---
title: Lead types and lead stages
description: What the five lead types and the three lead stages mean, and how to change them on a contact.
search:
  keywords: [buyer, seller, investor, renter, new lead, contacted, qualified, lead status, change stage, stepper]
related:
  - /contacts-and-leads/stage-badge
  - /contacts-and-leads/edit-a-contact
  - /contacts-and-leads/contacts-vs-leads
  - /pipeline-and-deals
---

Every contact has a lead type, which says what they want to do, and a lead stage, which says how far you have got with them before there is a deal.

## Lead types

- **Buyer**
- **Seller**
- **Buyer & Seller**
- **Investor**
- **Renter**

The lead type drives the **Buyers**, **Sellers**, **Investors** and **Renters** filters. A **Buyer & Seller** shows under both **Buyers** and **Sellers**.

It also picks the side when you add a deal for them: a **Seller** starts on **Selling**, a **Buyer**, **Investor** or **Renter** on **Buying**, and for a **Buyer & Seller** you choose.

## Lead stages

The three lead stages are **New Lead**, **Contacted** and **Qualified**. They are fixed, so you can't rename, add or reorder them.

Once someone is a client, their progress lives on their deal, which has its own stages on **Buying** or **Selling**. Moving a contact's lead stage never moves their deals, and moving a deal never changes the contact's lead stage. See [Pipeline and deals](/pipeline-and-deals).

## Change the lead type or stage

1. **Open the contact**

    Click their name on **Contacts** or **Leads**, then **Open full record**.

2. **Move the lead stage**

    Click a step in the stage row under their name. The timeline records the move.

3. **Change the lead type**

    Open the more menu (the three dots), choose **Edit contact**, pick a new **Lead type**, and click **Save changes**. You can change **Lead stage** here too.

:::tip
The contact preview shows how long someone has been at their stage, for example "In Qualified for 6 days".
:::