8 Best Places to Buy Real Estate Leads
This article is part of a larger series on Real Estate Lead Generation and Marketing.
Buying real estate leads through a lead generation provider is the fastest and best way to get real estate leads and create lists of potential clients to produce immediate revenue. This makes it an extremely cost-effective option for a new agent, but it can also be used to supplement referral business and other traditional organic lead generation methods. We examined the strengths, weaknesses, prices, and ideal users of dozens of platforms to identify the top eight lead generation platforms where agents can buy real estate leads:
- BoldLeads: The best source of paid real estate leads for new agents looking to establish their business
- Zillow Premier Agent: Ideal for agents who want to gain leads from the industry’s most trafficked website
- Market Leader: Great source of real estate leads for realtors who want to automate their lead generation and marketing efforts
- REDX: Best place for identifying for sale by owner (FSBO) sellers, expired listings, and other niche leads
- Offrs: Excellent for agents who want to increase their chances for lead conversion with artificial intelligence (AI) insights
- CINC: Great for brokers who want to centralize all their lead generation, nurturing, and marketing efforts
- SmartZip: Good choice for established agents wanting to target repeat buyers and sellers
- Zurple: Best for agents who want to pay for real estate leads in targeted sub-areas
Places to Buy Real Estate Leads at a Glance
Company | Lead Specialty | Stand Out Features | Average Pricing Per Lead |
---|---|---|---|
Buyers and sellers |
| The national average is $9 per lead | |
Buyers |
| $20 and $60 per lead, although costs vary by location | |
Buyers and sellers |
| About $20 to $30 per lead, depending on the location | |
Foreclosures, expired, for sale by owner (FSBO), and for rent by owner (FRBO) |
| From $39.99 to $119.98 per month | |
Buyers and sellers |
| 5 cents per lead, per month and 10 cents per exclusive lead, per month | |
Sellers |
| About $3.68 per lead | |
Sellers |
| Depends on the targeted area | |
Buyers |
| Depends on the targeted area | |
Purchasing real estate leads through a lead generation platform saves you time and effort by finding you the right clients to focus on and convert. Take our quiz below to determine the real estate lead service best fits your needs:
Which Real Estate Leads Service Is Right for You?
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BoldLeads: Best Source of Paid Real Estate Leads for New Agents
What We Like
- Provides video, scripts, and webinars
- Text message concierge
- Low average price per lead
What's Missing
- No for sale by owner (FSBO) data
- Does not manage listing information
- No social media marketing
Pricing
- Buyers or sellers leads: $269 per month
- Buyers and sellers: $500 per month
- PPC advertising: $769 per month
- Ad spending: Additional $250 per month
Who BoldLeads Is Best for & Why
With the hands-off, set-it-and-forget-it system for buying real estate leads through BoldLeads, this platform is ideal for agents who are just learning how to buy real estate leads. It’s best for those who want to capture as many opportunities as possible without being too particular about their lead quality. The free coaching included with BoldLeads is also an excellent opportunity for new agents who don’t have training opportunities with their brokerage or team.
BoldLeads obtains buyer and seller leads through various ad channels. To register with its platform, you must first claim your ZIP code. However, each area has a limited number of agents.
Its in-house experts create landing pages, paid ad campaigns, and set up advertising automation. Once leads for real estate are obtained, they are channeled to your BoldLeads customer relationship manager (CRM), where they can go through a series of engagement strategies. With almost the entire lead generation process automated, agents can focus on responding to clients as they engage and assign follow-up tasks as needed to each lead.
BoldLeads Highlighted Features
BoldLeads client database
- Marketing email blasts sent to leads providing current market updates and changes
- Ability to assign contacts with a lead status to easily organize your prospect lists
- Task reminders agents to follow up and reduce missed opportunities
- Funnels that channel leads through a series of automated nurturing texts and emails
BoldLeads Customer Reviews
BoldLeads is rated 4.7 out of 5 by 1,287 users, including customers connected to large brokerages like RE/MAX, Douglas Elliman, and Sotheby’s, to name a few. Many good reviews mention that they obtained a significant number of leads through the platform in a short period, which resulted in numerous closed sales.
Some mentioned that in the beginning stages of receiving leads, the sellers did not list their homes immediately, requiring a longer nurturing time before seeing any results. Market Leader’s platform may provide higher closing rates with their homevalues.com product for agents looking to close deals faster.
