Ask any top performing real estate agent what their go-to-must-have-can’t-live-without tool is, and chances are they’ll say a great real estate CRM. The only problem is that there are so many on the market that it’s hard to know which is the best.
To help you decide, we looked at more than 20 real estate customer relationship management systems (CRMs) available today, weeded out the underperforming, and chose the seven best options that top performers should consider.
Our top picks? Propertybase, Contactually, Wise Agent, Follow Up Boss, Realvolve, IXACT Contact, and LionDesk. We’ve ranked each on the ten factors that matter most to real estate agents. Take a look and find out which CRM is right for your business.
Here’s a look at our top seven real estate CRMs:
| Real Estate CRM | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Propertybase | Starting at $89 / month | (Best Overall) Realtors Looking for Lead Generation and Nurture |
| Contactually | Starting at $59 / month | Realtors with a Large Existing Sphere |
| LionDesk | Starting at $25 / month | Agents Wanting an Affordable CRM With Automated Emails and Texts |
| Follow Up Boss | Starting at $119 / month | Real Estate Teams |
| Realvolve | Starting at $49 / month | Realtors Who Want Lots of Customization Options |
| IXACT Contact | Starting at $33 / month | New Agents |
| Wise Agent | Starting at $25 / month | Realtors Who Want Comprehensive Support |
How We Evaluated the Best Real Estate CRMs of 2020
We evaluated each of these real estate CRMs on important factors such as price, quality of dashboard, learning curve, marketing automation, SMS capabilities, analytics, and customer support.
Each CRM that made our list did so because they provide a unique value to real estate agents, they are designed specifically for the real estate industry, and we’ve had an opportunity to take a personal tour of each platform and kick the tires a little bit, and can say from experience that they would be a good option for a real estate agent.
Here’s our overall impression of the features of each CRM:
| Category | Propertybase | Contactually | WiseAgent | Follow Up Boss | Realvolve | IXACT Contact | LionDesk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dashboard | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Learning Curve | Easy | Easy | A Little Tricky | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Marketing Automation | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| SMS Texting | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Analytics | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ |
| Customer Support |
9AM–5PM |
9AM–8PM |
24/7 Phone/Email | 8AM–8PM M–F Phone/Email | 9AM–5PM M–F Phone/Chat/ |
9AM-8PM M–F Phone/ Chat/Email |
7AM–5PM |
Now that we’ve seen a little bit of how these CRMs stack up against each other, let’s dig a little deeper into each one.
Best Overall Real Estate CRM: Propertybase
If you know anything about Propertybase, you know that its CRM is robust and full-featured, designed for real estate agents who need more than just a place to store contacts. What you may not know is that Propertybase has joined forces with website powerhouse Boston Logic and acquired the lead generation platform BoldLeads.
Combining a solid, easy-to-use CRM with a potent website development arm and a very effective lead generation platform makes Propertybase an option all real estate agents should consider.
How Much Does Propertybase Cost?
Propertybase offers their rock solid IDX-integrated CRM for a base price of $89 per month. If you want to add on to the CRM experience with a website and lead generation help, the price bumps up to $399 per month.
Propertybase Pricing at a Glance
| IDX Integrated CRM | $89 / Month |
| IDX Integrated CRM + Website & Lead Gen | $399 / Month |
Despite the fact that Propertybase is actually a little higher in terms of cost per user for their CRM, you get a lot for your money on this platform, so the cost per feature is actually very low. The IDX integration alone makes Propertybase a CRM that is well worth the monthly fee.
What Propertybase Does Well
- Salesforce-based platform: The Propertybase CRM is built on the Salesforce framework, making it incredibly versatile, customizable, and open to plugins, especially at the enterprise level.
- MLS interface: Propertybase has built an interface with your MLS right into the CRM experience, eliminating the need to jump back and forth between your browser and your CRM.
- Send mass email: Virtually every CRM allows you to send email, but virtually all stop short at being able to send out mass emails. Propertybase has a mass email function that will virtually replace the need for a secondary mailer service like Mailchimp.
Where Does Propertybase Fall Short?
While Propertybase does work with third-party plugins to integrate texting and a dialer into their CRM for an extra cost, these features aren’t available out of the box. With a price point on the higher end for the products we’ve reviewed, this additional cost is going to turn some users off.
That being said, we’d like to reiterate that the Propertybase CRM features list is so long, you really are getting a great bang for your buck.
Our Favorite Propertybase Feature
Most CRMs offer some sort of lead score evaluation to allow real estate agents to quickly glance at a lead profile and determine what sort of attention that lead needs today. But no other CRMs that we’re aware of allow you to adjust the criteria for that lead score, and certainly not with the granularity and detail that Propertybase offers.
Make adjustments to your lead scoring criteria based on things like a contact’s response to your outreach campaigns or time since last contact.
Try Propertybase
Propertybase offers a fantastic CRM with tons of customization options, from the dashboard and user interface, all the way down to how your lead scores are evaluated. But their value doesn’t stop at providing a great CRM; they also offer website and lead generation services that make them as close to an end-to-end platform as we’ve seen. They offer a free, no obligation 14-day trial. Try them today.
Best Real Estate CRM for Realtors With a Large Existing Sphere: Contactually
Contactually is a CRM that defines itself on helping its users discover the potential business they are missing in their existing sphere of influence. Contactually even goes as far as claiming that most real estate agents are missing out on up to 30% of the GCI potential from their existing sphere.
Relationship marketing is the priority, and Contactually makes maintaining those relationships easy with excellent automation options and lots of solid integrations. If you are looking for a straightforward CRM that you can use to better your business on day one, Contactually is the CRM for you.
