Even before I got into the real estate business as a licensed broker, I was very aware of how popular Zillow was among those looking to list their homes for sale. And things haven’t really changed! With that being said, Zillow may not be the best fit for you depending on your business model or target market. Even if it is a good fit, you can always supplement it with services from similar websites.
I’ve researched more than a dozen listing websites, looking for those that offer features that Zillow does not provide. Key factors I considered included cost, customer service, customer ratings, and listing and advertising features. Below is a list of the five best Zillow alternatives I recommend checking out:
- Zurple: Best overall for automated lead generation
- Market Leader: Best for obtaining exclusive leads
- Smartzip: Best for predictive analytics
- Realtor.com: Best for extensive customer support
- Redfin: Best for listing features
My top picks for Zillow alternatives
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About Zillow
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Zillow is popular for folks looking for homes in the US, with over 200 million unique monthly site visitors. When you become a Zillow Premier Agent, you get access to many potential leads from these site visitors. The platform integrates with various CRMs like Follow Up Boss, Top Producer, and Lofty, making lead management easier. It also lets you set up tasks, reminders, texts, and emails. If you join the My Agent program, you’ll be the only buyer’s agent seen by potential leads.
- Training resources: Zillow Premier Agent offers training resources to improve lead generation and client management. These resources also help you use Zillow’s tools effectively and enhance your business performance.
- Client communication resources: This tool helps track clients, new leads, and showings. It lets you group clients by buying or selling interest and keep track of your communication with leads.
- Performance analytics and tracking tools: These resources optimize lead performance. They provide detailed reports on lead volume, response rates, and conversion metrics. They also offer performance analytics for team leads to track team members’ effectiveness.
To learn more about Zillow’s features, pricing, pros, and cons, read our 2024 Review: Is Zillow Premier Agent Worth the Cost? and Is Zillow Flex Worth the 35% Referral Fee?—The Close articles.
Zurple: Best overall for automated lead generation
Why I chose Zurple
When it comes to generating and nurturing leads, Zurple has the ability to take a lot of the heavy lifting off your shoulders. For starters, you’ll be given a branded IDX website for your business, allowing visitors to create an account in order to view MLS listings. This activity, in turn, is tracked and then fed to Zurple’s intelligent lead nurturing system.
Lead nurturing by Zurple is an automated, behavior-driven feature. When Zurple identifies leads ready to move to the next stage, automated pipeline management can let you know who to reach out to at the appropriate time. With this and other data insights provided by the system, you’ll be able to identify which leads are likely to buy or sell soon, so that you can make the best use of your time in getting active listings and closed deals.
Standout features
- Lead intelligence scoring: Zurple prompts you when to take over lead communication and prioritizes leads based on data points.
- Social media marketing tool: It shows your post history and allows you to drive traffic with your marketing, independent website, or paid ads. Additionally, it provides options to run ads on Google, Bing, and Yahoo to drive traffic through search engine results.
- Analytics: Track leads and agent performance to improve conversion rate after Zurple reviews your data.
Market Leader: Best for obtaining exclusive leads
Why I chose Market Leader
Market Leader helps you get more listings as a real estate agent through the use of its lead generation and lead engagement tools. One standout feature is that it can provide you with exclusive leads in your area, something that can increase your likelihood of landing a closed deal since you’ll have less competition over the same buyers or sellers. It also has automated lead nurturing tools and lead intel that can track behaviors and notify you when a hot lead surfaces.
Market Leader also has marketing tools that work well with social media. For instance, its Network Boost service captures Facebook and Instagram leads using ad campaigns managed by its advertising experts. Market Leader also has a website builder with IDX capabilities, along with listing market automation that you can customize with flyers, postcards, social media posts, and more.
Standout features
- MLS-integrated websites: Allow visitors to your website the ability to easily find properties that match their preferences and criteria. Built-in IDX feeds ensure the information is regularly updated and allow visitors to view other information such as market data, trends, school districts, and more.
- Website lead capture tools: Quickly and easily capture the contact information of interested parties with forms for scheduling showings and home valuations. Visitors can also opt in for custom listing alerts based on the criteria they select, and SEO features like indexed listings can boost your site’s visibility on popular search engines to drive more traffic to your site.
- Listing marketing automation: For each new listing, you’ll receive a customizable marketing package to advertise the property. This includes a property website, one-click social media posts, ready-to-print flyers and postcards, and a listing email that can be sent to prospects.
Smartzip: Best for predictive analytics
Why I chose Smartzip
According to the National Association of Realtors, 81% of sellers contacted just one agent before finding the right agent to work with in selling their home. In other words, the sooner you contact a homeowner, the more likely you are to lock them in as your client.
With that in mind, it can be really important to identify homes that will be most likely to be listed for sale. Smartzip uses predictive analytics to do this with a 72% accuracy rate, aggregating data from over 25 sources and analyzing more than 122 million properties.
With Smartzip, you’ll also be able to optimize your online presence to capture more referrals. Its Reach 150 service allows you to control what people see on the web when they look you up, as well as give you the ability to leverage positive reviews from former clients. Coupled with an SEO optimized review website, you’ll be able to put your best foot forward so that new leads have a favorable impression of you and will therefore be more motivated to work with you.
