Skip to content Here’s a popular expired listing script from The Close, used by thousands of agents every day:
Hi [Homeowner’s Name], I noticed your home at [Address] recently came off the market, and I specialize in helping homeowners like you successfully sell their properties. I have some fresh ideas and strategies that could make a big difference.
Compare that to how top producer Rachel Warrell actually talks to people:
Hey, I don’t know if I got the right number. This is Rachel Warrell, I’m a real estate agent here in Panama City Beach calling about this condo over here, Palazzo Unit 1720…?
Which sounds better to you?
Quick Links:
- The Expired Listing Script Problem
- The Script Epidemic: How the Industry Created an Army of Robotic Callers
- The Semantic Solution: How Top Agents Create Real Conversations
- Master the Silence: Why Top Agents Embrace Awkward Pauses
- The Follow-Up Formula: What, When, Where, Why, and How
- The Two-Close Rule: When to Push and When to Pivot
- The Long-Term Game: Building Relationships That Turn Into Listings
- From Robot to Human: Your Next Steps
The Expired Listing Script Problem
Every expired listing seller has heard the same robotic pitch dozens of times. They can spot a script from the first three words, and they’re hanging up before you finish your opening sentence. Yet most agents keep using the same failed approach, wondering why their conversion rates hover around 0.67% while top producers hit 3.3%.
Why Top Agents Don’t Use Expired Listing Scripts
What’s the difference? It’s the complete absence of scripts. The most successful agents have discovered something the industry doesn’t want to admit: scripts make you sound like a robot, and people don’t do business with robots.
The Script Epidemic: How the Industry Created an Army of Robotic Callers
The real estate industry has convinced agents that success comes from perfect words delivered flawlessly. Unfortunately we contributed to this epidemic with some of our posts on the “10 golden expired scripts to list more properties”
And to be fair, scripts can be a good way to help you overcome cold calling anxiety. If you need to know what to say to get started, scripts give you framework to at least get in the game.
However, the real estate industry and sales trainers widely sell “proven scripts” that promise magical conversion rates. Agents memorize these word-for-word, believing that the right combination of syllables will unlock seller cooperation.
But here’s what actually happens when you use a script:
Sellers recognize scripts instantly because they’ve heard them before. When your opening sounds identical to the previous 99 agents who called, you’re continuing an annoying pattern. The moment a seller thinks “this is another script,” you’ve lost them.
The worst part? Scripts make you sound anxious and unnatural. When you’re focused on remembering the exact words, you can’t focus on the person you’re talking to. Your tone becomes flat. Your timing feels off. You sound like you’re reading, because you are.
The Psychology Behind Script Failure
Scripts fail for three critical reasons:
First, they eliminate authenticity. Sellers want to talk to a human being who understands their situation, not a telemarketer reading from a card. When you use someone else’s words, you lose your voice and credibility.
Second, scripts prevent real listening. While you’re concentrating on your next line, you’re missing the emotional cues and information the seller is giving you. You become so focused on delivery that you forget about discovery.
Third, scripts create pressure instead of a conversation. They’re designed to push toward a predetermined outcome rather than explore what the seller actually needs. This feels manipulative, and sellers respond by putting up walls.
The Semantic Solution: How Top Agents Create Real Conversations
Whether they know it or not, successful agents may have started with a script early on, but they usually end up abandoning their scripts. Why? Because they discover a better method for having conversations: The semantic method.
What is the Semantic Method?
Frequently used in CBT therapy, the semantic method is simply the process of asking good questions.
For real estate agents, the semantic method is conversation-based prospecting that prioritizes understanding over selling. Instead of following scripts, agents adapt their questions based on what the seller actually says and means.
Why the Semantic Prospecting Method works
Remember how scripts make you sound robotic? The semantic method works because it forces you think think less about having the perfect words, and instead focus on asking insightful questions.
Instead of delivering information, you’re gathering it. Instead of convincing, you’re discovering. Instead of pitching, you’re exploring.
Here’s how Rachel Warrell, a top producer in Florida’s highly competitive market, opens her calls:
Hey, I don’t know if I got the right number. This is Rachel Warrell, I’m a real estate agent here in Panama City Beach calling about this condo over here, Palazzo Unit 1720…?
Notice what she’s not doing:
- No generic opening about homes coming off the market
- No immediate sales pitch about her services
- No pressure to commit to anything
Instead, she sounds like a real person having a real conversation. She creates curiosity instead of resistance. She makes them want to talk instead of blocking her number.