How Much Does Contactually Cost?
Contactually offers three different pricing options, the least expensive being their Professional Plan at $59 per month. There are two other tiers (Accelerator at $99 per month and Concierge at $399 per month), offering a deeper level of coaching and support, as well as advanced analytics and access to a larger library of prewritten material.
Contactually Pricing at a Glance
| Plan Name | ||
|---|---|---|
| Professional | ||
| Accelerator | ||
| Concierge |
Contactually brought up the rear in terms of the cost per user. While we actually think that Contactually is worth the money you spend on it, there are definitely less expensive options available.
What Contactually Does Well
- Email automation: Contactually’s email automation is top-notch, and even includes optimal send time analysis so you know the best time to reach each of your contacts.
- Ease of use: Contactually is very easy to navigate; you won’t need a day or three of training before you are actually putting this platform to work for you.
- Relationship marketing and accountability: Contactually’s big strength is its relationship marketing initiatives and the ways it helps hold its users accountable to their commitments. Every time you log in to Contactually, you get your “Follow Up Score,” telling you how well you’ve done staying in contact with the people who matter most to your business.
Where Does Contactually Fall Short?
As mentioned before, Contactually isn’t very competitive on price. Yes, they do offer some great features, but there are certainly more affordable options available.
While Contactually offers some integrations through Zapier that allow for SMS texting, the lack of integration into the native platform is noticeable and a missed opportunity. Text message open rates are typically astronomically higher than email, and this would be a great communication tool to have.
Our Favorite Contactually Feature
We really like the way that Contactually handles your contacts. When you link an email address with Contactually, the platform goes back through your entire email history and builds a profile for anyone you’ve exchanged emails with, right down to the average time they are online.
It is a nice bit of insight to include on your contacts, and for a CRM that prides itself on helping you to develop better opportunity within your existing sphere, it really hits the mark.
Contactually will look at what time your contacts typically SEND you email. Using this data, the platform gives you a good idea when each of your peeps are online doing email.
We can all identify with the experience of email that comes in as we are looking at the window—we are much more likely to open it.
If you’re looking for a really in-depth look at Contactually, check out our deep-dive review of Contactually here.
Try Contactually
If your sphere of influence isn’t producing the way it should and you are ready to make an investment in fixing it, Contactually is a CRM you should check out. They even have a seven-day, full-featured free trial so you can take it for a test drive.
Best Real Estate CRM for Automated Emailing & Texting: LionDesk
As real estate agents, of course we love to be the first person in to list a home for sale. But, being the second agent in isn’t a bad place to be either. In fact, oftentimes, that is great. You learn from the mistakes of the guy before you and can come out firing on all cylinders for what your client really needs.
LionDesk is a lot like this. If you have a CRM that you’ve been using for a while and aren’t feeling satisfied with, LionDesk is a breath of fresh air. They don’t try to be everything to everyone, and the things they do tackle they do very well.
How Much Does LionDesk Cost?
LionDesk offers two plans: $25 and $49 per month. The $25 per month plan is robust and full of features; you won’t find yourself lacking in capability. The upgrade to the $49 plan includes add-ons like the Text2Sell feature, a dedicated local phone number, and video texting.
LionDesk Pricing at a Glance
| Plan Name | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pro | ||
| Pro Plus |
What LionDesk Does Well
- Learning curve: LionDesk easy to use straight out of the gate. We got started on making LionDesk work for us in less than an hour, and already saw its potential for efficiency in our business.
- Bulk texting: Sending all the contacts on a specific list an email message is a powerful tool, but this is something most CRMs offer. Wouldn’t it be great if someone offered that same tool, but on a platform where the open rates are typically over 95%? Sounds great. LionDesk offers that.
- Customizable fields: We know this is a little thing, but it turns out it is massively helpful. Being able to create custom fields in a contact profile lets you add the details about your contact only you or your team know about.
Where Does LionDesk Fall Short?
While we appreciate that LionDesk strives to have as much information as possible available to users whenever possible, the occasional side effect of this effort is the feeling of clutter. It isn’t a consistent issue throughout the user experience, but it does happen.
LionDesk’s transaction management and pipeline area doesn’t offer a ton of added value. We get it—the spot where LionDesk truly shines is in the cultivation of your leads to get them to the contract stage, but it would be nice to have a few more capabilities after money hits escrow.
Our Favorite LionDesk Feature
Automated marketing is pretty standard fare for a CRM, but LionDesk takes this feature a step further than most by offering Blended Campaign Automation. Instead of just being able to send scheduled mass email, you can add texts, videos, and even prompts to make calls with certain scripts to your workflows.
LionDesk’s Text2Sell feature provides a second level of service for things like sign riders. Take the LionDesk assigned phone number, put it on a sign rider in front of your new listing, and tell people to text for more information. When prospective buyers text that number, LionDesk automatically sends that person back the packet of information you’ve prepared for them. An extra level of hands-off automation frees you up to speak to buyers who are a little further down the funnel.
We’ve picked through LionDesk with a fine-toothed comb and written a full review of it. Check it out if you want our full take on this platform.
Try LionDesk
There are lots of things to like about LionDesk. Mixed automation, a customizable interface, and graduated texting options make LionDesk worth your time to at least try. LionDesk offers a 30-day, full-featured trial, no credit card required. If you are ready for change in the CRM space, or in need of your first CRM, LionDesk is a good option.
Best Real Estate CRM for Teams: Follow Up Boss
For more and more real estate agents, the path to success includes being part of a team. There are lots of real estate CRMs that accommodate team needs with a tool here or there. Follow Up Boss trumps those add-ons with a platform designed specifically for teams.
