Our Lead Quality Standards
What counts as a motivated seller lead, what never does, and the checks every single lead passes before it reaches an investor. The same bar applies to our own marketing and to every lead partner.
A quality motivated seller lead is a homeowner (or direct relative) with a high level of motivation who wants to sell within 60 days, is not listed on the MLS, and has real, verified contact info. Every lead passes checks on ownership and title, MLS status, property type, equity, contact verification, and digital fingerprint before delivery, whether it comes from our own nationwide campaigns or from a lead partner. Leads that fail the standard are filtered out, and any that slip through are credited.
Why Our Standards Are Strict
Unlike marketing you might run yourself, we filter out low-quality leads before they ever cost you a phone call. That only works if the definition of quality is written down and enforced on every lead, from every source.
Your best chance to win
Our standards exist so clients have the best possible chance with every home seller who contacts us, and so only the very best leads from partners make it into our system.
A bad lead is not a lost deal
There is a clear line between an investor not closing a purchase and a seller who does not actually want to sell, or is not the owner at all. Not every seller will transact with you, but the data shows most home sellers contacting us transact within 90 days with someone. A qualified lead is your opportunity to win or lose.
We filter, so you don't have to
Run your own PPC, SEO, TV, radio, billboard, direct mail, or social campaigns and every low-quality response still costs you time and money. We filter those out before delivery. Not sure what a qualified lead really costs you today? Run your numbers through our Know Your Numbers calculator.
What's a Quality Motivated Seller Lead?
Every lead in our system has to clear the same definition. Here is the line, drawn plainly.
Every qualified lead is
- Looking to Sell
A real, current desire to sell, not idle curiosity.
- Selling within 60 days
The seller wants to sell within the next 60 days.
- Off market
The property is not listed on the MLS.
- The actual owner
The home owner or a direct relative. Ownership under a trust, LLC, or other estate planning structure qualifies.
- Real and reachable
Verified contact information for a seller we can actually connect you with.
A lead never qualifies when it's
- Not the owner
Wholesalers, real estate agents, and real estate investors posing as the seller.
- Listed on the MLS
If it is on the market with an agent, it is not an off-market lead.
- Bare land
Land with no structures on it.
- Commercial property
We qualify residential home sellers only.
- Mobile home in a park
Without title to the land, it is not a fit for our investors.
- Fake or unreachable info
If we cannot contact the seller, the lead is not valid.
Quality Checks We Run
We've built extensive systems to qualify, fact check, and validate every home seller coming into our system, from our own huge nationwide marketing campaigns to the leads we purchase from third parties. Every lead is measured against questions like these.
Ownership & Title
- Is the name on the lead similar to the name on the title?
- How long ago was the home purchased?
- What is the equity in the property?
Listing & Property
- Is it currently listed on the MLS?
- How long ago was the last MLS listing?
- What is the property type?
Contact Verification
- Did the seller verify their phone and email?
- Is the email from an anonymous email provider?
- Is the email or phone on a known list of brokers, agents, or investors?
- Does the seller's area code match the property location?
Digital Fingerprint
- Is the seller's IP address in the United States or Canada?
- How far is the IP address from the property address?
- Is it a data center IP?
- Is it a VPN?
The Standard Starts at the Source
These checks run on every lead we buy, but quality starts with how a seller is reached in the first place. Cold calling, SMS blasts, bulk email, and co-registration traffic are never accepted into our network, no matter how well the leads score.
Lead Quality FAQs
What counts as a qualified motivated seller lead?
A homeowner (or direct relative) with a high level of motivation who wants to sell within the next 60 days, whose property is not listed on the MLS, with real, verified contact information. Ownership through a trust, LLC, or other estate planning structure qualifies. Wholesalers, real estate agents, and investors posing as sellers do not.
What disqualifies a lead?
A lead never qualifies when the property is listed on the MLS, is bare land with no structures, is commercial property, or is a mobile home on a rented lot. It also fails when the contact info is fake or the seller cannot be reached, or when the person is a wholesaler, real estate agent, or investor rather than the owner or a direct relative.
What quality checks does REI Leads run on every lead?
We check whether the name on the lead matches the name on the title, how long ago the home was purchased, whether it is currently or was recently listed on the MLS, the property type, and the equity in the property. We verify the seller's phone and email, flag anonymous email providers, screen contact info against known lists of brokers, agents, and investors, and compare the seller's area code to the property location. We also analyze the IP address: whether it is in the United States or Canada, how far it is from the property, and whether it comes from a data center or VPN.
Do these standards apply to leads REI Leads buys from partners?
Yes. The same systems that qualify, fact check, and validate sellers from our own nationwide marketing campaigns run on every lead we purchase from third parties. Lead partners are also restricted at the source: cold calling, SMS blasts, bulk email, and co-registration traffic are never accepted into our network.
Will every qualified lead turn into a purchase?
No, and that is the right expectation. There is a clear line between an investor not closing a purchase and a home seller who does not actually want to sell or is not the owner at all. Our standards remove the second group. The data shows most home sellers contacting us transact within 90 days with someone; a qualified lead is your opportunity to win or lose.
What happens if a bad lead slips through?
No filter is perfect, so leads that fail our standards are credited. If a seller turns out to be fake, unreachable, already listed, or not the owner, you get the lead credited back.
Leads That Clear This Bar
Every lead we deliver passed this standard minutes earlier. Pick your counties and see what exclusive, qualified seller leads look like in your market.
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