What is your past-client database worth?
Compare the deals your database sends you today with a target you choose, see the gap in commission, and copy a 12-month follow-up plan with message templates. Sample numbers are filled in; replace them with yours.
Everyone you have helped buy or sell and can still contact.
Your typical commission after splits.
Deals that came from past clients coming back or sending someone.
Assumptions you can change
These are planning assumptions, not measured facts. They are starting guesses — replace them with your own numbers and the result updates.
A goal to aim at, not a benchmark. Your own best year is a good anchor.
New habits take time to pay off. 50 means half the yearly gap in year one and all of it from year two. The profile above sets a starting guess.
Commission gap per year, versus your target
$45,000
About $202,500 over 5 years if you reach it, easing in over the first year
Year one counts 50% of the gap ($22,500), later years count all of it. Reaching the target from day one would be $225,000.
2.7%
Your rate last year
Target 6%
$36,000
Repeat and referral commission
4 deals
5
Deals short of target each year
Your Monday-morning kit
Two things to use this week, written from your numbers: a 12-month follow-up plan and three short messages to send.
Optional. It only fills in the text below, stays in this browser tab, and is never added to the link you share.
Your 12-month follow-up plan
Sized to your database: 12 people a week gives everyone one personal touch a quarter. Paste it into your notes or calendar.
PAST-CLIENT FOLLOW-UP PLAN: [Your name] Where you are: 150 past clients; 4 of them sent you a deal last year (2.7%). Where you are aiming: 9 deals a year (6%), a gap of 5 deals a year. The calculator assumes you close 50% of that gap in year one. Rhythm - Every week: a personal text or call to about 12 past clients, so each person hears from you once a quarter (150 people over 13 weeks). - Every month: one short market update to everyone. - On each closing anniversary: a short note. Twelve months at a glance - Month 1: clean the list (dead numbers, duplicates), add each closing date, and send the first 48 check-ins. - Months 2 and 3: finish the first full round of check-ins and send your first market update. - Month 4: count who replied and what they asked about. Keep what worked. - Month 6: halfway review. How many conversations were about buying, selling or someone they know? - Months 7 to 9: second round of check-ins, with anniversary notes as they come due. - Month 12: count the deals that came from your database and compare them with last year's 4. Keep it light: this only works if you can sustain it every week, so cut the batch size before you skip a week.
Three messages to send
A check-in, a closing anniversary and a monthly market update. Fill in the [brackets], and honour anyone who asks you to stop. Check your phone or CRM's rules before sending texts in bulk.
CHECK-IN Hi [first name], it is [Your name]. I was thinking about you and wanted to see how the home is working out. Is there anything I can help with, like a contractor recommendation or a question about the neighborhood? CLOSING ANNIVERSARY Hi [first name], it is [Your name]. It was [number] year(s) ago this month that you got the keys to [the house]. I hope you are settled and happy there. If you are ever curious what homes nearby have sold for, I am glad to send a quick update. MONTHLY MARKET UPDATE Hi [first name], a quick note from [Your name]. Here is what happened in [neighborhood] last month: [number] homes sold, typical price around [price], and [one sentence on what it means]. If you would like a rough idea of what your home might be worth, just reply. And if someone you know is thinking of buying or selling, I would be glad to help them too.
How to read this: the target is a goal you set, not a measured industry average. If your database is old or hard to reach, hitting it will take longer. Treat the gap as the size of the prize for a consistent follow-up habit, and compare it with your real results after two or three quarters.
Want to compare this with the value of replying to new leads faster? Open the Commission Leakage Calculator with these numbers
Start with one monthly touch to 150 people
You can build this yourself in your CRM, or we can set it up and keep it running. Book a free call and we will tell you which suits you.
Save or share this result
The link holds only the numbers you entered, nothing about you.
Optional: have our team review these numbers with you
How this is calculated
The calculator compares what your past-client database sent you last year with what it would send at a target rate you choose, prices the difference at your average commission, and projects it over the years you pick. Because a new follow-up habit does not pay off at once, the first year counts only part of the gap.
- Your rate. repeat and referral deals last year, divided by the number of past clients.
- Target deals. past clients, times the target share you set.
- Gap in deals. target deals minus last year's deals, never below zero.
- Gap in commission. gap in deals, times your average commission, for a full year.
- Projection. year one counts the share of the gap you assume you close in the first year; every later year counts all of it. The database is held at today's size, so it neither grows nor shrinks.
Worked example: the sample agent
The starting numbers on this page produce the figures below, so you can check the arithmetic by hand before entering your own.
| 4 deals ÷ 150 past clients | 2.67% a year |
|---|---|
| 150 past clients × 6% target | 9 target deals |
| 9 − 4 deals last year | 5 deals short |
| × $9,000 commission | $45,000 a full year |
| Year one at 50% of the gap | $22,500 |
| Years two to 5 at the full gap | $180,000 |
| 5-year total with the ramp | $202,500 |
| The same total with no ramp | $225,000 |
How much the guesses matter
The target and the ramp are guesses, and last year's count is a single year. This table moves each one and shows the 5-year total at both ends, using your current numbers.
| If this is different | Lower | Your number | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target share of your database | 4%$81,000 | 6%$202,500 | 8%$324,000 |
| Share of the gap closed in year one | 30%$193,500 | 50%$202,500 | 70%$211,500 |
| Repeat and referral deals last year | 3$243,000 | 4$202,500 | 5$162,000 |
| Average commission | $7,200$162,000 | $9,000$202,500 | $10,800$243,000 |
Each row changes one input and holds the rest. The result in every cell is the 5-year commission gap.
Where the numbers come from
The numbers you type (database size, commission, last year's deals) are yours. The target share and the first-year ramp are our starting guesses and are yours to change: the profiles above set the ramp to 30%, 50%, 70% in that order, on the reasoning that less contact today means a slower start. None of them is measured.
One published figure is shown beside your result for context only, and it feeds nothing: NAR's 2026 Member Profile reports that the typical member's business in 2025 came about half from repeat clients and referrals from past clients. That is a share of business, not a share of a database, so it cannot tell you what target rate to pick.
| Contact with past clients today | Share of the gap closed in year one |
|---|---|
| I rarely contact past clients | 30% |
| A few touches a year | 50% |
| Already a regular program | 70% |
Questions people ask
What counts as a repeat or referral deal?
A deal where the client was already in your database (they bought or sold again) or was sent to you by someone who was. Deals from new portal leads, sign calls or open houses belong to the lead side of your business, not here.
Why does year one count only part of the gap?
Because contacting people regularly takes time to turn into conversations, and conversations take time to turn into deals. The ramp is a guess: set it to 100 to see the whole gap counted from the first year, or to 0 to see only the years after it.
Where does the 6% target come from?
It is a starting goal, not a benchmark. Your own best year is a better anchor: if 9 of 150 clients sent you a deal in your strongest year, 6% is a target you have already seen. NAR's figure on how much of the typical member's business comes from past clients is context, but it is a share of business, not of a database.
What does the projection leave out?
It holds the database at today's size, so it ignores both the clients you will add and the ones who move away or stop answering. It also ignores market conditions and the time value of money. Treat the multi-year figure as the size of the prize for a consistent habit, not a forecast.
How many people a week is that?
One personal text or call per person per quarter means your database divided by 13 weeks. For 150 people that is about 12 a week. The kit above sizes the plan to your own database.
Do I need a CRM to do this?
No. A spreadsheet with names, closing dates and a column for the last time you reached out is enough to start. A CRM or an automation can send the messages for you later, once you know which ones people answer.
Methodology last reviewed 3 October 2026 · OMII AI
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