Everyone wants more leads. Love ‘em or hate ‘em – you can be using both Zillow and Trulia to get FREE leads. Yes, I said FREE. No matter what your position is on Zillow and Trulia & the infamous syndication discussion, if you have listings or buyers – or want some – you need to be able to be found there. You are missing out on opportunity if you aren’t claiming your listings.

Using Zillow and Trulia to Get Free Leads

Your clients are searching these sites right now. And, they are more than likely searching from a mobile device because Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com all have slick, really functional, consumer apps. More than half of all of the approximately 60 million combined monthly users are accessing these search sites from a mobile device.

The first thing you need to do is set up your free profiles on both Zillow and Trulia. Its absolutely free and fairly painless. The next thing you need to do is find your listings and take ownership. Claim them.

You’ll see in this first screen capture that, since I am not a paid advertiser, I am not listed as an agent at all. There are two paid agents automatically checked off to receive any possible inquiries on that property. I am listed at the very bottom of the page, along with the source of the listing, but its unlikely that anyone will find my info down there.

However, once I claim my listing by clicking the MORE tab, and then clicking CLAIM THIS LISTING… (and please, only claim your own listings, unless you are the broker of record or broker in charge – both Zillow and Trulia have swat teams of listing ninjas ready to ban you or your brokerage for violating the terms of service) You will find the LISTING AGENT prominently displayed above all the paid agents, as seen in the second screenshot.

The process is similar on Trulia. Both Zillow and Trulia will track property views for your claimed listings. Once a consumer places an inquiry, both websites will alert you immediately upon the receipt of a possible opportunity. Its then up to you to take action.

Some things to keep in mind? Nothings perfect. Syndication and data feeds don’t always talk to each other in the same language. Sometimes your 3BD/2.1BA ends up a 3BD/3BA, or your single family home shows up as a mixed use. If that happens, call the company. Both Zillow and Trulia have teams dedicated to fixing inaccuracies. Make sure that you are claiming the current MLS number when looking for your listings.

Many third party sites, for example, a virtual tour company, syndicate your listings to Zillow and Trulia on your behalf. If you don’t go back to edit or withdraw the listing from the VT Company – it may not stop syndicating. You can also upload your properties manually, as can the homeowner. So in theory, you could end up with several sources pushing the same property to the search sites. In many cases, you will have to remove your closed, expireds and/or withdrawn properties manually.

But the fact is, consumers are using these sites to find properties. Don’t you want to be where your audience is? Check out the screenshot below of my Trulia Agent App…you’ll see over 70 leads that have raised their hands to ask for info. If my brokerages listings weren’t there? 70 missed opportunities that I will never have a shot at converting. Ever. Because i’m not where the consumer is. And in the end, its all about servicing the consumer. And in this case, it won’t cost you a dime. Stay Productive.