7 Best CRMs for Real Estate Investors (Paid & Free)

Real estate investing is a game of leads and relationships. We must arm ourselves with the best CRM for real estate investors to excel at this game.

This doesn’t mean we just pick the shiniest new platform available – no, we need software tailor-made for wholesalers, house flippers, and holders. We need a simple software solution that covers all the bases.

While a CRM won’t do everything we need to run a successful real estate investing business, a good one will at least eliminate a lot of the headaches.

To help cut through the software clutter, I’ve curated a list of the best CRMs available today.

What are the Best CRMs for Real Estate Investors?

The following are our picks for the best of the best, ranking them on things like user-friendliness, pricing, features, and reputation.

Salesforce – Best Overall
Podio – Best Free CRM
Follow Up Boss – Best for Broker/Agent Investors
DealMachine – Best for Lead Gen
RESimpli – Best “All-in-one” CRM
Forefront – Best for Simplicity
REI Blackbook – Best for Wholesalers

Most of these CRMs are explicitly geared towards REI, but options like Salesforce work so well that they can be used for almost any industry or niche.

1. Salesforce – Best CRM Overall

Salesforce has been around for 20 years, which is like 100 in tech years, and in this time, they’ve become the industry standard for CRM software.

How exactly does Salesforce dominate the CRM space? Well, they’ve got a lot of money and a lot of talent behind their product. And with that much going for them, they can afford to pack their CRM with premium features at an affordable price.

For us real estate investors, that means Salesforce has built a CRM that is easy to learn, dependable, and will fit almost any need — whether you wholesale, flip or manage a portfolio.

Salesforce is super customizable, too, so much so that third-party companies like Left Main have built their entire service on top of it.

Note

Left Main is a tech solutions company that customizes Salesforce for real estate investors. They’re experts at pruning back Salesforce’s slew of features, only highlighting the features REI guys need, like lead generation for wholesalers or project management tools for flippers.

Salesforce Features

Connectivity – Every facet and member of your business under one digital roof.
Mobile App – Keep the team connected and close deals on the fly.
Lead Management – Always know where your leads are in the sales pipeline.
Integrations – Easily integrate with your existing software. Zapier anyone?
A.I. – Smarty-pants artificial intelligence that helps optimize or eliminate pesky tasks.
Customer support – You can speak with a human being!
Cloudy – Salesforce has its own cloud to store your data in, so it’s super secure.

Salesforce Pricing

Salesforce has four (4) tiers for their software packages, beginning with “Essentials” at $25 per month per user.

My Thoughts

Salesforce is great for small or large teams but begins to really shine if your real estate business has multiple arms. So, if you’ve got separate Marketing, Sales, and Acquisitions teams, this CRM is one of the few that can keep them all happy under one roof.

Plus, you can connect it to nearly anything (Quickbooks, bank APIs, rent collection apps, etc.)

10/10

2. Podio – Best Free CRM for Real Estate Investors

Podio established itself in the REI community around 2015 as a cheaper, more customizable alternative to bigger, pricier CRMs.

This CRM wasn’t created solely for the real estate industry, but the level of customization inspired developers to build their own REI apps on top of Podio’s technology.

A couple of the more popular apps built on Podio:

Podio Features

Customizable – Podio will allow you to tinker and customize to your heart’s delight.
Integrated – Connect your marketing campaigns and automation tools.
Teamwork – Live chat function and shared data help users stay on the same page.
Cheap – The most pocket-friendly CRM available right now.
Pre-built – Many DFY (done-for-you) real estate investing setups are available.
Mobile App – Works on your phone when you’re driving for dollars.

Podio Pricing

Podio starts at $0 per month for up to five (5) users.

Their “Basic” package is $9 per month, “Plus” is $14/mo, and “Premium” is just $24/mo.

My Thoughts

In my opinion, Podio is the most beginner-friendly CRM of the bunch.

It’s cheap, has all the bells and whistles you need (or don’t need), and there are easy ways to get a custom real estate-centric setup.