Follow Up Boss prioritizes lead and contact organization with a team in mind, and makes marketing and outreach trackable and assignable.
If you are the leader of a team or even a brokerage, Follow Up Boss should be on your radar.
How Much Does Follow Up Boss Cost?
Follow Up Boss looks pricey compared to their competitors, but you get multiple users per account. The base level package (“Team”) allows three users with a per user cost starting at $39.66. Jumping up to five users (“Established”) knocks that price down to $31.80 per month.
The larger plans (“Growth” and “Expansion”) allow 10 and 25 users and clock in at $23.90 and $15.96 per user, respectively.
Follow Up Boss Pricing at a Glance
| Plan Name | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team (up to 3 users) | ||
| Established (up to 5 users) | ||
| Growth (up to 10 users) | ||
| Expansion (up to 25 users) |
Regardless of how many members are on your team, you get the full capability of Follow Up Boss.
What Follow Up Boss Does Well
- Marketing automation: Follow Up Boss’ options for automating and streamlining your marketing tasks are robust. There is no such thing as (good) attention-free marketing, but we definitely see a lot less work on a day-to-day basis required with Follow Up Boss.
- Integrations: Follow Up Boss’ integrations list is long and native. Not to say there is anything wrong with using Zapier to connect the dots, but these native integrations are thoughtful and intentional, making them easier to use.
- Use on day one: We were up and running on Follow Up Boss, actually using it for its intended purpose on day one. We didn’t need a major tutorial to start working, and the interface is relatively self-explanatory right out of the box.
Where Does Follow Up Boss Fall Short?
Follow Up Boss is a team tool, plain and simple. While we love the team experience it provides, it doesn’t offer much in the way of solutions for real estate agents who are operating as a one-man or woman show. The price point disqualifies it as an option for most real estate agents who aren’t part of a team.
Our Favorite Follow Up Boss Feature
We talked a little about the integrations of Follow Up Boss, but one specific one stands out: the native link with BombBomb. As the go-to video mail tool, BombBomb has carved out a unique offering in the email space. Follow Up Boss includes a BombBomb button right in the email composition window.
Follow Up Boss also includes unlimited SMS texting with every single plan. With open rates of well over 95%, texting is an extremely effective form of communication. A CRM with unlimited in-app texting (and the tracking to make it a part of your contact’s communication profile) definitely has our attention.
Want to know even more about Follow Up Boss? We don’t blame you—it is pretty interesting stuff. Check out our full review of Follow Up Boss to learn even more.
Try Follow Up Boss
If you’re a team looking for a product designed especially for you, Follow Up Boss is definitely the best choice. With a 14-day free trial, teams can put Follow Up Boss through its paces and decide if it’s right for them.
Best Real Estate CRM for Realtors Who Want Lots of Customization: Realvolve
End-to-end solutions for real estate agents are a popular topic right now. There is a lot of conversation around providing a platform that does EVERYTHING under the sun.
The problem with this in the CRM world is that, oftentimes, those massive solutions provide answers to questions an agent isn’t even asking. Thus, there winds up being some wasted space (and dollars) in a CRM.
Realvolve isn’t like that. The Realvolve approach is to do the basics really well, and provide agents lots of opportunities to take those basics and customize their workflows to the nth degree.
How Much Does Realvolve Cost?
Realvolve’s pricing depends on the number of users. A single user is going to pay $49 per month if paid annually. Jump up to five users and each will pay a little over $33 per month (paying annually). Ten users or more pay a little over $23 per month (paying annually).
Something we love about the Realvolve pricing model is the inclusion of an assistant account for every single plan. We all know that without the admins in our business, we would fall apart very quickly. Realvolve knows this too, which is why that assistant account is standard across all options.
What Realvolve Does Well
- A workflow for everything: Realvolve provides automation options for just about every task across the platform. Not limited to email drip campaigns, you can automate text messages, mailer campaigns, even paperwork for your team.
- Dashboard design: The Realvolve dashboard is image-forward and informative, making it easy to see at a glance what’s happening in your business. But, it is also very customizable, giving users the option to see only the information that is pertinent to their success.
- Library of material: Most CRMs will talk about their prewritten email templates or even text messages, all of which Realvolve has. Where Realvolve takes this a step further is in providing a robust library of workflows, making all sorts of great suggestions on how you can use their tools to automate your work day.
Where Does Realvolve Fall Short?
For some reason, Realvolve is missing the native integration with Google Calendar to bring your G Suite appointments front and center in the CRM. There is a Zapier integration to get the job done, but it does require a little bit of massage to get into place.
Also, as much as we love the workflows, Realvolve lacks a clear visualization of their building process. Dragging and dropping would be so helpful here, but alas, not an option.
Our Favorite Realvolve Feature
It bears repeating: The assistant account included in every Realvolve CRM purchase is amazing. You need your admin plugged into everything happening on your CRM, and Realvolve makes that happen easily.
The Realvolve dashboard is more like a bulletin board for your office. The widgets there are (for the most part) moveable, making the frustration of items not appearing in the order you want them a thing of the past.
We’ve taken a look at Realvolve in the past. Head over to our complete Realvolve review to really dig into what Realvolve is all about if you are interested in learning more.
Try Realvolve
Realvolve is a great CRM for the essential tasks that real estate agents value above all others. It is highly customizable and puts you in control of your CRM’s workflow, instead of the other way around. With a 14-day free trial, real estate agents can try the platform for themselves and see what they think.
