Category: Real estate investor website reviews

  • Carrot Vs. Other Website Builder Alternatives For Real Estate Investors: An Honest Comparison

    Carrot Vs. Other Website Builder Alternatives For Real Estate Investors: An Honest Comparison

    Carrot Vs. Other Website Builders For Real Estate Investors

    Searching for website builders for your real estate investing business?

    You’ve got quite a few options!

    We know a thing or two about real estate investor websites.

    Over 7,000 real estate investors and agents leverage Carrot’s platform to generate over 47,000 leads per month, not counting phone leads.

    We’re often asked questions such as… Carrot vs Minute:Pages or Carrot vs. LeadPropeller, which one is best?” Or, “Carrot vs. WordPress, which one is easier?”

    We wanted to provide an honest, high-level answer. To help you choose, we’ve rounded up all the best website builders for real estate investors. We’ve also included our analysis and pricing information.

    But before we dive in, let’s talk about some of the most mission-critical factors to consider when choosing a website builder.

    Watch this video before you read the rest of the article…

    Wholesaling Websites: Carrot vs. Wix vs. WordPress, Etc. | Real Estate Sites for Agents & Investors

    Factors To Consider When Choosing A Website Builder

    A real estate lead generation website should do more than help you get online. That’s table stakes these days. Everyone is online. Your real estate investing website should… 

    • Work amazingly well on mobile (speed and conversion).
    • Load web pages with superspeed (critical now in the Google Core Web Vitals age we’re in).
    • Have multiple high-converting designs to choose from (but not too many, with the #1 decision factor should be performance, not prettiness).
    • Back up the product’s performance with data. One lost deal as a real estate investor from an underperforming website could cost $10k, $20k, or more!
    • Allow you to integrate your website with other 3rd party systems (CRMs, Investorfuse, Zapier, email marketing systems, etc.)
    • Provide outstanding support so you can focus on growing your business.
    • Be built with content marketing in mind and have a blog and the ability to publish consistent, high-quality content.
    • Tracking and stats so you can see how your website is performing.

    “As an owner of an SEO company with many clients in the REI industry, I can say that Carrot is by far the best website solution that I’ve seen to date. It’s easy to work with for people who want to get up and running out of the gate and it’s flexible enough for experienced site builders and “SEO’ers” to really be able to get additional power out of it.

    Definitely worth the money (in my opinion); I have no connection with Carrot; in fact, we are “friendly competitors” in some areas… but the facts are the facts!!!”

    Michael Cardini

    The thing is, different people need different websites. There’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution. Many real estate investors need much more than the “minimum,”, especially in our high-margin service business.

    Again, one lost deal from an underperforming website could cost you well into the tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue, so looking at performance over the long term vs. trying to save a few bucks today is a solid strategy. 

    But how do you pick the best website builder for your business? It’s not an easy choice, given the number of available options.

    To help you decide, we’ve done an in-depth comparison of the 8 best website builders for real estate investors on the market. You’ll find our top picks, honest customer reviews, and detailed feature lists and descriptions to help you work out which website to keep by your side.

    As we dive into the reviews and comparisons, we’ll point out who each service is ideal for (each has advantages and disadvantages) and why certain types of investors may or may not want to use a particular service. We’ll even tell you where Carrot isn’t a fit for many businesses.

    Let’s get started!

    Who Are The Top Website Builders For Real Estate Investors?

    There are many good website builders for real estate investors on the market. We picked 8 great ones.

