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Why More Leads Won’t Fix Your Acquisitions, But Better Leads Will (And How to Find Them) 

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If you’ve been closing real estate deals for a while, you’ve probably noticed a pattern: some sellers show up ready to move forward, while others take months of follow-up and still fizzle out. The difference usually isn’t what you say or how good the deal is. It’s often where the lead came from. After working with 6,000+ investors, we’ve seen exactly how top closers separate the noise from the opportunities. They know that the best leads are the ones that make you the most money in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of energy. In this post, we’ll break down which lead sources consistently deliver motivated sellers, how to spot the ones worth prioritizing, and how to tighten up your process so you’re spending less time chasing and more time closing. Because in this business, more leads won’t fix your pipeline. Better ones will. Table of Contents Summary: The best real estate leads aren’t just plentiful—they’re motivated. This post breaks down why inbound leads outperform outbound, how to identify true seller motivation, and how tools like Carrot CRM help prioritize leads that actually close. Learn how website optimization and AI lead scoring can dramatically improve your ROI without increasing your marketing spend. 7 Key Takeaways 1. Not all leads are equal. The biggest difference in how fast and profitably a deal closes often comes down to the source of the lead, not just how well you pitch. 2. Outbound = low intent, high effort. Cold calling, texting, or blasting postcards can bring in leads, but most aren’t ready to sell. They require heavy follow-up, burn energy, and usually take months to close. 3. Inbound = high intent, faster closings. Sellers who search for you (SEO/PPC) or directly fill out a form are already motivated. Investors report these leads close in fewer touches, with less chasing, and on much shorter timelines. 4. Seller behavior signals motivation. → Direct call = high urgency → Website form = strong intent (often after months of consideration) → Cold call response = curiosity, but more often low urgency 5. Motivation shifts over time. A seller who sounded “hot” at first may stall when it’s time to act, while a lukewarm one may heat up later. That’s why prioritization has to be ongoing, not a one-time judgment. 6. Data beats guesswork. Relying on memory, scattered notes, or assumptions (“they called three times, so they must be motivated”) causes missed deals. Tracking lead scores, sources, and engagement data paints the real picture. 7. Your website is the hub that multiplies ROI. Every channel—direct mail, ads, radio, or referrals—eventually drives people to Google you. If your site is slow, generic, or confusing, you leak deals. Fast, trustworthy, conversion-optimized sites (with testimonials, strong About page, and clear CTAs) turn intent into action. The Best and Worst Lead Sources for Motivated Sellers If you talk to ten different marketing folks or investors, you’ll hear ten different ‘best’ ways to get deals.  Everyone has “the best way” The cold-calling coaches say you just need to “dial more numbers.” Direct mail coaches promise your next campaign will work if you just tweak the headline. Ad agencies tell you that if results are flat, it’s your targeting. Each channel has its champions. And when the channel doesn’t deliver, the message is that you did it wrong. And conveniently, the fix is to buy their course or their list. So let’s look at the fundamentals of how people actually behave when they’re ready to sell. It’ll help you decide for yourself where you want to spend your time and energy.  Outbound … Continued

