What's the real dollar value difference between a captured purchase lead and a captured refi lead?

For Mortgage Brokers

At typical loan officer compensation rates, roughly 1.5% to 2% of loan amount, a $400K purchase loan generates about $6,000 to $8,000 in commission, while a $150K refi generates closer to $1,500 to $2,250. That's a 3x to 5x difference in per-deal value, which is why prioritization matters operationally, not just philosophically. Purchase loans also tend to have harder deadlines (an under-contract borrower has a closing date and can't simply wait), meaning a missed purchase call has a much higher probability of walking straight to a competitor who can move fast, while a refi shopper without a deadline is more likely to still be reachable a day later, though that gap closes fast once rates start moving and refi shoppers start comparing multiple lenders on the same afternoon too. In dollar terms, if your brokerage captures 10 additional purchase leads a month that convert at even a modest 15% close rate, that's roughly 1.5 additional closed purchase loans worth $9,000 to $12,000 in commission. The same 10 additional refi leads at the same conversion rate generate closer to $2,250 to $3,375. This is the financial logic behind flagging $500K-plus purchase inquiries for immediate LO attention while routing refi shoppers into scheduled consultations rather than instant transfer, it's not that refi leads don't matter, it's that purchase leads carry a deadline and a commission multiple that justifies faster human follow-through when LO time is the constrained resource.