Real Estate Scripts: Expired, FSBO, Circle and Follow-Up

Good listing calls follow the same path: open like you already know the person, find out why they want to move, handle the pushback, and ask for a short meeting with two specific times. Agents who memorize lines word for word sound like it. Agents who learn the path can say it their own way and still end up at the appointment.

This page collects the core scripts a listing agent uses every week. Each one is short on purpose. Where a script has its own full guide, the link takes you there.

The structure behind every script

Before the scripts, the skeleton. Almost every prospecting call has six parts.

1. Opener. Name, your name, the property address, the reason for the call. Ten seconds.
2. A claim or a question that gets them talking. "I'm confident that home will sell" or "Have you had a recent valuation?"
3. Motivation. About a minute in, soften your voice and ask where they're headed when they sell. This is the question that tells you whether there's a deal.
4. Objection handling. Listen, agree, isolate, then answer. More on that below.
5. The ask. A second opinion or a 10 to 15 minute visit, never "the listing."
6. Two times. "Tomorrow at three, or would four be better?" Then stop talking.

Keep the call short and the ask small. Agents lose more calls by over-explaining than to any objection.

Expired listing script

Expired owners have already told the market they want to sell. They're also tired, a little burned, and fielding calls from other agents all morning.

"Hi John, it's Sarah with [Brokerage], calling about 123 Main Street. Is the home still available, or did you decide to hold off?"

"I've looked at the listing and the area, and I'm confident it can sell. What's your take on why it didn't?"

"By the way, where were you planning to go when it sold?"

"Would you be open to a second opinion? I can stop by tomorrow at three, or would four-thirty work better?"

Why it works: the second-opinion ask is smaller than a listing appointment, so the owner has less to resist. And asking why it didn't sell lets them tell you the problem in their own words, which is usually price, photos or communication.

Full version with objections and calling hours: how to call expired listings. For cancelled and withdrawn owners the opener is the same, but confirm the listing agreement has actually ended before you dial. A withdrawn listing can still be under contract with the original broker. Check every number against the Do Not Call Registry and call only between 8am and 9pm the owner's local time.

FSBO script

For-sale-by-owner sellers expect agents to call and push. Lower the pressure instead.

"Hi Maria, it's Sarah with [Brokerage]. I saw your home on Oak Street is for sale. I'm not even sure I can help you yet. Are you open to working with an agent if one brought you a buyer at your number?"

"Where are you planning to move once it sells?"

"Would it hurt to have a second set of eyes on the price? I can come by Tuesday at two or Wednesday at three."

Why it works: "I'm not even sure I can help you yet" takes the fight out of the call, because the owner expects a pitch and gets a question. Early in the week tends to be the best time to reach FSBO sellers, before they start planning weekend showings and screening every call.

Full version, including the commission objection: FSBO script for "I'm saving the commission".

Circle prospecting script

You call the neighbors around a recent listing or sale. Nobody on this list asked to sell, so your goal is smaller: find out who might sell in the near or distant future, and get permission to send them market data.

"Hi, this is Sarah with [Brokerage]. I'm calling about your home on Maple Street. I won't take much of your time. Have you had a recent valuation? A home two blocks over just went under contract, and there isn't much inventory on your street right now."

"If you ever thought about selling, where would you go?"

"No obligation. I'd just like to see the property and put a face to the name. When you're ready, you'll have a real number from someone who knows the street."

Why it works: the neighborhood fact earns you ten more seconds, and the soft visit gives the owner an easy yes. The real value of circle prospecting shows up on the second, third and fourth call, when you're the agent who keeps sending them what's selling nearby.

Full version: circle prospecting script for a new listing.

Follow-up call script

Never open with "just following up." It tells the seller you have nothing new.

"Hey Susan, it's Sarah. We spoke about a month ago and I promised to keep you posted. The home across the street just sold, and it puts yours in a range you'll want to hear about. No pressure. Where's your head at on timing?"

Why it works: you're keeping a promise and bringing a number, which is a reason for the call. If they said "call me in a year," your first check-in should come well before that, around 45 to 60 days, because plans change faster than people expect.

More on reviving cold contacts: follow up with old real estate leads.

Appointment confirmation text

The moment you book a listing appointment, stop dialing and send a text.

"Great speaking with you, John. Looking forward to meeting you both Thursday at six. Here's a quick look at who I am before then: [link]."

Then send a 20-second selfie video: thank them, put a face to the name, and tell them what you'll cover. Sellers who've seen your face before you knock are less likely to cancel, and the visit starts warmer.

Listing appointment scripts

Two lines do most of the work at the kitchen table.

The preemptive close, early in the meeting:

"If what I show you tonight makes sense, and you feel comfortable with the price and the marketing plan, do you plan on hiring me tonight?"

The "think about it" response, at the end:

"I understand, it's a big decision. Let me ask you, what did you like most about what we went over tonight?"

The first gets a yes on the record before price comes up, and the second gets the seller talking again. The full kitchen-table version is in handling "we need to think about it", and the slide-by-slide flow is in the listing presentation template.

Short answers to the objections you'll hear most

"I'm not interested." Agree and narrow the ask. "I understand. Would you be interested if I could get you the number you're looking for?"

"I don't have time." Agree and shrink it. "I hear you. Is it worth 30 seconds?"

"Send me an email." Treat it as a soft yes and get a meeting attached to the email. Full script: the "send me an email" brush-off.

"Your commission is too high." Agree, then move to motivation. "I hear you. I only get paid if it sells. By the way, where were you hoping to go when it does?" Full script: handling "your commission is too high".

"I already have an agent in mind." If they haven't signed anything, offer a second opinion. "That makes sense. Would a second opinion hurt, if it made more financial sense for your family?" If the home is under an active exclusive listing with another agent, don't pitch it. Under Article 16 of the NAR Code of Ethics, you can ask the owner when the listing expires and what type it is if the listing broker won't tell you, and you can talk about a future listing after it ends.

The method behind all of these is in real estate objection handling.

How to make a script sound like you

Read the script out loud ten times, then put it away and say it from memory in your own words. Record yourself. Most agents hear two things on playback: they talk too fast, and they ask permission too much ("Is this a bad time?"). Fix those and the script starts to sound like a conversation.

Match the other person's pace. A slow, quiet homeowner needs a slower agent. A fast, blunt one wants you to get to the point.

Practice one piece a day. Monday is openers, Tuesday is the motivation question, Wednesday is the close with two times. Small reps stick better than one long rehearsal on Sunday.

AVEX's Roleplay puts you on a call with a simulated expired, cancelled or FSBO homeowner and scores you from 1 to 5 on eight parts of the call, including the opener, discovery of motivation, objection handling, the close and tonality. It's a low-stakes way to run these scripts before the real dial. More on that in roleplay for objection practice.