How to track your referral rate and repeat business
Record where every closing came from. For each deal, note whether the client came back to you, came through a past client or friend, or came from somewhere else. Your repeat rate is repeat closings divided by all closings, and your referral rate is referred closings divided by all closings. Work both out once a year.
How do you track referral rate and repeat business?
Keep one row per closing with a source column, and work out two ratios once a year. The source is one of three things: a repeat client, a referral from a past client or friend, or somewhere else. When it's a referral, write down the name of the person who sent them.
| Closing date | Client | Source | Sent by |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 14 | The Hendersons | Repeat client | - |
| May 2 | Sam Lee | Referral | Maria Garcia, past client |
| June 20 | The Patels | Somewhere else | Open house |
Here is a worked example with made-up numbers. Say an agent had 20 closings last year, 4 from repeat clients and 6 from referrals. Their repeat rate is 4 divided by 20, or 20%, and their referral rate is 6 divided by 20, or 30%.
Do the math annually, at the same time each year. One year on its own doesn't tell you much. Three years side by side show whether your sphere is sending you more work or less.
How realistic is it to expect repeat business from past clients?
It's realistic to expect some, and NAR's figures show how much it can add up to. NAR's 2026 Member Profile found that the typical REALTOR earned 28% of their business from repeat clients and customers and 22% through referrals from past clients and customers. NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that 91% of buyers would use their agent again or recommend them to others.
Those are national figures for a typical member, and your own numbers are the ones that matter. An agent in their first years, or one who just moved to a new town, has fewer past clients to hear from. Compare yourself with your own last year rather than with the national figure.
Does giving clients a vendor list actually get more repeat business and referrals?
Nobody knows, because no published study has measured it. A vendor list gives clients a reason to keep your name around, but that isn't proof that it brings business back. The only way to find out for your own business is to track it in your records.
If you start handing out a list, add a column that says whether each client got it. After a year or two, compare the two groups, and remember that small numbers can swing a lot. Once you know where referrals come from, ask past clients for referrals covers what to do next.
Sources
- NAR: The Feature Sheet: 2026 Member Profile
- NAR: 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers press release
Record the referrals you give, too
Proferral remembers every referral you send to a provider, whether they were hired and who you still owe a thank-you. It records the referrals you give, not the closings your sphere sends you, so keep your own spreadsheet for the two ratios. See logging a referral in three taps, following up after referring a contractor and exporting your data.
It's free, no credit card needed, and you're never charged unless you choose Pro.