    Here they are:

    • Carrot – We might be biased, but our testimonials and case studies speak for themselves. We’ve helped thousands of investors nationwide create a predictable flow of leads and build more sustainable businesses thanks to our high-performance websites (we call them Lead Gen Hubs), SEO content capabilities, and many more features that help you attract, convert, and close more deals than ever before.
    • REI Blackbook – REI Blackbook is for investors who need a better CRM and follow-up system.
    • WordPress – WordPress is a popular choice for those who are tech-savvy or have big budgets to hire a web designer.
    • LeadPropeller – LeadPropeller helps professionals hit their goals and deal with high-converting and SEO-focused websites.
    • InvestorPro – InvestorPro websites have been designed by investors and are created specifically for real estate businesses.
    • REI Leadz – REI Leadz offers a one-time, “done-for-you” website.
    • Minute:Pages – Minute:Pages is for real estate investors who want a user-friendly web design experience.
    • Wix – Wix is for real estate investors with a big budget to create a custom website… or investors with advanced web design experience.

    Let’s dig into the details…

    The 8 Real Estate Lead Generation Website Providers Comparison

    You’ll find detailed descriptions and feature lists for our top picks below. We cover price, design, and the tools and resources in each service.

    Carrot

    Why would you settle for less than the industry leader?

    In 2003, we built our first website to generate free, motivated seller leads. Since then, we’ve refined our marketing systems, website platforms, and overall strategy on what it takes to drive leads online.

    Now?

    We’ve brought in over 1,253,267 real estate-related leads in the past five years alone. Over 7000+ real estate investors and agents use Carrot’s real estate marketing platform to attract and convert more motivated leads. In fact,… not only do Carrot sites convert traffic into leads at a 44% higher rate than the industry standard, Carrot leads convert 7x better to deals and have 2.5x higher profits than non-Carrot leads. (averaging at about $14,000 profit per deal!)

    Carrot members generate 2.5x higher profits vs non-carrot members

    We stay ahead of the online game. When fast websites became part of Google’s core web vitals, we adapted… our websites are 68.9% faster than custom WordPress sites.

    Also, in an independent study of 150,000 websites, our Carrot tech stack outperformed Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, and more, scoring 98 out of 100 for web page loading speed!

    Google pagespeed score for small providers

    Our members generate more high-quality leads than their competitors and grow their businesses sustainably and predictably – using Evergreen Marketing.

    If you’re looking for an industry leader that will help you accelerate revenue, you’ve found it.

    Carrot is the top choice for “high-performance investors and agents.” Our software has helped more than 8,000 real estate investors create a consistent flow of leads and deals through our “Lead Generation Hub” and a process we call “Evergreen marketing.”

    Carrot members organic search leads

    We provide high-converting websites that rank in Google more easily than competitor website builders. Carrot websites capture >50% of all Rank #1, #2, and #3 mentions in 225 markets nationwide.

    Carrot websites rank higher thanks to our powerful content marketing tools, such as the monthly SEO-focused Content Packs in our Automated Content Library, Keyword Explorer and Tracking capabilities, and an amazing team to help our members grow their businesses.

    In short, Carrot’s is more than just a website builder. We’re a real estate marketing platform that helps you attract the right traffic with impactful SEO tools, convert visitors into high-quality leads in a high-performance Lead Generation Hub, and close more deals than ever.

    Don’t Take Our Word For It!

    See what others say about working with us. Check out our reviews.

    Carrot member review: Carter Steph

    What’s Inside Carrot

    What’s inside Carrot’s Starter plan?

    A high-performing website with everything you need to get online and convert traffic into leads.

    • 1 High Converting Website
      SEO Optimized
      Industry-leading Web Hosting
      Visual Editor
      + Add more any time @ $29/Month
    • Carrot Lead Manager
      Lead Source Tracking
      Integrated Google Maps & Streetview
      Immediate Email Alerts & Followup
    • Standard Marketing Tools
      Website Traffic Analytics
      3 Campaign Tracking Links
      3 Keywords To Track SEO Rankings
    • World-Class Support
      Chat & Email
      Weekly Group Training calls
      Written & Video Guides
      Facebook Community Group

    What’s Inside Carrot’s Plus Plan?

    Rank higher in Google with the ability to research, plan, and execute an effective SEO marketing strategy.

