What Does Your Lead Gen Stack Look Like?

In 2025, generating motivated seller leads takes more than just sending a postcard or knocking on a few doors. With low inventory and increasing competition, the old “one-strategy” approach just doesn’t cut it anymore. Today’s successful investors use a stacked approach to lead generation — combining multiple marketing channels, tech tools, and follow-up systems to consistently fill their pipeline.

We recently sat down and created a list of 100 ways to generate motivated seller leads — and to make it more actionable, we organized them into 7 key categories. Each category focuses on a different method of reaching sellers, so you can start stacking your lead gen efforts in a way that fits your market, budget, and personal style.

Here are the 7 types of lead generation strategies:

High-Intent Leads – Sellers who are already raising their hand and looking for help
Targeted Outreach – Direct, proactive marketing to homeowners most likely to sell
Inbound Marketing – Strategies to attract sellers to you through SEO, content, and ads
Relationship & Referral Marketing – Building connections and getting referred
Branding & Local Awareness – Making sure your community knows you buy houses
Follow-Up, Systems & Automation – Converting more leads by staying organized
Creative & Bonus Strategies – Outside-the-box methods that work surprisingly well

Start with Branding & Local Awareness

In our opinion, branding and local awareness is where every investor should begin. It sets the foundation and adds credibility to every other lead gen strategy you implement.

The first step? Nail down your NAP — Name, Address (or Website URL), and Phone Number. Consistency here matters. Even if you change systems later, start with a name and contact info that you can stick with.

✔️ For a free phone number, try Google Voice — it’s app-based and easily portable.

✔️ When you’re ready to upgrade, systems like REI BlackBook let you port in your number and manage calls, texts, websites, and follow-up all in one place.

Set Up Your Website and Profiles

Secure your website URL via GoDaddy or a similar provider.

✔️ Use the free website that comes with your MAREI membership.

✔️ Upgrade to REI BlackBook if you want built-in automation and CRM.

✔️ Choose Carrot or Grumpy Hare if you’re planning to focus heavily on SEO.

Once your site is up, set up a Google Business Profile (formerly GMB), and optimize it with:

Your NAP details
Business hours
High-quality photos
Posts with recent activity (like just listed, just bought, before-and-after rehab pics)

Establish Your Social Profiles

Start simple:

✔️ A personal Facebook profile that clearly states what you do.

✔️ A Facebook Business Page.

✔️ Instagram — mostly for the tools it offers, even if you’re not ready to post.

✔️ LinkedIn — create both a personal and a business page.

These platforms act as your digital storefront. The more complete and active they are, the more likely people are to trust you when they find you through ads, postcards, or word of mouth.

If you grab our Leads List there are some links to learn more about how to optimize all of this.

Don’t Forget Your Credibility Kit

There is one last piece you should have in place as part of your credibility strategy — your Credibility Kit.

This is a physical leave-behind or a downloadable PDF from your website that gives sellers more confidence in working with you. Even if you’re new, it’s a chance to show that you are organized, ethical, and ready to help.

Here’s what to include:

✔️ Your Bio – Tell your story, your mission, and why you help sellers.

✔️ References or Testimonials – If you haven’t bought houses yet, use referrals from past employers, community involvement, or business colleagues.

✔️ Your Process – A simple step-by-step of how working with you works. For example: 1) Contact, 2) Quick Walkthrough, 3) Written Offer, 4) Easy Closing.

✔️ Example Contract – Include a blank version or even a filled-in one with a sample offer (if applicable) to show transparency.

This kit helps bridge the trust gap with sellers — especially if you’re buying off-market and working with people who’ve never sold to an investor before.

Make sure your contact info and branding are consistent with the rest of your NAP (Name, Address, Phone/URL). Keep it clean, easy to read, and focused on solving the seller’s problem.

Define Your Target Property & Area

Now that your credibility kit is ready and you have your basic online presence set up, the next step is to figure out where and what you want to buy.

If you’re reaching out to Realtors or Wholesalers, they need to know exactly what kind of deals you’re looking for. If you say, “Anything that’s a good deal in the metro,” that’s too vague and not helpful. Give them something specific.

