Real Estate Voicemail Scripts (and When to Skip One)

Most prospecting calls end at a voicemail greeting. Some agents leave a long pitch on every one and others hang up every time, and neither habit fits every lead type.

This guide covers when a voicemail earns its place, how to structure one so people call back, scripts for the leads agents call most, and how voicemails fit into a follow-up plan.

When to leave a voicemail and when to hang up

A voicemail is worth leaving when you have a specific reason the person would care about. A new sale on their street. A question about their home that came off the market this morning. A reply to a form they filled out ten minutes ago. If you can't name that reason in one sentence, hang up and call back later.

Leave one when:

• The lead asked to hear from you: online inquiries, open house sign-ins, referrals. They expect a call, and a voicemail confirms you're real and fast.
• You have news about their property: a sale nearby, a price change on a comparable home, a refreshed value estimate.
• It's the second or third attempt. By then they've seen the missed call. A message explains it.
• You're following up on a promise: "I said I'd call after the Smith house closed. It closed."

Skip it when:

• It's the first dial on a lead every agent is calling. On a fresh expired, everyone is calling. A voicemail that sounds like the twelve before it doesn't help. Call again in an hour instead.
• You'd be reading a generic pitch. "I help people buy and sell homes in the area" gives nobody a reason to call back.
• You haven't checked DNC status. Leaving a message doesn't change whether you were allowed to call. More on that below.

How to structure a voicemail people return

Keep it under 30 seconds. Every message has four parts:

1. Your name, said like they know you. "Hi John, it's [your name] with [your brokerage]." Say their name as a statement. Hesitating and asking "Is this John?" on a recording sounds like a robocall.
2. The specific reason, in one sentence, tied to their home or their request.
3. One reason to call back: a question only they can answer, or information you'll share when they do.
4. Your number, twice, slowly. Say it at the start of the message if it's longer than a few seconds, and again at the end. Most people listen on speaker while doing something else.

Delivery matters more on a voicemail than on a live call, because you can't recover from a bad start. Stand up, keep the pace steady and sound like you're leaving a message for a client you like. A flat, sleepy tone on the first calls of the morning is common, so warm up before you dial. See cold calling tonality for drills.

Voicemail scripts by lead type

Put these in your own words. The structure carries the message, so the exact wording can shift.

Expired listing

"Hi Linda, it's [your name] with [your brokerage]. I'm calling about your home on Maple Drive. I saw it came off the market and I had a quick question about whether you still plan to sell. I've looked at the listing and the recent sales nearby, and I think it should have sold. My number is [number]. Again, [your name], [number]."

The line "I think it should have sold" gives the owner something to react to. Some will call back just to tell you why it didn't, and then you're in a conversation. The full live-call approach is in how to call expired listings.

Cancelled or withdrawn listing

"Hi Dan, it's [your name] with [your brokerage]. I noticed your home on Birch Lane came off the market. I'm not sure if you sold it privately or decided to wait. Either way, I pulled what's sold near you in the last few weeks and I'm happy to send it over. My number is [number]."

The message offers data and stops short of asking for a meeting, which fits a seller who may still be under agreement. See cancelled and withdrawn listings for when not to solicit.

New online lead

"Hi Priya, it's [your name] with [your brokerage]. You just asked about 14 Elm Street. I can get you in to see it, and I have a couple of questions about what else you're looking for. I'll text you as well. My number is [number]."

Speed beats wording here. A message left within minutes of the inquiry says more about you than any script. AVEX's "New Online Lead: Speed to Lead" action plan creates a call task as soon as the lead arrives, then works through calls and emails over 14 days and pauses when the lead replies. Its text steps are available after a one-time registration. Background in speed to lead.

Seller who said "not yet"

"Hi Susan, it's [your name]. We spoke a few weeks ago and I said I'd keep you posted. The home across the street just sold, and it puts your place in a higher range than we talked about. No pressure at all. Give me a call at [number] and I'll walk you through it."

The phrase "I said I'd keep you posted" matters. It shows you keep promises, and sellers notice that. Following up old leads goes deeper.

Past client or sphere

"Hi Mark, it's [your name]. No business reason, I just drove past your street and thought of you. Hope the new deck came together. Call me back when you get a minute, [number]."

Keep sphere voicemails personal and short. If every message is a sales pitch, they stop listening.

After the listing appointment

"Hi Carla, it's [your name]. Thanks again for having me over last night. You asked about the timing on photos, and I checked with my photographer. I can get it booked this week if you're ready. My number is [number]."

Answering a question they actually asked gives them a reason to call back without any pressure.

Voicemail plus text: the follow-up sequence

A voicemail rarely works alone. Call, leave a message, follow with a text if the person agreed to get texts from you, and don't quit after one round. Agents who stop because it feels annoying often lose the listing to the agent who kept going.

A simple cadence for a seller lead:

• Day 1: call. If no answer, call back once. Leave a voicemail on the second dial.
• Day 2: call again. Short voicemail with one new detail.
• Day 4 to 7: call with news: a sale, a price change, a refreshed CMA.
• After that: every 10 to 30 days, with something new each time.

AVEX schedules this from the outcome you log. On a call list row, "No answer" brings the lead back the next day and "Left voicemail" brings it back in two days. "Talked" and "Appointment set" close the row and move the contact forward in your pipeline, so you're never guessing who's due.

One thing AVEX does not do is drop prerecorded voicemails. Every message is one you leave yourself.

Compliance: prerecorded and ringless voicemail

A voicemail you leave yourself on a live, manually dialed call is treated differently from a prerecorded one. For marketing, prerecorded voicemails need the person's prior express written consent, and that includes "ringless" voicemail drops that land in the mailbox without the phone ringing. The FCC ruled in 2022 that ringless voicemail counts as a call under the TCPA (FCC declaratory ruling). If you don't have that signed consent, don't use a drop service.

For live calls:

• Scrub your list against the National Do Not Call Registry (donotcall.gov) and your state list at least every 31 days. Past clients and recent inquiries can fall under narrow, time-limited exceptions, so scrub them anyway.
• Honor every do-not-call request right away and keep your own do-not-call list.
• Call only between 8am and 9pm the recipient's local time. Some states set narrower hours or limit Sunday calls.

AVEX keeps numbers flagged DNC off your call list, and logging "DNC request" closes the lead. The rest is your process. The full checklist is in cold calling and DNC rules, and texting rules are in texting real estate leads legally.

Not legal advice. Check your state rules and your broker.