A Modernize rep calls, says they have homeowners in your area ready for a quote, and wants to set you up this week. Before you say yes, it helps to know what Modernize leads really are, who else gets them, and what the contract lets you return. The other reviews we found skip the contract. This one quotes it.
This review is built from Modernize’s own pages, the general client terms its parent company publishes, and a few dated outside sources. Every fact from Modernize or QuinStreet links to its source, and example math is labeled. Pages and terms were checked on October 19, 2026.
Modernize leads are homeowner requests that Modernize (owned by QuinStreet) collects from ads, its own sites and a call center, then sells to contractors. A standard lead can go to up to four companies, there’s no public price list, and QuinStreet’s published default terms allow only five business days and four narrow reasons to ask for credit on a bad one. Your own contract may differ.
They can pay off for big-ticket trades with a fast phone team. For shops that can’t call back fast, or that sell small tickets, the math gets hard.
Key takeaways
- Modernize sells four products. Branded Programs are the one it clearly sells as exclusive. The four products
- The homeowner’s consent screen allows calls from up to four home improvement companies, so plan to be one of four. Shared or exclusive
- There’s no price list. Right Pricing moves with lead value, and you set the ceiling. How pricing works
- QuinStreet’s 2022 default client terms give 5 business days to request credit, count any lead you’ve contacted as valid, and require 90 days’ notice to quit. Check whether your IO uses them. The fine print
- Your max cost per lead is what you’ll spend to win a job times your lead-to-sale rate. Max cost per lead
- A court threw out the FCC’s one-to-one consent rule in January 2025, so that rule doesn’t ban Modernize’s “up to four companies” form. The older TCPA consent rules still apply when you call or text. Reviews and the FCC rule
- Run a 60-day test with a budget cap, and remember the default 90-day notice can stretch it to five months. The 60-day test
What Modernize leads are and where they come from
Modernize is a lead seller. It finds homeowners who want a project done, gets their details, and sells that request to contractors in the right trade and ZIP code. It’s owned and operated by QuinStreet, a public company. Most of its revenue comes from financial services clients.
Home services is still a big piece. In its annual report, QuinStreet said home services made up 31% of net revenue in the year ended June 30, 2026, up from 25% the year before. Home services revenue grew $128.8 million, or 47%, mostly because QuinStreet bought a company called HomeBuddy. Those numbers cover more than Modernize.
Where do the homeowners come from? Modernize’s own lead explainer lists seven channels:
- Paid search ads
- Native ads on other websites
- Its own home improvement sites
- Organic search traffic to its sites
- Publisher partners
- Social media ads
- Outreach from its own call center, which also screens homeowners before live transfers
Where the lead came from changes how ready they are. A homeowner who typed “roof replacement cost” into Google is not in the same spot as one who clicked a Facebook ad for a bathroom makeover. Both can end up as a Modernize lead.
For scale, Modernize says it handled more than 10 million homeowner inquiries and delivered more than 400,000 leads in 2025, across all 50 states, on its leads page. Those are the company’s own numbers, not an audit.
The four ways Modernize sends you homeowners
“Modernize leads” can mean four different products. They don’t work the same way. The difference changes who else is calling the homeowner, and whether you can get credit for a dud.
Modernize describes them on its FAQ page and calls page. Next to each is what QuinStreet’s published client terms say by default:
| Product | How it reaches you | Who else gets it | Credit for bad ones (default terms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leads | A form the homeowner filled out, sent to your CRM in real time | Can be matched with other buyers | Yes, for four narrow reasons, within 5 business days |
| Inbound Calls | The homeowner dials a phone number for your business shown on Modernize’s sites | Modernize says the number shown is your dedicated number. Ask whether the same homeowner can also reach other companies | The default terms count calls as leads, so the same four return reasons apply. But a call that reaches you is a contact, and contacted leads count as valid. Expect few credits, and ask how call credits work |
| Live Transfers | Modernize’s call center screens the homeowner, then patches them through to your team | The default terms don’t promise exclusive transfers. Ask if the same homeowner can be transferred to more than one company | No, unless your insertion order says so |
| Branded Programs | Review management and branded ads on BestCompany.com, plus branded landing pages, in Modernize’s words | Exclusive when the homeowner picks your brand | Ask |
Live transfers only pay if someone picks up. QuinStreet’s terms call these Warm Transfer Leads, and by default they “are not subject to return.” If no one on your team is free, or the call drops before the transfer finishes, “the Warm Transfer Lead will still be deemed valid.” You’ll get the details marked as an incomplete transfer, so call those back first.