Zillow Premier Agent: Best Place to Purchase Leads Through Site Visibility
What We Like
- Obtain additional buyer leads on non-exclusive listings
- Interactive listing tools
- Listings appear on multiple leading real estate sites
What's Missing
- Must have your own exclusive listings to list on the website
- Limited marketing automation
- No personalized website or landing pages
Pricing
- Pricing varies based on location, but generally ranges from $20 and $60 per lead
Who Zillow Premier Agent Is Best for & Why
The Zillow Premier Agent (ZPA) platform is best for agents looking to focus on representing buyers, especially buyer-focused agents who have larger budgets and impeccable follow-up skills. Zillow has an extensive network of real estate listing websites that gain millions of visitors each month. Agents who sign up with the ZPA program will get exposure on all its real estate platforms, including Trulia and StreetEasy.
To list on Zillow, you must have an exclusive listing. Its ZPA program allows an agent to have their contact information next to the listing agent’s name to gain buyer leads. The buyer may choose to contact you instead of the listing agent based on your customer rating and the number of recent sales listed next to your name, giving you an advantage regardless of your industry experience.
The cost of ZPA is based on the ZIP code you choose, the average home price, and your budget. The higher the home price, the more expensive the ZIP code is, and based on your budget, your contact information will appear on a certain percentage of listings. Because of the high-cost structure, you will be competing against many agents, so if you get a lead, you must act quickly.
Zillow Premier Agent Highlighted Features
Zillow Premier Agent webpage and mobile app
- Buyers who reach out are very active in their search and often prequalified
- Buyer insights provide you with other homes they have viewed and saved
- Mobile-friendly for agents on the go
- Ability to be the exclusive agent across the networks for 30 days
- Track lead conversion and performance for business goal setting
Zillow Premier Agent Customer Reviews
Zillow Premier Agent garnered 4.7 out of 5 customer reviews from 2,523 users. According to reviews, ZPA provides high-quality leads with detailed information for high conversions. Though some claim that calls can be distributed at odd times of the day, others love being able to collect leads via the mobile app while out on other showings.
One user expressed a wish for more options for the app and the ability to qualify calls before communicating with an agent. REDX offers a power dialer that aids with processing calls on your client list for agents who enjoy receiving calls but want to focus on them at specified times.
Market Leader: Best Place to Buy Real Estate Leads With Marketing Automation
What We Like
- Monthly flat rate for buying leads for real estate
- CRM provided
- Marketing automation included
What's Missing
- Limited education material or coaching
- Social media marketing not included
- Limited agent branding
Pricing
- $129 per month
- Pricing per real estate agent lead varies based on location, but is generally about $20 to $30
Who Market Leader Is Best for & Why
Market Leader has been around since 1999 and has extensive experience in lead generation for real estate professionals. The platform generates leads through a few different strategies. For example, Market Leader’s HouseValues.com website collects potential seller leads and offers pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns to drive traffic to your IDX website.
The Market Leader platform allows agents to create their lead generation website by selecting from various layouts and adding widgets, stock photos, and custom navigation. Because it offers site customization and creative insights, the platform is ideal for an agent with creative, marketing, and technical abilities. Market Leader also provides a simple drag-and-drop interface and allows in-line edits, but the platform is not ideal for the agent who wants to focus on responding to leads and following up.
Market Leader Highlighted Features
Market Leader CRM, website, and marketing automation
- CRM integration means all your leads are in one place
- IDX website helps promote agent branding
- Marketing automation reduces manual engagement
- Content library provides design suggestions for email and website
Market Leader Customer Reviews
Market Leader received a 4.47 out of 5 rating from 1,058 clients. Many customers claim that the platform offers everything necessary for generating leads in real estate and converting long-term clients. They loved receiving text messages with information about website visitors and being able to track lead activity every day.
Some users want Market Leader’s CRM to be integrated with Facebook and social media real estate lead sources and an auto-responder for new leads to help with engagement. For clients who prefer a platform integrated with social media, consider Offrs for its marketing solutions.
REDX: Best Place to Buy Niche Real Estate Leads
What We Like
- Focuses on FSBO and foreclosure leads
- Ability to manage leads in one place
- Affordable pricing options
What's Missing
- No market reports
- Leads are for niche markets
- No personalized IDX website
Pricing
- Expired Leads: $59.99 per month
- Expired PLUS: $119.98 per month
- GeoLeads: $59.99 per month
- GeoLeads PLUS: $119.98 per month
- FSBO Leads: $39.99 per month
- FSBO PLUS: $59.98 per month
- FRBO Leads: $59.99 per month
- FRBO PLUS: $79.98 per month
- Pre-Foreclosure Leads: $39.99 per month
- Pre-Foreclosure PLUS: $79.98 per month
Who REDX Is Best for & Why
Agents can buy leads for real estate in niche markets from REDX, including expired, GeoLeads, FSBO, FRBO, and preforeclosure leads. Agents specializing in foreclosures or who are experienced in foreclosure transactions can be successful with the preforeclosure leads provided by REDX. Keep in mind that the nature of these leads in real estate necessitates an agent with established real estate experience because it requires an agent to prospect for business over the phone.