Carrot vs WordPress

WordPress isn’t a lead generation website. Carrot is. There’s a reason that we specifically call Carrot sites “lead generation websites” — because that’s what they’re designed to do. WordPress offers pretty websites you can use for anything, meaning they’re not designed with lead generation in mind. We have spent 10+ years testing and optimizing Carrot website templates for peak lead conversion. Everything from what elements to include on a page, where forms should appear, what information those forms should ask for, and even the order of the pages in the navigation. It all makes a difference when you’re trying to generate leads, and it’s all baked into Carrot templates from the start. That’s why successful real estate investors prefer Carrot websites versus custom WordPress sites. At the end of the day, you need a website that generates leads. If your website isn’t optimized to convert visitors into leads, every missed opportunity is a direct hit to your potential revenue. With Carrot, the focus is on making every visit count, ensuring that your site pays for itself through its performance. Carrot Websites vs. WordPress Websites Feature Comparison Website with hundreds of design options and customizations High converting website designed to generate leads Plugin and security updates done automatically, without breaking your site SEO optimized starter content so you don’t need to write an entire website from stratch A full suite of content creation tools to boost SEO (no need to download and maintain more plugins) Automatically created Location Pages to save countless hours Forms already in place & connected to a lead manager Built-in performance reporting dashboards World-class support with a 96% satisfaction rating 3 reasons to choose Carrot vs. WordPress Site Speed & Reliability When setting up a WordPress website, you have to be careful about what theme you’re using, what plugins you add, and making sure nothing slows your site down. Often, sleek and fancy sites load very slowly — driving away leads before they even make it to your site. Carrot mitigates all these risks by setting you up with an optimized website out of the box. Carrot dominates as the top leader for page loading speed with a score of 98 out of 100, beating WordPress by more than five points. Lead Generation & Conversion WordPress sites offer no built-in solutions for lead generation. You’re on your own to figure out what works when it comes to conversion. Do you want to spend hours setting up forms and building pages that don’t generate leads? Carrot does all of this for you using time-tested strategies backed by years of data. Not only do Carrot sites convert better, Carrot leads are proven to convert to deals 7x better than non-Carrot leads, and are 2.5x more profitable. SEO and Content Tools Starting with a WordPress site means starting from scratch. If you want tools to help you do keyword research or tracking, or to optimize your on-page SEO, you have to turn to third-party plugins that are often expensive and need regular security updates. Carrot sites are also already filled with optimized content, meaning you don’t have to spend weeks or even months writing all of your website content from scratch. Carrot provides built-in SEO and content generation tools, putting you a step ahead. These additional, deeper features give Carrot members the competitive advantage to rank higher in Google Search results and a better chance of appearing in AI responses. Carrot websites have better SEO than WordPress sites…every time! Carrot undeniably has the best real estate websites when it comes to ranking higher in Google search results thanks to constant … Continued

Carrot Website Pricing

Launch Your Real Estate Lead Gen Website & SEO Tools Pick the plan that fits you best! Looking for a CRM without a website? See Carrot CRM Pricing → Starter $99/mo Just getting started? Get a mix of web, SEO, and content tools to set you up for success! Most Popular Plus $149/mo Expand your reach with additional SEO tools, better analytics, and higher usage limits on key features. Grow $199/mo Turn things up with robust tracking and strong content automation tools. × DIY Your Site Setup… Or Let Our Team Help Create and customize your site yourself, or leverage our experts to personalize your site quickly and with minimal effort. We offer several website setup services. Quickstart $275 one-time setup, per site Feeling a big overwhelmed? We’ll get you started with some site personalization. Quickstart Plus $1,200 one-time setup, per site Zero time to set up your website? Most members choose this option for a quick win and best path to success. Concierge Set Up Contact Sales one-time setup, per site The ultimate setup service! Let Carrot’s website experts bring your brand online with a customized site. Starter Plus Grow Starter Perfect For: Investors just getting online Join Now Plus Most Popular Perfect For: Investors ready to step up their online marketing Join Now Grow Perfect For: Investors with a strong online lead gen plan Join Now $99/mo $149/mo $199/mo CARROT WEBSITES High-converting website 1 Included 1 Included 1 Included Add additional sites at any time for just $29/mo Third-Party Integrations SEO-Optimized Starter Copy Visual Editor Fast and Secure Hosting Domain Overview Tool CarrotCRM CarrotCRM Free is included with all Carrot web subscriptions and gives you access to 1 user, 3 automated outreach sequences, lead emailing & texting compabilities, 5 property reports/mo, email notification about new leads, & basic reporting. Upgrade your CRM after signup for additional users and features! SEO TOOLS & SUCCESS TRACKING Website Traffic Analytics Domain Overview Insights Search Performance Dashboard Campaign Tracking Links 3 included 10 included 100 included Keyword Rank Tracking 3 Keywords 50 Keywords 125 Keywords Keyword Explorer Research Tool — Backlink Analytics — On-Page SEO Recommendations SEO Site Audit — Quarterly Monthly Call Tracking AI Call Insights Available Available Available CONTENT TOOLS AI Rewrite Tool 3 pages Unlimited Unlimited Unique Content Scoring & Guidance Automated Location Pages 3 5 Up to 25 Automated Content Library — — Niche Authority Builder — — VideoPost — — Transcriptions @ $1.80/minute World-Class Support Chat and email support Onboarding tutorials Robust Help Center Carrot Facebook Community Video Calls & 1:1 Strategy Support Add Premium Support to any plan for $69/mo Carrot Marketplace — Managed Services To Do Your Marketing Done-For-You SEO Done-For-You PPC Pay-Per-Lead Vendors And more! View the Carrot Marketplace →