Standout features
- Predictive analytics: Uncover the best leads and identify which properties are most likely to be listed for sale in the upcoming 12 months thanks to Smartzip’s use of statistical algorithms and machine learning techniques.
- SmartTargeting: By identifying only those properties most likely to be listed for sale in the near term, you can save time and money by focusing your marketing and lead nurturing efforts on what really matters.
- Dedicated review website: Polish your online presence with a dedicated review website showcasing only your best customer testimonials.
Realtor.com: Best for extensive customer support
Why I chose Realtor.com
After a thorough evaluation, I found that Realtor.com ranks as another excellent Zillow alternative for agents. It offers lead generation, listing management, and extensive customer support. With a monthly search volume of more than 49 million and connections to the multiple listing service (MLS), it’s an excellent platform for real estate exposure.
It also has an incredible texting tool for connecting with other pros and a feature that lets you see how specific property features affect the price, which is pretty awesome! Go check it out.
Standout features
- Automatic updates: Most listings on Realtor.com are updated every 15 minutes to give users the most recent information.
- Advanced features: Realtor.com enables you to set triggers and alerts, plus automate workflow.
- News: Realtor.com provides articles about real estate trends, helpful guides to buying and selling homes, and data on mortgage interest rates nationwide.
Redfin: Best for listing features
Why I chose Redfin
Redfin is another fantastic alternative to Zillow with its cool listing features. It offers 3D walk-throughs, virtual tours, GreatSchools ratings, and local school information on its map. It also has a Customer Calendar to help agents manage appointments and track deal milestones. Its website has an affordability calculator, homebuying and selling guides, and market trends data that you can share with clients to position yourself as the go-to expert.
Standout features
- Neighborhood quality measures: Redfin’s search filter includes a neighborhood Walk Score, Transit Score, and Bike Score, so you can learn more about the area where you might be living.
- In-app contact form: Use this to connect with a Redfin real estate agent or partner agent who can answer questions or schedule an in-person or virtual tour.
In-app calendar: Browse upcoming open houses in your desired area and save future open houses that might interest your client.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Where do realtors get most of their leads?
Realtors usually get their leads through real estate referrals, networking events, and being active on social media. These methods help agents build relationships with potential clients and get leads through word-of-mouth marketing. Buying leads is also a popular option to support and keep a steady flow of leads for an agent.
What does it mean to buy leads in real estate?
When you buy leads in real estate, it means you’re paying for a list of potential clients who are interested in buying or selling a property. These leads can come from different places, like lead generation websites, social media, or online ads. By getting these leads, real estate agents can grow their list of potential clients and improve their chances of making a sale.
How do you get seller leads?
If you want more seller leads in real estate, try asking for referrals and having your network spread the word about your services. Another way to find seller leads is to use home valuation landing pages, which are great because they give potential sellers an idea of what their home is worth, conveniently putting them in touch with you. Another approach is to reach out to expired listings using scripts that focus on understanding and helping the sellers. Also, consider buying seller leads from the best real estate lead generation companies or websites.
Methodology: How I chose the best Zillow alternatives
To evaluate and discover the best Zillow alternatives in this article, I leaned on our team of licensed real estate pros, researchers, writers, and editors, who created a weighted rubric to evaluate each website. Our team has spent hours researching dozens of real estate listing websites similar to Zillow and assessing each based on the most impactful elements for agents and brokers. Here are the criteria we based our evaluations on:
- Pricing (25%)
- We compared each website’s pricing structure based on monthly subscriptions, price per listing, advertising costs, and price by ZIP code. We also considered whether the website offered a free trial.
- General Features (20%)
- The general features evaluated whether an agent could list a property, create a profile, advertise for leads, and whether the site allows reviews on the agent profile.
- Listing & Advertising Features (20%)
- A real estate listing marketplace should be able to update listings and allow agents to edit photos and videos as needed. The site should also allow for listing advertisements, IDX integrations, and claiming properties that are your own exclusive listings.
- Integrations & Advanced Features (10%)
- Advanced features like an IDX website, CRM, social media integration, and workflow automation enhance your overall business practice. Additional features, such as alerts and marketing assistance, can ensure you maximize listing exposure.
- Customer Service (5%)
- We investigated the hours of customer service support and whether clients could obtain support through telephone, email, or live chat.
- Customer Rating (10%)
- Based on customer feedback for each listing website, particular attention was given to product reviews and monthly search volume to ensure that the platform meets agent satisfaction.
- Expert Rating (10%)
- Our expertise in the field and firsthand experience with the websites allow us to evaluate each Zillow competitor’s listing system’s standout features, value for the money, and ease of use.
Your take
When promoting your listings, picking the right real estate website is crucial for getting leads and keeping your sellers happy. Although Zillow gets a lot of traffic, there are other real estate websites like Zillow that offer reasonable prices, targeted audience reach, and better support, so they’re worth considering.
Are there any top real estate listing websites that could be great alternatives to Zillow? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
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