verified and accessible to users.
If you want to put that data to good use yourself, they have a Template Builder to craft your own messages to leads.
They also offer several different Smart Apps, which are meant to help automate marketing processes to reach out to leads. For example, there’s Email Autopilot, where they’ll send out automated email drip campaigns to leads they’ve identified. Because Smart Apps are backed by Smart Data, you’re getting powerful marketing automation along with your purchased real estate leads.
- Predictive analytics
- Gives you time to build relationships with clients
- Lots of seller leads
- Still an improving application
- Quite expensive
- No buyer leads
BoldLeads

Why we chose it: BoldLeads is a lead generation platform owned by Propertybase. They focus on building leads in hyperlocal areas through online advertising. Bold Leads takes marketing off your plate and automates most of the lead generation process for you.
The process is simple. You first pick a 15-mile area you want to focus on. The territory is offered at a flat rate, meaning no region is more expensive than another—a plus for agents in metro areas. Then, you establish your budget, and their experts will create and run ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google. When they click on the ad, they’re taken to a landing page where their information is captured.
Once captured, BoldLeads will start the conversation with automated emails, texts, and voicemail messages. Once qualified and warmed, the text concierge sets an appointment with you and notifies you so you can claim the lead. You can review all their information and conversations in the Bold Leads CRM and go in for the deal. If the lead isn’t ready, you can set up long-term nurture in their CRM, as well.
All of this serves to streamline the lead generation process for you, which is time you can spend on perfecting your follow-ups and closing deals. All of your leads are exclusive, too! You can even upload leads from other companies and use their automation features for them.
Along with lead generation services and a CRM, you also gain access to over 40 landing page templates, tons of training and resources, and integration with CloudCMA. All of these tools make it easy for new agents to hit the ground running and grow their circle. If you don’t have the bandwidth for involved lead nurturing, BoldLeads can take on tasks you can’t invest time in.
- Extensive lead nurturing features
- Robust ad campaigns
- Excellent service team
- Easy to use platform
- Unreliable zip code targeting
- Additional costs for add-ons
- Little to no Facebook Leads
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 reputable real estate lead generation company.
Lead generation companies aren’t all the same, each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
The best lead generation solution should work to help you meet your goals, stay within budget, and should be comprehensive to use. A parred-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 lead generation 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!
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 a lead generation company 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 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 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.
See if they offer “first in the door” leads
Research by the National Association of Realtors shows that 82% of sellers contacted only one agent before they found the agent they worked with to sell their home. Being the first in the door is a competitive advantage that real estate agents are always searching for.
The best way to increase your chance of turning a lead into a client is for that lead to be exclusive to you. While more expensive and less abundant than shared leads, you’ll have more wiggle room to refine your approach and target certain demographics.
Exclusive leads can offer you an advantage over the competition in such a dense market, so it may be worth using a tool that has these features. It may cost an additional fee, but it may be worth it for those looking for an extra bump over competition.
Look for predictive lead technology
While we may not have crystal balls that tell us when homes are listing, predictive lead technology may be the next best thing.
Using data and machine learning algorithms, these tools make predictions about when homeowners are most likely to sell. By identifying potential listings before they hit the market, you can save time chasing after competitive leads and get your foot in the door before anyone else does.
With a solution like SmartZip, you can predict with a high level of accuracy what homes in a neighborhood are most likely to sell using consumer, market, and demographic data. With Offrs, you can customize your predictions to certain lead types. Both of these tools are built off of smart data but offer unique experiences.
Smart data can help generate predictive leads that will end up needing far less lead nurturing.
Look for extras
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.
Useful data collection
Too much data can be overwhelming and useless, especially if you don’t know how to make sense of it.
Look for lead generation tools that consolidate homeowner data and prospecting information to save you time. This will help you make sense of reports you are seeing so that you can tailor your follow-up based on consumer behavior and demographics. A really helpful tool should return data that is specific and useful.
Some tools, like Zurple, even recommend communication strategies. If you’re a new agent, having this information on hand can help fill gaps in experience and client-facing strategies.
Price point
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.
Start finding your next set of leads
Finding the best place to buy real estate leads can be challenging, especially with the abundance of services out there. With so many options and so many leads floating around online, there’s no better time to explore your options.
Regardless of the route you choose, lead generation is the first stop in a longer process. Be sure to consider lead nurturing and a follow-up plan as you make your decision, as some solutions are more full-service than others.
With a few places to get started and some consideration about your own needs, you can elevate the way you approach a dynamic real estate market in no time.
Our Methodology:
Our in-house real estate experts spent hundreds of hours researching, scoring, and ranking the top places to buy real estate leads. 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 tool on 5 different factors to come up with the very best places to buy real estate leads. The short version of factors considered are:
- 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.
- Features & user friendliness: Different services where you can buy real estate leads 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.
- 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 real estate leads you buy 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.
- 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 paying for.
- Overall performance: At the end of the day, if you are buying real estate leads, your investments need to have a good ROI. Our experts looked for how the features meet the specific needs of real estate agents and teams – were they buer leads or seller leads – and how hard the leads were to convert. Real estate agents need leads that are more likely to convert, and require as little nurturing as possible.