Carrot Summit 2025 | From Click to Close: Mastering Lead Generation, Follow-Up, and Sales Negotiation

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The market hasn’t just gotten harder for wholesalers & flippers —it’s noisier. Sellers have options, ad costs keep creeping up, competition is thick, and it’s getting harder to stand out. What does this mean for you? The investors who invest in themselves and lock in a clear, what’s-working-now game plan (instead of burying their heads in the sand) will win. That’s exactly what the 6th Annual Carrot Summit is built for: August 27–29, 2025 · 8 AM–4 PM Pacific · Free & Virtual. I thought I’d give you a sneak peek of what to expect. Here’s a glimpse into a few of my favorite sessions, and how to leave with a plan you can run with once Summit is over… About Carrot Summit 2025 What You Need to Know: Theme: From Click to Close: Mastering Lead Generation, Follow-Up, and Sales Negotiation. 20+ Speakers. 20+ Mastermind-level Sessions. When: August 27-29 2025, starting at 8 AM Pacific Where: Virtually at Carrot.com/Summit Cost: Free Who it’s for: Investors, wholesalers, and flippers who want more motivated sellers, better conversations, and faster dispositions—without adding chaos to the business. Day 1 — Learn The Top Lead Generation Methods From the Best Investors Why Day 1 matters: If your pipeline’s drying up or your lead quality is slipping, this is where you fix it — Cutting-edge SEO, funnels that are proven to convert, and innovative strategies you’ve never heard of. Session Spotlight #1: Alisa Scharf — Winning SEO in the Age of AI: Tactics & Ranking Strategies That Work Add to Calendar  Alisa helps guide SEO strategies for hundreds of businesses across the US and has had her finger on the pulse of AI search since before ChatGPT went mainstream. Alisa will share the data behind how search behavior is shifting, how your content needs to change, and which tactics work best to rank in AI search. You’ll walk away with: the ranking tactics that work best in 2025, how to defend your top rankings, and a content plan that attracts sellers, not tirekickers. Session Spotlight #2: Ryan Zolin — The New MLS Strategy: How Agents & Investors Can Win Bigger Together (Without Ads or Cold Calls) No paid ads. No spammy marketing. Learn how smart investors are partnering up with agents to tap into the MLS in ways you’ve never seen, and see Ryan’s “legal double-dipping” strategy in action. You’ll walk away with: a repeatable MLS play that feeds motivated conversations—without burning cash. *Register to see the full schedule Day 2 — Follow-Up & Sales Negotiation (Where Deals Are Won) Why Day 2 matters: If lead flow isn’t your bottleneck, it’s probably your conversion. Day 2 gives you the negotiation and follow-up frameworks that turn “let me think about it” into signed contracts. Session Spotlight #1: Hostage Negotiator Teaches Tactical Empathy — Derek Gaunt & Marcella Oakley from Chris Voss’s Team Former hostage negotiators show you how to get unresponsive sellers talking, lower defenses, and move stalled deals forward—without pressure tactics. You’ll walk away with: exact language patterns that earn trust and surface real objections fast. Session Spotlight #2: Henry Washington — Analyze Like a Pro: How to Break Down Deals Without Losing Your Shirt No more “gut feel” offers. Henry breaks down a clean, fast way to analyze deals that protects margin and speeds up decisions. You’ll walk away with: a tighter underwriting rhythm so you can make better offers in less time. Breakouts You Don’t Wanna Miss: This is just a sneak peak of sessions we’ve never covered before. But grab your spot here to see the full schedule. “Can’t Catch Every Session?” We’ve got … Continued