Best Real Estate CRM for New Agents: IXACT Contact
IXACT Contact gets close to stepping up to the same level of Propertybase in terms of offering that all-in-one real estate agent solution we’ve been wondering about for a while. For our money, nobody is quite there yet, but IXACT Contact and Propertybase seem to be the closest. IXACT Contact’s robust CRM also includes options for an IDX website and social media content, bringing them ever closer to completing that lead generation to closing table journey.
How Much Does IXACT Contact Cost?
IXACT CONTACT OFFERS SIX MONTHS OF THEIR SERVICE FOR FREE TO ANY AGENT WHO HAS BEEN LICENSED LESS THAN A YEAR.
Let that sink in for a moment. If you are a new agent in the industry, IXACT Contact is giving away their service to you. This is a singular offer in the CRM game—nobody has anything like it.
Now that we’ve got the shouting out of the way, the rest of IXACT Contact’s pricing model is intriguing, and there is a lot to unpack here. They offer an a la carte price option for real estate agents so you aren’t paying for services you don’t need.
- Basic version for a single user of the CRM + an agent website: $33 per month
- IDX website add-ons: $13 per month (standard), $33 per month (professional) + $65.00 setup fee
- Add team members: $23 per month, per team member
- Additional IDX websites: Starting at $13 per month + $65 set up fee
- Social stream: $20 per month
- Mass emailing: Varies by volume
What IXACT Contact Does Well
- Designed with intent: We love the way IXACT Contact users don’t have to play a guessing game about features. For instance, your pipeline tool doesn’t have some silly, made-up name—it is just called Business Pipeline.
- Social media smarts: IXACT Contact is constantly searching the web for publicly available social media info about your contacts and populates that information right in their profile. This is a very helpful feature if relationship marketing is your forte.
- Bulk mail and postcards: Working the mailbox at the end of the driveway is still a strategy that a lot of real estate agents use, but seems conspicuously absent from most CRMs. IXACT Contact’s Letters and Labels function allows for mass mailings to be done from your CRM.
Where Does IXACT Contact Fall Short?
IXACT Contact’s list of integrations is noticeably small. Granted, this platform does a lot of the things that other CRMs rely on outside help for, but with less than a dozen partners, you really have limited options for playing with others.
Also, we’d love to see some SMS texting in app. We all know how much higher open rates are on texts versus emails, so having this option would be a nice asset.
Our Favorite IXACT Contact Feature
Obviously, we are pretty geeked about the free six months to new real estate agents. If you somehow missed that above, IXACT Contact offers their CRM FOR FREE to any agent who has been licensed for less than a year. Nobody else is doing this, and if you are a new real estate agent looking for a quality CRM, you can get one. FOR FREE.
Also, the Social Stream option adds another level of service to this CRM that the others in the space just aren’t providing. It isn’t original content, but it is a lot of relevant articles from reputable sources like Huffington Post and Better Homes and Gardens that will actually be interesting to your contacts.
We’ve got a full review of IXACT Contact if you want to dig a little deeper. Check it out.
Try IXACT Contact
IXACT Contact is easy to try. If you are looking for a CRM with an IDX website component, something with some social options, or, gosh darn it, SOMETHING FREE, you should give IXACT Contact a go. They also offer a five-week free trial to really kick the tires, so you don’t have anything to lose here.
Best Real Estate CRM for Realtors Looking for Comprehensive Support: Wise Agent
Wise Agent has been in the real estate CRM space for a long time (since 2002!). Even though the look and feel of Wise Agent sometimes reminds us of Windows 98, they’ve learned things along the way that make them a valuable platform for real estate agents.
If you are looking for a CRM with great automation options and 24/7 support included with every package, Wise Agent is for you.
How Much Does Wise Agent Cost?
Wise Agent has a straightforward pricing structure: $29 a month or $299 per year. Both options include a one-on-one on-boarding call and round-the-clock support, 365 days a year.
| Plan Name | ||
|---|---|---|
| Be A Wise Agent |
Considering the fairly long list of features (great email automation, integration partners, and SMS texting, to name a few), you get a good bang for your buck with Wise Agent.
What Wise Agent Does Well
- Intuitive integrations: Wise Agent has a good list of intuitive integrations with other companies like BombBomb to help build out their offerings for communication and lead gathering.
- Data smart: If you are looking to help make your automation smarter, Wise Agent offers A/B testing in their automatic email responders so you can dial in what your contacts respond to most.
- SMS texting: With the use of Wise Text, you can include SMS texting in your stable of communication options without ever having to leave the CRM.
Where Does Wise Agent Fall Short?
We know looks aren’t that important. But, honestly, it’s time for a face lift, Wise Agent. This complaint is more than skin deep too. The old school interface is actually a little distracting sometimes because there is so much happening on the screen at once (contacts, calendars, email, and so on).
Our Favorite Wise Agent Feature
We know we’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: 24/7 support, 365 days a year, with a real person.
If you have a question about Wise Agent, there is literally always someone ready to answer it.
We wrote an in-depth review of Wise Agent, so if you want to really get under the hood and see how things function, check it out.
Try Wise Agent
If service and support are number one for you, Wise Agent is a great CRM to check out. Their price is very affordable, and you can even try it for free. With a 30-day, full-featured trial, you can put Wise Agent through its paces and see how it could benefit your business.
Bringing It All Together
With so many different business models, philosophies, and real estate agent types out there, it is easy to see why there are so many different real estate CRMs. Which of these seven is right for you? Is there a real estate CRM that we need to add to our guide?
Drop a comment below and tell us about your favorite CRM. Is it on this list? How did it change the way that you do business?
Fantastic post! You won’t see this on Inman. Too many sacred cows.
Interesting that WiseAgent gets a 9/10 with no mobile experience. Will have to dig into all of these deeper when I have some more time. I hear that LionDesk is working on a version 2.0. That should be interesting.
