Does lead diversion help buyers, or does it undermine agent accountability?

""It's a story of frustration that many buyers and agents can relate to. Buyers repeatedly reaching out to listing agents to see properties, only to receive no response. Calls go unanswered, questions linger and access to homes stalled. That frustration is real and deserves acknowledgment. Consumers should expect timely communication and professional conduct. Where the conversation becomes complicated is in the conclusion being drawn from that experience.""

""The implied solution is that because some listing agents fail to respond, portals are justified in redirecting buyer inquiries to other, better trained agents who pay for those leads. While that idea may feel practical, it raises deeper questions about ownership, accountability and who should control the consumer relationship. Credit where it's due: the phrase Your Listing, Your Lead was coined and promoted by Homes.com, a portal that has taken a notably pro-Realtor approach.""

""When an agent earns a listing, that agent accepts both the benefits and the obligations that come with it including being accessible to the marketplace. What buyers are experiencing is not a structural failure of Your Listing, Your Lead. It is a service failure rooted in inconsistent professionalism and weak enforcement of standards. A structural failure would suggest the system itself is flawed. A service failure means the framework works, but the people operating within it are not meeting expectations.""

Buyers often experience unreturned inquiries to listing agents, causing stalled access and frustration. Some portals propose redirecting buyer inquiries to other agents who pay for leads. Homes.com promotes routing inquiries to listing agents under 'Your Listing, Your Lead,' prioritizing responsibility and transparency. When an agent earns a listing, that agent accepts benefits and obligations, including marketplace accessibility. Nonresponses represent service failures—poor professionalism and weak standards enforcement—rather than structural system failures. Conflating service failure with structural failure justifies shifting control away from listing agents. Appropriate responses should focus on accountability and enforcement, not redistributing consumer relationships.

Read at www.housingwire.com