Branded Programs are the one product Modernize clearly sells as exclusive. Its branded programs page says “All customers selecting your brand will be sent to you exclusively.” It says clients see “set rates of 40% on average” on those exclusive leads. A set rate usually means the share of leads that book an appointment. Modernize doesn’t say how it measures it, so ask before you plan around it.
The rest of this review focuses mostly on the first row: standard form leads, which are the ones most likely to be shared.
Are Modernize leads shared? How many contractors get each one
A standard Modernize lead can be shared, and you should assume it will be. The homeowner’s consent screen tells you.
Modernize’s consent page says that by clicking “Get Matches,” the homeowner authorizes “Home Improvement Leads and up to four home improvement companies that can help with your project to call you.” Its homeowner FAQ says the same thing in friendlier words: Modernize will “match you with up to 4 top-rated professionals,” and “within 24 hours, you’ll hear from each of your contractor matches.”
The contractor side lines up. QuinStreet’s client terms say leads “may be matched with other QS clients” and that nothing “obligates QS to deliver Leads exclusively to Client.”
“Up to” four means some leads may go to fewer pros. Modernize doesn’t publish how often a lead goes to the full four, so plan as if you’re one of four.
Here’s a made-up example. A homeowner asks about a new roof at 7:40 p.m. By 7:45 their phone has rung twice. By the next morning, three roofers have left voicemails and one has texted. The roofer who books the inspection isn’t always the best one. Often it’s the one who got through first and sounded like a real person.
A shared lead only gives you a head start if you call first.
Angi works in a similar way, as our Angi leads review explains. The leads are real. You’re just not the only one calling. Your phone process is the part you control.
How much do Modernize leads cost?
There’s no price list. Modernize uses what it calls Right Pricing. The price moves with how well leads from each source tend to sell for you, and you set the most you’re willing to pay.
In Modernize’s words, from its pricing page: “Right Pricing is a dynamic pricing model that aligns lead costs with the performance and value of the source.” Then: “You set the ceiling of the maximum you want to pay.”
Its own article on what leads cost never gives a number. It says its products “vary in price.” The factors it names are trade, homeowner intent, volume, market location and “other attributes.” Then it says: “Call us up and get a quote for your area and trade!”
You’ll see dollar ranges on other blogs. We couldn’t find a verified number tied to a Modernize document, so we won’t repeat them. Ask for your quote in writing for each trade and ZIP code.
What you can control:
- Your ceiling: Set it from your own break-even math, not from what the rep calls “competitive.”
- Your lead criteria: Trades, ZIP codes, project types. Under QuinStreet’s default terms, changes can take up to 20 days for most leads and 3 days for live transfers. Changes can also come with a price change. Get the first setup right.
- Your budget cap: Ask for a monthly maximum in the insertion order, the signed order that sets your price and budget.
Modernize’s signup form asks for your annual revenue, in bands that run from under $500K up to $100M+. Its roofing leads page says, “We custom build you a program based on annual revenue.” Two roofers in one town can get very different programs. A buddy’s price isn’t your price.
QuinStreet’s client terms: the fine print behind Modernize leads
We couldn’t find contractor terms on Modernize’s site, but its owner publishes its own. QuinStreet posts its standard Client Terms online. The version there is dated February 16, 2022, and the word “Modernize” doesn’t appear in it. They spell out when you can get credit for a bad lead, how long you have to ask, and how much notice you owe to quit.
One caution first. These are QuinStreet’s general terms for anyone who buys its leads, so we can’t confirm they’re in every Modernize deal. When this review says “default terms,” that’s what it means. Your deal with Modernize is set by your insertion order (IO). The terms say an IO wins if the two conflict, as long as the IO points to the exact section it changes. Ask your rep: does my IO use these terms (or a newer version), and what does it change?
What counts as a bad lead
Under the default terms, QuinStreet only takes back a lead that:
- doesn’t match the lead criteria you set (wrong trade or ZIP, for example)
- is a duplicate sent to you within the past 30 days
- has “clearly false information” (their example is “Mickey Mouse”)
- has disconnected phone numbers (the main one and any backup) and an email that bounces
Look closely at the last one. A dead phone number alone isn’t enough. The email has to bounce too.
The line that matters most: “Leads with which Client has established a contact shall in all cases be considered valid.” Once you’ve made contact, the lead counts as valid. The terms don’t define “contact,” so ask whether a voicemail or a text reply counts. Read plainly, “in all cases” could mean that even a renter counts as valid once you’ve reached them. Ask your rep how they handle that.