7 Must-Have Features of Real Estate Investing CRMs

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When it comes to managing leads and closing more deals, most CRMs fall into one of two categories: If you’re a wholesaler or flipper, you need a Real Estate Investing CRM that does the heavy lifting without overwhelming you. The right platform will: In this guide, we’ll break down 7 essential features that separate an effective Real Estate Investing CRM from a generic one—and show you exactly how Carrot CRM delivers them. Table of Contents Automated Lead Outreach Real-Time KPI Tracking Built-In Property Data AI Conversation Summaries Intuitive Design Easy to Switch Fair Lead Distribution If You Don’t Have a CRM Yet FAQs 1. Automated Lead Outreach: Increase Your Lead Volume Without Increasing Your Workload Most investors lose deals during the qualification phase. A lead texts you at 11 PM asking about your process, but by morning, they’ve already connected with three other buyers. Speed matters in real estate, but manually responding to every inquiry kills your productivity. What you need is an automated system that keeps conversations going without constant manual intervention.  Here’s how Carrot CRM achieves that with three automation layers working together: 2. Outreach Sequences: Set up customized follow-up campaigns by choosing the outreach method (texts, emails, voicemails), crafting the message, and setting the timing for each sequence.  3. Autonomous Lead Manager: It gathers property details, timeline, and motivation through back-and-forth texting with your leads. Then it compiles everything for your review, essentially giving you a virtual lead manager without the salary. Here’s a quick video showing how you can keep your pipeline engaged with Carrot CRM 👇 2. Real-Time KPI Tracking: Know Your Numbers Without Cumbersome Spreadsheets Generic CRMs tell you how many “sales” you have, but not if it’s your Facebook ads that are working, or your organic content.  Spreadsheets can’t track how fast your team responds to leads. And since you can add unlimited columns and formulas to spreadsheets, you waste time building complex tracking systems for vanity metrics like “total phone calls made” instead of focusing on numbers that actually drive revenue. Without real estate-specific KPIs, you’re left guessing where to spend your marketing money.  The first step is knowing which KPIs matter to you. Check out this podcast to know 8 must-know KPIs for wholesalers and flippers.   After that, you need a system that tracks these numbers automatically and shows you exactly what to fix when performance drops. That’s where a CRM like Carrot, which is built for real estate investors, can help.  It tracks:  From lead tracking to SEO insights, you can get it all in one platform. Take a look at how it works:  Advanced Analytics & Insights w/ Carrot’s Success Tracking  3. Built-In Property Data: Stop Paying for Separate Research Tools Every deal starts with the same question: “Is this property worth pursuing?” But getting that answer means bouncing between Zillow, county records, MLS data, and comp websites—burning 15-20 minutes per property just to gather basic information. Multiply that across dozens of leads per week, and you’re spending hours on research instead of talking to motivated sellers. Most investors either pay for expensive data subscriptions or make offers blind, hoping their estimates are close. Neither approach scales when you’re evaluating multiple deals daily.  Instead of juggling multiple subscriptions, Carrot CRM gives you comprehensive property data reports with everything you need: As one investor put it: “There’s no need for a separate data provider to look up properties anymore. If you’re still paying for property research, just get Carrot CRM. There’s no question about it. It’s even got comps. No more searching for comps, you have them all right now.” … Continued