    Everything in Starter…

    Advanced SEO Tools & Tracking

    • On-Page Content Analyzer
      Optimize Your Content to Rank
    • Google Rank Tracking
      25 Keywords to Track SEO Rankings
    • Keyword Research
      SEO Competitive Analysis
    • Domain Overview Tool
      Track your website authority score
    • SEO Health Audit
      Monitor & Improve Site-Wide Issues

    What’s Inside Carrot’s Grow Plan?

    Save time and money by using marketing automation & SEO data to generate consistent leads.

    Everything in Plus…

    Content Automation Tools

    • Automated Content Library
      Pre-written and optimized blog posts
    • VideoPost
      Convert YouTube videos to blog posts
    • Niche Authority Builder
      Automate Targeted Lead Generation
    • AI Content Rewriting
      One-click Content Customization

    Premium Site Designs

    • Unique Layouts & Styles
      Drive Higher Conversions
    • Stand Out From Your Competition
      Differentiate Your Brand

    Both beginners and advanced real estate investors or agents want to grow their businesses through proven online marketing systems.

    How much does Carrot cost per month?

    • Starter – $89
    • Plus – $118
    • Grow – $176

    Check out our plans for real estate investors and agents, and learn more about Carrot’s real estate platform in a demo today!

    REI Blackbook

    Overall we think REI Blackbook is a solid product with great features. However, it’s a little more expensive and offers fewer features than some of the competition. It claims to have “Everything you need to run your real estate investing business. All in one place.

    Although it offers websites, REI Blackbook focuses on CRM and follow-up. Their focus on lead generation websites isn’t as refined as others. Their website approach is just that… a place to send clicks from online ads. Not as much big-picture thinking on the website “hub.” Their main purpose is to help track and follow up.

    According to customer reviews, REI Blackbook organizes and follows leads within their CRM system.

    What’s inside REI Blackbook’s “Solopreneur” membership?

    • 1 website
    • 1 call tracking number
    • 5000 contacts
    • 5000 email credits
    • 500 local minutes
    • 250 text messages
    • CRM

    Who is REI Blackbook for?

    REI Blackbook is for investors who need a better CRM and follow-up system. Great for tracking leads and planning follow-up, so possible deals don’t fall through the cracks. 

    How much does REI Blackbook cost per month?

    • Accelerator package – $297
    • Small Business package – $197
    • Solopreneur package – $97
    REI Blackbook pricing

    WordPress Websites 

    WordPress is a custom and versatile website builder. It allows tech-savvy web devs to create high-quality websites without the limitations of more user-friendly website builders. This may help if you have the knowledge, time, and proper planning to build your website.

    WordPress sites also have many customizable options. There are over 6000+ free WordPress themes that you can use. You can choose the theme of your real estate websites and personalize them. Although creating your SEO-friendly, high-converting content could be a huge shortcoming of WordPress.

    However, there are expenses for hosting and commercial plug-ins. There are also continuous updates for specific plug-ins. Those updates are built into most services that are real estate lead generation-specific.

    For example, premium plug-ins run anywhere from $47 to $200 and require education to install them correctly on your website. Additionally, if you plan to hire a web designer to build a custom website, you’ll probably pay upwards of $3,000 to $5,000 — plus maintenance fees whenever something goes wrong.

    What’s inside a WordPress website “Business” plan?

    • Best-in-class hosting (but Carrot has tested as faster in this study).
    • Upload videos.
    • Access to over 50,000 plug-ins.
    • Automated site backups.
    • SEO tools.
    • Google Analytics integration.

    Who is WordPress for?

    WordPress is for real estate investors with big budgets to pay web developers or those with the know-how to do it themselves. It’s useful if you know what you’re doing when creating a website and have the time to create it. It’s also great if you’re big on personalizing the design.

    How much does WordPress cost per month?