The rest of the fine print
| Term | What the default terms say | What to do about it |
|---|---|---|
| Credit window | Submit credit requests “within five (5) business days of delivery” | Review every lead by day 3. Send each request through the Client Services portal with the reason and the original lead details. Ask if your IO gives a longer window |
| Live transfers | “Warm Transfer Leads are not subject to return” unless your IO says otherwise | Staff the line. A dropped transfer still counts |
| Your contact duty | Make “commercially reasonable efforts” to contact each lead within 1 business day | Aim for minutes, not a day |
| Exclusivity | Nothing “obligates QS to deliver Leads exclusively” | Assume shared unless your IO says exclusive |
| Quitting | Either side can end it “on ninety (90) days prior written notice,” unless the IO says otherwise | Ask for a shorter notice period in the IO |
| Too many returns | If your returns hit 5% of leads in a month, QuinStreet may end the deal on 14 days’ notice | Return every lead that fits the four reasons, and keep notes. If bad leads push you past 5%, raise it with your rep in writing |
| Paying | Invoices due in 30 days, then 1.5% a month on late balances | Match invoices to your lead log every month |
| Your data | You make “commercially reasonable efforts” to send a weekly report on which leads converted. If QuinStreet asks, you must let it listen in on your calls with its leads, or send recordings or transcripts | Decide what you’ll share before you sign |
For most shops, the 90-day notice is the term that can cost the most. The agreement stays in force for 90 days after you give notice. The default terms don’t include a clause that lets you pause, and lead criteria changes can take up to 20 days. So ask in writing whether you can cut your budget or pause leads during that time. Better yet, get a shorter notice period in the IO.
Work out your max cost per lead before you take a quote
Don’t start with “is this price per lead fair?” Start with the most you’re willing to pay for a lead and still hit your marketing budget. You need your average ticket, your margin, your close rate on shared leads, and one decision about budget.
- Gross profit per job: average ticket times your gross margin. Example: a $14,000 roof at 35% margin is $4,900.
- What you’ll spend to win a job: pick the slice of gross profit you’re OK spending on marketing. We’ll use 20% here. On that roof, that’s $980 per signed job.
- Your lead-to-sale rate: out of every 100 shared leads, how many sign? Use your real number from other shared sources. If you don’t know it, try a low and a high guess (say 5% and 10%, just as examples) and see if the quote works at both.
Then: max cost per lead = money per signed job × lead-to-sale rate.
Say you’re that roofer and 8 of every 100 shared leads sign. $980 × 0.08 = $78.40. That’s your ceiling. If the quote is above it, you’re spending more than you planned to win each job. Go over it and you’re eating into money meant for overhead and profit. (The true break-even on gross profit is much higher, $4,900 × 0.08 = $392 a lead, but that leaves nothing for rent, trucks or you.)
Here’s the same math for three made-up shops. Swap in your own numbers.
| Example shop | Avg ticket | Gross margin | Spend per signed job (20% of gross profit) | Lead-to-sale rate | Max cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing replacement | $14,000 | 35% | $980 | 8% | $78 |
| HVAC system swap | $11,000 | 40% | $880 | 10% | $88 |
| Window package | $9,000 | 40% | $720 | 6% | $43 |
The biggest lever is your close rate. Raise the roofer’s lead-to-sale rate from 8% to 12% and the ceiling goes from $78 to about $118. Same leads, same price. Your team just works them faster and better.
In the roofing example, each extra point of close rate lets you pay about $9.80 more per lead.
It’s also why “cost per lead” is the wrong scoreboard. Track cost per signed job instead: total spend on the source divided by jobs it produced. Our guide to lead generation for contractors walks through how to track that across every source you pay for.
Who Modernize fits and who should skip it
In our view, shared leads work best for shops that already sell well over the phone. If nobody can call a new lead within minutes, you’ll often be paying for leads a faster company closes.
Trade matters too. Modernize lists more than 20 trades on its leads page, from roofing, siding, windows and HVAC to solar, walk-in tubs and stairlifts. Many are big-ticket projects. That’s where the math in the last section has room to work. Modernize says its account team uses your sales data to shut off sources that don’t sell for you. Ask to see an example.