The Power of Genuine Questions
When sellers do engage, semantic agents like Kent Brown don’t launch into presentations. They ask questions that show genuine interest:
What’s got you thinking about selling?
This simple question accomplishes multiple goals:
It shows you care about their situation rather than just your commission. It gets them talking instead of you talking. It uncovers their motivation, which is the key to everything that follows.
But here’s where most agents still mess up: they ask one question and immediately start talking again. Top producers know that the real gold comes from the follow-up questions.
Master the Silence: Why Top Agents Embrace Awkward Pauses
Now before you start asking dozens of questions to your prospects, let’s talk about the most important part of the semantic method: knowing when to stop talking.
The biggest difference between struggling agents and successful ones isn’t what they say—it’s what they don’t say. Specifically, successful agents have mastered the art of shutting up and letting silence do the work.
When you ask “What’s got you thinking about selling?” and the seller pauses for three seconds, your instinct is to fill that silence. Don’t.
That pause is them thinking about how to answer honestly. If you interrupt their thinking, you’ll get a surface-level response instead of the real reason.
Why Silence Feels Uncomfortable (And Why That’s Good)
Silence feels uncomfortable because humans are wired to fill conversational gaps. But that discomfort is precisely what makes silence powerful. In that awkward pause, the seller is deciding how much to trust you with.
Curtis Fenn puts it perfectly:
It’s only on the third question that people are really revealing what’s in their heart and head.
Here’s what this looks like in practice:
Agent: “What’s got you thinking about selling?”
Seller: [3-second pause] “Well, we’re just not sure about the market right now.”
Agent: “What specifically about the market has you unsure?”
Seller: [longer pause] “Honestly, we’re worried we won’t get what we need to buy our next place.”
Notice how the second question, combined with patience for their response, revealed the real issue. The first answer was surface level. The second answer is where the real conversation begins.
The Follow-Up Formula: What, When, Where, Why, and How
Good agents ask good questions. Great agents ask great follow-up questions. Once you’ve gotten someone talking, you need to know how to keep them talking in a way that builds trust and uncovers opportunity.
The formula is simple: What, When, Where, Why, and How.
Going Three Deep on Every Response
Here’s how Curtis Fenn teaches the “conversation game” to create deeper dialogue:
Level 1: “What’s got you thinking about selling?”
Response: “We’re thinking about downsizing.”
Level 2: “What’s driving the downsizing decision?”
Response: “The kids are all moved out and this house feels too big.”
Level 3: “How long have you been feeling like the house is too big?”
Response: “Honestly, about two years. But with the market uncertainty, we kept putting it off.”
Now you have real information to work with. You know their timeline (two years of thinking about it), their motivation (empty nest), and their hesitation (market uncertainty). This gives you everything you need to have a meaningful conversation about their situation.
The Right Questions for Each Stage
“What” questions uncover facts: What’s your timeline? What’s your ideal outcome? What concerns do you have?
“When” questions reveal urgency: When did you start thinking about this? When would you ideally want to move? When does this need to happen?
“Where” questions show scope: Where are you thinking of moving? Where have you looked? Where would you like to end up?
“Why” questions expose motivation: Why is this important to you? Why now? Why is this the right move for your family?
“How” questions reveal process: How have you been approaching this? How did you choose your last agent? How would you know you found the right person to help?
The key is patience. Ask one question, listen to the complete answer, and then ask your follow-up based on what they just told you. Don’t rapid-fire questions like you’re conducting an interrogation.
The Two-Close Rule: When to Push and When to Pivot
Ok, so now you’re asking the good questions, and you’re leaving space for good answers. When do you close?
Here’s where most agents destroy perfectly good conversations: they don’t know when to stop closing for the appointment and start building the relationship.
The rule is simple: Close for the appointment twice. If that doesn’t work, pivot to relationship building.
How the Two-Close Rule Works
First close (after you understand their situation): Based on what you’ve said about wanting to downsize, it makes sense for us to get together. Would you have some time this afternoon or would tomorrow be better?
If they say yes, great. If they give you an objection, handle it and try once more.
Second close (after handling their objection): I understand you want to think it over. How about this—what if we just met for 15 minutes so I can show you what homes like yours are actually selling for right now? Would Thursday evening work, or would Friday morning be better?