You’ll want to define:

The neighborhoods or zip codes you’re targeting
The types of properties you’re looking for (single-family, duplex, vacant land, etc.)
The price range and age of the homes you prefer

Here in the Kansas City Metro, many investors target:

Homes between $200,000–$350,000
Built after1978 to avoid the hassle of lead-based paint. Or back to 1950 to give you more options
Areas where both first-time homebuyers and landlords would be interested

If you want to start in the urban core, you might look at older properties built in the 1920s or 1930s — just know that these often need more work and come with additional risk. If you’re brand new, consider avoiding homes built before 1900 unless you’re ready for major renovations.

Targeting duplexes or small multifamily? Then you need to find the pockets of town where those properties exist. Use tools like PropStream or Connected Investors PiN to analyze areas and pull property data.

The more specific you are, the more others can help you — and the easier it is to filter your own marketing lists later on.

Define Your Initial Goal

What is your initial goal with the house?

If your goal is to buy rentals, and fixing them up is not your thing, you may want to look for average, livable homes that can generate cash flow with minimal repairs.

If your goal is to add value through renovations — whether for a flip or a rental — you’ll want to seek out fixer-uppers that need cosmetic or structural work but are priced accordingly.

If your goal is to add value through creative deal making — helping sellers through tough situations like probate, foreclosure, or major life transitions — then you might not care as much about the condition of the house. Instead, your focus will be on identifying motivation and crafting win-win solutions.

Take some time to decide what your primary investing goal is so you can choose the marketing strategies that best support it. Once you know what you’re trying to accomplish, it becomes much easier to know where to look and what kind of messaging to use.

Choose Your Lead Generation Strategies

Now that you have your credibility set up, you know where you want to buy, what kind of properties you’re targeting, and what your initial goals are — it’s time to start generating leads and talking to sellers. (How to talk to sellers is a topic for another day, but this is where the conversation begins.)

Start by reviewing our list of 100 Ways to Generate Motivated Seller Leads and choose 3 or 4 strategies to begin with. You don’t need to do everything all at once — but you do need to do something consistently.

📍 Working with Realtors — You might build a list of agents to follow up with regularly via email and phone, asking what they have that might work for your business. Or you might partner with a newer agent who’s willing to write lots of offers and hustle to find off-market opportunities.

📍 Driving for Dollars — Pick your preferred market, drive for distressed homes, knock on doors, leave door hangers or business cards, and follow up with direct mail.

📍 AI & Tech-Based Outreach — Use tools like PropStream, DealMachine, and REI BlackBook to build a list, stack motivating seller factors (absentee + tax delinquent + code violations), and then use skip tracing + automation to identify motivated sellers and follow up.

Why List Stacking Matters

If you’re marketing to a broad audience — say, every homeowner in a neighborhood or all absentee owners in a city — you’re going to spend a lot of time and money to generate leads.

But if you stack motivation factors, you can narrow your focus and reach the sellers most likely to respond: ✔️ Out-of-state owner ✔️ Behind on taxes ✔️ Long-term ownership (15+ years) ✔️ Code violations or liens

This makes your outreach more targeted, more effective, and far more cost-efficient. Instead of mailing 5,000 people, you may only need to reach 500 highly motivated ones — and that’s a lead generation game-changer.

Pick a few strategies, test them, track your results, and scale up what works. And remember, the more consistent you are, the better your lead gen machine will run.

What to Do Now

If you’re ready to go deeper and want to see all 100 Ways to Generate Motivated Seller Leads, request your copy of the full list at 👉 www.MAREI.org/Leads.

Pick the ones you want to start with. And if you are still a bit daunted as to which one, we suggest joining us at the May 13th MAREI Meeting. We’re bringing in an expert.

Local investor Troy Kearns has bought hundreds of houses here in Kansas City and in markets across the country. He’s joining us live at the MAREI Meeting on Tuesday, May 13th, to reveal his top strategies for finding motivated sellers and getting the deal — what’s working in 2025, what to avoid, and how to stay ahead of the curve.

✔️ Don’t miss this meeting!
✔️ Free for MAREI Members and 1st-Time Guests who preregister
✔️ Register now at www.MAREI.org/calendar

We’ll see you there!