John

I have not had good luck with the direct buying of leads with a price per lead. They do not scrub them well enough and many are tire kickers. Some programs allow you to get a refund of the duds. Also need to ask if they are exclusive leads or being sent to multiple agents.

I have had a lot of success with buying (pushing) traffic to the site and getting poeple to register for IDX search or something else. It is a lot less expensive and much greater volume.

Any relation to the Brooklyn Badalamentis ??

I just dropped realty trac.  I go leads, but the expected unrealistic prices.  I don't know where they got the pricing from, but it is WAY off, and really old info.  Don't waist your money!! Gayle

I have used Housevalues in the past.  Although I did do some deals from it, generally the buyers had unrealistic expectations and a lot were just tire kickers.  Investing that money somewhere else made more sense for me.  Tom

I am trying to get out of my contract with them they promise exclusive leads and they verify they are good, by talking to them twice...they don't, all a person has to do is look at current interest rates and they call them a lead...don't waste your money....Loraine

The companies who send leads to me and do not ask for an upfront registration and wait to get paid when I do, will get my business.

Haven't you noticed referral comanies are coming out of the woodwork,

somebody call a pest company.

I recently looked into e-agent.biz for lead generation. And I was very hesitant because ofthe fact that most people are just tire kickers and not realistic in what they can get for their money. I decided against it. Not willing to sign a contract for 9 months to a year for something that might be a complete waste of money.

Congrats- good decision Tracy!  Tom

I quit signing up for any services that require me to sign a contract for any length of time. In my opinion, if the service they are selling does what they promise, they will not need to lock me into a contract, as I will gladly pay month to month for a service that produces results.

Hi John...

It took me two months of repeated written & verbal requests to get out of my contract with RealtyTrac!  I finally had to send them a "nasty-gram"... threatening to sic my l..a..w..y..e..r  on them.  I got absolutely ZERO-NADA-ZILCH leads from them over a six month period.

They say they rank high on the Fortune500 list... it's beyond me how in the world that is possible.  I recommend beefing up your P2 site... utilize GoogleAds... Craigslist... get involved with your local Chamber of Commerce (our's has a great community "networking committee"... it works!!).

Good luck... and may we all have a GREAT Spring season!!

>> Freda

http://www.idahomesnorth.com

Well.  Here I am on the outs again, lol.   I have realtytrac for my area.  I have closed three deals through them...people looking for forclosures that I turned into resale buyers.   I am presently working with another three that are serious buyers but relocators or second home buyers so they aren't immediate buyers but will be coming down within the next month.  So.  For me, the return on investment is working out quite well in my favor.  :)

And...do NOT be afraid to negotiate the price you will pay for the territory with them.  And, work the site once you get it.  You are able to put your listings on there, have your picture, etc and link to your own website.  

Hi John, we've actually tried two different services. The second time I got a serious buyer right off the bat but everyone after that was long term. Most of the online buyers are 6 months out if not longer. I agree with the other remarks, your money is better spent elsewhere and they obviously have a high turnover of agents if they force you to buy their leads with a minimum term contract.

Hello everyone!

Realty Trucker Company should be reported on www.Ripoffreport.com again and again.  All of us can create 50-70 leads per day free, what they consider “a lead.” Read their Credit Policy. This company is a big Rip off. All Realtors should ignore this company!

Credit Policy

While Guthy-Renker Home strives to validate the contact information for real estate and mortgage leads in our system, sometimes bad leads slip through into the system. Guthy-Renker Home utilizes proprietary filtering technology that eliminates up to 50% of the leads prior to leads distribution to Real Estate Professionals. Consumers want instant response from the REALTORs, so speed is very important. The 21st century consumer wants instant gratification. We have a clear credit policy if you get a bad lead.

Reasons to credit a lead for legacy customers sold on or before 3/1/07:

1. Bad Number: If the customer tried to contact their real estate or mortgage lead and cannot get through over the phone due to a number being disconnected or the person they are looking for is not at that number we will be happy to credit the customer for a new real estate or mortgage lead to be used at any time in our system.

2.  Bad Email: If the customer tried to contact the lead via email, but was unsuccessful as a result of an undeliverable message returned, we will credit the customer for the lead if they were also unable to connect via the telephone.  

3. REALTOR: If the customer calls and confirms the lead is a REALTOR, we will credit the lead back to the customer IF the REALTOR they contacted is not looking to buy or sell a home.  

Guthy-Renker will NOT credit a lead for the following:

1.        Not Using REALTOR: If the customer contacts a lead that decided to use another real estate agent or has already bought or sold their home, this is still considered being a good lead and we would not credit their account. Always encourage them to contact their leads as soon as possible so they have the best prospect of closing the business.

2.        Changed Mind: If the customer contacts a lead that decides to no longer move forward with selling or buying will not be entitled to receive a credit.  It’s a numbers game and we cannot control a lead changing their mind.

3.        Mobile Home: All mobile home leads are still considered to be valid leads and we will not credit their account.

4.        Lead Classification: If the customer contacts a buyer lead that confirms they are not looking to actually buy, but are looking to sell instead (or vise versa), we will not credit their account.  The lead is still considered a valid lead since the Agent can help the lead sell their property.  

5.        Target Price: If the customer contacts us questioning the target price of the lead received, we will not credit their account.  In most cases, the lead is not familiar with the actual market value of properties in their area.  It is the Agents responsibility to provide the lead with a free, no obligation consultation that includes a market analysis of recent home sales to help them determine their home value.

6.        Home Value Leads: Home Value leads wondering how much their home is worth are considered a valid seller lead (CMAs).  Customers questioning such leads should be advised that all leads were informed, upon completion of our online form, a limited number of real estate professionals would be contacting them to provide a description of services as the listing Agent and a Market Analysis of their home. (What's My House Worth?)

7.        Delivery of Leads: Guthy-Renker Home makes no guarantees that lead emails will be delivered; when a lead is generated by Guthy-renker Homer, it will be sent to an email address and mobile number designated by the customer.  Non-delivery of leads due to email or mobile phone limitations is the customer’s responsibility. Guthy-Renker Homer will ensure proper data entry of email address and mobile phone, test delivery of mobile phone and email address.  Always encourage the customer to access their account by visiting www.realtytracker.com and clicking on Previously Purchased Leads tab to review leads received.

8.        PO Box Address: If the customer contacts us because the address listed on the lead received is a PO Box, will not be entitled to receive credit for the lead.  We guarantee phone number and email address.  In respect to our 5 step process, suggest to the customer they snail mail the lead information about themselves.  

I'd have to agree with Klaus.  I can't help but feel if they were good leads the lead companies would take a referral fee.  It probably ends up about the same money-wise, but I like to make it before I spend it.

Gina and Klaus might like homegain..  

But they don't want $30 when you get paid.   They want 30%

And that is a big bite.  

I did these things for a while, but now I generate my own leads.

If we starve the lead gen people out, they will go away, and we will get the real estate leads the old fashioned way......

FREE

I agree with Lonn, starve them out and drive them away. They compete with us for leads only to sell them back to us. I too generate my own leads.