As the real estate market gets more competitive, there is an increasing demand for lead generation software for realtors. In order to deal with increased competition and a growing number of properties on the market, realtor marketing needs to be more efficient than ever. Not all lead generation software is the same though. Therefore, it’s important that you know what to look for when you want to find free real estate lead generation software for realtors.
Creating a successful real estate business can be tough, especially if you’re trying to do it alone. That’s why, many realtors turn to lead generation software for realtors for assistance. This software is designed to help agents build their businesses. But not all lead generation software is created equal. In this article, I’m going to tell you how to choose the right lead generation software for your business.
Do you have a real estate website? If so, chances are you’re looking for more leads. After all, having as many contacts as possible is the number one way to becoming a successful agent. You can have access to the best lead generation software and the best technology out there, but it’s not going to do you much good if people don’t see your listings!
Real estate lead generation can be a challenge for those just starting out or struggling to gain new clients. You can try to generate leads the old fashioned way like posting on Craigslist, asking your friends and family for referrals, adding “For Sale By Owner” signs to your lawn- but these methods just don’t compare to the power of modern day real estate lead generation software. Watch my video above as I tell you more about what real estate lead generation software is and how it works.
How to Choose Your Real Estate Lead Generator Software?
To select the real estate lead software that meets your needs and requirements, consider the following:
- Problems and challenges the tool is coming to solve-perhaps to boost productivity and profitability, track lead activity and leads, track the client base, manage relationships, track closing rates and opportunities among others.
- Implementation-note whether the tool requires a testing and training period before full operation and the cost related to that.
- Price-most of the top real estate lead software differs not so much by the features but the cost. If working within a budget contrast the features vis-a-vis what you need and select the top quality software that’s also affordable.
- Customisation-how flexible is the real estate lead software to handle all your real estate processes?
- Reporting capabilities-even with all the lead generation software features and functionality above board, the reporting capabilities of the tool could affect your performance. The tool you choose should have a comprehensive and clear reporting capability.
BoldLeads
Bold leads offer robust features that help you capture leads fast. Its new interesting technology offers you an integrated CRM, automated email, text messaging and split tested A/B seller lead generation landing pages. All these features enable you to instantly connect with your leads. The voicemail automation feature also lets you leave a short message for your prospects so that they call your right back at their best time.
BoldLeads includes autoresponders that automatically reach out to your lead in place of a real estate agent so as to share valuable information about what they need. Autoresponders are the best way to save time and hasten the sales cycle.
BoldLeads allows you to develop your own follow up funnels and integrate them with your preferred CRMs. You can assign your leads to specific agents or create an automatic order for dispensing leads to agents.
This software features a Facebook advertising strategy that helps drive traffic from the Facebook platform to your landing pages. Its lead capture forms include irresistible lead magnets in return for their contact information. The software developers offer extensive training through various platforms and 24-hour customer care support.
Freshsales
One of the most recommended lead capturing tool for realtors is Freshsales who are aiming to upgrade their CRM with customer feedback. Freshsales is a CRM that allows realtors to generate and monitor leads from email marketing referrals or from their site by the use of web-to-lead forms.
The software allows you to run campaigns and sales, monitor your business deals and much more depending on what your business goals are.
Amazingly, Freshsales have the ability to analyze and score your visitors to decide the action to be taken. It then helps you generate and retain leads that you have in-depth knowledge about. You can then create marketing strategies to turn those specific leads into your customers.
OnSpot Social
The industry-leading email and lead collection app for realtors is OnSpot Social. You can increase engagement at real estate open houses and connect on a level that many pieces of software simply do not cater to. Some of its great features include:
- Access and analyze data collected across all devices from a single web-based dashboard.
- Option to export data to Microsoft Excel or forward to your email marketing software or CRM.
With a customizable dashboard to incorporate your real estate logo and branding, it can be tailored to your target audience. Easy to set up and able to work with and without Wi-fi allows it to leap over many other forms of lead generation software and still deliver when impeded by technology at remote locations and poorly serviced signal areas.
Zillow Premier Agent
Zillow Premier Agent is our review’s best real estate lead generation company for finding buyers because it offers leads that are generated directly by Zillow, most of which are buyer leads. It is part of the real estate powerhouse Zillow Group, which was founded by former Microsoft executives in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. It’s the most well-known real estate lead generation company on our list.
Zillow is one of the first sites that many potential homebuyers use, so it makes sense that you would purchase leads here. Real estate agents pay Zillow Premier Agent to be featured on certain pages, which include placement on listings and personalized websites. So, when customers are browsing for homes, they will see the agent’s information and be able to make contact. This is a bit different than how the other lead generation companies work.
Some of Zillow Premier Agent’s features include:
- Buyer and seller leads by zip code (mostly buyer leads)
- CRM
- Customer support and training
- Phone call introductions to leads in your area
- Personal webpage
- Branding across Zillow’s sites
- Marketing templates
You can get started with Zillow Premier Agent by getting in touch with a member from the support team who will go over your marketing budget and desired area and help you navigate the site. Pricing for Zillow Premier Agent varies depending on the area, average home price, and competing agents in that area. There’s no monthly minimum or signup fee.
Offrs
Offrs is our best choice for seller leads because it has online home evaluation tools and predictions for potential home sellers to become leads as well as a built-in CRM to keep track of your new leads. It was founded in 2014 and is owned by Constellation Data Solutions Inc.