3. Follow Up Boss – Best CRM for Broker/Agent Investors

Many real estate professionals moonlight as investors, and Follow Up Boss (FUB) is a goldmine for those people.

FUB is a two-for-one real estate CRM that works great when working retail leads for your brokerage or motivated seller leads for your investments.

The platform is simple, clean, and offers fantastic lead management tools.

Follow Up Boss Features

Marketing Automation – Text & Email marketing baked in.
Call-Routing – Set rules to push calls to different team members.
Mobile App – Update leads in your CRM in real-time.
Dashboards – Track the data that’s important to you.
Integration – Connects easily to your lead sources & other software.

Follow Up Boss Pricing

Follow Up Boss starts at $69 per month/user for their “Grow” package.

Their “Pro” offering is for medium-sized teams (10 users) and starts at $499 per month.

Their “Platform” package is built for large teams (30 users) and starts at $1,000 per month.

My Thoughts

Follow Up Boss has all the features you’d need to manage leads effectively and close more deals. You also save a few bucks per month by having all-in-one software for real estate.

Plus, the ability to set up email drip campaigns is a rockstar feature that not many CRMs have and is sorely needed in your lead funnel.

4. DealMachine – Best CRM for Lead Generation

DealMachine isn’t your typical software company; they’re a lead generator first that just happens to have a great CRM.

DealMachine’s software and lead gen services are designed to be used together. This “one-two punch” of lead gen and CRM functionality give real estate investors the only starting blocks they need to begin finding and closing deals.

Editor’s note: DealMachine’s two flagship services are “driving for dollars” lead gen and a comprehensive lead list builder. Both services grant access to their CRM so customers can manage the leads they provide.

DealMachine Features

Data + MLS – Get accurate (up to 96.5%) data on local owners and properties.
In-app Skiptracing – Get access to owner details, like phone and email.
Direct Mail – Design and launch direct mail postcards from the CRM.
Marketing Scheduler – Set custom times/dates for your marketing messages.
ROI Tracker – Compare marketing channels on the fly.

DealMachine Pricing

DealMachine’s packages begin at $49/mo for their “Starter” package and “Professional” for $99/mo. These are fine for solopreneurs or small partnerships.

Most businesses will want the “Elite” package for $249 per month, which comes with all the bells and whistles.

You’ll have up to 30 full-access team members and save money on your skip-tracing and direct mail with preferred pricing.

My Thoughts

Having a fancy CRM with no leads to work is like having a Lamborghini with no gas; you can’t enjoy one without the other.

DealMachine provides you with a lead generation and management system. Plus, the UI is slick and works fantastic on mobile.

Editors note: This software also encourages investors to look at new ideas for real estate marketing. Many tech-savvy investors have never heard of “driving for dollars,” which can be an effective lead gen strategy that sometimes gets overlooked.

5. RESimpli – Best “All-in-one” CRM for Real Estate Investors

RESimpli is a “one-stop shop” for anyone starting a real estate investing business.

Their goal was to make a software bundle for REI that…simply works.

(See what they did with their brand name?)

It requires NO customization to work, NO tech-savvy to operate, and NO extra tools to have a fully-functioning funnel.

RESimpli Features

Complete CRM – Manage property and lead data, marketing, and more.
Full Accounting – Ditch Quickbooks and track your expenses and KPIs.
Drip Campaigns – Automated SMS, Email, RVM, and Direct mail built-in.
D4$ App – Driving for Dollars functionality on your cell phone.
Skip Tracing – Easily dig up motivated seller lead contact information.

RESimpli Pricing

RESimpli’s “Basic” package is $99/mo and is geared towards solopreneurs.

The “Pro” package is $199/mo and is excellent for a medium-sized business.

Finally, the “Enterprise” package starts at $499/mo and has unlimited users.

My Thoughts

Customer relationship management is only one function of what “CRM software” should do in 2022.

Nowadays, software needs to do a bit of everything, and RESimpli checks off all the boxes for a real estate business.

