Guide
The Expired Listing Follow-Up Workflow
Most expired lists get worked hard for one day and then quietly abandoned. This is a written workflow for the rest of it: what to have ready before you dial, what the first call should actually try to find out, a four-attempt cadence, and how to record outcomes so the next attempt is not starting from zero.
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Before you call: preparation checklist
Fifteen minutes here removes most of the reasons expired campaigns stall.
- Confirm where your expired data came from and what that source permits.
- Check the numbers against do-not-call obligations that apply to you, and against your own internal removal list.
- Remove properties that have already been relisted — calling an owner under agreement with another brokerage is a bad first impression and may breach association rules.
- Deduplicate the file so one owner is not called twice by two of your workflows.
- Decide your calling window and stick to it, including for time zones other than your own.
- Write down the one question the first call has to answer: is selling still the plan?
- Decide in advance what a no means — and honour it on the first attempt, not the third.
- Have a place to record the outcome of every attempt before you make the first one.
What the first call is for
The first call is not a listing presentation. It is a sorting call. A share of any expired list has genuinely stopped selling, another share has already relisted, and the remainder are somewhere between disappointed and undecided. Your job on attempt one is to find out which group someone is in and leave the conversation open.
That means a short opening, an acknowledgement that the listing ended without a sale, and one question. Diagnosing what the previous agent did wrong is the fastest way to end the call — the owner chose that agent. Offering a price opinion you have not researched invites an argument you cannot win on the phone.
Illustrative conversation examples
Written examples, not transcripts of real calls or customers. Use them as shape, not as a word-for-word script.
Caller: Hi, is this Dana? I'm calling about the home on Maple Ridge that came off the market this summer.
Owner: Yes. That was a frustrating few months.
Caller: I imagine so. Is selling still the plan for you?
Owner: Probably, but not until after the school year.
Caller: That's useful to know. Would a short call in early spring be worth your time?
Outcome recorded: still selling, spring timeline, no agent, callback set for March.
Illustrative example — not a real call, customer or result.
Caller: Hi, is this Marcus? I'm calling about the home on Third Street that came off the market recently.
Owner: We're not selling and we don't want calls about it.
Caller: Understood — I'll make sure you're not contacted about it again. Thanks for your time.
Outcome recorded: opt-out requested, number added to internal do-not-call, no further attempts.
Illustrative example — not a real call, customer or result.
Caller: Hi Dana, we spoke a couple of weeks ago about the Maple Ridge home — you mentioned spring. Has anything changed since then?
Owner: Actually, we've been talking about moving sooner.
Caller: Then it may be worth a proper conversation. What day and time usually work for you?
Outcome recorded: warm, requested Tuesday 4:30 PM — the caller still has to confirm that time with the owner.
Illustrative example — not a real call, customer or result.
Owner: We've already signed with someone else.
Caller: Then I'll leave you to it — I hope it goes smoothly this time. Thanks for telling me.
Outcome recorded: relisted, removed from the expired queue. No competing pitch, no second attempt.
Illustrative example — not a real call, customer or result.
An illustrative four-attempt cadence over about a month
Adjust the spacing to your market, but keep the principle: fewer, better-spaced attempts that each know what the last one learned. This cadence is an illustrative example, not a proven or guaranteed recommendation.
- 1
Attempt 1 — the day you get the list
Short, honest, one question: is selling still the plan? Record the answer even when it is no. A clear no is a result, not a failure.
- 2
Attempt 2 — three to five days later
The day-one rush is over. Reference the first conversation if there was one; otherwise repeat the same short opening rather than escalating the pitch.
- 3
Attempt 3 — two to three weeks later
Many owners who said 'taking a break' are re-deciding around now. Ask whether anything has changed, not whether they are ready to list.
- 4
Attempt 4 — the month-out check
This is the attempt almost nobody makes, and where a reviewed script with the earlier notes attached earns its keep.
How to record every outcome
A follow-up workflow is only as good as its records. Every attempt should end with one of these written down, on the lead, with the date.
- Not interested — call ends immediately and the disposition is recorded.
- Asked to be removed — the number goes on your internal do-not-call list and no further attempts are made.
- Relisted with another agent — mark it and stop; the property is suppressed from calling queues when detected as active.
- Selling later — capture the month and set the callback rather than pushing for a meeting now.
- Wants to talk — capture the requested day and time, then confirm it with them yourself.
- No answer or voicemail — log the attempt so the cadence stays honest instead of restarting.
Then set the next action with a date. "Follow up sometime" is how expired lists die.
Where the product fits
In Agent Assist AI you import your own expired export, read the expired script, and mark it validated. Calling for that workflow stays off until you connect your own calling account and switch it on. Once it is on, the assistant makes the attempts on the cadence you set, identifies itself as an AI assistant, asks the sorting question, stops on a clear no, and adds an opt-out request to your internal do-not-call list.
Each attempt writes back a disposition, a status, a lead temperature, a summary, the transcript and a follow-up date — which is what makes attempt three able to reference attempt one. When someone wants a meeting, you get a requested day and time plus a task to confirm it. There is no calendar sync and nothing is booked automatically.
One thing to be clear about: do-not-call suppression, consent fields, calling-hour windows, daily caps and attempt limits are technical safeguards you configure. They do not establish legal permission to call anyone. You are the caller of record, and the rules that apply to your outreach are yours to confirm.
Plans start at $99/month
Included AI calling minutes on every plan, with a stated per-minute rate after that. You bring your own lead lists and confirm every requested appointment time yourself.
Frequently asked questions
- How many times should you follow up with an expired listing?
- There is no universal number, and any specific figure you see quoted is usually someone's marketing. A practical cadence is four attempts over about a month — day one, a few days later, two to three weeks later, and a month out — stopping instantly on a clear no or an opt-out request.
- What do you say on a second expired call?
- The same short opening, plus whatever you learned last time. If they said they were taking a break, ask whether anything has changed. Re-pitching harder on attempt two is what makes people stop answering.
- Is it legal to call expired listings?
- It depends on your jurisdiction, your data source and your consent records. Do-not-call registries, state restrictions, and MLS or association rules all apply, and AI-generated voices are treated as artificial or prerecorded voice under US federal rules (FCC ruling, February 2024). The product's suppression, consent and calling-hour controls support your process; they do not establish legal permission to call.
- How does Agent Assist AI help with expired follow-up specifically?
- It makes the later attempts consistently, with the previous conversation on the record, and writes back a disposition, temperature, summary, transcript and follow-up date for each one. You review the script first, switch the expired workflow on yourself, and confirm any appointment time it captures.
Related pages
- AI expired listing calling softwareThe expired workflow inside the product, including its suppression rules.
- FSBO follow-up workflowThe same discipline applied to owners selling without an agent.
- Withdrawn and canceled listingsA related list with a different situation and opening.
- Product walkthroughImport, categories, scripts, call outcomes and follow-up tasks, screen by screen.
- How AI calling worksThe four stages of a calling run and what stays your decision.
- Pricing and included minutesPlans from $99/month with included AI calling minutes.
Run this cadence without doing the dialling
Start the free trial, import an expired list, and read the script before anything dials. You switch calling on when you are ready.
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