SmartZip is a service that finds homeowners likely to sell. It uses big data and analytics. They also use old methods like direct mail and digital marketing.
They call this method SmartTargeting. SmartZip says they can find 70-90% of homes ready to sell. They are leaders in real estate technology solutions.
SmartZip focuses on predictive analytics and big data. This helps them change how leads are found and followed.
They aim to find the “top 20%” of homes likely to sell. They share how many homes in their top 20% sell compared to the other 80%.
SmartZip also has tools for growing your network and getting referrals.
Features
Overview
Control
SmartZip was born in 2008 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California. In 2019, SmartZip was bought by Constellation, who just a month previous had also bought SmartZip’s competitor, Offrs.
Welcome to your one-stop-shop for SmartZip reviews!
Other lead sources are often fairly opaque about where their lead sources are coming from. SmartZip is not, and gives you some control over the outreach as well. You customize the direct mail pieces, landing pages, and get the “access key” that you can share with your prospects in any way you like.
Once you have it set up, the automated marketing campaigns does most of the work without needing you to click send on mail.
Below are examples of the landing pages you can send your prospects to. Prospects include their access codes providing in your marketing materials. That way you can track when your leads are using the landing pages your marketing is putting in front of them. You can create your own URL for your specific farm, e.g. www.WhiteRockEstatesValues.com. You can control if the phone number is forced or not. There are numerous sites to match your call to action, like home price inquiries, market trends, and more.
Add-Ons
SmartZip has a few optional additional products to consider.
The first is Reach 150. This is an additional program that is an intriguing way to stay in front of past clients. It does not replace your referral marketing, but instead, it subtly shows your sphere ads showcasing your recent work. It is a targeted way to stay top-of-mind in your sphere and present when they know someone who is considering buying or selling.
Door Knockers
SmartZip also has its own call center that you can add-on, called Outreach. Similar to a VA service like Agentology, their Outreach program quickly calls new leads and prequalifies them for you.
The SmartTargeting program works as a simple marketing platform
Their home valuation pages include automated valuation models (AVMs) as part of a CMA tool to share with homeowners,
Maybe the marketing isn’t appealing to you. For not much more, you can blanket a neighborhood with direct mail and not have to pay for all the bells and whistles.
Drawbacks
What to Know
Not Exclusive
But door knocking is not scalable like direct mail is. And that is something it might be worthwhile to be more targeted in your use of time. As a farming software, SmartZip is worth considering for successful door knockers.
Exclusivity is not super important to me personally, but it is to some brokers on some issues. SmartZips’ SmartTargeting program was originally exclusive, but a few years ago moved to a non-exclusive model.
SmartZip does come with a one year contract.
Combined with the price, SmartZip is a major commitment for real estate professionals and small teams. You don’t want to go into it unprepared to work leads. Spending money on leads is worthless if your follow up is mediocre!
Best Alternatives
Better Options
HighLevel
SmartZip Pricing*
How Much Does it Cost?
- ~$500+/mo just to get started
- ~1000+/mo for the average agent
A system like SmartZip, which targets homeowners before they are even on the market for an agent, means that you are going to be getting numerous homeowners who are months or years out from actually selling. You need to have your game on to keep in touch with these folks and be front and center when they are ready to list.
Direct mail is a big part of SmartZip. Direct mail is expensive! Therefore this is one of the bigger commitments in terms of lead generation techniques. Again, don’t go all in if you don’t have the follow-up skills to nurture a lead for months and even years.
You can purchase just the data and the platform, and do the mailing and marketing yourself.
SmartZip pricing depends on how many homes you want to target, and is very scalable. 1500-2000 homes is the minimum target area for SmartZips. That is a lot of homes, though remember, you’ll only be focusing and marketing to the top 20% of those homes (600 or so). The smallest monthly expenditures are likely going to be over $500/mo, and many agents spend more than $1000/mo in targeted leads.
*This is current to the best of UnifyRealEstate.com knowledge at the time of this writing. Contact the vendor directly to check current prices, discounts, and terms.
My Recommendation
Recommendation
What the Unify Real Estate Team Thinks
SmartZip is real and can work. But, “individual results may vary”. It’s a big investment. One wrong choice can hurt your return on investment.
Many agents are unhappy with the leads. This is common with most lead systems.
Constellation bought SmartZip. They’re known for cutting costs. But, they also have good software like Market Leader.
The Loken Group is a top team in the US. They use SmartZip. Real Trends says they’re very successful.
SmartZip is more than just sending leads. It’s a marketing platform. Your brand is the first thing people see.
The sphere and “Reach 150” program are smart. They remind your sphere you exist. It’s not too pushy.
Some people get tired of SmartZip. It needs dedication. It works well in the right market. If you’re serious and have time, it’s worth trying.
Contract
- You are a farmer but want more tools and efficient spending than blanketing your neighborhoods with direct mail
- You are a team or brokerage with a decent marketing budget wanting a solution that can keep listing leads coming in
- You’re one of the few and the brave who door knock, and want something better than doing every door
Expensive
- You want seller leads but aren’t particular about farming and all the other SmartZip tools (consider BoldLeads or Offrs)
- You’re on a cheaper budget or need higher quality leads closer to the point of sale (consider Zillow or Realtor.com)
- You have your own tools and are comfortable doing direct mail yourself for less (consider lists from Realist or ListSource)
SmartZip vs Zillow
Many in the real estate world look at SmartZip and Zillow. Smart Zip uses smart data to find homes that might sell soon. It helps agents find the right homes to sell.
Zillow, on the other hand, is huge online. It has lots of homes for sale, value estimates, and tools for everyone. It’s like a big help for people looking to buy or sell homes.
So, SmartZip is all about finding homes for agents. Zillow is for everyone looking at homes. This makes choosing between them very important for real estate pros.
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