4 Reasons Your Real Estate Website Isn’t Getting You Leads (And How to Fix Them)

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Every day, motivated sellers in your area search online for someone to buy their house. They visit websites, compare options, and choose who to call. But they’re not always calling you. It comes down to three critical factors:  These three factors break down into 4 specific, fixable problems that most real estate investors face. Let’s see what they are and exactly how to fix each issue. KEY TAKEAWAYS Table of Contents Your Website Isn’t Showing Up in Google Your Website Isn’t Built to Convert Visitors Your Website Doesn’t Build Trust Your Website Has Technical Issues What You Should Do Next Lead generation, at its best Attract, convert & close more motivated leads Try Carrot Today 1. Your Website isn’t Set Up to be Found on Top in Search Results When someone in your area needs to sell their house fast, what do they do? They don’t flip through the Yellow Pages or look on social media platforms for a buyer.  They grab their phone and Google something like “sell my house fast Chicago” or “sell my house for cash.” If your website doesn’t show up in those search results, you won’t get this lead.  You can test this yourself — search for the terms you’d want to rank for in your area and see where your website appears. The further down you are, the fewer leads you’re getting.  Some of the common reasons why you’re not ranking on top in Google searches (aka not SEO-friendly) are:  For example, this website says they’ll buy your house in America without mentioning any specific city or region. No one likely searches “sell my house America” unless they’re living overseas and want to sell a U.S. property.  Even then, they’d probably search for their specific state or city, like “sell my house fast in New York” or “sell house quickly in Miami.” How to Fix Your Website’s SEO Issues Update your website content to include these keywords naturally. Your homepage should clearly state “We buy houses for cash in [your city]” instead of vague phrases like “comprehensive real estate solutions.”  For example, let’s look at the top result we get when we search for ‘sell my house fast san antonio’  It’s this one…  Their website’s homepage clearly states “We Buy Houses In San Antonio, TX” right in the main headline and “SELL YOUR HOUSE FAST SAN ANTONIO” and similar terms throughout the page. They’re using the exact words & questions people search for, not fancy business language. To find the right keywords you can use Carrot’s Keyword Explorer. It shows you the exact phrases people type into Google when they need to sell fast, plus how competitive each keyword is in your market. Even if you use the right keywords, technical issues on your website can still impact your SEO. Things like slow page loading, broken links, or pages that don’t work properly on mobile phones will signal to Google not to prioritize your website.  That’s where Carrot’s SEO Site Audit tool can help.  It scans your entire website and identifies technical problems that could be dragging down your search rankings. SEO isn’t a one-time fix. Regularly publish helpful content, monitor your keyword rankings, and keep optimizing based on what’s working in your market. 2. Your Website isn’t Designed for Conversion You might have hundreds of people visiting your website each month, but if they’re leaving without contacting you, you have a conversion problem. Conversion is getting visitors to take the action you want – whether that’s filling out a contact form, calling your phone number, or requesting a cash offer. Here are some … Continued

$75K+ in Deals on a $118/Month Budget: How Mark Outranked Competitors in a Tough Market

$75K+ in Deals on a $118/Month Budget: How Mark Outranked Competitors in a Tough Market Mark turned a side hustle into consistent deal flow, closing $75K in assignments, 7 listings, and 3 wholesale deals in escrow — all with zero ad spend, just sweat equity and a Carrot site. He ranks in the top 3 for many Arizona markets and now generates nearly a lead a day on average. Here’s how he did it. $75k in Assignments Closed in 6–8 months, all from inbound SEO leads 7 Listings From motivated seller leads that didn’t fit a wholesale deal $118/Month Budget No ad budget — only cost is time and his Carrot subscription Take our free interactive demo to get a full walkthrough of what Carrot can do for you. The Challenge: Getting Consistent Seller Leads for Cheap Mark was already a licensed agent in both California and Arizona, but he was tired of the grind of traditional real estate sales. “I’ve always worked with wholesalers and investors from the sales side. I decided to start generating those leads myself since I already had the network.” He wasn’t ready to spend thousands per month on paid ads. What he needed was a low-cost, high-leverage way to get inbound leads reliably. He realized it was time to rebuild his investing business on proven, consistent marketing sources. That’s when he found Carrot: The Solution: Launching a Carrot Site and Following the Playbook Mark came across Carrot while researching websites for motivated seller leads. “I was already running a WordPress site with BoomTown for my real estate business, but it wasn’t designed for investors. When I found Carrot, I knew it was built specifically for what I needed.” He signed up at the end of May 2024 and spent the summer of 2024 following the Carrot roadmap: setting up his foundation, following our SEO training, and watching Evergreen Marketing Live. × × Demo Carrot: How many deals are you losing to your competitor’s website? Take a Free Demo Steps for Success: Ranking in a Competitive Market with No Marketing Spend 1. Nail the Basics to Build Trust: Before diving into SEO, Mark made sure the fundamentals of his Carrot site were dialed in. He uploaded a professional photo, added a personal bio, included testimonials from past clients, and placed his logo across the site. These trust elements helped boost credibility with sellers and improve conversions. 2. Build Local Authority One City Page at a Time: In the Summer of 2024, Mark manually built out location pages for every major city in Arizona. He geotagged photos, used real local images, and optimized each page for SEO. “I manually created every page. It took a ton of time, but it worked.” *Now Carrot has auto-location pages to do this in far less time! 3. Stack Up SEO Wins with Long-Form Blogs: After the location foundation was complete, he turned to blogs. He pulled ideas from top Carrot member sites, found high-traffic keywords, and wrote 2,000–3,000 word posts. Each post linked strategically to his “how it works” page or relevant location page. He also used Carrot’s AI Rewrite Tool to improve clarity, structure, and keyword usage in his blog content. 4. Dial In Rankings with Daily SEO Tracking: Mark created and refined his blog content using Carrot’s built-in visual editor. He followed on-page SEO prompts and formatting best practices. To track results, he used the SEO Performance tab and Keyword Rankings Tool daily, keeping a close eye on movement and opportunity.Mark published and refined his blog posts using the Content Engine. He tracked performance daily using Carrot’s … Continued

