Leads are the lifeblood of any real estate business, but let’s face it – leads are not exactly growing on trees. Generating leads organically is awesome, but sometimes, organic methods can fall short. That’s when buying real estate leads is your best friend. Purchasing online leads will regularly fill your sales pipeline so you can ensure your real estate business constantly stays busy. Read on for our list of the best places to buy real estate leads, complete with the costs and features of each platform.

The Close’s Top Picks of Best Places to Buy Real Estate Leads

ProviderBest For
Starting Monthly Prices
Market LeaderMonthly guaranteed leads
$189
Zillow Premier AgentBuyer leads
Depends on market.
Estimate of $300-$1,200
Sold.comPreferred agent network and referral leads
Free to join
CINCPaid search advertising
$899
zBuyerOn-demand leads generated via cash offer
$400 min/month

Market Leader: Best for Monthly Guaranteed Leads

logo for lead generation company Market Leader
Market Leader ProsMarket Leader Cons
  • Guaranteed lead volume every month
  • Lead quality isn’t always premium
  • Guaranteed contact information (and a refund for fake leads with bogus emails and phone numbers)
  • Can get pricey at scale
  • Excellent for long-term business forecasting
  • May not be ideal if you already have a robust & active website

My Take on Buying Leads From Market Leader

  • Cost: Professional: $189/month, Teams: $329/month, Business Suite: Custom pricing

A lead volume guarantee is an excellent option for agents with a fixed marketing budget looking for a straightforward way to buy leads. Knowing how many leads you need monthly will ensure that paid lead generation is profitable, which is what Market Leader does for you. Leads come from ads on Google and social media to drive traffic to either a home valuation page or a personally branded, IDX search-enabled landing page for buyer leads to browse homes. Then, contact info is captured, and the lead is passed directly to you. Simple!

Plus, if you’re looking to increase your pipeline, you can use Market Leader’s “Network Boost,” which can give an average of 25 leads for just $399, every month! The price includes the Market Leader Professional software system, which is required for agents who want to use Network Boost leads.

Visit Market Leader

Zillow Premier Agent: Best for Buyer Leads

Zillow premier agent logo
Zillow Premier Agent ProsZillow Premier Agent Cons
  • A comprehensive system for buyer leads of all types from all places
  • Leads aren’t exclusive
  • Arguably the most important place for real estate reviews on the internet
  • Zillow activity can vary widely in different market areas
  • High-quality CRM and an IDX website
  • Mostly buyer leads with little to no vetting

My Take on Buying Leads From Zillow Premier Agent

  • Cost: Depends on market, generally around $300 to $1,200/month

Since Zillow is one of the most trafficked real estate listing sites, I firmly believe that everyone should at least have a free account on Zillow with an updated digital profile. Zillow Premier works well for agents who are available to follow up with leads quickly and continue to nurture their funnel. Because Zillow leads tend to be near the top of the marketing funnel, they will require some work to convert. However, if you are adept at lead conversion and nurturing, you will do well with the provided by Zillow Premier Agent.

Visit Zillow Premier Agent

Sold.com: Best for Preferred Agent Network & Referral Leads

sold.com logo
Sold.com ProsSold.com Cons
  • You can pay for Guaranteed Display to get more referral leads
  • Onboarding and learning curve
  • Private referral network
  • Leads can be expensive
  • No contract required
  • Not recommended for new agents due to the pricing and digital footprint required

My Take on Buying Leads From Sold.com

  • Cost: Free to get started; appointments secured by agent have no referral fee, appointments secured by Sold.com concierge team have a 30% referral fee

Sold.com is a good way to get your foot in the door with a free referral lead generation program. The platform is based on experience and matching clients with agents most likely to convert those leads. Sold.com also provides an onboarding webinar that covers how the platform works, best practices, and expectations so agents are ready to take on new leads. So if you’re a new agent, you may not start off with as many leads as experienced agents. However, I’d still recommend signing up for lead and networking opportunities.

Visit Sold.com

CINC: Best for Paid Search Advertising

cinc-logo
CINC ProsCINC Cons
  • CINC AI Automation for your follow-up and tasks
  • Expensive to get started
  • Real estate-focused CRM and mobile app/li>
  • Onboarding and learning curve
  • Private referral network
  • Works best with an established digital footprint

My Take on Buying Leads From CINC

  • Cost: Single Agents: $899, Teams: $1,299

CINC is an innovative way for top producers and team leaders to start bringing in lots of leads. It uses Google and Meta to generate leads via hyper-local real estate advertising done for you by the CINC team. By advertising on Google and Meta, CINC brings you leads that have engaged with your advertising already. This feature is a 2-for-1 because digital advertising will simultaneously build your brand in that area. CINC offers a great product that includes a CRM, mobile app, and AI lead nurturing. That way, you can always ensure you take care of your leads promptly and automatically.

Visit CINC

zBuyer: Best for On-demand Leads Generated via Cash Offer

zbuyer logo

zBuyer ProszBuyer Cons
  • Leads are verified + the company offers replacements for bogus leads
  • Leads aren’t exclusive and can “sell out” or be limited in number in a given area
  • Excellent customer service by phone and email
  • No proprietary CRM
  • Reasonably priced, with control over your monthly spend
  • HousingNow.com website is a little glitchy compared to Zillow or realtor.com.

My Take on Buying Leads from zBuyer

  • Cost: $400/month (required minimum), $12 per buyer lead, $15-$17 per seller lead

zBuyer targets potential sellers, directing them to HousingNow.com. The site is similar to Zillow, where buyers can browse listings after inputting their contact information. What makes zBuyer different is that zBuyer verifies leads for agents to ensure these leads are ready to transact. zBuyer sets its members up for success by providing everything needed to get up and running within the first 30 days, such as scripts, CRM blueprints, drip campaigns, and more, to help shorten the learning curve. This platform would integrate well with seasoned agents, teams, or brokerage.

Visit zBuyer

Our Methodology for Evaluating the Best Places to Buy Real Estate Leads

Our team has decades of experience to bring you analysis of the best products and services for real estate agents. We focus on providing our readers with various sources to buy real estate leads so you have an option—no matter your strengths or strategy.  It was necessary to my objectivity to find providers that were our top picks for three key areas: 

  • Pricing: I sought to offer a range of providers for our readers no matter their budget. I also considered the return on investment you should expect from using a provider on our list. 
  • Stability and popularity: Companies listed for our readers are primarily established companies with a history and plenty of reviews for their services. 
  • Utility and strategy: Our readers vary from new agents to top producers with years of experience. I intended the list to be comprehensive for every type of agent to find a place to buy real estate leads, should they choose to do so. 

Visit our full methodology page for an overview of how we at The Close evaluate products and reviews for our readers.


Bringing It All Together 

Buying leads isn’t the only strategy for success in real estate, but it is a crucial part of your business development strategy. These platforms will jumpstart your business and ensure plenty of buyers, sellers, and renters will be flooding your inbox.   

Have questions about these companies, ones we’ve missed, or advice for other agents looking to buy real estate leads? Drop a comment below, and let’s keep the conversation going!