    • Most basic website – Free
    • Personal – $4
    • Premium – $14
    • Business – $33
    • eCommerce – $59
    • Optional Hosting – Starts at around $3.95/month
    • Optional Plug-ins – $47 to $200 (charges can be one-time or recurring)
    • Optional SSL Certificate – $17+
    WordPress pricing

    LeadPropeller

    Real estate investor Danny Johnson created lead Propeller. He created a real estate investor website service to remove the guesswork and create sites that drive leads. He’s been using his websites to buy houses for over 10 years. 

    LeadPropeller aims to provide an inbound marketing platform to achieve lead generation goals by focusing on SEO-optimized websites. 

    What’s inside LeadPropeller “Starter” plan?

    • 1 website
    • SEO optimized
    • Automated content library
    • Free custom email address
    • Free domain
    • Local phone numbers
    • Support team

    Who is LeadPropeller for?

    LeadPropeller is for real estate investors who want to create a consistent flow of leads to their website.

    How much does LeadPropeller cost per month?

    • Starter – $49
    • Professional – $79
    • Franchisor – $299
    LeadPropeller Pricing

    InvestorPro

    Lynn and Tammy Hahn created InvestorPro to help real estate investors find motivated sellers and generate leads online. 

    They created their first website for their real estate investing business in 1999 after a seller asked them if they had a website. Over time, they “constantly massaged” their site until they got the desired results.

    What’s inside InvestorPro’s Gold Plan?

    • Customizable
    • Unlimited Domains
    • Pre-Made Templates
    • Mobile Compatible Websites
    • Search Engine Optimization
    • Automated Email Follow-Up
    • Internet Marketing Plan

    Who is InvestorPro for?

    Real estate investors who want a custom website design. 

    How much does InvestorPro cost per month?

    • Bronze Plan – Setup Fee of $395, Monthly Fee of $39
    • Silver Plan – Setup Fee of $495, Monthly Fee of $49
    • Gold Plan – Setup Fee of $595, Monthly Fee of $95
    InvestorPro Pricing

    REI Leadz

    REI Leadz is another website builder for real estate investors. Their sites are SEO-friendly, have no monthly fees, and give you complete control of your website. 

    What’s inside REI Leadz’ Pro Package?

    • Done-for-you website
    • Email notification setup
    • Funnel form setup
    • Website content
    • Follow-Up email series
    • Pre-written Blog Posts

    Who is REI Leadz for?

    Real estate investors who want a done-for-you website or a custom website with a one-time cost (vs. a monthly subscription).

    How much does REI Leadz cost per month?

    • Pro Package – $97
    • Custom Buildout – $500+
    REI Leadz Plans

    Minute:Pages

    Minute:Pages is a recent inbound real estate lead generation platform. 

    The main focus of Minute:Pages is to provide a lead generation website in “minutes.”

    What’s inside Minute:Pages “Pro Plan”?

    • 1 site for basic plan
    • Visual editor
    • Automated blog library
    • SSL certificate
    • Free hosting
    • Live chat
    • Keyword tracking

    Who is Minute:Pages for?

    Minute:Pages is for real estate investors who want a user-friendly web design experience.

    How much does Minute:Pages cost per month?

    • Pro Plan – $49 (1 website)
    • Additional websites can be added for 10-25% discounts the more you need
    Minute Pages pricing

    Wix

    Wix’s main selling point is its comprehensive approach to web design. Like WordPress, it allows users to build custom websites from scratch or by starting with a template. Users must understand how SEO, web design, and conversion optimization work to get the best results. 

    What’s inside Wix’s “Business Unlimited” plan?

    • Accept online payments
    • Remove Wix Ads from your site
    • Replace the Wix favicon in the browser tab with your one
    • Change the free Wix URL to your custom domain (which can be purchased from Wix or another domain host)
    • Free SSL certificate
    • Advanced Shipping
    • Receive Wix Vouchers and Premium app coupons when purchasing a yearly subscription or higher
    • Upload up to 10 hours of video with Wix Video
    • Get up to 35 GB of storage and unlimited bandwidth
    • Get a professional logo and social media logos when purchasing a yearly subscription or higher
    • Events Calendar App – Free for 1 Year

    Who is Wix for?