When the company was launched, the founders found their first clients by knocking on agency doors and convincing agents to sign up individually. The site is specifically focused on sellers and aims to connect those customers who currently want to sell their home, and those who will want to sell in the near future, with agents who sign up for leads. It uses proprietary predictive analytics tools to predict who will become a seller lead.
Offrs has the following features:
- Seller leads (current and predicted)
- CRM
- For sale by owner leads
- Expired listing leads
- Apps to access leads and location-based homeowner data
- Template builder
To get started with Offrs, you can schedule a 30-minute session with a specialist to learn more about what the company offers, its pricing, and how to set up a lead generation system and apps. It also offers custom options for brokerages with agent rollout and apps for every agent.
It has mixed reviews with some customers receiving quality seller leads that they closed and finding the software easy to use. However, others didn’t receive any leads or any that were qualified or even looking to sell their home.
Zoho CRM
Zoho is our top lead generation company for social media because it can easily be used to capture Facebook or Twitter leads, as well as leads from websites and emails. It was founded in 1996 and is used by multiple industries including real estate, small businesses, and retail.
It offers a free trial and features opportunity tracking over an entire sales cycle. It can also track the competition and features an app, live support and training, webinars, prospecting tools, and lead tracking. It can help you manage your pipeline of leads once they come in. Customers can contact support to help get set up and take advantage of webinars and online training. The company offers multiple different support plan options.
Some of Zoho’s features include:
- Buyer and seller leads, as well as sales leads for other industries
- Social media and email lead capture
- Predictive analytics
- Customized reports
- Management tools to assist with assigning leads
- Real estate CRM and marketing tools
Zoho’s pricing is between $14 per user month and $52 per user per month when billed annually depending on the plan. If you pay monthly rates are higher. A limited, free version is available and custom plans may be available as well. Customers complain about being overcharged and poor customer service. However, other customers like its marketing tools and integration with compatible products and think it’s a good value.
Zurple
Zurple is a real estate lead management software platform that was ranked 33rd among the fastest growing 5000 companies of 2013 in the U.S. This software allows lead behaviour tracking, generation of more leads and optimization of follow-ups.
Highlights:
- Automatic sorting of prospect behaviour into ‘hottest’ categories
- Only lead generation tool offering listing data and street view listing functionality
- At a fee you can access a specific territory exclusively
- Follow-up optimisation possible
- Mass importation of leads into the platform doable
Cons:
- Customer support required to permit customisation
- Lacks instant messaging or 24-hour support
- Result incubation timeframe needed
SharpSpring
SharpSpring is lead generator software offering a fully rebrandable platform, behavioural email automation, website tracking, and in-built CRM system, among others. SharpSpring offers easy to convert and highly attractive landing page templates.
Highlights:
- Includes in-built call tracking for connecting with offline leads
- Automation is simple to implement
- Zero long-term contracts
- Dashboard provides all you need to run the tool
- Excellent customer support
Cons:
- Social publishing such as SEO or social recommendations unavailable
- Progressive profiling feature absent
- Currently lacks a forward/back navigation button
- No visual work-flow builder
REDX
REDX is our best-priced option because of its a la carte pricing with no setup fees, which allows you to pay for what you want and nothing more. Its monthly prices are reasonable and you can combine leads for a more robust prospecting campaign. It was founded in Utah in 2003 as a solution for providing expired leads to real estate agents and has since been used by over 50,000 agents in both the U.S. and Canada. REDX provides lead data to agents for prospecting. It’s specific to the real estate industry and uses aggregate data from public records to source leads. Every lead that they provide includes contact information.
REDX focuses primarily on seller leads and includes pre-foreclosures, expired listings, for sale by owners, for rent by owners (FRBO), hard-to-find contact information for homeowners, and its Power Dialer feature, which helps you contact more sellers quickly. It offers online training, tutorials, and unlimited customer support.
REDX features include:
- Multiple types of real estate seller leads including expireds
- Geo-focused leads
- Full range of training and support
- Prospecting platform
- Help with lead conversions and lead management systems
- Leads are verified against active listings and the Do Not Call list
- Scripts built into the system
Agents can start using REDX right away by contacting customer support and watching tutorial videos for additional help. Pricing varies depending on the lead source. For example, for sale by owner (FSBO) and pre-foreclosure leads are $39.99 per month, GeoLeads are $49.99 per month, expired leads are $59.99 per month, and FRBOs are $79.99 per month. You can add the Power Dialer for $99.99 per month. There aren’t many reviews out there, but the ones that exist are positive and highlight that the expired leads are current and updated.
How Does Real Estate Lead Generation Work?
Real estate lead generation is a marketing and advertising process which stimulates interest in either a house for sale or a realtor to work with. This interest is then turned into a sales pipeline with the goal is to turn the lead into a client, who then closes a deal by either buying or selling a house through an agent.
Agents and brokers generate leads in different ways, including via social media, referrals, their own network, open houses, and from lead generation companies. Leads are what keep a real estate brokerage in business. A closed lead provides a commission check to the agent and a check to the brokerage.
Conclusion
Curious about what lead generation software is? Or why it would be useful for agents? You’re not alone. Many agents wonder about the same thing, but are nervous about installing it themselves out of fear for damaging their website. This is entirely possible with some programs, but with free real estate lead generation software, don’t worry.
When it comes to business software, some types are so lucrative and helpful that they become almost a necessity to those who run profitable businesses. For real estate agents, most would agree that the best real estate lead generation software options include tools that increase their chances of acquiring new leads — their main goal.