A cold call to a home seller works when it asks permission, names one fact about their house, and offers one small thing, such as a written look at why the home did not sell, instead of asking for the listing on the phone. Before you dial, check the number against the National Do Not Call Registry. A home being for sale does not make the owner's number exempt. Below are three short scripts (an expired listing, a for-sale-by-owner seller, and a past client), answers to the three objections you will hear, a voicemail, and the rules that decide who you can call.

Who you are allowed to call

Sellers are consumers, so the federal telemarketing rules apply. Calls are allowed between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the seller's time zone, and a number on the Do Not Call Registry is off limits unless an exception applies. The FTC's rules give two exceptions agents use most: an established business relationship, which lasts 18 months after the last transaction or 3 months after the person contacted you, and written permission. Many states keep their own do-not-call list on top of the national one, and some set shorter hours (Florida, for example, stops sales calls at 8 p.m. and limits repeat calls), so scrub against your state's list too. Prerecorded messages and autodialed calls to cell phones need the person's prior consent, so dial by hand. Check your brokerage's policy as well, since many require scrubbing every list before it is dialed. The rules also say to keep a record of who asked you to stop, and to stop calling that person. This is general information, not legal advice.

Past clients are the one group where the 18 months matters most. A buyer you helped 20 months ago is outside the window, so scrub that name like any other. Friends, family and people you genuinely know are treated differently under the FCC's rules, though any of them can still ask you to stop. For sellers, the FCC has said a call to a for-sale-by-owner seller on behalf of a buyer you actually represent is not a sales call, but a call asking for the listing is, and the FCC declined to exempt calls to expired listings.

Script 1: the expired listing

Marisol works at a made-up brokerage called Cedar Row Realty. She sees that a home on Alder Street was listed for 94 days and the listing ended on the 12th. She writes down three facts before dialing: the street, the days on market, and the last asking price.

Hi, is this Frank? Marisol with Cedar Row Realty. I know your listing on Alder Street just ended, and I'm guessing your phone has been busy with agents. I won't ask you to list with me today. Do you have 30 seconds to tell me what your last agent said about why it didn't sell?

The question carries the call. It lets Frank vent, which many expired sellers want to do, and it tells Marisol what to say next. If he says "they told us the price was too high," she answers: "That's useful. I can pull the homes sold within half a mile in the last 90 days and send you a one-page comparison, no strings. Would that help you decide what to do next?" She is offering information, not a listing agreement. Frank can say yes without feeling sold to.

Script 2: the for-sale-by-owner seller

Hi, is this Dolores? Marisol with Cedar Row Realty. I saw your sign on Birch Court. I'm not calling to talk you out of selling it yourself. I work with a couple of buyers who are looking in your area, and I wanted to ask whether you'd welcome buyers' agents showing the house, and what you'd want to know about them first.

Many for-sale-by-owner sellers worry that an agent will take over. This opener says the opposite, and it asks about showings, which is a question every seller has. Only say "I work with buyers looking in your area" if you do. If you have none, say "I'm building a list of buyers for Birch Court" and mean it. Never claim a buyer who does not exist. The call goes better when Marisol ends by offering what she can do without a listing: "If you'd like, I'll send you the disclosure forms your state expects sellers to complete, so you're not guessing." That is a favor, and favors get callbacks.

Script 3: the past client check-in

Hi Jun, it's Marisol. You bought on Larch Lane last spring, so I'm checking in. How is the house treating you? No agenda. I just like to hear how things went after closing.

Let him talk for a full minute. At the end, ask one thing: "If a friend or coworker mentions they're thinking about buying or selling, would you be comfortable passing along my number?" Do not say "I'm looking for referrals." This call is cheap and warm, and it is the one many agents skip. At five minutes a call, 30 past clients is a single afternoon. Related reading: how to ask for referrals, with the exact words, and how to reactivate old leads.

Three objections and what to say

"We're taking it off the market." "That makes sense after three months. Would it help to know what a seller in your position can change before relisting, or would you rather take a break first?" If they want a break, ask "Can I check back in the spring?" and write it down.

"We're relisting with our agent." "Good. I'd be glad to have you ask your agent one thing: what is different this time? I'm not trying to change your mind. If the answer is clear, you're in good hands." Then stop talking. If the agent has a good answer, they will not need you. If they do not, the seller will call back.

"Ten agents have already called me." "I'm sure. I'll keep this short: I won't call again unless you ask. Can I send one page of facts about the sold homes near you, and you can decide if it's useful?" Most calls end here, so this is where you give the seller a reason to remember you.

The voicemail and the text

Frank, Marisol with Cedar Row Realty, 555-0188. I'm not calling to ask for the listing. I put together a one-page look at the homes that sold near Alder Street in the last 90 days. If it would help, call or text me and I'll send it. Otherwise, no need to call back.

Text only if the person has replied to you, called you, or given permission. A cold text to a number off a listing is the easiest way to get a complaint. For the wording of a text once someone has said yes, see follow-up text message to a lead.

Describe the house, not the neighborhood

The Fair Housing Act bars discrimination in selling and advertising housing, and steering buyers by who lives somewhere is part of it. On a call, stay with facts about the house and the market: price per square foot, days on market, what sold. Skip "family-friendly" or "a good area for people like you."

What to write down

After every call, note the date and time, the outcome, what the seller said about why it did not sell, and the next date. For expired listings, many agents wait a few days after the listing ends, because the first week brings the most calls. That is a guess, not a rule. Log the day you reached people for 30 calls, and your own results will tell you what works for your market. The wider question of which channel to use first is in cold calling vs cold email.

The past-client check-in is the call most agents never get around to. Rocketship can send it as an email instead: upload the people you have helped, and it writes to each one from your own Gmail, follows up, and stops the moment someone replies. A 7-day trial lets you check it on a real list; a card is required to start.