If they’re still not ready for an appointment, stop pushing for the meeting. This is where most agents make their fatal mistake—they keep pushing for the appointment until the seller gets annoyed and never wants to hear from them again.
The Pivot to Relationship Building
Instead of a third close attempt, pivot to relationship building:
No problem. It sounds like you’re still in the thinking stage, and that’s totally fine. Is it okay if I send you my contact information? When you’re ready to move forward, you’ll know exactly how to reach me.
Or Rachel’s approach: I get it. Sounds like you’ve got a plan. Is it all right if I send you my contact information and you know, if you need me down the road, you got me?
This pivot accomplishes three things:
- It removes all pressure from the conversation
- It positions you as helpful rather than pushy
- It opens the door for future contact when they are ready
Why the Two-Close Rule Protects Your Long-Term Success
Trying to close a third time often results in permanent failure. The seller gets annoyed, tells you they’re “all set,” and mentally blocks you from future consideration. Even 20 follow-up calls won’t overcome the negative impression you’ve created by being too pushy.
But when you pivot to relationship building after two attempts, something magical happens: you become the helpful agent who understood they weren’t ready, rather than the pushy agent who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Six months later, when they are ready to sell, guess who they call?
This method of getting people into your SOI is actually what Ricky Carruth calls the secret to building a million dollar business. Read more on that here.
The Long-Term Game: Building Relationships That Turn Into Listings
The semantic method is about building a business that compounds over time. Rachel Warrell gets calls from people she talked to three to five years ago. Scott Catton has sellers who have been getting his weekly emails for over a year before they finally decide to list.
This is how you build a sustainable business instead of a transactional one.
The Follow-Up System That Actually Works
Once you’ve had a semantic conversation with an expired listing seller, your follow-up becomes infinitely more effective because it’s personal and relevant.
Instead of generic “checking in” emails, you can reference specific parts of your conversation:
Hi Curtis, I’ve been thinking about what you said regarding the market uncertainty. I just saw some new data that might help with your timeline decision. Would you like me to send it over?
This type of follow-up works because it’s based on a real conversation about their actual situation, not a generic template about market conditions.
Creating Your Semantic Scripts (That Aren’t Really Scripts)
The beauty of the semantic method is that you don’t need to memorize specific words—you need to understand the principles. Here are the conversation starters that work:
For expired listings:
- This place looks amazing. What got you thinking about selling in the first place?
- I noticed your home was on the market recently. What happened with that?
- Hey, I was calling about the property over on Main Street. Are you still thinking about selling?
For follow-up questions:
- Tell me more about that…
- What’s most important to you in this process?
- How would you know you found the right agent to help?
- What would need to happen for you to feel confident moving forward?
For pivoting to relationship building:
- It sounds like you’re still in the thinking stages, and that’s totally fine. Is it okay if I send you my contact information for when you’re ready?
- No pressure at all. Would it be helpful if I sent you some information about what’s happening in your neighborhood right now?
From Robot to Human: Your Next Steps
The transformation from script-dependent to semantically skilled doesn’t happen overnight, but it starts with your very next call.
Tomorrow morning, try this:
- Put your scripts away. Seriously. Hide them.
- Write down three genuine questions about why people might be selling their homes.
- Practice asking follow-up questions using What, When, Where, Why, and How.
- Set a timer for 5 seconds and practice being comfortable with silence.
- Plan your pivot from appointment to relationship building.
Remember: Your goal isn’t to get every appointment. Your goal is to have meaningful conversations that build relationships. Some of those relationships will turn into immediate appointments. Others will turn into listings six months from now. Both are valuable.
The agents who master the semantic method stop sounding like robots and start sounding like trusted advisors. They stop chasing appointments and start building relationships. They stop working harder and start working smarter.
Your expired listing leads aren’t just names on a list—they’re people with real situations, real motivations, and real needs. When you approach them as humans rather than prospects, everything changes.
The semantic method isn’t just about getting more listings. It’s about building a business based on relationships, trust, and genuine value. It’s about becoming the kind of agent sellers actually want to work with.
Stop sounding like a robot. Start sounding like yourself. Your listings—and your sanity—will thank you.
Ready to transform your expired listing approach? REDX’s multi-prospecting platform gives you the leads, tools, and training to support authentic conversations with compliance, follow-up systems, and professional presence. Because great relationships need great systems to support them.