Will definitely post a link to this on some FB groups.
Thanks for your thoughts Roland. Yes, a deeper dig is definitely in order, the CRM game is changing quickly right now! LionDesk has some interesting partnerships in the works that we will be covering here in the future, they are making some pretty serious strides towards being the leader of the pack. We will definitely be watching that development closely.
Thanks for the insight Chris. As a brand new agent, I found this very useful. I do have one question regarding export from an existing tool to another. I have an agent in the office ready to move from Top Producer, but doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel. What tool allows export/import of your existing database information?
Thank you!
Hey Micki, pretty much every CRM allows you to export XLS data that you can then feed into your new CRM. Many will also do this for you or at least walk you through it when you start onboarding. We don’t have data for each company listed here, but if this is something that is a concern for you, reach out and let them know. They will all happily give you a product walk through to address any questions.
Thank you! I’ll pass along.
Former Boomtown user looking for a CRM. I love BT CRM but it is too pricy. I have tried Liondesk and like it. I like that you can rename and create categories(hotness) and it seems fairly easy to use. However I am looking for a CRM that has home listing emails (e alerts) that I can set up for my leads like on BT. This is a must. Can you recommend one that is not a all in one unit . I plan on my having my own website and running some FB and PPC so I need something that can accommodate me with this for the long term. My must haves are categories and e alerts as well as the basics like text/email. Thank you
Hi Will –
Thanks for the comment. Yes, Boomtown is a great system, but you are correct, one of the pricier options out there. There are a couple of different CRMs we’d suggest you check out. The first is Top Producer. They’ve been around for a long time, they have the property Email alerts you are talking about, they have a bit of an al a carte pricing menu so you don’t pay for what you don’t want. However, to our knowledge, they are a little behind the times on integrated texting, so you would have to go somewhere else for that.
Part of the issue that you are going to run into is most CRMs don’t have the sort of IDX integration necessary to be able to create those custom Email alerts. That being said, you might be able to get around that by running a CRM that is also integrated into a standalone website, something like IxactContact, to achieve the same effect.
Not a perfect solution, but there is a lot of great tech out there that can get you across this finish line. I have made a note to myself about what it is you are looking for, if I come across something I will shoot you an Email!
Chris
Hey guys, late to the party here. But I would love to see if you came up with a solution that incorporated in all-in-one CRM/IDX program. I am to a Boomtown user (and absolutely loved it) but recently left the team that was offering the program.
Hi Wes –
Yes! The all-in-one platform is the holy grail right now. Though we can’t say anyone has completely solved this puzzle, Propertybase seems to be closest, maybe IXACT Contact too, but for different reasons. Definitely worth checking out!
Chris
Hi Chris,
Outstanding review. I have tried many of these and you are spot on. Wanted to see if you had feedback on Zap (Realogy version)? Zap integrates a CRM, IDX website, and IDX Mobile app with predictive analytics on client usage and search data. While the CRM is moderate at best, the full IDX website and full IDX mobile app integration that comes bundled with the platform seems to provide added value. I manage an office that provides this platform for free to its agents but the CRM leaves many lacking. While Zap is owned by Realogy, my main loyalty is to my agents. Does a free “workable” but pedestrian CRM that has web/mobile app integration outweigh the more robust CRMs that do not have any connection to IDX web/mobile in your opinion?
Hi John –
Thanks for the comment and questions. I was actually with Coldwell Banker back when Zap was first rolled out to the midwest, so while I do have some memory of it, I’m sure it’s been updated and upgraded since. I don’t know enough about it in its current state to be able to speak on it with any sort of authority, other than to say a lot of agents use it and do find value in it.
As to your question, I’m of two minds here.
There are lots of bells and whistles that a full-throated real estate specific CRM can provide you. There is a lot of value there; those tools are designed with real estate agents and brokers in mind, a single use tool (CRM) is going to have a very thoughtful edge, as opposed to a Swiss army knife (like an all in one platform) that has lots of tools it has to manage all in one place.
On the other hand, a CRM is only as useful as the ways you utilize it. If you aren’t going to use all the bells and whistles of a Propertybase or the like, why spend all the money, time, and effort on it? These tools are supposed to make you better, not busier.
I’m reminded of a presentation I heard Joe Rand of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate deliver recently. He was discussing changes that brokerages have made since the 2008 and 2009 market crash, and one of the changes he mentioned was that when surveying their agents, brokerages realized that many of the tools they were providing to agents (free to the agents, at a cost to the broker) were going un-utilized because the agents didn’t actually want them or have a use for them.
If it were me, I’d go to your agents and ask them if there are things that they wish their CRM could do that Zap can’t. Don’t make a change just because you can, make a change because the needs of your agents are dictating it.
Hope this helps!
Chris
I like Realscout for listing alert emails to my clients.
We are a small team (3) and want transaction management, team collaboration and projection management, and crm. We don’t need prospecting or lead purchases; we have that mostly covered, but follow up with our sphere and past clients could use support. We are fairly low tech. I’m thinking maybe Wise Agent, Lion Desk or Realty Commander. Any ideas? Thanks!
Hi Laurie –
Sounds like your business is really coming together, that’s great!
Based on your needs, sounds like LionDesk is the way to go. They’ve got great team management options, and they have a great price point too. Followup Boss also is a great product for teams, but if you’re a fairly low tech group, that might be more bells and whistles than you need, especially for a higher price point.
I’m going to go rogue here and make a suggestion out of the real estate specific sphere too: Bitrix24. They aren’t designed specifically for real estate agents, but they are a helpful sales CRM, and I really like the way they integrate team collaboration and communication with their client facing communication. They also have a free version that you can use to try out the interface and see if it’s something you and your team would want to use before you plunk down a credit card, which is also helpful!
