Lead Generation

Stop Renting Leads.
Start Owning Them.

A rented lead is a cost that resets to zero every month. An owned channel is an asset that compounds. Most contractors spend years on the first and never build the second โ€” which is why a twenty-year-old company and a brand new one can be paying the same per lead. This hub shows the real economics of both.

Packages from $500/mo. The website we build is yours to keep.

Contractor lead generation splits into rented sources (Angi, Thumbtack, Google Ads, lead brokers) where you pay per lead and the platform keeps the customer, and owned sources (your website, Google Business Profile, reviews, referrals) where the cost per lead falls as volume grows and you keep the relationship.

$25โ€“$100
Typical shared marketplace lead
3โ€“4
Contractors sold the same lead
15โ€“25%
Typical close rate, shared leads
$0
Marginal cost of an organic lead

Own It or Rent It

What You Keep
When You Stop Paying.

This is the only question that matters when comparing marketing channels. Everything on the left is an asset that stays with your business. Everything on the right disappears with your next invoice.

✓ You Own This

  • ✓ Inbound calls from your own rankings
  • ✓ Google Business Profile calls and direction requests
  • ✓ Repeat work from a list you control
  • ✓ Referrals driven by your review engine

✗ You Rent This

  • ✗ Shared leads resold to your competitors
  • ✗ Pay-per-click traffic that stops with the budget
  • ✗ Lead broker contracts with minimum spend

Build the channels you keep.

We build and run owned marketing for home-service contractors starting at $500/mo. From the Black tier up, the custom website is free — and it is yours, whether you stay with us or not.

Get Started →

Read Next

Everything on Lead Generation

Written for contractors, with real numbers and no pitch in the first half.

Lead Generation · 9 min read

How to Get HVAC Leads: Rent Them or Own Them

How to get HVAC leads without renting them: real 2026 cost per lead by channel, what you can do yourself this week, and what you keep when you stop paying.

Lead Generation · 9 min read

How to Get Roofing Leads: Own the Search, Rent the Storm

How to get roofing leads: real 2026 cost per lead by channel, what to do yourself, when storm-season ads pay off, and which channels you keep when you stop paying.

Lead Generation · 12 min read

Contractor Leads Free: What Costs Nothing and What Costs Time

Free contractor leads exist, but they cost time. Compare every free and paid source by cost, speed, and ownership, with a framework for choosing what to do first.

Marketing Strategy · 10 min read

How to Get More Leads as a Contractor Without Paying for Ads

Paid ads aren't the only way to fill your pipeline. Here are proven organic strategies that generate contractor leads for free โ€” or close to it.

Industry Data · 10 min read

How Much Does a Lead Cost for Contractors? (2026 Data by Trade and Channel)

We compiled cost-per-lead data across 12 trades and 6 channels. Here are the real numbers contractors are paying for leads in 2026.

Contractor Bear · 10 min read

How Our AI-Powered Marketing System Gets Contractors 30+ Leads Per Month

Here's exactly how Contractor Bear's marketing system works โ€” from your free custom website to AI search optimization to lead tracking.

Marketing Strategy · 8 min read

How to Build a Referral Program for Your Contracting Business

Referrals have the highest close rate of any lead source. Here's how to build a systematic referral program instead of hoping customers remember you.

Marketing Strategy · 7 min read

'I Get All My Work From Referrals' โ€” Why That's Not a Growth Strategy

Referrals are great. But if that's your only lead source, you've capped your growth. Here's why โ€” and what to do about it.

More in Lead Generation

Questions

Frequently Asked

Where do contractors get leads? +

Four places: marketplaces like Angi and Thumbtack, paid ads, organic search including Google Business Profile, and referrals. The first two are rented and cost per lead stays flat or rises. The last two are owned and cost per lead falls as they mature.

How much do contractors pay for leads? +

Shared marketplace leads typically run $25โ€“$100 depending on trade and job value. Exclusive leads run higher. Paid search clicks range $25โ€“$180 for home services, and several clicks are usually needed per lead. Organic and Google Business Profile leads carry management cost rather than a per-lead price.

Is it worth paying for leads? +

It can be, early on, when you have no web presence and need cash flow this week. The failure mode is staying there for years. Paid leads make sense as a bridge while owned channels are built, not as the permanent foundation of the business.

Stop renting your lead flow.

Contractor Bear builds the channels you own — a website on your domain, a Google Business Profile you control, and rankings that keep working between invoices. From $500/mo, and you keep the site either way.

Get Free Audit