Shared vs. Exclusive Leads for Foundation Repair (and Alternatives to HomeAdvisor/Angi)

Almost every foundation repair and waterproofing owner has tried buying leads at some point. Some still do and are happy with it. Many others feel like they're paying to race three competitors to the same homeowner. This article explains how the main lead models work, what to watch for, and how to build a mix that relies less on any one platform.

The three ways to get a lead

1. Shared leads

A marketplace collects a homeowner's request and sends it to several contractors. Angi (which absorbed HomeAdvisor) is the best-known example. You pay per lead whether or not you win the job.

• Upside: volume can turn on fast, with no marketing skills needed.
• Downside: you compete with the other companies that got the same lead, usually on speed and price. Some leads are tire-kickers, wrong service or out of area, and credit policies vary.

2. Exclusive leads

A vendor generates a request and sells it to only one contractor in the area. Some agencies and pay-per-lead networks sell these, and Google's Local Services Ads work in a similar way: you pay per lead from a homeowner who contacted you directly.

• Upside: no one else got the same contact, so you have time to call properly.
• Downside: higher price per lead, and quality still depends on how the vendor gets them. Ask how leads are generated and whether they're resold.

3. Leads you generate yourself

Your website, your Google Business Profile, referrals, yard signs, realtor and home inspector relationships, and paid search that sends people to your own site.

• Upside: you own the channel, the cost per lead tends to fall over time, and the homeowner chose you.
• Downside: slower to build, and it takes steady effort.

Questions to ask any lead vendor

Before you sign, ask:

1. Is each lead sent to only me, or to others too? How many?
2. How are the leads generated (search ads, comparison sites, call centers)?
3. What's the credit or refund policy for bad leads, and how fast are credits handled?
4. Is there a contract, a minimum spend or a monthly membership fee on top of lead costs?
5. Can I set my service area, job types and a daily or weekly budget cap?

Write down the answers. Then track every lead for 60 to 90 days.

Do the math on your own numbers

Don't judge a lead source on cost per lead alone. Track, for each source:

• Leads received
• Inspections booked
• Jobs sold
• Revenue
• Total spend (including fees and memberships)

Then compare cost per inspection and cost per sold job. A cheap shared lead that rarely books can cost more per job than an expensive exclusive one. A simple spreadsheet is enough.

Speed decides shared leads

With shared leads, the company that calls first often gets the inspection. If your office is in the field or closed when the lead arrives, you start behind. We cover response time in detail in speed to lead for foundation repair.

Reducing your dependence on marketplaces

You don't have to quit lead buying overnight. A practical plan:

1. Fix your own website first. If a homeowner can't get answers and book from your site, you'll keep paying someone else to send them back to you. See our basement waterproofing website conversion tips.
2. Invest in your Google Business Profile and reviews. It's free and often the biggest local lead source. Our Google Business Profile guide for foundation repair walks through it.
3. Ask for referrals from home inspectors, realtors and past customers.
4. Cover nights and weekends, when homeowners research and marketplaces are happy to take the lead you missed.
5. Cut the worst-performing paid source each quarter based on cost per sold job.

Where InspectionBooked fits

Every lead you capture from your own website is one you don't have to buy and don't have to share. InspectionBooked puts an AI chat assistant on your site that answers homeowner questions from your own content, asks your intake questions, collects a photo and contact details, and sends people to your booking page around the clock. Leads arrive in your inbox right away and belong only to you.

It's $99/month flat, not per lead. Start a free 14-day trial, no credit card required, or read how to get more foundation repair leads for more channels.