    Wix is for real estate investors with a big budget to create a custom website… or investors with advanced web design experience. You’ll also need to understand SEO and conversion optimization best practices to get the best results.

    How much does Wix cost per month?

    • Business Basic – $23
    • Business Unlimited – $27
    • Business VIP – $49
    Wix Plans

    Conclusion

    There you have it!

    The top website builders for real estate investors.

    Carrot is the longest-standing real estate marketing platform and website builder for real estate investors and agents alike, with proven data to back it up. We guarantee you’ll have the tools and support to attract, convert, and close deals.

    However, we understand that we’re not the only options out there.

    For user-friendliness, we would say LeadPropellor and Minute: Pages are also options. 

    REI Blackbook is a good option for a solid CRM or follow-up system. 

    Lastly, consider something like WordPress or Wix to go the fully custom, high-cost route. 

    The choice is yours. But if you’re still unsure, we invite you to sign up for a 30-day risk-free Carrot account. We’ve made a massive difference in thousands of investors’ businesses. Can we make a difference in yours?

  • [Compare] Carrot vs. Cheap & Low Cost Mass Website Builders

    [Compare] Carrot vs. Cheap & Low Cost Mass Website Builders

    There are a ton of options when it comes to launching a website for your real estate investing business. From cheap and low-cost mass template builders like Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, GoDaddy, LeadPages, and others… to high-end custom websites that may run $6,000 or more.

    So, what are the differences between the different website types and what we offer here at Carrot? Well, I shot a video to answer that very question!

    Before you dive into the video, I want to introduce the four main things you should consider when launching a website for your real estate investing (house flipping, wholesaling, rent-to-own, note buying, anything). They’re right under the video.

    Check out those 4 crazy important things to consider before you launch your website… then I’ll expand on that a bit and show examples in the video below.

    Low-Cost Generic Website Builders vs. Specialized Website Solutions Like Carrot

    Wholesaling Websites: Carrot vs. Wix vs. WordPress, Etc. | Real Estate Sites for Agents & Investors

    The 4 Most Important Things You Need To Look At With Your Real Estate Website

    The first is… your website’s #1 priority should be performance.

    Not how fancy it looks. Not whether you think it looks pretty. Not how fancy the CRM is. And not whether you think it looks different from others in your market. It’s…

    “If I send 100 qualified people to this website with SEO, PPC, Craigslist, or direct mail… is it going to convert as many of those into qualified leads so my website isn’t a leaky bucket?”

    Because every lost lead is a lost potential at a deal.

    And as we always like to say…

    If you lose 1 deal that would have netted you $10,000 because you were trying to reinvent the wheel or save a few bucks a month and your website isn’t performing like it should… that $10,000 is real money lost out of your pocket.

    Before you go out to build a real estate investing website on Wix, Weebly, or Godaddy… focus on making sure what you build your website with is focused on performance (conversion rate optimization) as its main priority because a high performing website means more visitors converted into qualified leads (and in turn, more deals closed).

    The second is… ease of use.

    There’s got to be some way to ensure you’re using the system well.

    We’ve taken 80% of that off your lap and built it into our platform.

    Many of our Carrot members don’t even use our system. They hire us to do some of the build-outs through our services, or they might hire some other people or they have their friend use the system, and they just go be the agent or be the investor. So you get to choose how much of the system you will use yourself versus just wanting to pay people to do that for you, so you can do the parts you enjoy and love.

    The third is… aesthetic

    We want to make sure that number one, you should be proud of the website that represents your business.

    Aesthetic is number three in my eyes because aesthetics only matters to you from that perspective. The aesthetic is what you think about your website. Performance is what your prospects think about your website.

    The aesthetic is “I think it looks pretty.” Performance is your prospects say it solved their problem and got them to opt-in and become a lead.

    So that’s why aesthetic is number three. Many agents and investors put aesthetics as number one. They lower performance and end up having so many lost leads and deals because they think prettiness and aesthetics are more important than performance.

