Say what happens next
"A licensed loan officer will review your numbers and reach out by your preferred method."
Stage 3 of 4
The hand-raise: mortgage lead form timing and what to ask for
A borrower who just found a payment they can live with is the most willing to talk they will ever be.
Free plan, no card. Paid plans include a 14-day trial.
Mortgage lead form timing decides whether interest becomes a conversation. The best moment is right after a borrower sees a result they care about, with the form beside that result, not on another page. Ask for little: name, email or phone, and clear consent. Everything else they already told the calculator, and it travels with the lead.
Key takeaways
- Offer the form next to the result, at the moment of intent.
- Ask only for contact details and consent; the scenario is already captured.
- Write consent text that matches how you will actually follow up.
- A success message, a share option and print keep the borrower engaged.
When is the right moment to ask for contact details?
After value, beside the result. Before value or elsewhere on the site, the form loses most borrowers.
Wrong moment
- Before the first result, as a gate
- On a separate contact page after the calculator
- In a pop-up that interrupts typing
- A long form that repeats what the borrower already entered
Right moment
- Directly under a result the borrower cares about
- In the same calculator, same page, same language
- Offered, not forced; the calculator keeps working without it
- Short: contact details and consent only
02
Why should the lead form be so short?
Because the borrower has already told you the hard part. A traditional mortgage inquiry form asks for price range, down payment, income, debts and timeline, and every extra field costs completions. In a calculator, those details were entered for the borrower's own benefit, so they come with the lead at no cost to the form.
What is left is identity and permission: a name, an email or phone number, and consent to be contacted. Three or four fields, under a result, in the borrower's language, is a small step. That is the whole design of lead capture inside the calculator.
Short does not mean careless. The heading and button copy should say what happens next, for example "Have a loan officer review these numbers" rather than "Submit". The success message should set expectations: who will reach out, how and roughly when. Under-promise here; a fast response later will do the persuading.
What gets captured when the borrower raises their hand?
The form asks for little. The lead holds a lot.
| Captured | Source | Use in follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| Name, email and/or phone | The form | How to reach the borrower, in the channel they chose |
| Consent | The form's consent checkbox and your text | Record of what contact the borrower agreed to |
| Every input | The calculator | Price, down payment, income, debts, rate and term |
| Every result | The calculator | Payment, PITI, DTI or maximum price the borrower saw |
| Page URL and traffic source | The visit | UTM tags, ad click IDs, referrer and landing page |
| Previous calculations | Earlier submissions | Returning borrowers are matched by email, then phone |
Consent text is yours, so write it for what you will do
If your follow-up includes calls or texts, possibly automated, your consent language needs to say so clearly and specifically. Write it in plain words, keep it next to the checkbox, translate it for Spanish pages, and have your compliance team or counsel approve it. See TCPA consent.
What copy makes a hand-raise feel safe?
Borrowers hesitate when they fear a flood of calls or a credit pull. Address both.
Say what does not happen
"This does not affect your credit." Submitting the form does not pull credit.
Keep the estimate honest
"These are estimates. We'll confirm what you qualify for together." Never imply approval or a rate.
Show who you are
Your name, NMLS ID and Equal Housing Opportunity statement near the calculator build trust. See NMLS ID.
What happens in the seconds after the borrower submits?
The borrower stays on your page; the lead starts moving.
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Success message
The borrower sees your confirmation copy without leaving the page.
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Share or print
They can share the calculation with a co-borrower or print it, keeping your brand in the family discussion.
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Lead saved
The lead is stored in your CRM, de-duplicated by email then phone.
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Delivery begins
Email alert, and webhook on paid plans. That is stage 4: delivery and follow-up.
Keep reading
FAQ · 9 questions
Questions loan officers ask
Where should the mortgage lead form appear?
Inside the calculator, beside the result the borrower is looking at. A separate contact page loses most borrowers between the calculator and the form.
How many fields should the form have?
As few as possible: name, email or phone, and consent. The calculator has already captured the scenario, so there is no need to ask for price, income or debts again.
Should I make the form required to see results?
No. Gating results lowers the number of borrowers who engage, and the contacts you get carry less context. Offer the form; don't force it.
Does submitting the form affect the borrower's credit?
No. PrequalFunnel never pulls credit. Saying so near the button removes a common reason borrowers hesitate.
Can I change the form's wording?
Yes. Every label, heading, button and success message can be rewritten per calculator, including the consent text, in each of the six calculator languages.
What consent language should I use?
Language your compliance team or counsel approves, matching how you will contact the borrower. If you text or use automated calls, say so specifically. We don't provide legal advice.
What if the same borrower submits twice?
They are matched by email, then phone, and the new calculation is added to their history. You see how their scenario changed instead of receiving a duplicate.
Is a pop-up a good way to capture calculator leads?
Not one that interrupts typing. A popup-button embed, where the borrower opens the calculator on purpose, is fine, because the form still appears beside their result.
Do I see which campaign produced the hand-raise?
Yes. Each lead carries UTM tags, ad click IDs, referrer and landing page. See lead attribution.
PrequalFunnel
Your next borrower is already on your site.
Give them the numbers they came for, and get the lead with those numbers attached.
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