Key takeaways
- Once retries are switched on for a list, an owner comes back four hours after No answer and one day after Voicemail, up to 20 attempts.
- A sales call must promptly name the seller, say its purpose is to sell, and say what is offered (16 CFR 310.4).
- Rapidialer checks calling hours in each owner’s local time; a new window is 09:00 to 20:00, Monday to Friday.
- Talk tracks merge only
{{contact}},{{company}}and{{last_notes}}; extra CSV columns such as the address show on the lead card.
Real estate: expired listing and FSBO
Use this realtor cold calling script the morning an expired listing appears, or for FSBO owners who have been on the market a few weeks. For FSBOs, swap the opener’s line about the listing for a question about how the showings are going. The same stages work as a homeowner cold call script for owners in a farm area who have not listed yet. Insurance agents have an insurance version with the same stages. Calls to the neighbors around a new listing need a softer opener, and so do calls to commercial owners and tenants.
Opener
Hi, is this
{{contact}}? This is [your name] with [brokerage]. I noticed your home on [street] came off the market, and I am sure that was frustrating. Are you still thinking about selling?Discovery
If it had sold, where were you planning to move?
What do you think kept it from selling: the price, the showings, or the marketing?
How many showings did you get, and what feedback came back?
If the right plan were in place, when would you want to be moved?
Value
Thank you, that helps. When a home in [neighborhood] does not sell, it is usually one of three things: the price, the presentation, or who saw it. I would like to show you what I would do differently on each one.
Appointment ask
It takes about twenty minutes, and you will have a clear plan whether or not you work with me. Does [day] at [time] or [day] at [time] work better?
Confirm
Perfect. I have you down for [day] at [time] at the property. I will call this number the morning before to confirm. Thanks,
{{contact}}.Variation: FSBO opener
Hi
{{contact}}, this is [your name] with [brokerage]. I saw your home on [street] is for sale by owner. I am not calling to talk you out of it. How have the showings been going so far?
Words in brackets are yours to fill in. Merge fields like {{contact}} are replaced with the lead’s details when the script is used in Rapidialer.
Tips for using this script
- Call expireds early in the day they appear; owners hear from many agents and the first good conversation counts.
- Lead with a question, not your credentials. Owners of an expired listing have already heard a pitch.
- Ask for a short meeting, not the listing. A twenty-minute plan is an easier yes.
- Coaching the value stage: name one of the three causes the owner gave you in discovery, and stop. Agents who list every service they offer lose the owner before the appointment ask.
- Log owners who will relist later as a Callback with a date, so the follow-up comes back on time.
What to say when you hear…
- “We’re going to relist with our agent.”
- That makes sense; they know the house. Before you do, would a second opinion on why it did not sell be useful? If you still relist with them, at least you will both have more to work with.
- “We’re taking it off the market.”
- Understood. Is that because the timing changed, or because the price you were getting was not enough? If it is the price, I can show you what homes like yours actually sold for this quarter.
- “We already have an agent.”
- Good, then you have someone in your corner. I am not asking you to change that today. If your listing agreement has ended, though, a second plan costs you nothing to hear. When does your agreement with them run out?
- “Agents keep calling me.”
- I am sure, and I will be brief. I only want to know whether you still want to sell. If not, I will not call again.
- “What’s your commission?”
- That depends on the plan we agree on, and I would rather show you the plan first. Can I walk you through it on [day]?
How do you set this up as a talk track in Rapidialer?
Build one script with six steps, so expired and FSBO calls share the later stages. Go to Settings, Scripts, choose Create script and then Blank script, and call it “Real estate: expired listing and FSBO”.
Copy each stage into its own step: the title goes in Chip label, the lines in What to say. Keep the FSBO opener last, so expired calls run left to right and a FSBO call starts by clicking that chip. Tick Set as default on Call before saving. Extra CSV columns, such as the property address or days on market, appear on the lead card next to the script, so the rep can read the street name without a merge field.
