Real estate leads are the main staple of any successful real estate company. In order for any investor or Realtor to conduct business, they must have properties to sell. Like any other company, having a product is essential. Real estate leads provide this product in the real estate industry.

There are many places to find leads, but the problem lies in the quality. Good quality leads must be fresh and new. They should also not be accessible to too many people. The more people who have access to the leads, the more competition you will have. Ideally, you should be the only one who contacts a lead. This will greatly increase the odds that you get the contract.

So, the dilemma is, where can one find great real estate leads? You can always try to obtain them yourself with a website and offline advertising. However, marketing costs can quickly become overwhelming. In this day and age real estate is an extremely competitive market that can require a large advertising budget.

There is always the MLS, however, it is only available to Realtors. If you are an investor, you must know a Realtor who can access the MLS for you. Unfortunately, MLS leads are available to anyone with access, which are many. There is great competition for these leads which tends to drive up prices, not to mention you are looking at retail pricing to begin with.

The internet is a great place to find real estate leads. There are companies out there who sell individual leads. The problem is they can be costly. You also have to be sure if these leads are fresh and exclusive. Many lead sellers will sell to multiple people. If you are exploring this avenue for your leads, make sure to research these issues.

A new trend in generating leads is branding. Branding is when you license a tried and true company who generates leads. The upside is that since the leads are coming in straight from the property owner, you have the potential to make a deal with wholesale pricing. They should have an easily recognizable name and be readily found online. They should also have other advantages such as a vanity number (1800 number with words), websites, and offline marketing available to you. You can license the whole package for a monthly fee. This can be cost effective while producing fresh leads you need for your business. Some things to watch out for include exclusivity for your area and the brand’s visibility. It should be easily recalled by potential clients.

If you are in the real estate business or just starting out, you will need a way to generate real estate leads in order to be successful. As you can see there are many ways to get these leads. The important thing is to do your homework and choose the best option to suit your needs.