Let me know what you decide on!
Chris
Thank you for all these reviews! I am trying to get myself more competitive as I have fallen behind. I do find it all a bit overwhelming trying to figure out what I need and to do it most efficiently. My brokerage has switched to Boston Logic platform, I have barely learned Top Producer/Market Snapshot. Realty Juggler is my backup for contacts. Brokerage supplies Circlepix and Voice Pad. So with all these tools pulling it together without overlapping is challenging!
Hi Dawn –
Wow, you’ve got a lot of tools, I am sure all useful in their own right, but I am sure also a challenge when it comes to efficiency. I know when I was a full time agent, I definitely fell into the trap of the tools getting more of my time than the business itself, so finding that balance is critical. For what its worth, the Boston Logic platform (now called Propertybase) is a good one, it serves a lot of functions that I think will help streamline your process.
I would suggest starting with your CRM, stretching it as far as it will go, find every function you can use in there, then going to your other tools and deciding if you’ve got unique functions there you can’t live without. If the answer is yes, great, keep ’em. If the answer is no, it’s time to simplify.
Good Luck!
Chris
Excellent review! Do you have one of these comparisons for CRMs for Real Estate Investors (non agents)?
Hi Michele –
Glad you found the reviews helpful. At the moment, we don’t have any sort of depth on an investor focused CRM. I’ve only poked around in the space, but the ones that I’ve found that look interesting are REIPro and REIvolution. The former is a little more traditional CRM with more of the recognizable functions from our reviews, the latter is more of a data driven approach.
Are you currently using a CRM for real estate investing? What’s working for you?
Chris
Has anyone used Real Geeks? Any system that has different languages?
Good Morning Nora!
Thanks for the comment. I have not heard of any of the CRMs on our list being offered natively in other languages, but that is a great question. I have reached out to my contacts with each of them, I will keep you in the loop!
Where are you practicing real estate?
Chris
Great Post
Hi will,
You can try IDXMatrix CRM. It fulfills all requirements like Email and SMS alters.
Hello, Thanks for your post. I’m curious though…how much cheaper is PropertyBase than BoomTown? My brokerage is trying to switch from BT to PB but it’s going horrendously. From my perspective, PB is Salesforce attempt to get into the real estate CRM space and appears to require a full-time IT employee in order to keep the wheels turning. As well, on the agent side of the platform, their tool lacks the basic functions that real estate agents need such as sms texting, a built-in dialer, video integration, to name a few. Not only that but the tool itself is not user friendly or easy to navigate (for instance they call emails “chatter” or something ridiculous like that.).
Changing from BoomTown to PropertyBase has been a regrettably huge mistake for my brokerage so far. It’s been a month and we still don’t have the website or leads being routed correctly. We were receiving about 200-300 leads/month on BoomTown this past month on PB we’ve gotten maybe 30. I’ve used multiple crm’s Including just straight up Salesforce and PB is the least user-friendly and does not come equipped with tools that agents really need (IE: text/sms, dialer or integration with a popular real estate dialer (Mojo, Vulcan7, RedX)). BoomTown is far superior and makes looking at a prospect easy as you can see what properties they have liked or looked multiple times as well as their average price points, how many times you’ve spoken with them, what you’ve texted with them, when your next follow up is, are they a buyer or a seller, or both. There’s just too many features that PB lacks when compared to BoomTown. At this point I’m just curious why BoomTown was not covered in this write-up??? Is it just a price issue?PropertyBase must be paying you to write this article because I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with PB and BT is the real deal. And I’ve yet to meet or talk with anyone that has had a good experience with Salesforce or Property Base in the real estate spectrum. Look forward to hearing back on this. Thank you for listening…
Hi Chad –
Thanks for your patience on our response here, I’ve been doing a little digging around and wanted to get some info before I got back to you.
So, your concerns are valid ones, but I guess I would offer a different perspective.
First off, you asked about the prices on Boomtown vs Propertybase. The fact of the matter is, Boomtown, as a matter of course, doesn’t disclose prices publicly. Some would say this is so they can negotiate a deal that works individually with each agent / team / brokerage, others would say it is because the prices are pretty high and they don’t want to cause sticker shock. I tend to believe the former. From what I can find from third-party reviewers, the cheapest option for Boomtown is $1,000 a month, compared to the $89 a month for Propertybase. Obviously, a massive difference.
As far as the other differences you pointed out, I definitely agree that the platforms are offering very different things, but, I would suggest that Boomtown is very much a marketing platform as much it is a CRM (if not more!). You pay the big bucks for Boomtown because it has all of the outreach and lead generation options, things that a pure CRM would offer. Boomtown wasn’t considered for this article because it really is a horse of a different color!
Propertybase is built on the Saleforce framework, but it is a standalone company and a part of the Salesforce offering. We’ve put Propertybase through its paces and have talked to a lot of agents who use it and are having a lot of success on it.
We certainly welcome your feedback, thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Have you heard of a system called Perfect Storm? If so, how does it rank in relation to the systems you listed?
Hi BJ –
Thanks for the comment. I have no personal experience with Perfect Storm, but from their website, they look like something worth investigating! Have you used them before?
Chris
Hey Chris,
Thank you so much for this valuable information. I have been selling real estate for 18 years in the Los Angeles high end market. I am 61 years old and have never had a CRM so I am a little behind. Although I am not completely technologically ignorant, I am no millennial! From what I have read of your post I am leaning towards Lion Desk. Just curious if you think Lion Desk is a good place for me to start.