Prospecting for business over the phone is more complex than creating a marketing funnel and allows the system to do the work of nurturing leads through automated emails or advertisements. However, REDX does provide scripts to assist agents with phone conversations.
With the power dialer, the REDX system will dial as many leads as possible to get you on the phone. Contact information from each lead tool can be entered into REDX’s power dialer to keep track of your communication. The power dialer is an excellent real estate agent tool that saves time and connects you to a large number of contacts in a short period.
REDX Highlighted Features
REDX prospecting platform
- Power dialer maximizes client contact
- Ability to pick and choose lead tools
- Platform is easy to use
- Phone script provided for each lead source
REDX Customer Reviews
With a limited number of reviews for REDX, they are still rated incredibly high at 5 out of 5. Customers said getting leads in specific neighborhoods was an easy way to get new business. Others mention that the expired leads list is updated regularly.
Based on reviews, REDX could improve by ensuring every property in the expired lead list has owner information and also by enabling the platform to monitor overall lead activity. If you’re looking for a more robust platform with lead oversight, then BoldLeads would be a better fit.
Offrs: Best Place to Buy Real Estate Leads With AI Insights
What We Like
- Predictive seller leads
- Relatively low monthly cost
- Social media integrated
What's Missing
- No traditional CRM
- Limited client engagement tools
- Low client ratings
Pricing
- 5 cents per month, per targeted area property
- 10 cents per month, per targeted area property with exclusivity
- $300 per month, per ZIP code
Who Offrs Is Best for & Why
This platform is the best place for data-driven agents to buy real estate leads. Offrs uses more than 250 data points to determine the likelihood of a potential seller putting their home on the market. Because Offrs uses data from third-party providers to predict consumer behavior, this information is shared with the agent in SmartApps.
Data-savvy agents can leverage the information when prospecting to convert the leads into closed deals. In addition to predictive seller leads, Offrs also generates leads through FSBO leads, expired listings, and buyer leads. These leads feed into their SmartApps powered by artificial intelligence to manage leads based on various lead sources.
Offrs Highlighted Features
Offrs Territory Builder interface
- Smart data provide insights on potential sellers
- Build your own territory for leads in specific areas
- Online ads maximize your marketing dollar with smart data
- Customizable templates increase marketing engagement
Offrs Customer Reviews
Offrs is rated 3.15 out of 5 with 80 reviews. Some users praise the lead feeding option and Smart App platform. Those who could choose their desired ZIP codes were also successful in their outreach efforts.
Other customers said that there was no training or onboarding for the platform and expressed dissatisfaction with the number of leads received. If users prefer to pay per lead instead, REDX would be a better solution.
CINC: Best Lead Generation Service for Consolidated Marketing
What We Like
- IDX website
- Client communication drip campaigns
- Market reports
What's Missing
- Limited lead automation
- Longer onboarding time
- High monthly cost
Pricing
- $1,500 per month for CINC Pro
- $500 per month plus paid advertising
Who CINC Is Best for & Why
Given the number of resources provided by CINC, this platform is ideal for an agent looking to grow and build a team. One single system consolidates lead generation, lead management, and the marketing required to scale your real estate business and keep a constant business flow. If an agent is looking to start their brokerage, CINC also provides an enterprise brokerage solution to allow you to manage multiple agents on one platform.
CINC’s comprehensive platform provides lead generation, nurturing, conversion, and retention through the entire sales cycle. It provides a lead generation website that integrates with your local MLS but also has a managed lead generation program leveraging pay-per-click ads and social media advertising.
To keep business running smoothly, real estate requires multiple systems, and CINC provides the necessary integration to combine numerous platforms into one system. CINC is also integrated with Gmail, Google Calendar, and various real estate websites such as Zillow and Realtor.com.
CINC Highlighted Features
Example IDX websites from CINC
- CRM mobile app allows on-the-go calls, emails, and texts
- Must be used with pay-per-click marketing
- Ability for clients to schedule virtual open houses
- CRM designed to manage a team
CINC Customer Reviews
CINC is rated 4.11 out of 5 by 649 users. CINC customers said the text feature increased their conversion rates, and they were impressed with its ability to convert leads to buyers and sellers. There is room for improvement in its ability to import outside data if it’s designed to support brokerage operations. If you’re seeking a platform with CRM and robust automation, BoldLeads may be a better option.