    Fourth is… cost.

    And then last here is cost. I put the cost as last, where many of you guys might be thinking, “Oh my gosh, the cost is number one for me. I don’t have a big budget.” Because a lot of us look at cost differently than we should. Many of us look at the cost as what’s the monthly payment that I will be paying for that tool, or how much am I going to have to pay my buddy down the street to develop my website for me.

    But the actual ultimate cost is not the monthly payment you will pay. The ultimate cost is how much money this website makes or does not make for you. So if you use a website like Wix and it’s going to be low cost, but let’s say it loses you one or two deals every year because it’s not set up for performance. It’s not set up to convert well, for page speed, or to rank well in Google. And if you lose one deal every year, let’s say your average profit per deal is $10,000. That cheap website just costs you $10,000 bucks.

    It’s often easy to go with the website solution that looks at the lowest cost monthly.

    After all, a $10/mo website with one of those low-cost generic website builders is only $120/yr versus what our average investors pay of $99/mo (for 3 websites, our weekly Coaching Calls, our content marketing system, and high-performance built-in).

    But when you look at the return, you get for those dollars and your time… the story changes drastically.

    1 extra (or 1 lost) deal because of website performance is a big deal when dealing with real estate.

    1 extra deal pays for a Carrot membership for 10+ years.

    So focus on performance and the return on investment your real estate investing website system can provide you over the long run.

    Ongoing expert guidance and help from those who have done what you want to do.

    An often forgotten thing critical to your success in generating consistent leads online today and next year (over the long-term) is the support team behind you.

    If you go with one of those low-cost website builders, you can better believe that their pricing model doesn’t allow them to invest a lot into building the team and support structure to make your life easier and more successful over the years.

    If you’re paying $6/mo for hosting… you may be able to reach out to them for help with basic technical things… but most of the time, the questions that you need to be answered most are the strategy-related questions that can take you from no or mediocre results… to crushing it.

    With Carrot, we have amazing support (just ask around)… industry-leading training to show you exactly what our most successful members are doing to drive leads… and our full-time staff is among the industry’s most experienced online lead generation experts (specific to real estate investors). So if you have questions about your strategy… or your PPC marketing isn’t getting the results you need… or you’re ranked at the top of page 2 for your #1 keyword… who are you going to turn to at those cheap and low-cost website builders for the strategy help to get you over that hump?

    Weekly Live Coaching Calls, 1 on 1 Strategy Sessions, Industry Leading Training, We’re Here For You

    With Carrot, our weekly LIVE Carrot Coaching Calls, complimentary 1-on-1 Strategy Sessions with us, and fast strategy help are all included as a Content Pro member.

    It’s like having the most experienced lead generation expert on call… and it’s included in your Carrot membership at only $99/mo.

    The difference between amazing and no results is often the strategy help and expert guidance.

    If you want to try to save a few bucks and go it alone… how much extra time and money will you invest? For only $99/mo, it’s a no-brainer for high-level investors who recognize the value of their time and expert guidance.

    Getting The Right Tools In Place To Grow Your Real Estate Business (and have less hassle with tech issues)

    These days your website is one of those tools that is a really important part of your credibility, lead generation efforts, and the future of your marketing.

    More and more people are going online to find solutions to their problems (especially on cell phones)… so getting your web presence right is a pretty darn important thing these days.

    Just like you get the right direct mail before you spend that money to send out those letters… take the time to make sure your website is dialed in and will convert a high percentage of your visitors you’re working so hard to get… into qualified leads.

    We can help you here with Carrot, and we’d love to review your website and give you honest, candid feedback on what you can improve with your current site if it’s at one of those low-cost generic website builders.

    Just leave your website URL in the comments section below and we’ll shoot quick videos walking through changes you can make to your current site to make them more effective.

    And as always, we’re here if you feel Carrot is a great fit. Just take a demo or check out our pricing and plans.