I've tried a couple - truepeoplesearch, white-ages, property radar, leadsherpa, batch leads...Some services are better than others, but it is a numbers game and you also can cross check between different platforms.

What worked for me was focusing on building strategic relationships with top tier people (quality partners) who could complement what I brought to the table—sales, management, and execution.When you are approaching sellers for creative financing, leading with a clear value proposition (and CONFIDENTLY) is key.

Paid platforms often offer additional features like market analytics, off-market property leads, and filters for investor-specific criteria, giving them a leg up over free options.Exactly, most platforms have to offset cost somewhere because of how expensive it is to keep the data up to date.

You can learn to do this independently or get a rockstar REALTOR to lead the way.

Do you have a favorite service for generating leads? 

Also factor in if the rents jumped a lot and if that would lead to a vacancy, which will cost you more in the short term. 

You may be better off trying to connect with some agents or other investors/wholesalers in your area and try and get off-market leads sent to you.

Avoid leading with a low offer or mentioning how long it’s been listed.

They will have additional costs for mailing & online campaigns to get leads.

The reasons cited for the market not following suit this time are concerns that increasing GDP, especially in Q4 of 2024, and policy changes such as tariffs could lead to a resurgence of inflation and thus a change in the Fed’s projections, with there being 150bps of variance between certain Fed members projections (Source).