Has anyone here tried buying leads from HouseValues.com? Of course, they have testimonials on their websites, but I'm looking for some 'unbiased' comments.

Thanks folks!!

Karla Woods
Century 21 Collins Realty
Stockton, CA

Karla,
This has been discussed at length. Try doing a search and read throught all the discussions on this topic

Here's an "unbiased" comment one of my Realtor buds who subscribes to HouseValues sent me.

"Under no circumstances do I wish you to visit my home . I find it extremely disturbing to find that House Values .Com is just a front for unsolicited realtors to get their foot inside my door. Do not forward the evaluation and do not under any circumstances contact me again by phone, email . US mail or in person for any reason. If you do choose to try to contact me I will consider a formal complaint with the appropriate local real estate governance entities."

Sounds like this guy is not interested in his 'free' CMA. :p

I've been doing real estate business on the www since around 1992. Based on those 14 years experience (and I've tried most everything out there including HouseValues, HomeGain, etc., etc. when they were new, here's what I've found to be the very best lead generating tool.

Your own custom designed website that you own and with your own URL wich you also own.

Template type sites are OK but you'll never own them and usually can't move them to other ISPs.

In order to be effective and do business I've found that:

1. Your website must be 'findable' either via search engines or direct URL from print ads and media as well as sign riders on your yard signs.

Brief commercial message: I sell these very nicely done URL or email plates that go on your car and replace the dealer's name. Which would do you the most good: "Bought from Harry's Ford" or "www.FindYourNextHomeHere.com" on the rear of your car???

http://knoxvillemls.com/primelinx/

2. Once you get consumers there you must give them reasons to stay with lots of relevant content to real estate in your area and most importantly some sort of search mechanism (IDX, Realtor.com, company site, etc.) to see ALL the houses for sale in those areas.

3. You must give them reasons to contact you for more information about homes, your area, neighborhoods, things to do, etc. I have found it to NOT be effective to try to force them to fill out some sort of contact information form to get information unless they choose to do so.

Karla, you would be a fool to subscribe to HouseValues!! I'm an ex subscriber. It is a total rip off.

Please run as fast as you can! They stink! Actually that is an understatement.

If you talked to them on the phone, throw the phone away. If you corresponded via email, cancel the email account and throw the computer away.

WOW! Thanks everyone for responding - including those who reminded my tired little lame brain that 'search' is my friend -LOL! Thanks for the reminder.

As to the 'own website' comments - thank you SO much. This is part of my plan and is a 'work in progress'. I started it a couple of days ago. It's http://www.homeaidsales.com if you want to have a look and offer suggestions!

Thanks so much everyone for the warnings about these oline lead generation programs. My only remaining question is about those offered from Realtor.com. Since this is 'our association', are they to be trusted? Yup. I'll do the networking, website design, door knocking and all the other hard work, but I'm also desparate to find buyers for my listers! I really want their homes to sell - they need for this to happen.

Thanks again everyone!

Blessings,
Karla Woods, Realtor

If you will send me $600 a month I will email you 25 quality leads A DAY from your area!!!!!!

They will be just as good as you get from Housevalues.

These housevalue leads are like open house buyers. You'd be lucky to get 5% to work with you. Housevalues isn't the problem. Some people just won't like you no matter what you say or do for them.

I just canceled my House Values subscription. One year, about $5,000, a lot of time and effort and ZERO to show for it.

Aside from the money they charge, there's a huge time committment with House Values. They send you a lead, and you have to drop what you're doing to get out a CMA. Then, if you follow their program, you print up a fancy CMA brochure, personalized for the "lead" - and hand-deliver it. Start to finish - about 3 hours work, total.

So for my one year subscription, I got 110 "leads." In round numbers, about 330 hours (total) servicing these "leads." That's two full months of 8 hour days, spread out over a year. Imagine what I could have done in sales if I'd spent that time generating REAL leads. Two work months. That's a lot of hours!

For $5000 a year or about $417 a month you could buy top 5 positions with Google Adwords and Yahoo Overture for the best 5 to 6 key word phrases for your local market. That's almost to the dollar of what I spend. You will get 10 to 20 or so email inquiries a month in the busy season with about 6 to 10 quality leads of which you will close 1 to 3 a month if you are at all a closer.

That's almost exactly what I do and the success I get.

I just closed a $347,000 house off of an inquiry through Google Adwords going through my website. The commission off of that one transaction pays for my Adwords campaign for almost a two year period....the rest is gravy.

Hey GigEm - thanks so much! I didn't know we could purchase key words for our local market - I'll have to look into that.

If you really want to throw your money away, then try this one http://www.napolitanarealty.com/index.asp

I don't know anything about this, they sent me the info a few days ago. I might try it out.

Here's who the company really is:

http://www.prorealtysolution.com/