Homeowner leads are enquiries from homeowners who want work done on their home, passed to a business that might do it. A good one holds a real name, a phone number that works, the job, the suburb and a record that the homeowner asked.
That last part is what separates a lead from a name on a list. This page covers what should be in the docket before you pay for it. For the different ways leads are sold, see types of leads for contractors. For what the word “verified” can mean, see what is a verified lead.
What a homeowner lead is
Three things have to be true. The person owns or is buying the home. They have a job in mind. And they have said, in some form, that they want someone to look at it.
Everything else is detail. A lead is not a phone number scraped from a list, a new-home-owner mailing list or a business card from a letterbox drop. Those are contacts. Nobody has asked you for anything yet.
The phrase also gets used for three different products: a form fill, a phone enquiry and an enquiry someone has rung and checked. The price, and your odds, depend on which one you are buying.
The minimum homeowner leads should contain
Before you pay, you should be able to see these seven things. If any is missing, ask why.
- First name and surname or initial. A real person, not “Customer” or “info”.
- A phone number that rings. Mobile is best. An email alone is not enough for a trade job.
- The suburb or postcode of the job. The address of the job itself.
- The job in the homeowner’s own words. “Replace 30 metres of rotten fence at the back” beats “fencing”.
- When they want it done. This week, this season, no rush.
- How the enquiry was made. Which form, call or ad, and the date and time.
- What has been checked, and by whom. Even “nothing” is an answer. Silence is not.
For anything over a few thousand dollars, three more help a lot: whether they own the property, whether they make the decision, and a rough budget. A kitchen enquiry without a budget range is a guess.
A sample docket
This is the shape of a docket for a checked lead. Every detail below is made up.
| Sample docket (fictional, for illustration only) | |
|---|---|
| Homeowner | Sample: Dale M. |
| Phone | 04•• ••• 318 (masked here) |
| Job suburb | Sample suburb, a few kilometres from the business |
| Job | Replace the old timber fence along the back and one side. Gate to the side path stays. |
| Owner | Yes, lives there |
| Decision | Dale decides, with his partner |
| Budget | Roughly what a mid-range timber fence of that length costs. Open to advice. |
| Timing | Wants it done in the next two months |
| Enquiry | Filled in a quote form, then took a call the same day |
| Call notes | Answered. Neighbour shares the boundary. Dogs inside, so the gate matters. |
Notice what the docket does. You know who to ring, what to bring and what to ask before you pick up the phone.
Asked versus listed
A homeowner who asked went looking. They typed a search, filled in a form or rang a number. They expect a call.
A homeowner who is listed has done nothing. Their details sit in a database because of a property sale, a council record or a data broker. They did not ask you anything, and ringing them is cold calling. In Australia, unsolicited telemarketing calls to numbers on the Do Not Call Register are prohibited by law, with some calls outside the scheme, so read the rules first. The Do Not Call Register Act page sets out the basics. Check it for your situation. This is not legal advice.
The test is simple. Ask the seller: “How did this person come to be on your list?” If the answer is anything but “they asked”, you are buying a contact, not an enquiry.
What to refuse
- Anything with no phone number. You cannot qualify a job by email alone.
- Landline-only or business numbers on a residential job, unless explained.
- A lead with no job detail. “Needs a quote” tells you nothing.
- Anything “exclusive” that the seller cannot define in writing. See how many businesses is too many.
- Leads sold more than once. If the same homeowner is sent to others, you are in a race. Ask the number.
- Free homeowner lists. Free is fine for a real enquiry. A free list of names is not enquiries.
How we check ours
PreBuild Systems rings every homeowner who enquires and checks six things: a real number, that they asked for a quote, that they want the job done and not only a price, that they are in the business’s area, that the job can be done at their place and that they make the decision. Each homeowner goes to one business only. The detail is on the homeowners page.
Hold any seller to the docket above.
Common questions
What is a homeowner lead?
An enquiry from a homeowner who wants work done, passed to a business. It should show who they are, how to reach them, what the job is, where it is and that they asked.
Are free homeowner leads worth having?
A free enquiry from a real person is worth having. A free list of names and numbers is not, because nobody on it has asked you for anything.
What is an exclusive homeowner lead?
One sent to a single business. Sellers use the word loosely, so get the meaning in writing before you pay.
Are new homeowner leads good for trades?
People who have just bought may need work, but a purchase record is only a list entry. Treat it as cold contact and check the calling rules.