Guide

How to choose a real estate CRM: a buyer's checklist

Questions to ask before you buy a real estate CRM, using what vendors publish: price, contract, seats, setup, and dialer. Checked Oct 15, 2026.

Researched, not hands-on

By Tested by Agents· Facts checked October 15, 2026

LOLoftySISierra InteractiveBOBoomTownHIHighLevelHUHubSpot

A CRM page can show a monthly price, a “request pricing” button, or both. Those are different facts. This checklist is the set of questions to ask before treating them as the same number. The examples are from vendor pages and labeled third-party reports checked October 15, 2026. They are not prices this site paid, and this page does not pick a CRM.

The dollar figures live in Real estate CRM pricing compared (2026) and on the CRM and lead-gen pricing page.

The checklist

  1. Is the price on the vendor page, or is the page asking for a quote? Sierra Interactive and HighLevel print package prices. Lofty’s Agent, Team, Broker, and Enterprise rows say Request Pricing. BoomTown’s comparison page does not print a price. HubSpot lists a free CRM and a Starter list price. If the only dollars you can find are in a blog, label them as someone else’s report.

  2. What is the contract length? Sierra’s pricing page says every plan is a 12-month agreement. BoomTown’s FAQ says it looks for 12-month partnerships. HighLevel’s page says plans are month-to-month or annual. Ask for the cancellation date in the quote, not in a sales call summary.

  3. How are seats counted, and what does another seat cost? Sierra prints included users (1, 3, and 5) and extra-user prices. HighLevel’s Starter plan names 3 sub-accounts. HubSpot’s Starter price is per seat. If a quote says “per user” and does not say how many people are in the office, the monthly number is incomplete.

  4. Is there a setup or onboarding fee? Sierra’s page says setup is $0 when the year is prepaid and $500 when the agreement is billed monthly. HubSpot’s Sales Hub Professional row in the October 15 check included $1,500 required onboarding. Lofty and BoomTown setup figures in the comparison article are third-party reports, not vendor price tags. Ask the vendor to put the setup fee on the quote.

  5. Is the dialer, the website, or texting included? Sierra says the dialer is included on Essential and Growth and is $100 a month on Starter. Do not assume the cheapest printed plan includes the same phone tools as the plan above it. Read the row, then ask the quote to name the same items.

  6. Are leads priced on top of the CRM? Lofty publishes Bloom Agent package prices and a 20% ad-management fee on lead-gen programs. That is not the base CRM price. Portal products (Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com) are a separate table on the lead-gen pricing page. A CRM subscription does not include those.

  7. How many MLS feeds are included? Sierra includes one MLS and lists $25 for an extra MLS. If you need two boards, add that line before you compare monthly prices.

  8. What did the page say on the day you read it? Prices move. This site’s figures are dated October 15, 2026, and each row names a source. If the vendor page disagrees with a third-party roundup, use the vendor page for what the vendor is willing to print, and treat the other number as a report.

  9. What can the public page not tell you? It cannot tell you deliverability, how the dialer behaves on a live list, or the invoice you will actually get after discounts. Those notes belong in a hands-on review. Those reviews are not published yet. The rule for them is on How we test.

How to read the answer

Write the quote down in the same units as the published plans: price per month, billing term, seats included, setup, contract length, and which add-ons are extra. Then you can compare a quote-only CRM with Sierra or HighLevel without pretending an estimate is a rate card.

This page has no affiliate links and no score.

Questions

Can a quote be compared with a published price?

Not until the quote is in writing and uses the same term: monthly versus annual, seats included, setup, and the contract length. A third-party estimate is not a quote from the vendor.

Which figures on the checklist did this site pay?

None of them. The examples are published or reported list prices checked October 15, 2026. They are not invoices from this site.

Where are the hands-on CRM reviews?

They are not published. Draft reviews stay out of search until the price paid, the screenshots, and the verdict are written. This checklist is public research only.

Does the checklist recommend one CRM?

No. It is a list of questions. The site does not name a winner from the public pages.

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