Shared remodeling leads: How to judge each source
About one lead in nine comes from an aggregator
Replacement contractors drew 11.1% of their leads from online lead aggregators, according to Qualified Remodeler's 2026 Top 500 report, just behind Google Ads at 12.1% and ahead of referrals at 10.6%. Angi alone reported in its 2025 annual filing that consumers used its network to find a pro for about 16 million projects, with roughly 111,000 average monthly active pros in the fourth quarter.
Angi, HomeAdvisor, Modernize, and Thumbtack all sell some form of homeowner request that more than one contractor may receive. The platforms do not run your sales process, and their dashboards do not know what you closed. Only your own CRM can tell you whether a source makes money.
Treat platform conversion claims as marketing
In April 2023 the FTC approved a final order requiring HomeAdvisor to pay up to $7.2 million. The FTC's complaint alleged that since at least mid-2014 the company made "false, misleading, or unsubstantiated claims about the quality and source of the leads," including that its leads resulted in jobs at rates much higher than it could substantiate. The order bars false or misleading claims about its leads, including that the homeowners are ready to hire or submitted their request directly to HomeAdvisor. The matter was resolved by consent order, so the claims remain allegations.
The lesson is narrow. A lead seller's conversion figure is part of its sales pitch. The only conversion figure you can act on is the one in your own funnel.
Judge each source by cost per issued appointment
Cost per lead is the number on the invoice and the least useful number you have. A cheap lead that never sits costs more than an expensive one that does. Two numbers matter: Cost per issued appointment, which is lead spend divided by appointments that ran with a rep in the home, and net sales per lead, which is net sold revenue divided by leads bought. Qualified Remodeler's survey put the median cost per issued lead for replacement contractors at $396, with 39% at $500 or more. Use that as a reference, then compute your own by source.
Source (illustrative month) | Leads | Spend | Issued appointments | Cost per issued | Net sales per lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aggregator A | 120 | $6,000 | 18 | $333 | $1,250 |
Aggregator B | 60 | $4,800 | 6 | $800 | $500 |
Google Ads | 80 | $9,600 | 24 | $400 | $2,100 |
In this example, Aggregator B costs less per lead than paid search, $80 against $120, and twice as much per issued appointment. That is the source to cap. Aggregator A is the cheapest path to a sit. Plug in your own month.
The table only works if every lead carries its source and a disposition code from the first call, not from a cleanup at the end of the week.
Run the credit process every week
Bad leads are partly refundable, but only if you ask inside the window. Angi's published Lead Credit Guidelines for Angi Leads, formerly HomeAdvisor, give full credit for the reasons below and partial credit for a lead under the wrong job type when you do serve the correct one. Requests must be made within 30 days of the charge.
Eligible for full credit | Not eligible |
|---|---|
Same homeowner submitted the same request twice | Homeowner is not calling you back |
Wrong zip code, and the correct one is outside your profile | Homeowner already found someone |
Wrong job type, and the correct one is not in your profile | Homeowner changed their mind |
A competitor testing the system | Homeowner is "just shopping" |
All contact information wrong or disconnected | You did not win the job |
Every other platform publishes its own rules, so read each one and map its reasons to your disposition codes. Then give the claims an owner and a weekly slot: Pull every lead coded wrong area, wrong service, duplicate, or bad number, file the request, and track credits recovered by source. An unfiled credit is lead spend you chose to keep paying. Credits also belong in the cost-per-issued math above.
The first minutes, briefly
A shared lead tends to go to whoever reaches the homeowner first, so call within the first minute. Response time and contact rate each have their own playbook. What matters for source accounting is what the first call records: Why a bad lead is bad, coded the same way every time, so it can be claimed and counted.
Cut, cap, or keep
Review sources monthly on three numbers: Cost per issued appointment, net sales per lead, and credits recovered. Keep sources below your blended cost per issued appointment. Cap the ones above it at a volume your team can work at full speed. Cut a source that stays in your bottom third for a quarter after credits.
The weak link is usually the call itself. Shared leads arrive at all hours, and the dispositions that drive credits and source reports get skipped when CSRs are busy. An AI voice agent can call each new lead the moment it arrives, qualify it with your script, book the in-home appointment into Lead Perfection, Builder Prime, or Salesforce, and log the source and disposition on the record. Calls that need a person transfer to your team with full context. Your CSRs spend their hours on the homeowners most likely to buy, and the source report shows what happened.
Are Angi leads worth it for contractors?
It depends on your own numbers, not the platform's. Track every Angi lead in your CRM through to issued appointment and sale, file credits for ineligible leads, then compare cost per issued appointment and net sales per lead with your other sources. If Angi lands below your blended cost per issued appointment after credits, keep it. If it stays in your bottom third for a quarter, cap or cut it.
How many contractors get the same Angi lead?
Angi does not publish a fixed number in its annual filing, and the figures quoted online come from marketing agencies rather than the platform. Ask your account rep for the maximum in writing, and assume any shared lead also reached competitors. The practical response is the same either way: Reach the homeowner first, qualify on that call, and measure what each source returns in your own CRM.
Can you get credit for bad Angi leads?
Yes, for specific reasons. Angi's Lead Credit Guidelines grant full credit for duplicates, wrong zip codes outside your profile, wrong job types you do not serve, competitor tests, and fully wrong or disconnected contact details, with partial credit for a wrong job type you do serve. Requests must be filed within 30 days of the charge. Homeowners who never call back or hire someone else do not qualify.
Are Modernize leads exclusive or shared?
Treat them as shared unless your agreement states otherwise in writing. Modernize matches homeowner requests with participating contractors, and how many contractors receive one request is a term to confirm with your rep before you buy. Whatever the answer, judge Modernize the same way as every other source: Cost per issued appointment and net sales per lead, measured in your own CRM.
What is the best lead source for remodelers?
There is no single answer, which is why measuring matters. Qualified Remodeler's 2026 Top 500 report found replacement contractors drew 12.1% of leads from Google Ads, 11.1% from online lead aggregators, and 10.6% from referrals. The best source for your company is the one with the lowest cost per issued appointment and the highest net sales per lead in your own data.
About Revin
Work every shared lead in seconds
Revin calls each new remodeling lead the moment it arrives, qualifies it, logs the source, and books the in-home appointment into your CRM.
