How Many Calls Does It Take to Get a Listing Appointment?
The short answer
The best public benchmark is Baylor University's Keller Center for Research (2011): agents needed about 209 cold calls, or roughly 7.5 hours, per appointment or referral, and about 330 calls per appointment alone. The study is dated and called random homeowners, not expired or FSBO sellers, so treat it as a ceiling to beat, not a forecast.
Key takeaways
- Baylor's 2011 study found about 209 cold calls per appointment or referral.
- Counting appointments alone, it took about 330 calls to book one.
- Only 28% of the 6,264 calls in the Baylor study were answered.
- Calls from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. produced 53% of results from 31% of calls.
- The median agent works 35 hours a week, per NAR's 2026 Member Profile.
Every agent who prospects by phone eventually asks how many dials it takes. The honest answer is that it depends on your list, your script and your market. The most-cited public benchmark comes from a 2011 field study that is useful precisely because it is so specific. Here is what it found, what it does not tell you, and how to build your own number.
What did the Baylor cold-calling study find?
Baylor University’s Keller Center for Research ran a field study in November 2011. Agents each called for one hour a day over seven days. Fifty agents completed the full protocol and placed 6,264 calls (Baylor, September 2012).
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Total calls | 6,264 |
| Answered | 28% (1,774 calls) |
| Unanswered | 55% |
| Non-working numbers | 17% |
| Appointments | 19 |
| Referrals | 11 |
| Callbacks requested | 132 |
| Calls per appointment | About 330 |
| Calls per appointment or referral | About 209 |
| Time per appointment or referral | About 7.5 hours |
Only 1 in 59 answered calls produced an appointment or referral. Counting callback requests, about 1 in 10 to 11 answered calls showed some interest.
Why is the Baylor number not the whole story?
Three reasons. First, it is from 2011. Call screening, spam labels and caller ID filtering have changed how often people answer unknown numbers.
Second, the agents called random homeowners. Expired and FSBO sellers have already decided to sell, so they should convert better per conversation.
Third, expired owners are not a quiet audience. Expired data is sold to many agents at once, so those owners can receive many calls the same day. Better motivation and more competition pull in opposite directions.
Use 209 calls as a reference point you expect to beat, not a target.
What time of day works best for prospecting calls?
In the Baylor study, calls between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. made up 31% of dials but produced 53% of appointments and referrals. Evening calls after 5 p.m. were 42% of dials and produced 21% of results.
| Time window | Share of calls | Share of appointments and referrals |
|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 31% | 53% |
| After 5 p.m. | 42% | 21% |
That finding matters more now in Pennsylvania. From on or about October 18, 2026, prospecting calls and texts to Pennsylvania consumers must stay between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., with none on Sundays or legal holidays, per the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors (August 2026). Late-evening calling is off the table there anyway.
How much of an agent’s week does that take?
NAR’s 2026 Member Profile found the median Realtor worked 35 hours a week in 2025, according to HousingWire (June 2026). Sales agents specifically reported a median of 30.
At Baylor’s 7.5 hours per appointment or referral, one appointment uses about a fifth of a 35-hour week. Two appointments use about 43% of it.
| Appointments per week | Calling hours (at 7.5 each) | Share of a 35-hour week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7.5 | 21% |
| 2 | 15 | 43% |
| 3 | 22.5 | 64% |
| 4 | 30 | 86% |
Those hours compete with showings, listing presentations, negotiations and transaction work. That is why many agents who start strong on calling stop after a few weeks.
How do I calculate my own calls per appointment?
Track four numbers for at least four weeks.
- Dials. Every number you attempt.
- Conversations. Calls where you spoke with the right person.
- Appointments set. Firm times on the calendar.
- Hours. Time actually spent calling, including list prep.
Then divide:
- Dials ÷ appointments = calls per appointment
- Hours ÷ appointments = hours per appointment
- Conversations ÷ dials = contact rate
Your contact rate tells you whether the list is the problem. Your conversation-to-appointment rate tells you whether the script is.
How do I work backward from a listing goal?
Start with the number of listings you want, then multiply through your own ratios. Here is the framework with placeholder ratios, which you should replace.
| Step | Example input | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Listings wanted this quarter | 6 | 6 |
| Appointments per signed listing (your ratio) | 3 | 18 appointments |
| Hours per appointment (your ratio; Baylor benchmark 7.5) | 7.5 | 135 hours |
| Working weeks in the quarter | 13 | About 10.4 hours a week |
Change any input and the weekly hours change with it. If the result does not fit your calendar, something else has to give: the goal, the ratio, or who makes the calls.
Why does being first matter so much?
NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found 80% of sellers interviewed only one agent, as summarized by BAM (November 2025). For a seller who is ready, the first credible conversation often becomes the only one.
That is why calling volume alone is a weak strategy. Reaching the right owner first, with a good conversation, beats reaching more owners later.
How does Casventa approach the time problem?
Reclaim moves the dialing off the agent’s calendar. Casventa’s named, manual-dial team calls the expired and FSBO sellers in a ZIP code held by one agent, handles the Do Not Call scrubs and recording disclosure, and transfers qualified sellers live. The agent spends time on conversations, not dials. Use the time calculator to see how many hours your current prospecting costs.
More questions
Is the Baylor study still relevant?
As a rough benchmark, yes. As a forecast, no. It is from 2011, before most call screening and spam labeling, and it measured random homeowners rather than expired or FSBO sellers.
Should expired listings take fewer calls than cold calls?
They should, because expired owners have already tried to sell. But expired owners also receive calls from many agents at once, which lowers answer rates. Track your own numbers.
How many calls should I make per day?
Work backward from your goal. Decide how many appointments you need, multiply by your own calls per appointment, and divide by your working days.
Does texting replace calling?
Not in Pennsylvania's compliance terms. From on or about October 18, 2026, a prospecting text counts as a telephone solicitation and follows the same rules as a call.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Telemarketing, call recording and real estate licensing laws change often and vary by state and situation. Casventa is a licensed Pennsylvania real estate brokerage, not a law firm. Before calling, texting, recording, or paying or accepting a referral fee, confirm current requirements with your broker of record, your state Realtor association's legal hotline, or a licensed attorney. Information is current as of October 14, 2026.
Sources
Kris Quintana is co-founder and CEO of Casventa and founder of Precision Leverage Solutions, a transaction coordination company serving agents in PA, NJ and DE. He is a licensed Pennsylvania real estate agent.