6. Forefront – Best for Simplicity

Forefront built a simple real estate CRM that only includes features you’d actually use; no bloatware here.

Their platform also has a drag-n-drop editor that lets you tweak the CRM juuust right, a dream for less tech-savvy users.

Forefront Features

Plug-n-Play – Runs well out of the box. Dummy-friendly.
Mobile App – Close more deals on the go with a complete CRM in your pocket.
Automation – Drip campaigns baked-in.
Chat – Find every text and email sent to your leads in one dashboard.
The KPI tracker – CPC, CPL, Closing rate – easily tracks all the critical data.

Forefront Pricing

Forefront has a pretty standard pricing scheme.

Their “Starter” package comes in at $99/mo, the “Professional” offering at $199/mo, and their flagship “Elite” package at $399/mo.

My Thoughts

Forefront is the only CRM on this list I don’t have experience using.

I’ve worked with clients who love its simplicity, especially those who had difficulty with a more technical CRM.

As a bonus, the company has an outstanding reputation in REI circles.

7. REI Blackbook – Best CRM for Wholesalers

REI Blackbook is software for wholesalers – no way around it.

The entire software stack is built to help wholesalers easily make and take offers. This allows wholesalers to move quickly and avoid bottlenecks.

REI Blackbook Features

Website Builder – You can use it to build a website.
Follow-up Campaigns – Automated follow-up for every lead.
Task Management – Delegate and coordinate with your team in real-time.
Property Pipeline – Manage every deal detail, from lead to closing.
Property Marketing – Easily post your deals to your website and notify your buyer’s list.
Phone-Friendly – Phone numbers are included for your team and marketing channels.

REI Blackbook Pricing

Take time to read through REI Blackbook’s pricing before you select a package – they have a lot of information on their pricing page.

Their “Solopreneur” offer is $97 per month and has limited functionality.

The “Small Business” package starts at $197 per month and contains all the core features.

Finally, their “Accelerator” package starts at $297 per month and contains all the core features + 2X the number of user accounts, websites, tracking numbers, etc.

My Thoughts

REI Blackbook is great for wholesalers who don’t want to “duct tape” multiple tools/services together. It has everything a new investor would need to get started software-wise — lead generation, pipeline management, etc.

I have an issue with their pricing structure, but that’s a personal gripe from a marketing standpoint. The “value-stack” pricing and offer model is prevalent in the marketing world, but I’ve seen it so many times it’s lost its appeal.

Honorable mentions

REIReply

It has a lot of tools and is built on HighLevel tech (a respected name in the marketing industry).

InvestorFuse

InvestorFuse began as one investor’s custom Podio setup. His setup got so popular and generated so much demand that he created his own business around it.

Editor’s note: This one might creep into the Top 7 soon as I continue to hear more good things about it.

Propelio

Propelio has a suite of really great tools and provides leads right out of the box. Very “driving for dollars” centric.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do real estate investors need a CRM?

A good CRM will allow investors to keep a close eye on each part of their business and provide data on what’s working and what’s not.

Which CRM is best for real estate agents?

The best CRM for real estate agents is Follow Up Boss. It has all the tools an agent needs to manage buyer and seller effectively leads from the first touch to the closing table.

How do I choose a CRM for real estate?

Look at the features each CRM provides — do those features currently fix problems your business has or might have in the future? If so, it might be a good CRM for you.

How is CRM used in real estate?

Agents and investors need to manage their leads, marketing, and messaging — a CRM helps organize and centralize all of those things in one place.

Wrap Up

Some old-school investors have built a real estate empire on the back of a napkin, but trying to operate that way in 2022 is like fighting with one hand tied behind your back.

I haven’t met a single top performer who doesn’t utilize software (like I’ve listed here) to automate and optimize their business, so there is no excuse not to arm yourself with some badass software and use it to level up your game.

Plus, free trials allow you to test-drive each CRM for a couple of weeks before buying anything; some are free from the get-go.

If you’ve got a real estate CRM that you love or one you think I should include on this list – let me know!