Hello Everyone,
I am located in N.Calif. I have had a very bad experience this past year with an Internet company that sells "leads" to Realtors. I am now hearing from many, many other agents who are having the same or worse problem. There are apparently many of these types of companies. The one that I was involved with is very large, in fact selling "territorys" across the US and Canada. I don't believe that I can mention their name in this forum but do want to warn as many agents as possible to throughly investigate any such company prior to commiting. I am talking about being taken advantage of to the tune of several thousand dollars. (I know, what was I thinking) Would be interested to hear of anyone elses similar experiences.
Thanks for your time,
Judy Reed

Judy, if you run a search here on the company's name, you'll probably find quite a few conversations (especially if their initials are HV).

Yes there is a lot of garbage out there in lead generation. Yes there are a few that are legit. You have to look at the company, what others say about it and how effective you are with internet leads. If the company receives lots of complaints, stay away. If you do not do well with following up, stay away. Ask these two questions to determine the previous questions:

1. Are the leads exclusive or shared with others?
If they are shared, I would stay away unless you are the kind of person who would be happy and do well in politics. (i.e. you have to lie, cheat, steal and do everything possible to get the business from the other agents) I for one am not into doing that type of work.

2. Are you committed to working the leads?
Most internet leads are 4-6 months away from purchasing a home. I have leads I have been working since October that are now actually making trips to my area and looking at homes with me. I have to keep in touch with them on a regular basis in order for them to use me as their agent. Sending a one time email or voicemail doesnt cut it. You have to get the person on the phone and talk for a bit.

James Gierson,
I'm not referring to "valid" leads. I'm talking about fraud! Leads that are not REAL PEOPLE, FAKE EMAIL ADDRESSES,people who when contacted don't know what you are talking about. House Values sells "exclusive territorys" the same ones to multiple agents. They lie, misrepresent, charge amounts from (I am aware of) $99. to $700. monthly for the same "service/territory" Whatever the market will bear. So it's not a matter of patience (wait 4-6 months) or handling the "lead" in a professional manner. It's about THEFT. Out and out fraud. We are hearing from dozens of agts across the country who have been bilked out of thousands of dollars. Think about it.
Judy Reed

Judy,

I have never used the leads from that company before so I am not experienced in their legitimacy. I do know however that the leads being sold as exlusive etc. and then being shared is fraudulent. I would definitely look at the terms and conditions etc. to see what they say about the exclusive zip codes.

I have heard many comments about the leads through HV, and have heard that most agents dont care for the leads but really enjoy their customer management program. Sorry I was mistaken in thinking that the leads were valid. I was not trying to point fingers and call anyone lazy etc. The point I was trying to make was that not everyone is cut out for internet leads just as I am not cut out for door to door marketing.

I have been doing Internet leads for 5 years now. Mostly as a buyer and I have witnessed blatant fraud and "some" legitmacy.

That's why I started my own service.

If you are interested in a legitimate lead service, let me know. I am currently offer leads in Utah, Washington and can easily do California. I also have them in Arizona but I use them exclusively for my Buyer's Agents here.

Why is my program better you ask? Because I have a vested interest in the leads. I call the leads also. No, not to get the Real Estate, but I have my Loan Officers call it on your behalf also (you should call too), in order to get them pre-qualified and even more interested than they already are. Realtors are eating this up. They love it because they don't miss an opportunity. If they are out showing or listing homes, someone is still calling on their leads and their behalf.

You can visit the link below and get all the details. But we don't have a single Realtor who has signed up, who has not resigned for more lead. They are happy with the quality and service we give, and we are happy to be working with them. It's a truly great relationship and unfortunately, there are not more services like this. I only wish I had more leads in these markets because our demand is high and the Agents we work with are very greatful.

Here's the link if anyone wants to check it out.

http://www.byownernation.com/Agent_27_s_20_Help.html

You're going to be amazed by the prices for the service we offer.

I'm sorry to make this a solicitation. I truly understand how everyone feels about fraudulant lead providers and lead providers in general. I couldn't stand the process of testing out new lead vendors when I purchased them.

Always get someone's opinion before buying anything. Ask for previous and current customers from any lead provider you have. If they can't provide you with a current customer or a previous customer who is willing to let you know if the service is good or not, then they don't have a very good rapport with their customers.

But this is just an opinion from a guy who got tired of fraudulent vendors and did something about it.

are you a buyer agency, fsbo service, mortgage company or what? hard to tell by your post and your site.