How AI is Reshaping SEO for Real Estate Investors: What You Need to Know in 2025

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The search landscape has seen huge changes in recent years. If you’re a real estate investor who’s been watching your website traffic fluctuate or noticing fewer clicks from Google searches, you’re not imagining things. Google’s AI Overviews now appear in nearly half of all search results, and in May 2025, Google launched AI Mode for all US-based searchers. The era of traditional SEO strategies is rapidly evolving. For real estate investors who depend on their websites to generate motivated seller leads, these changes are business-critical developments that require immediate attention. When prospects search “cash home buyer,” “we buy houses,” or “sell my house fast,” Google increasingly provides answers directly in search results, pushing the #1 ranked website further down the page than we’re used to. So how should you adjust your SEO to make sure you still show up on top in 2025? Let’s cover some key strategies! KEY TAKEAWAYS (TL;DR) Let’s get you up to speed on the most significant AI-driven changes impacting search in 2025 and beyond. In this guide, we’ll cover what these changes mean for your real estate investing business, and give you actionable SEO strategies to help you maintain and grow your online presence. Table of Contents Lead generation, at its best Attract, convert & close more motivated leads Try Carrot Today The AI Revolution in Search: What Real Estate Investors Need to Know Google’s AI Overviews Are Dominating Search Results The most dramatic change affecting real estate investor websites began in May 2024 when Google officially launched AI Overviews. By December 2024, these AI-generated summaries appeared in 47% of Google search results, and recent data shows they spiked even higher during Google’s March 2025 core update. Most recently at Google’s I/O annual developer conference in May 2025, they announced the rollout of AI mode to all users in the U.S. Here’s what’s especially challenging for real estate investors: AI Overviews show up heavily for broad, top-of-funnel queries—exactly the type of searches your potential sellers are making when they first consider selling their property. When someone searches “how to sell my house fast” or “cash home buyers near me,” they’re increasingly getting AI-generated answers without ever clicking through to your website. The numbers are staggering: The Rise of Forum Content and Video Results Another significant shift impacting SEO strategies for small businesses is the increased prominence of forum content like Reddit and Quora in search results. This trend is particularly relevant for real estate investors because many forum discussions reveal the distrust and skepticism people have toward “cash home buyers” and the real estate investment industry in general. When potential sellers search for information about working with real estate investors, they’re increasingly finding forum discussions where people share both positive and negative experiences. This shift emphasizes the critical importance of reputation management and building authentic trust signals across multiple platforms. Video content is also showing up more often in search results, with both YouTube videos and short-form video content appearing more frequently. This presents opportunities for real estate investors looking to diversify their content strategy. Plus, research shows that websites with video content see 50% more engagement than those without. You can stay ahead of things by monitoring relevant forums and conversations in your local market area. Then develop content in both written and video formats that speaks directly to the concerns people have. Showcase the trustworthy, local people behind your company to combat the skepticism that some motivated sellers may have about cash home buyers. Building Brand Authority in an AI-Dominated Landscape The Growing Importance of Brand Mentions and Recognition One of the most significant revelations … Continued