Agents ‘swamped’ by low-quality portal leads

UK estate agents remain heavily reliant on property portals for new seller leads but more than half say fewer than three in 10 enquiries are genuinely ready to sell.

Latest research from Property DriveBuy found that portals are the dominant source of seller leads, ranked as the number one lead generation channel ahead of referrals, walk-ins and organic social media.
While 68% of agents believe they have the capacity to maximise every incoming lead, the biggest obstacles to conversion are linked to quality and resource pressures.

Some 30% cite lack of staff resource as the primary barrier, 25% point to inconsistent lead quality and time-wasting enquiries, and 20% say existing workloads – including viewings, sales progression and administration – limit their ability to extract full value.

STRONG CONVERSION RATES

When asked how many enquiries are genuinely sale-ready within three months, 55% of agents said fewer than 30% of leads meet that threshold.

However, once a viable lead is identified, conversion rates are strong. The research shows 65% of agents convert more than 40% of good leads into instructions, while 30% convert more than 60%, suggesting performance is not the issue – but lead intent is.

VOLUME IS NOT THE ANSWER

Steve Foreman (main picture, inset), Founder and CEO of Property DriveBuy, says: “Property portals continue to play a dominant role in how agents generate leads, but there’s a growing recognition across the industry that volume alone isn’t the answer.

“The real value lies in intent, and far too often agents are forced to sift through large volumes of low-quality enquiries generated by platforms that prioritise traffic over genuine motivation.”

PASSIVE BEHAVIOUR

He adds: “Many of the traditional search platforms were built for a different era and rely on passive browsing behaviour, where users scroll through listings out of curiosity rather than a real readiness to move.

“This inevitably results in agents receiving leads that simply aren’t actionable, creating inefficiencies and wasted time.

“There is an increasing need for smarter, more targeted approaches.”

“As the industry evolves, there is an increasing need for smarter, more targeted approaches that connect agents with people who are actively engaged in their search and genuinely prepared to take the next step.

“By aligning property discovery with real-world behaviour and intent, it’s possible to deliver better outcomes for agents, buyers and sellers alike and that’s exactly what we’ve set out to achieve at Property DriveBuy.”

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