The time comes for all mortgage brokers and loan officers to consider spending some of their hard earned money by testing the waters of mortgage leads.

After all, leads are the name of the game.

If the time is right for you, it is important to do you research, remember, you are testing the waters, not diving right in. Investigate as many lead companies as you can before you decide which one is right for you.

Equally important is the lead itself, while doing your research, consider these three things about the type of lead you will be getting.

Where did the lead come from?

Speak with a representative from the lead company to determine where the leads are being generated from. Lead companies use different methods for obtaining their leads. Some of the more common ways lead companies generate leads is through e-mail campaigns, advertisements on search engines, directing potential customers to web sites that they own, and purchasing leads in bulk from other companies.

Is the lead fresh or recycled?

Some lead companies sell their leads in what they call real time, which means the leads are fresh, usually no more than a day old.

A recycled lead, is a lead that a company will sell multiple times, or they are buying their leads in bulk at a cheap price and reselling them for a profit.

Not to say one is better than the other, the reason being, the difference in price.

A fresh lead will undoubtedly cost more than a recycled lead. It all depends on what you are looking for, quality or quantity.

If the lead is bad, will you get your money back?

Make sure you are 100% confident that the lead company you are dealing with has a fair return policy. Most lead companies have software in place, or verify the lead before they sell it to weed out any fake, or bogus leads. But even with these barriers in place, it is not unusual for one to slip through the cracks. If you receive a bogus lead, there is no reason why you shouldnt get your money back.