If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker, you may be on the market for mortgage leads. You may even be considering purchasing them exclusively. Purchasing exclusive mortgage leads may not be such a bad idea if you want to cut out your competition. Most mortgage lead companies will sell their leads up to four times, and some as many as five times. This is known as selling the lead non exclusively. Not only will you want to purchase your leads exclusively, you will also want to make sure that the lead is being sold in real time, or what is known as fresh. A real time lead is one that arrives in your hand within seconds of the potential customer hitting the submit button on the on line application. If a lead company is selling you old or recycled leads, than you can hardly call these leads exclusive because it has gone through the hands of many loan officers before it reached you, so be careful. The most effective way to make sure you are receiving real time exclusive leads is to call the lead company you are considering investing with. Speak with someone in customer service and find out where they obtain their leads and how they are delivered, as well as how quickly they are delivered. Your best bet is to go with a lead company that obtains their own leads through sites in which they own and operate. Steer clear of the mortgage lead companies that buy their leads from third party vendors. There is no way to know how many times that third party vendor sold that lead to other companies or loan officers. Remember, you work hard for your money. So if you are not happy with the answers you receive from customer service, than more than likely you will not be happy with the leads they send you.