Expired listings are the closest thing to a warm lead you will find outside your own sphere. The seller already decided to sell, prepared the house, sat through showings, and still walked away without a buyer. That is not a cold prospect. That is a motivated homeowner who needs a better plan than the one they just tried, and the agent who shows up with that plan usually wins the listing.

The problem is most agents approach expired listing scripts the wrong way. They lead with their production numbers or a generic “I can sell your home” pitch, and the seller has already heard that line from five other agents calling that same week. What actually works is treating the first call like a diagnosis, not a sales pitch.

Why Expired Listings Are Worth Your Time

Roughly one in three overpriced listings ends up expiring, and pricing accounts for the largest single share of failed listings industry wide, according to an analysis of MLS expiration data by RE/MAX broker Bill Gassett. That means most expired sellers do not have an unsellable house. They have a pricing problem, a marketing problem, or a communication problem, and all three are fixable with the right approach.

This is also why expired listing scripts pair so well with a broader prospecting system. If you only work expireds when you feel like it, you will win a few deals and lose momentum. If expireds are one lane in a repeatable weekly routine alongside your sphere, FSBOs, and past clients, they become one of your most predictable sources of listings. Our full breakdown of real estate scripts for every scenario covers how expireds fit into that bigger system.

The Expired Listing Opening That Does Not Sound Like Every Other Call

Your first 10 seconds decide whether the seller stays on the phone. Skip the resume. Skip the compliments about the house. Get straight to the reason for your call.

“Hi, is this [name]? This is [your name] with [brokerage]. I saw your home on [street] came off the market, and I wanted to ask directly: are you still hoping to sell, or have your plans changed?”

Notice what that opener does not do. It does not ask “are you still looking for an agent,” which invites an easy no. It asks about the seller’s goal, not your services. If they say yes, follow with a question that gets them talking about what went wrong:

“When you look back at the listing, what do you think kept the home from selling?”

Whatever they say next tells you exactly which objection you will need to handle, and it hands you the material for your next call.

Handling the Objections You Will Hear Every Time

Expired sellers give the same handful of objections in roughly the same order. Prepare for these three and you will handle most of the calls you make.

“We’re not interested in selling anymore”

Do not argue. Acknowledge it, then ask one clarifying question before you let the conversation end:

“I completely understand. A lot of homeowners feel that way right after a listing expires. Can I ask, did your plans change completely, or are you just taking a break because the last attempt was frustrating?”

“We’re relisting with the same agent”

Respect it, but do not assume the agreement is signed:

“That makes sense. Have you already signed the new agreement, or are you still deciding?”

If nothing is signed yet, you have an opening to offer a second opinion without pressuring anyone.

“How did you get my number”

Answer plainly. The listing was public on the MLS, and be ready to stop the call immediately if asked. For a full library of objection frameworks beyond expireds, including the acknowledge, clarify, evidence method we teach agents inside PWRU, see our guide to real estate objection handling.

The Follow Up Sequence Most Agents Skip

Most agents call an expired listing once, get a soft no, and move on. That is the single biggest reason expireds go to the second or third agent who calls, not the first. Build a follow up cadence instead of a one time attempt:

• Day 1: Initial call plus a same day text if compliant with your brokerage and local rules.
• Day 3: Voicemail with one specific observation about the listing, not a generic check in.
• Day 7: Email with a short market update for the seller’s neighborhood.
• Day 14: Second call referencing the earlier conversation directly.

Tom Ferry’s research on expired listing outreach found that agents who build a documented, compliant follow up system convert meaningfully more expireds than agents relying on a single call. Compliance matters here too. Confirm the listing status, check your state’s Do Not Call rules, and follow your brokerage’s approved outreach process before you start dialing.

See the Script in Action

Reading a script and delivering it naturally under pressure are two different skills. Watch this live cold call breakdown to hear how the opening, the objection response, and the appointment ask actually sound in a real conversation:

Turning Expired Scripts Into a Repeatable Habit

The agents who consistently win expired listings are not the ones with the cleverest script. They are the ones who ran the script enough times that it stopped sounding like a script. That takes structure: a set call time each week, a tracked follow up list, and honest feedback on what is working and what is not.

That is exactly the gap PWRU University was built to close. Instead of a one off script sheet, you get the full prospecting curriculum, live roleplay coaching, and the accountability structure to actually run your expired listing calls every week instead of only when the pipeline runs dry. If inconsistent production has been the real issue, not a lack of scripts, that is where the fix has to happen.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best expired listing script?

The best expired listing scripts open with the seller’s situation, not your production stats. Ask whether selling is still the goal, listen for what they think went wrong, then offer one specific observation about the previous listing before asking for an appointment.

How soon should you call an expired listing?

Many top producing agents call the same day a listing expires, but speed only helps if you have confirmed the listing status and prepared a specific reason for the call. A rushed, generic call the day of expiration converts worse than a researched call a few days later.

Do expired listing scripts work for texting and email too?

Yes, with adjustments. Keep text and email versions shorter than your phone script, lead with the same core question about whether selling is still the goal, and always confirm your outreach method complies with your brokerage policy and applicable telemarketing rules.