Selling solar? Deals can take months, so stretch the test past 60 days or judge it on appointments set first, then signed jobs.
| Your setup | Our take |
|---|---|
| Someone answers new leads within 5 minutes, 7 days a week | Good fit for a test |
| Average ticket over about $8,000 with healthy margin | Room for the math to work |
| A staffed call center | Live transfers and inbound calls make more sense than form leads, but dropped transfers still count |
| A CRM that tracks every lead to a signed job | You’ll have real numbers by day 60 |
| The owner answers leads between jobs, when there’s time | Skip for now. Fix response time first |
| Lower-ticket jobs (a few thousand dollars or less) | Hard to make shared leads pay |
| You can’t afford 90 days of notice if it flops | Don’t sign until the IO notice period is shorter |
| Storm-driven roofing (Modernize lists emergency storm repairs) | Can work, but expect heavy competition on every lead |
The $8,000 line isn’t a rule from Modernize. It’s our rough cut. Below that, the break-even ceiling gets thin fast unless your lead-to-sale rate is strong.
If you’re on the fence, compare the options side by side. Google’s Local Services Ads work on a different model, and our rundown of alternatives to Angi covers the other pay-per-lead sites. For a roofing-only view, see our breakdown of roofing lead sources.
Modernize Home Services reviews, robocall complaints and the FCC rule
Most bad Modernize reviews we found come from homeowners, not contractors. That still matters to you. An annoyed homeowner is harder to reach and slower to trust.
When we checked on October 19, 2026, Modernize Home Services had a TrustScore of 2.3, with 1,216 reviews, on Trustpilot. Trustpilot’s AI summary, based on 83 reviews, said most reviewers were unhappy. The common themes were advertised prices versus real estimates, and what reviewers called “persistent phone calls.” The recent reviews we read were from homeowners asking about projects like bathroom remodels. We didn’t find contractor reviews we could verify.
Those are mostly homeowner complaints about calls and ad prices, not proof that the leads are bad. Here’s what they mean on your end:
- Some homeowners won’t know your company name. They asked a website, not you. Open with who you are and how you got their request.
- Some will expect the price they saw in an ad. Don’t argue. Explain what changes the price and book the visit.
- Some will be tired of calls by the time you ring. Try a short text along with your call (“This is [your name] from [your company], you asked about a roof quote”). It stands out from call number four. Read the consent note below before you set up automated texts.
What happened to the FCC one-to-one consent rule
You may hear that new FCC rules changed how lead sellers work. In December 2023 the FCC adopted a “one-to-one” consent rule. It would have required a separate consent for each company. The rule never took effect. On January 24, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit vacated that part of the FCC’s order in Insurance Marketing Coalition v. FCC.
That means a single form that allows calls from “up to four” companies, like Modernize’s, wasn’t banned by that rule.
Modernize’s article on the rule, marked updated August 12, 2026, still says “full compliance by January 2025” and doesn’t mention the court ruling. Modernize may still follow parts of its plan by choice. Ask your rep what its consent process looks like today.
Modernize’s consent text says the companies may use email, phone or text, including auto-dialed or prerecorded calls or messages. But the consent text we read says “up to four home improvement companies” and doesn’t name them, and the older TCPA rules still apply to you. Before you automate texts or use a dialer, ask your rep for the consent record on each lead and check your setup with a lawyer.
How to run a fair 60-day test of Modernize leads
If you try Modernize, treat it like a test with a budget cap and an end date. Track every lead from delivery to signed job. Then decide with numbers, not with how busy the phone felt.
Why 60 days? Big-ticket jobs take a while to close. A roof lead from week one might not sign until week five. Thirty days is too short to judge. Now do the math: a 60-day test plus a 90-day notice can mean five months of spend. Get a shorter notice period in the IO, or ask if you can give notice on day one and still run the test.
Before the first lead
- Write down your break-even ceiling before the sales call. Don’t go above it.
- Set a monthly budget cap you can lose without pain.
- Tag Modernize as its own source in your CRM, so every lead and job carries the tag.
- Decide who answers. Name a person for each hour of the day, including nights and weekends.
Set up fast follow-up before the first lead
In 2011, Harvard Business Review reported on a study of 1.25 million sales leads from 42 U.S. companies. Firms that tried to reach a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as firms that waited even an hour longer. The study measured hours. With up to four companies chasing the same homeowner, minutes is our advice, not its finding.
Set up:
- An automatic text from your CRM the moment a lead arrives, saying who you are (check the consent note above first)
- A named person who calls within minutes, plus a named backup
- A day-one sequence: call, text, call again a few hours later
- A plan for nights and weekends, when your office is closed
Some homeowners will call you back while your crew is on a roof. Restoral, our AI system, answers your calls and chats and books the job onto your calendar. It works with Google Calendar, Calendly, Cal.com, Jobber and most trade CRMs, and our team sets up the integration.
