Trigger Leads & The Spam Call Nightmare: What Homebuyers Need to Know
Buying a home should be an exciting journey, but for many, it quickly turns into an overwhelming experience thanks to trigger leads—the root cause of those relentless spam calls. In the latest episode of The Lofty Lender, Kyle Guldenpfennig, aka #TallMoneyMan, and his business partner Charlie dive into the frustrating world of trigger leads, why they exist, and how homebuyers can protect themselves.
What Are Trigger Leads?
The three major credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—sell consumer data whenever someone has their credit pulled for a mortgage application. This means that once you apply for a home loan, your information is automatically added to a list that lenders and creditors can purchase, leading to an avalanche of unsolicited calls.
As Charlie humorously puts it:
"If I don’t get 16 calls every hour, I feel lonely."
While designed to offer consumers more choices, the reality is that many of these calls come from aggressive call centers, often with misleading tactics. Some lenders even pretend to be part of your original mortgage team, making it difficult to tell who is legitimate.
A Personal Story from Kyle
Kyle shares the story of a recent client who moved from Colorado and experienced firsthand just how bad the spam can get:
"A couple weeks after pulling his credit, he called me and said, ‘Kyle, I’ve received 200-300 phone calls so far. I’ve never experienced anything like this.’"
This flood of spam calls often leaves buyers feeling stressed and uncertain about their mortgage process—something that should never happen when making such a big financial decision.
How to Protect Yourself from Trigger Leads
1️⃣ Work with Local Lenders – They have a reputation to uphold and are invested in your community. Unlike random call centers, local lenders prioritize real customer service over aggressive sales tactics.
2️⃣ Use Opt-Out Pre-Screen – Visit OptOutPrescreen.com to prevent your information from being sold. It takes about 7-10 days to take effect but will significantly reduce spam calls.
3️⃣ Be Cautious When Sharing Your Info – Anytime you apply for a credit card or provide personal details, you could be linking your phone number and email to your credit report, making it easier for spammers to contact you later.
4️⃣ Consider a Soft Credit Pull – If you’re not quite ready to pull the trigger on a home purchase, ask your lender about a soft credit pull, which won’t generate trigger leads.
Legislation to Ban Trigger Leads: Will It Happen?
Kyle and Charlie discuss efforts to pass a bipartisan bill that would change the system from an opt-out model to an opt-in model—meaning your information wouldn’t be sold unless you specifically requested it. Unfortunately, the bill was pulled at the last minute due to opposition from politicians who believe trigger leads create a “fair” shopping experience.
Until change happens at the legislative level, homebuyers need to be proactive in protecting themselves.
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