The 2026 guide to finding verified real estate leads that go beyond contact. Learn how to verify intent for more of the real opportunity.
Dial a lead and hit a disconnected number. Or a fake email.
Or someone with zero interest in talking. If you have been in real estate more than a month, you know this feeling.
Several services now deliver verified contact information that connects you with real people. Some have gone beyond verifying phone numbers to solve the deeper problem: wasted time.
Most agents do not ask the important question until they have already burned through thousands of dollars.
Verified contact does not mean quality
But before we dive in, let’s get clear on the truth: verified contact information does not equal quality leads.
They’re two different animals entirely.
Most lead services verify the phone number and email are real.
But that verification tells you nothing about whether the person actually wants to buy or sell right now.You can spend hours calling verified contacts who were "just browsing" with no real intent.
Even with verified data, 60-70% of calls go to voicemail. Less than 5% result in appointments.
The contact info was verified, but the opportunity never existed.
This disconnect between verification and actual opportunity is why we decided to shed some light today on how the players in the industry approach the problem.
Over the past few years, the market has split into two camps: those still focused on verifying contact data, and those trying to verify something far more valuable.
How each service approaches verification
Here’s a quick breakdown of how the major services stack up when you look at what they actually verify:
| Service | Primary Focus | Verification Method | Cost Structure | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ylopo | High-intent Google traffic | Live call center + transfer | Platform + ad spend | Eliminating cold calling entirely |
| REDX | FSBO/Expired/Pre-foreclosure | Triple phone verification + DNC scrubbing | $49-99/month | Comfortable with outbound calling |
| Smartzip | Predictive seller leads | Algorithms + public records | $199-499/month | Patient, long-term pipeline building |
| Mojo Dialer | Geographic/FSBO data | Real-time validation + dialer | $99-299/month | High-volume prospecting |
| CINC | Google/Facebook leads | Phone validation at capture | $1,000-2,000/month | Teams needing all-in-one platform |
| Market Leader | Exclusive buyer/seller leads | Manual verification + CRM | $500-1,500/month | Want guaranteed exclusivity |
Starting from the non-Ylopo options, each service takes a fundamentally different approach to the verification challenge.
REDX
REDX provides up to three phone numbers per lead from expired listings, FSBO properties, and pre-foreclosures. Triple phone validation, DNC scrubbing, and regular refreshes ensure accuracy.
What you get is the opportunity to prospect. But make no mistake: this is still cold calling.
Most agents make 100+ calls to secure one appointment.
Smartzip
Smartzip uses predictive modeling to identify homeowners likely to sell within 18 months.
They analyze over 300 data points including life events, property characteristics, and behavioral signals.
The advantage? You avoid competing with other agents.
The patience requirement? Most leads will not transact for 12-18 months.
CINC
CINC combines lead generation with built-in CRM, generating leads through Google PPC and Facebook. They verify phone numbers at capture and deliver leads into their native CRM with automatic action plans.
The investment is significant (typically $1,000-2,000 monthly plus ad spend).
Excels at managing team workflows, though you get locked into their ecosystem.
Mojo Dialer
Mojo combines verified lead data with power dialing. GeoLeads targets specific neighborhoods while FSBO and expired data provide motivated sellers.
The auto-dialer places 60-80 calls per hour compared to 20-25 manual dials.
Be honest with yourself: this is still cold calling. Success rates hover around 1-2% of dials resulting in appointments.
And there you have the pattern you start to notice after working with these services for a while. They all solve the technical challenge of getting you accurate contact information.
But something still feels broken.
They verify contact not intent
Every service offers verified contact information that reaches real people. Yet agents keep reporting frustration.
Why? Traditional services verify contact information is accurate.
They do not verify intent or genuine interest.
Someone browses properties late at night, fills out a form, their contact info gets verified, you call the next morning, and they say "I was just looking" or do not answer. The contact was verified.
The lead was real. But the opportunity never existed.It took about three years of watching this pattern repeat before someone asked the obvious question: What if we verified the conversation instead of just the contact?
Ylopo verifies intent before you get invested
Ylopo reimagined what "verified" means.
Instead of verifying contact information after a form submission, Ylopo verifies intent before any of your time gets invested.
Google live transfer leads
Google Live Transfer Leads, one of Ylopo's flagship services targets people actively searching Google for real estate agents. These are high-intent prospects who decided to contact an agent right now.
Step 1: High-intent capture
Google Local Service Ads position you at the very top (above Zillow, above organic listings, above traditional ads).
Step 2: Professional screening
A trained call center agent answers every inquiry, determining intent, timeline, property specifics, and situation. Only qualified prospects move forward.
Step 3: Live transfer
After verification, the call transfers to you with a warm introduction: "Hi [Agent Name], I have [Prospect Name] on the line interested in selling their home at [Address]. They are ready to talk now."
Results
29% of calls qualify as hot prospects, 5% close within 90 days. Cost per valid lead ranges from $125-200, but you only speak with pre-qualified prospects ready for conversation.
This eliminates wasted time on unresponsive or unqualified contacts. You have conversations with people who called looking for an agent.No chasing form submissions. No making cold calls.
But live transfers only capture people ready to talk right this second. What about everyone else in your pipeline who needs more time?
Direct connect: data-rich intelligence
Ylopo's Direct Connect uses multi-step questionnaires gathering housing situation, timeline, financing status, motivation factors, and property preferences.
Only genuinely interested prospects complete detailed questionnaires. Tire-kickers drop off after the first question.
You receive verified contact information plus actionable insights.
Of course, getting better information upfront only solves part of the equation. The bigger challenge is what happens in the weeks and months after that initial contact.