The scorecard
| Track weekly | How to count it |
|---|---|
| Leads received | Every lead delivered, and how many were billed after credits |
| Credit requests | Sent, approved and denied |
| Contact rate | Leads you actually spoke with ÷ leads received |
| Appointments set | Booked visits or virtual estimates |
| Jobs signed | Signed contracts from Modernize leads |
| Cost per signed job | Total Modernize spend ÷ jobs signed |
| Speed to first attempt | Minutes from delivery to first call or text |
At day 60, compare cost per signed job with your other sources. If it’s worse and your speed was good, Modernize probably isn’t working for your market at that price. Try tighter ZIP codes or a lower ceiling, or stop. If your speed was slow, the test was really about your phones, not Modernize.
Questions to ask the Modernize rep before you sign
Take this list into the sales call and get the answers in writing, ideally in your insertion order, because a promise on the phone won’t help you in month three. A good rep won’t mind. If one won’t answer number 3 or 6 in writing, treat that as a no.
- Which product am I buying: shared leads, inbound calls, live transfers or a branded program?
- For my trade and ZIP codes, how many other companies can get the same lead?
- Does my IO use QuinStreet’s Client Terms? Which sections does it change?
- What’s my price ceiling, and can I change it any time?
- How do I ask for credit, how long do I have, and does a voicemail or text reply count as “contact”?
- What’s the notice period to cancel, and can I pause or cut my budget during it?
- Can I set a hard monthly spending cap?
- Which channels will my leads come from (search, social, call center)? Can I turn any off?
- How fast do changes to my ZIP codes or project types take effect?
- What data do you want back from me, and how is it used in my pricing?
- Is there a setup fee or minimum spend, and how am I billed?
- Will you show me the source channel and consent text for each lead?
Don’t skip question 10. Modernize says its Data Feedback Loop uses your sales results to feed you the sources that make you money and turn off the weak ones, and that the same data helps power Right Pricing. That can help you. Our read: if you close a source’s leads well, Modernize may price that source higher for you. Ask how your data affects your price.
Modernize leads FAQ
Is Modernize legit?
Yes, it’s a real business. Modernize is owned by QuinStreet, a public company that files reports with the SEC. Whether its leads are good for you depends on your trade, your ticket size and how fast your team answers new leads. Its Trustpilot score, mostly from homeowners, was 2.3 when we checked.
How much do Modernize leads cost?
Modernize doesn’t publish prices. It uses a dynamic model called Right Pricing, where price varies by trade, homeowner intent, volume, location and other factors, and you set a maximum. Work out your own max cost per lead before the sales call so you know which quote to turn down.
Are Modernize leads exclusive?
They can be shared. The homeowner’s consent screen allows calls from up to four home improvement companies, and QuinStreet’s client terms say leads can go to other clients. Branded Programs are the exception: Modernize says homeowners who pick your brand are sent to you exclusively.
Can I get credit for a bad Modernize lead?
Under QuinStreet’s 2022 default client terms, yes, but only within five business days and only for four reasons: wrong criteria, a duplicate within 30 days, clearly fake details, or dead phone numbers plus a bounced email. A lead you’ve made contact with counts as valid. Check whether your insertion order changes any of this.
How do I cancel Modernize?
We couldn’t find cancel terms on Modernize’s site. QuinStreet’s general client terms let either side end the deal with 90 days’ written notice unless the IO says otherwise. Under the default terms, notice goes by email, overnight express or certified mail to the contact listed in your IO. Keep proof it was sent, and ask your rep how your budget works during the notice period. Better yet, negotiate a shorter notice before you sign.
Why do homeowners say Modernize keeps calling?
When a homeowner asks for quotes, Modernize’s consent screen lets Home Improvement Leads and up to four home improvement companies contact them by phone, text or email. Modernize also runs its own call center, which calls some homeowners to check their project. Several of those calls can land close together. That’s why a short, friendly intro that says who you are and how you got their request matters.
What to do this week
- Pull your average ticket, gross margin and lead-to-sale rate from last year. Work out your max cost per lead.
- Time your team. Send a test form to your own website and see how long a call-back takes.
- If you take the Modernize call, bring the questions above and ask for the IO before you agree to anything.
- Set up the scorecard in your CRM now, even if you never buy a single lead. It works for every paid source.
Paid leads can fill a slow month. But the same homeowner may be hearing from other companies too. A homeowner who finds you on Google calls you directly, and you don’t pay per lead. To see where you show up on Google today, start with our free local SEO audit. And if you’re weighing other platforms, our Bark review is built the same way, from Bark’s own terms.
