Expired listings are one of the best sources of seller leads in the business — the homeowner has already decided to sell, they've already sat through months of showings, and they're already disappointed with the results. The problem is that every other agent in town knows this too, and they're all calling the same list on the same day the listing expires.
Winning expired listings isn't about having a slicker script than the next agent. It's about being the one agent who doesn't sound like a salesperson picking at a wound. Here's how to approach them, what to say, and how to follow up until you win the listing.
Why Most Agents Strike Out on Expireds
By the time a listing expires, the seller has usually heard from their previous agent that the market is "tricky right now," fielded a dozen cold calls from agents who all say some version of "I can sell your home," and started to feel like the whole process is a scam. They're not skeptical of real estate — they're skeptical of agents.
That means the standard "I noticed your listing expired, I'd love the opportunity" approach gets tuned out immediately. It sounds exactly like the ten calls before yours.
Before You Call: Do the Homework
The single biggest differentiator between agents who win expireds and agents who don't is preparation. Before you pick up the phone:
- Pull the full listing history — original price, price changes, days on market, and how many showings it got
- Look at the listing photos and description with a critical eye — what would you have done differently?
- Check comparable sales in the area to know whether the home was priced correctly
- Note the marketing that was used — was it just on the MLS, or did the agent actually promote it?
When you call with specific, informed observations instead of a generic pitch, the seller can tell within the first thirty seconds that you're different.
The First Call
Your only goal on the first call is not to list the house — it's to get the seller talking and earn a face-to-face appointment. Sellers who feel heard are dramatically more likely to sit down with you than sellers who feel pitched to.
"Hi [Name], this is Joe Tumminaro — I'm a local agent and I saw your home came off the market. I know that's frustrating after everything you've probably been through with showings and the whole process. I wasn't calling to jump straight into a pitch — I was actually curious what you felt happened. Do you have a couple minutes?"
Most agents skip straight past this and go into a listing presentation. Don't. Let the seller vent. They'll tell you almost everything you need to know to win the listing — whether it was price, marketing, agent communication, or something else entirely.
"That makes sense. Can I ask — when you look back, do you think it was more about the price, or did it feel like the house just wasn't getting in front of the right buyers?"
Whatever they say, don't argue or defend the old agent. Just listen and reflect it back: "Okay, so it sounds like the price was probably right for the market, but it just wasn't getting seen by enough buyers — that's actually really common, and it's usually fixable."
"Here's what I'd love to do, if you're open to it — I'd rather not give you a pitch over the phone. I'll come by, walk the house with you, and show you exactly what I think happened and what I'd do differently — no obligation either way. Would [day] or [day] work better for you?"
Expired sellers have been pitched to. They haven't been listened to. The agent who asks good questions and genuinely diagnoses what went wrong — instead of promising to "sell it fast" — stands out immediately because it's rare.
Handling the Common Objections
"We're just going to wait and re-list later."
"That's completely fair, and there's no pressure from me either way. Can I ask — is it more that you want a break from the process, or are you not sure the timing is right? Either way, I'd still love to come by and give you my read on what happened, even if you don't do anything with it for a few months. No cost, no obligation."
"We're talking to a few other agents."
"Smart — you should talk to a few people before deciding who to trust with something this important. All I'd ask is that when you're comparing, you ask each of us the same question: what specifically would you do differently than what already happened? If someone just tells you they'll 'work hard' without a specific answer, that's worth noticing."
"Your commission is too high."
"I hear that a lot, and I get it — you already went through this once without the outcome you wanted. Can I ask what the previous agent's marketing plan actually included? Because a lot of times the commission conversation is really a value conversation, and I want to make sure you're comparing apples to apples before we talk numbers."
The Follow-Up System
Not every expired seller lists with you after one call — many need several touches before they're ready to commit. Persistence, done respectfully, wins more expired listings than any single script.
- Day 1: Phone call using the scripts above
- Day 2: A handwritten note or a personalized market analysis dropped at the door, regardless of how the call went
- Day 5: A follow-up call or text referencing something specific from the first conversation
- Day 10–14: A short, no-pressure check-in — "Just wanted to see how you're feeling about next steps, no rush on my end"
"Hi [Name], it's Joe — we spoke last week about your listing. I pulled a quick comparison of similar homes that sold in the last 60 days and thought it might be useful even if you're not ready to relist yet. Want me to send it over?"
The Mindset That Wins Expireds
The agents who consistently win expired listings aren't the ones with the smoothest close. They're the ones who treat the seller like a person who had a bad experience, not a lead to be converted. Ask real questions, listen more than you talk, and be specific about what you'd do differently — the appointment follows naturally.
For the complete expired and FSBO conversion system — including the listing presentation structure and the objection handling for every stage of the conversation — get the book →