How should you coach each stage of the call?
Play back a recorded call and stop at each stage. These are the habits to listen for.
- Opener: the empathy line has to sound unhurried. If the owner sighs or laughs, the rep has earned the question that follows.
- Discovery: the “where were you moving?” question uncovers the deadline.
- Value: name one cause the owner gave, and stop there.
- Appointment ask: two specific times, both within three days.
- Confirm: repeat the address and time, then log Callback for the morning before, so the confirmation call is already in the queue.
What do you say when an owner asked you to call back later?
Owners who are not ready often name a season or an event. Save this shorter variation as a second script, such as “Real estate: seller callback”, and pick it when the due follow-up comes up. The {{last_notes}} field repeats what the owner told you.
- Reconnect: Hi {{contact}}, it is [your name] with [brokerage]. You asked me to check back around now about the house on [street].
- Recap: When we spoke you said: {{last_notes}}. Has anything changed since then?
- Market update: Two homes like yours went under contract in [neighborhood] since we talked. I can show you what they sold for.
- Ask: Would [day] or [day] work for twenty minutes at the house?
Load it as a talk track in Rapidialer
Create a talk track
In Rapidialer, open Talk tracks, add a new one, and give it the script’s title.
Paste each stage
Add one stage per section above. Keep
{{contact}},{{company}}and{{last_notes}}as they are; they fill in during the call.Make it active and dial
Set it as the active talk track, open your list in the Dialer, and move through the stages as the call goes.
Teams that use this script
- Real estate agentsHow listing agents work expired, FSBO and sphere lists in Rapidialer.
Real estate cold calling script: questions and answers
Is it better to call expired listings or FSBOs first?
Expired listings usually come first because they are time-sensitive: owners decide what to do within days. FSBO owners are better called a few weeks into their attempt, when they have seen how hard selling alone can be. Run them as separate lists so each gets its own calling hours and retry rules.
How many times should I call an expired listing?
Decide before you start and let the dialer track it. In Rapidialer, a list’s retry rules can bring back contacts after No answer or Voicemail, up to 20 attempts, and an owner who asks for a later date gets a Callback outcome instead of another retry.
How long should a real estate cold call last?
A real estate cold call to an expired or FSBO owner should reach the appointment ask within about three to five minutes. The opener takes under 20 seconds, discovery takes most of the call, and the value stage is one sentence. If the owner wants to talk longer, let them, but book the meeting first and keep the price discussion for the appointment.
What voicemail should I leave for a homeowner?
Leave a voicemail of under 20 seconds: your name, your brokerage, the street, one reason to call back and your number said twice. “Hi, it’s Sam with Acme Realty about your home on Elm Street. I have a plan for why it did not sell. 555-0142, again 555-0142.” A real estate voicemail script gives more versions to rotate.
Should I mention the previous agent?
No. Ask the owner what they think kept the home from selling, and let them bring up the previous agent if they want to. Criticizing a colleague costs you trust, and the owner may still like that agent. Focus on what you would change about price, presentation and exposure instead.
Can the script fill in the property address?
No. A Rapidialer talk track merges only {{contact}}, {{company}} and {{last_notes}}, so the street name stays a bracketed prompt for the rep to say. Import the address as its own CSV column instead: extra columns show on the lead card beside the script, labeled with the column name, during every call to that owner.
Do I have to check expired listings against the Do Not Call Registry?
A listing agent offering services to a homeowner is generally making a telemarketing call, so national Do Not Call Registry rules apply unless an exemption fits. Rapidialer does not check the national registry; it blocks numbers on your own organization’s Do Not Call list. Check lists before import. This is general information, not legal advice.
What hours can I call homeowners?
Federal rules limit telemarketing calls to 8 a.m. through 9 p.m. in the homeowner’s local time, and some states are stricter. Rapidialer checks each list’s calling hours in the contact’s own time zone, defaulting to 09:00 to 20:00 on weekdays, and holds owners outside that window in the queue until it opens.