Tim
Hi Tim –
Glad to be of help. Yes, personally, I think LionDesk would be a great place for you to start. Here’s why:
– The interface is pretty straight forward, no need to have any technological experience to operate it.
– A lot of the features are very intuitive; they just make sense for someone walking through the process for the first time.
– If you are a part of the CRMLS, you get LionDesk for FREE!
Hope this is helpful, please let me know if I can answer any other questions!
Chris
Thank you Chris. I have signed up for LionDesk!
Great Tim! Can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Chris
Hi Chris,
I’m a selling independent broker with a current sphere of 300. I’ve used ACT! because I had a bad experience with a web based company that folded and took 30k email with them – no, this is not Hillary C in a new gig…:) I wanted to control my data on my own computer but this seems archaic now and ACT! looks stupid when I review all this. I don’t want to need an in-house IT person and I’m not super techie myself. I like the idea of integration but I’m super specific about my look. When I read the users experience of BoomTown to PropertyBase that seemed a bad choice for me. I’m not sure if BT has an affordable product for an one off broker like me – just me and a PA. I liked the idea of WiseAgent because of the 24/7 support. I liked the idea of IXACT Contact bc of the IDX integration and then Realvolve bc of the PA. Any suggestions? I hate change! I usually trade in my phone when it is a zombie phone and then am on the steep part of the learning curve going from a 6s to a 10 and wish I waited for the 11. Help!
Hi AC –
Sounds like you’ve got some big decisions to make, glad to help. First off, I’ll tell you that trying to find a service that isn’t cloud-based and is ONLY hosted on your computer is going to be tough. There might be options out there, but they are going to be pretty far behind what other providers have to offer, so I wouldn’t hold my breath there.
For a broker who isn’t running a huge people operation or office, BoomTown is probably not the best choice for you either. Though they make a great product, they are really designed for teams and entire offices, so you’ll be paying for functionality and options you just won’t be able to take advantage of.
If I were in your shoes, I’d be looking at PropertyBase or IXACT Contact. The IDX integration in the backend of IXACT Contact is really cool, it’s definitely an advantage in the space. The reason I would lean towards PropertyBase is that they are also connected with a really solid lead generation platform, so getting new contacts into that CRM is streamlined; a handy feature for someone who isn’t super tech savvy.
If we’re being honest here, your PA is probably going to spend a decent amount of time on whichever platform you choose. Do they have any input?
Wish you the best of luck, let me know what you decide!
Chris
Great article – I also just discovered Zephyrleads and wonder if you have looked into their crm/ features yet? They seem to be on par with Ixact (CRM/ Website) with a similar price point as well – but there are no reviews online yet. Any info would be terrific. Thanks!
Hi David –
Thanks for the comment. No, I haven’t spent any time with Zephyrleads, but after checking out their website, I am definitely intrigued! I will do a little looking into them and maybe include them in our next update of this piece. If you end up going with them, we’d love to hear about your experiences. Keep us in the loop!
Chris
Hi Chris,
I’ve been reading all your posts and it’s help me narrow down my search…I think.
I just opened my own brokerage. I have always been very independent. I have a good website with IDX and they have “turbo leads” which I really don’t use. I currently have an X-cel sheet where I color coordinate my leads, etc . Now, I am just overwhelmed and I need an automated system . I want alerts to follow up, along with email for marketing flyers (like rezora and Imprev). I would also like a “dob” option when I am reminded when my clients bought their home so I can send them a personal card. Is there a system all-in- one that does a good job. I’m the only employee , but hopefully I will be hiring 3-5 new agents by the end of the year. Thank you in advance.
– NINA H.
Nina –
Congrats on the new brokerage, that is a big accomplishment. Being a one-person show is definitely challenging, especially when you’re trying to get into growth mode and expand a little bit. If you’re looking for an end-to-end solution, as far as I’m concerned, Propertybase is the way to go. Their platform has a ton of automation options for communication, which will allow you to set up email drip sequences in advance, freeing you from having to send individual emails, and that is just the tip of the automation iceberg. They have customizable reporting, a great notification system, and they are under the same umbrella as BoldLeads, so when you’re ready to think about some new lead gen options, you’ve got a built in option.
Propertybase is going to check all your boxes, if I were in your shoes, that’s what I would go with!
Good luck, let us know how things go!
Chris
Thanks Chris. I’m currently doing LionDesk free trial but I’ll be checking into Propertybase.
Thanks again.
-Nina
Thanks for sharing this useful information about Real Estate CRM. It’s Really helpful in the Real Estate industry. One of my friends looking for this type of service I will tell him.Thank you
Amelie –
You’re most welcome, glad to be of service. Please let us know if you or your friend have questions!
Chris
Can’t decide between
Ixact – new agent, free 6 months plus website
Liondesk – Love the sign rider with unique phone number
Wise agent – Love the $299 per year
i’m a new agent with little technology knowledge and very small sphere.
i want to do email drips including postcards, texting and calling.
i want to send an email 30 days after closing and 1 year.
i have my own website where i’ll eventually get leads from but it’s not idx.
i want the option for many different pipelines like:
”open house buyers”, “ morningside prospecting”, “river park farm”, “anniversary”
i’m new so i’m not really sure what i need…my broker uses follow up boss but it’s complicated and i can’t set up my own unique drip campaigns.
thank you for your insight.
Good Morning Carolyn –
Thanks for all your good questions. Based on what you’re going for, sounds like LionDesk might be the way to go. Liondesk offers some great automation options that will accomplish exactly what you’re looking for, plus they integrate well with the other outreach plans you’ve got in mind. Remember though, a CRM is only as good as the amount you’ll actually use it. If I were you, I would schedule a live demo with each platform, kick the tires of each, and make your decision then.
