# Lead routing

> The rules that decide which agent gets each new lead, by source, area, price or rotation, so every inquiry has an owner the moment it arrives.

Also called: lead distribution, lead assignment. Topic: For agents.

Routing turns a pile of new inquiries into one owner per lead, right away. Without it, leads wait while the team works out who takes them.

## How does lead routing work?

A routing rule looks at a new lead and decides where it goes. Most rules start with the [lead source](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#lead-source): website leads one way, portal leads another, [open house](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#open-house) sign-ins to whoever hosted. Some teams also route by area, price range or whether the lead wants to buy, sell or rent.

Rules run in order, and the first one that matches wins. A good setup always ends with a rule that catches everything else, so no lead is left without an owner.

## What are the main ways to route leads?

Direct assignment sends every lead from a source to one person, such as the agent who handles relocation. [Round robin](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#round-robin) hands leads to each agent in turn, so the volume is shared evenly. A [pond](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#lead-pond) holds leads in a shared list, and the first teammate to claim one gets it.

Many teams combine them. New leads go out by rotation, and any lead an agent doesn’t contact within a set time goes back to the pond for someone else.

Some teams put an [inside sales agent](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#inside-sales-agent) first in line. The ISA makes the first contact and qualifies the lead, then passes it to an agent with an appointment set.

## Why does routing speed matter?

Every minute a lead spends unassigned is a minute nobody is calling. Routing should happen the moment the lead arrives, with an alert to the new owner, so [speed to lead](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary/speed-to-lead) is measured from the inquiry and not from when someone noticed it.

Accountability matters as much as speed. When each lead has one named owner, a team lead can see who replied, who didn’t and which leads are slipping.

## How do you set fair routing rules for a team?

Write the rules down before you build them. Agree on who is in each rotation, how long an agent has to make first contact, and what happens to leads when someone is on vacation or leaves the [team](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#real-estate-team). Decide, too, which leads stay with the team when an agent moves on.

Remember what the routed agent needs before working with a buyer. Under the practice changes from the [NAR settlement](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#nar-settlement), an MLS participant working with a buyer needs a [written agreement](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary/buyer-agency-agreement) before touring a home, so build that step into the hand-off.

Review the results every month or two. If one agent converts website leads far better than the rest, a dedicated rule may serve those clients better than strict rotation.

## Routing rules for a four-agent team

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Rule 1: open house sign-ins | To the agent who hosted the open house |
| Rule 2: relocation referrals | To the team’s relocation specialist |
| Rule 3: website and portal leads | Round robin: Ana, Ben, Cruz, Dee, then Ana again |
| Rule 4: everything else | Into the team pond, first to claim |
| No first contact in 30 minutes | Back to the pond, and the team lead is told |

Rules run top to bottom and the first match wins, so the catch-all goes last.

## Common mistakes

- Having no catch-all rule, so leads from a new source land with nobody.
- Rotating leads to agents who are off for the day or on vacation.
- Letting agents sit on leads they never contact. Set a time limit before a lead goes back to the pond.
- Changing the rules without telling the team, then arguing over who owns a lead.

## Questions

### What’s the difference between round robin and a pond?

Round robin assigns each lead to the next agent in line, so everyone gets an equal share. A pond leaves leads unassigned until a teammate claims one, which rewards whoever moves fastest.

### Do solo agents need lead routing?

Not much. If every lead comes to you, routing is simple. It starts to matter once you add a buyer’s agent, an ISA or a partner.

### Who owns a lead when an agent leaves the team?

That depends on the team agreement and the brokerage’s policy. Write it down before the first lead is routed, especially for website and portal leads the team paid for.

## Related terms

- [Round robin](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#round-robin): A lead routing method that hands new leads to agents in turn, one after another through a set list, so leads are shared evenly instead of going to whoever grabs them first.
- [Lead pond](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#lead-pond): A shared list of leads that no single agent owns, where any teammate can claim a lead and take over the follow-up. Teams use ponds for unclaimed, returned or long-term leads.
- [Lead source](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#lead-source): Where a lead came from: your website, a portal, an open house, a referral, your sphere or an ad. Tracking it shows which channels bring in clients, not just names.
- [Speed to lead](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary/speed-to-lead): The time between a new lead’s inquiry and your first real reply by call, text or email. The shorter it is, the more likely you reach the person before another agent does.
- [Real estate team](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#real-estate-team): A group of agents working under a team lead inside a brokerage, sharing leads, marketing and support staff, usually with each deal’s commission split between the agent, the team and the brokerage.
- [Inside sales agent](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#inside-sales-agent): A team member who works new leads by phone, text and email, qualifies them and sets appointments, then hands them to an agent who meets the client in person.

## Sources

- [NAR, Settlement FAQs (written buyer agreements)](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/nar-settlement-faqs)
- [Harvard Business Review, “The Short Life of Online Sales Leads” (2011)](https://hbr.org/2011/03/the-short-life-of-online-sales-leads)

Checked 2026-10-02 by the Broker & Agent team. General information, not legal, tax or lending advice.

Source: https://brokerandagent.com/glossary/lead-routing