SmartZip: Best Source of Repeat Buyer or Seller Leads
What We Like
- Agent branding
- A daily plan of action provided
- SmartTargeting capabilities
What's Missing
- Leads are not exclusive to the agent
- 12-month contract
- High monthly cost
Pricing
- Basic: Approximately $500 per month
- Smart Targeting: Approximately $1,000 per month
Who SmartZip Is Best for & Why
SmartZip’s leads are not exclusive to the agent, and it has a high monthly cost as well as a long contract time frame. This platform is therefore best for agents who can convert purchased real estate leads and have already built a base business. Since analytics determine who is most likely to sell shortly, the real estate leads for sale from SmartZip may take longer to convert. Therefore, agents must be willing to participate in the platform long term.
The platform contains lead generation, marketing, and customer engagement in one solution. It provides real estate agents with the contact information of homeowners who are most likely to sell based on predictive analytics. Once SmartZip identifies leads who may sell in the next six months, it employs multichannel marketing strategies to reach potential sellers and keep them engaged. It also provides a Reach150 program allowing agents to increase their referral rates.
SmartZip Highlighted Features
SmartTargeting from SmartZip
- Predesigned landing pages
- Customizable and branded marketing
- Clients are added to automated drip campaigns
- Ability to leverage the platform for client reviews
SmartZip Customer Reviews
SmartZip is rated 4.7 out of 5 by 1,876 customers. Many users enjoy robust marketing efforts, such as sending postcards directly to leads to engage potential clients. As expected, those who committed long term saw a much more significant return on their investment (ROI).
A few users would have liked to see a higher volume of leads from social media marketing. If you want immediate real estate leads, Zillow Premier Agent is a better option because you can pick which leads you want to contact.
Zurple: Best Place to Purchase Real Estate Leads in Sub-areas
What We Like
- Multiple websites can target up to 10 different locations
- Lead behavior analytics shows the probability of a real estate transaction
- Clients can engage with real estate leads using the prospect’s search activity
What's Missing
- Doesn't have an overarching dashboard to show a team's productivity or to assign workflow
- 6-12 month contract required
- Expensive setup fee
Pricing
- $309 per month ($299 plus $10 MLS fee)
- $799 setup fee
Add-ons:
- $150 per month for 5 users
- $150 per month to add a lender
- $150 to import 5,000+ leads
Who Zurple Is Best for & Why
Zurple employs a different method than other platforms, which gives agents access to a single website. It permits agents to have up to 10 websites targeted at different sub-areas. For instance, whereas most agents would focus on a major city like New York or Los Angeles, Zurple will advise agents to concentrate on sub-areas inside the cities where there is less competition and a greater possibility of obtaining real estate leads.
The sub-areas of New York could be the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, or focused on well-liked neighborhoods like the West Village. This method can also assist in capturing more potential clients searching in specific locations, as massive urban locations like New York can be a fairly general search with a broad area to explore.
Zurple also offers lead behavior analytics, which show the likelihood of a real estate transaction. This data is presented on the lead capture platform via graphs, charts, and statistics. Real estate professionals who prefer a data-driven approach to real estate can use the platform to generate leads and attract prospective buyers.
Zurple Highlighted Features
- Visually appealing and customizable home search websites
- Zurple conversations automatically engage and nurture leads
- Zurple notifications notify busy agents about leads’ behavior and automatically send alerts to email and phone
- Integrates with Zillow, Realtor.com, and Trulia
Zurple Customer Reviews
Zurple received a 4 out of 5 rating from its 55 users. Many users are pleased by the quantity and quality of leads they obtain. Some users also appreciate the Zurple notification feature, prompting them to contact prospects at an appropriate point. Furthermore, its lead insights and email campaigns assist them in engaging leads and encouraging them to reply.
However, Zurple’s website offers limited customization options. If you need a customizable website, we recommend Market Leader instead. It provides site customization and creative insights that help agents with creative, marketing, and technical abilities to create a unique website.
Bottom Line
It is essential to ensure that the platform where you buy real estate leads aligns with your goals, strengths, and target audience to maximize your return on investment. But along with referrals, marketing, and advertising, buying real estate leads is a fantastic way to supplement and maintain your lead flow. It is also a convenient, cost-effective way to guarantee you continue to build your real estate business with qualified leads.