Good luck, let us know what you decide!
Chris
Hmmm that’s a tricky one. Since you have a small sphere, maybe you can try a free trial of each for a few weeks to see what you like best? I am fairly sure you can export your contacts from one to another with an XLS file, but maybe check with them before you commit to a trial and then have to re-enter all your contacts by hand. Good luck!
Hey Chris!
Working on developing an all in one platform for agents like me that are sick of paying for 4 different software solutions. Would love to have you review it when we release!
Hi Ryan –
Always happy to look at new products. Send something my way!
Chris
I’ve reached out to PropertyBase in an attempt to take advantage of the $89/mo you refer to in the article. This is the response I’ve received. “We do have a stand-alone CRM option that is built on salesforce but this platform has a starting price of $500/month. This does get you 5 license but that system also requires more work to set up and really take full advantage of than our base platform.” Apparently, they no longer offer a CRM package under $100/mo.
Hi Mark –
Thanks for the comment. We’ll definitely look into this, appreciate the head’s up!
Chris
I’ve been in the business for 15 years and have a fair amount of contacts. I am now part of a 2 agent team and our plan is to add an admin/transaction coordinator within the next 6 months. We average 50 transactions per year as a team. We have our own clients but share communication with those clients as a team. I’m trying to find the best CRM that would allow us follow up with past clients on a monthly basis (email/postcard/etc) as well as something to stay in contact with current leads. We have our own website with IDX already. Just trying to get more systematized to stay top of mind and not loose prospects in the cracks. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Michael –
Sounds like you’ve built a really solid business, nice work! Based on what you’re saying, I would suggest two platforms. Propertybase is going to offer all the features you’re looking for, their automation and team management stuff is great. Contactually is a platform that I really like for people with very large databases; they have great tools to help to organize large volumes of clientele.
Hope these are helpful suggestions, let us know what you decide!
Chris
Hi Chris, thank you for this excellent review. It helped us a lot with our CRM search. Our business is limited to a budget of $35 per user, though. That is the main reason wiseagent is our favourite on your list. Secondly, we think it fits better with some of our teams’ local needs in Alberta. But we will keep searching. We’d also recommend checking this post for the ones living in Canada: https://www.crmrating.com/a-brief-comparison-of-affordable-real-estate-crm-solutions-for-real-estate-agents-in-canada/
Thanks again, and please update soon!
Thanks David, will do!
Chris
Hi Chris,
Thank you so much for writing such a great article, as it helped me to narrow down the choices.
Some of the CRM’s I’ve utilized in the past include the following:
-BoomTown
-Kunversion/KVCore
-Top Producer
-Chime
-CINC (Commissions Inc)
My experience with all of them is that they require an enormous amount of time, complex setting-up, lots of customization and maintenance to render them useful. Additionally, they are not so intuitive or pleasing to the eye: often, too crowded with data that may take way too long to analyze. Talk about taking analysis paralysis to a new level.
Analysis is extremely important to ascertain what works, what doesn’t and the areas where we should place more focus, but when it becomes too daunting and time-consuming, then it is not very helpful in growing our business.
I feel my prime focus should be time well-spent in front of my customers touring properties or conducting listing presentations, not figuring out the set-up of a particular system. In my opinion, they all offer all these bells and whistles that are so time-consuming and a major waste of money for things one will never use.
It reminds me of a time when we had to spend numerous hours setting up a laptop out of the box, to begin using them. Today, we just purchase a laptop, plug it in and begin working with minimal set-up.
I wonder if in existence there is a CRM platform that right out of the box, you just plug/play: upload/enter contacts and then allow the system to automatically set drip campaigns for each contact, send useful and timely articles, prepare and distribute an amazing weekly/biweekly/monthly newsletter, and provide tools for creating dynamic marketing materials such as open houses, buyer and listing presentations, automatic or integrated social media postings, etc.
The ideal system does everything automatically and intuitively without having to spend a lot of time setting-up campaigns for contacts.
One of the main issues I found in most CRM’s is that creating a drip campaign is very labor-intensive, from having to select the buyer(s), to selecting what e-mails need to be sent out and when.
If I have over 500 contacts, then going through each one to create a specific campaign seems counter-productive.
We all know there is a generally accepted and well-known sequence of events in the buying/selling process for most, so I don’t know why these CRM’s would not automatically enter each contact into a nourishing environment to maintain the prospects integrated and informed throughout, without me having to monitor each contact to ascertain what needs to take place next.
We all know, If we have a real hot buyer/seller who is ready, willing and able to do business with us right now, then, that customer will not ever fall through the cracks, as there will be a different customer relationship and level of communication that surpasses the most innovative and cutting-edge CRM. Of course, we may also want to enter them into our database to provide added value, with great, interesting and captivating info.
Perhaps I am a dreamer, or perhaps I’ve overlooked certain systems that do include all or most of the aforementioned features.
If you can shed some light, I would be extremely delighted. Thank you so much and stay safe!
Best Regards,
Tony
Hi Tony –
Thanks for the message. I wish I could tell you there was a magic bullet CRM that did all of that straight out of the box, but alas, none that I know exists on the market. And, honestly, I doubt there ever will be. Real estate is a hyper local business, from the communities your serve to your clients and their particular needs. Creating drips, communication templates, and other tools that just work straight out of the box is going to be tough because every market’s (and Realtor’s) needs are a little different. For my money, the platforms that get the closest on that are LionDesk and Propertybase, but they both do require a fair amount of setup and customization in order to really benefit your business.
Chris