Blog / Lead response
Speed to lead in real estate, by the numbers
Calling a web lead within 5 minutes instead of 30 made reaching it 100 times likelier. What the speed to lead research says, and a routine for a showing day.
By AetherFL Team. . 5 min read.
The short version
Speed to lead is the time between a person reaching out and you reaching them. It's one of the few parts of lead follow-up that you control completely.
The research on it is older than most agents expect, and most of it isn't about real estate. Here is what it says, where it's thin and how to use it on a showing day.
What the research found
Two studies get quoted everywhere. Both measured web leads, and both involved the same researcher, James Oldroyd.
The 2007 Lead Response Management study
InsideSales.com and Dr. Oldroyd, then at MIT, studied over 15,000 leads and over 100,000 call attempts. The data came from 6 companies over 3 years.
The same study found that the odds of reaching a lead dropped more than 10 times within the first hour.
The 2011 Harvard Business Review audit
In 2011, Oldroyd, Kristina McElheran and David Elkington published The Short Life of Online Sales Leads. They audited 2,241 US companies by sending web inquiries and timing the replies.
| First response | Share of companies |
|---|
| Within 1 hour | 37% |
| 1 to 24 hours | 16% |
| More than 24 hours | 24% |
| Never | 23% |
How fast 2,241 US companies answered a web inquiry. Among those that answered within 30 days, the average reply took 42 hours. Source: Harvard Business Review.
Companies that tried to reach a lead within 1 hour were nearly 7 times as likely to qualify it. That is compared with companies that tried even 1 hour later. Against companies that waited 24 hours or longer, the gap was more than 60 times.
What happens in real estate today
In 2024, industry analyst Mike DelPrete ran over 100 secret shops at over 25 US brokerages. His team sent property inquiries through brokerage websites during weekday business hours.
The gap between the median and the average tells you something. Half of the answers came within 39 minutes, and a few slow ones pulled the average past 8 hours.
His open house visits looked no better. 42% of hosting agents never asked for contact information, and 62% of visitors got no follow-up.
A lead that never gets an answer can't be won by anyone on your team. Speed only matters once you've decided to answer at all.
Why the first conversation counts
Speed matters more when people don't shop around. In real estate, most of them don't.
The first agent to have a real conversation starts with an edge. A lead that waits a day may have had that conversation with someone else by then.
What these numbers don't tell you
Read the famous multipliers with care. The 2007 and 2011 studies covered many industries, not real estate, and they measured web forms, not phone calls.
They also show a link, not a cause. Companies that respond fast may do other things well too, like buying better leads or training their callers.
And a caller is different from a form. Someone who dials your number wants to talk now, so your window is the few rings before voicemail picks up.
Fast is only useful if the call goes somewhere
Reaching a lead first gets you a conversation. What you ask in it decides whether it turns into an appointment.
Many agents use LPMAMA as a checklist for the first call. It covers six questions in any order that feels natural.
- Location. Where do they want to buy or sell?
- Price. What price range are they thinking about?
- Motivation. Why are they moving, and why now?
- Agent. Are they already working with another agent?
- Mortgage. Have they talked to a lender or been pre-approved?
- Appointment. When can you meet or show them a home?
The last question matters most. A fast call that ends without a time on the calendar is a fast call and nothing more.
A speed to lead routine for a showing day
You can't answer every call in the middle of a showing. You can decide in advance what happens when you don't.
- Calls first. Have someone answer before voicemail does. Voicemail leaves it to the caller to try again.
- Web leads within 5 minutes. Call when you can. If you can't, send a short text with your name and when you'll call. In Zillow's research, 50% of buyers preferred texting or messaging apps when working with agents.
- A set follow-up schedule. Decide the touches before the lead arrives. One example: a call and a text on day 1, a call on day 2, then a text on day 4.
- Log every touch. Put calls, texts and notes in Follow Up Boss, so anyone on your team can pick up where you left off.
- Measure your own speed. Once a week, check the time from first contact to first reply for your last 10 leads.
Before you call or text a lead, check that you have their permission. Our post on TCPA and Florida rules covers consent, calling hours and opt-outs.
Where Sarah fits
Sarah covers the first step today. Calls to your campaign numbers ring your phone for about 20 seconds, then Sarah answers if you don't.
She asks the LPMAMA questions and texts you a summary within 1 minute. On Pro and Team, she books the appointment, and every call is logged in Follow Up Boss with the recording and the transcript.
Calling back website sign-ups within a minute is (coming soon). Those callbacks will only go to people who agreed to be called.
To hear Sarah take a call, have her call you. To start your 30-day free pilot on Pro, set up Sarah. Booking and Follow Up Boss logging start on Pro, $199 a month, as the pricing page shows.
Set up Sarah, hear a live call or see pricing.
Sources
- InsideSales.com and Dr. James Oldroyd (MIT). Lead Response Management Study. 2007. PDF copy of the executive summary, hosted by onecavo.com.
- Mike DelPrete. Secret Shopping: 47% of Online Property Inquiries Are Ignored. August 13, 2024.
- National Association of Realtors. 2026 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends, Exhibits 4-5 and 7-2. April 15, 2026. PDF copy hosted by Inman. Transactions from July 2024 to June 2025.
- Harvard Business Review. The Short Life of Online Sales Leads, by James B. Oldroyd, Kristina McElheran and David Elkington. March 2011.
- Zillow. Zillow report: Online research now shapes how most agent relationships begin (2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report for Agents). December 30, 2025.
- Zillow Research. Buyers: Results from the Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2025. November 6, 2025. About 10,200 recent buyers surveyed from April to September 2025.