AI-powered continuous verification
Ylopo's AI² (AI Squared) combines AI Text and AI Voice to engage leads 24/7, continuously verifying interest through conversations.
The AI sends personalized messages, analyzes responses using ChatGPT-enhanced processing, verifies timeline and motivation, monitors website activity, and escalates to voice calls or live transfers when high-intent behavior appears.
Leads self-identify readiness through engagement patterns. You get real-time behavioral signals, not static data from weeks ago.The system nurtures leads for up to 90 days with follow-up no manual process can match.
Most agents evaluate these services by looking at the obvious metrics (cost per lead, number of contacts, verification methods).
But after watching hundreds of agents succeed and fail with different platforms, I have noticed the real differentiators are things nobody puts in their marketing materials.
Hidden factors that determine real ROI
The hidden cost of your time
Most cost comparisons ignore agent time value. Consider this:
Scenario A: 50 verified leads at $10 each ($500). You spend 20 hours calling and emailing to generate 2 appointments.
Scenario B: 5 live transfer calls at $150 each ($750). All 5 are conversations with qualified prospects, resulting in 2 appointments with 1 hour of total time.
Scenario B costs 50% more per lead but saves 19 hours. If your time is worth $100/hour, Scenario B costs $1,650 less when you factor in time value ($750 + $100 vs. $500 + $2,000).
The cheapest lead cost per contact often becomes the most expensive per closed transaction.I have seen agents drive themselves into burnout chasing $10 leads while their competitor closes deals with $150 live transfers. The math seems backwards until you experience it.
Response time velocity
Research shows contacting a lead within 5 minutes increases conversion by 400% compared to waiting 30 minutes.
Traditional services deliver leads to your CRM, then you manually initiate contact. Ylopo's live transfer eliminates delay entirely (you speak with the prospect within seconds).
Think about your own behavior as a consumer. When you submit a form online, how long do you wait before moving on?
Maybe 10 minutes? Most people give you less.
By the time you see the email notification and pull up your CRM, they have already clicked on two other agents' listings.
The five-minute window separates catching someone while they are still engaged from reaching out to someone who has moved on mentally.
Speed matters, but another timing issue cuts even deeper into your business model.
Database velocity vs. size
Traditional services emphasize building large databases. But most agents can effectively nurture only 200-300 active contacts before follow-up quality degrades.
The better metric is database velocity (how quickly contacts move from lead to closed deal). A database of 150 highly engaged contacts outperforms 1,000 cold contacts every time.
I know agents sitting on databases of 5,000+ contacts who close 20 deals a year. I also know agents with 200-contact databases who close 50.
The size means nothing.
What matters is how many of those contacts actually move through the pipeline versus sitting there taking up space.
Ylopo prioritizes velocity over volume, identifying ready-now opportunities while continuously engaging the entire pipeline.
The AI system essentially acts as a filter, constantly testing every contact to see who is ready to move forward.
So with all these factors in mind (time value, response speed, database strategy), how do you choose? Where you are in your business journey matters more than the features.
Match service to your business stage
New agents (years 1-2)
We think we offer the best bang-for-buck option out here, but If you’re just starting out and not ready to spend a certain amount of $/month on Ylopo, especially when you are not yet confident on the phone, it’s okay.
Services like REDX, Mojo Dialer, and Espresso Agent offer the lowest cost per contact.
You have more time than money, and prospecting builds crucial skills.
Plan for 3-6 months before seeing results.
Build your prospecting muscles before premium services make financial sense.
Established individual agents (years 3-5)
Still, Ylopo's AI-powered platform makes the most sense. Your time becomes your most valuable asset.
Automated nurturing and live transfers multiply your capacity without hiring staff. Budget $1,500-3,000/month.
This is the sweet spot for premium services. You have proven you can convert leads and understand your market.
Now scale without sacrificing the personal touch.
Growing teams (5-15 agents)
All-in-one platforms like CINC or comprehensive marketing engines like Ylopo work well. You need lead distribution, accountability tracking, and performance analytics.
Implement clear lead handling protocols.Teams face a unique challenge (consistent lead flow for everyone, but systems to ensure nothing falls through the cracks). The platform matters less than crystal-clear protocols for who handles what and when.
I have seen teams succeed with basic platforms because they had tight processes, and fail with expensive technology because nobody enforced the workflows.
Large teams (15+ agents)
Enterprise platforms with dedicated support become essential. Ylopo's MaverickRE offers comprehensive business intelligence, ROI tracking by source, and AI call grading for coaching.
At this scale, you run a small business with all the complexity that entails. You need data on which lead sources produce the best ROI, which agents convert at what rates, and where bottlenecks are.
Dedicated support is essential because downtime affects dozens of people.
Those recommendations probably sound straightforward, but I wish someone had told me this years ago when evaluating these services.
Ready for verified intent?
The verified real estate leads landscape has evolved beyond contact accuracy. The best solutions now verify intent, engagement readiness, and transaction probability before you invest any time.
Traditional services like REDX, Smartzip, and Mojo Dialer provide verified data for agents with strong prospecting skills. CINC offers verified leads within comprehensive systems for teams.
These approaches work for some business models.
But if you want to stop chasing ghosts and start having conversations with people who actually called looking for an agent, Ylopo has eliminated the gap between contact and conversation. Live transfer technology, professional screening, and AI-powered engagement deliver verified opportunities rather than just verified data.
Aaron Franklin
Head of Growth
Aaron "Kiwi" Franklin is the Head of Growth at Ylopo and a serial technologist and entrepreneur who has over 25 years of experience creating digital solutions for major brands and pioneering companies where technology and real estate meet. His depth of expertise stems from leading development of the first website for Apple to founding a global community of over 1,000 elite athletes.