How Scripts Make Expired Listing Calls Easier

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Expired listings are tricky. These homeowners have already tried to sell - many invested time, money, and hope into the process - and for one reason or another, their home just didn’t move. So it’s no surprise when their first response to another agent reaching out is cold or even confrontational.

But here’s the good news: expired listings are also one of the most powerful lead sources you can tap into. With the right approach, you’re not just another agent calling - you’re the solution they’ve been waiting for.

The key? Saying the right thing at the right time. And to help you with that, you need to start using expired listing scripts. 

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Key Highlights

☑️ Expired listings are high-potential leads. These homeowners already wanted to sell and just need a better strategy and an agent to guide them.

☑️ Empathy wins over skepticism. Understanding the seller’s emotional state (frustration, disappointment, mistrust) is crucial to starting a real conversation.

☑️ Tailored scripts outperform generic ones. Use different scripts for first contact, follow-up, objection handling, pricing discussions, and marketing plans.

☑️ Emotional intelligence sets you apart. Adjust your tone, pace, and messaging based on the seller’s mood to build rapport quickly and avoid resistance.

☑️ Systems like Espresso Agent boost your results. With fresh expired leads, built-in scripts, and powerful tools for follow-up, you can scale your outreach and close more deals.

Why Do Listings Expire? (It’s Not Always the Market)

Unlike cold leads or brand-new FSBOs, expired sellers have already decided they want to sell. They’ve gone through staging, showing prep, and sometimes even open houses. What they lack is results and confidence in real estate agents.

That’s where your approach makes or breaks the deal. Your job is to earn their trust, help them process their frustration, and show them a better way forward.

The problem is that agents often jump straight into their pitch without taking a moment to understand what went wrong. If you don’t speak to the real reason the listing expired, you’ll sound just like the last agent.

Here are the usual suspects:

• Overpricing: The most common culprit. Sellers often set unrealistic price expectations based on emotion or bad advice.
• Weak marketing: The listing might’ve had minimal online visibility, bad photography, or lacked staging appeal.
• Poor communication: Sellers often complain about agents who “ghosted” them after the listing went live.
• Timing: Sometimes, the home hit the market at the wrong time - holidays, economic shifts, interest rate hikes.
• Stale listings: Homes that sit too long without updates lose momentum.

☕ Espresso’s Tip: On your first call, use these talking points to show that you understand what they went through. Empathy isn’t fluff. It’s strategy.

The Expired Seller Mindset: Navigating Emotions

Before you ever pitch a service or show your value, remember this: You're walking into a relationship that’s already bruised.

Expired sellers tend to fall into one of three emotional states:

1. Frustrated: Angry that the home didn’t sell, and they’re blaming the agent or the system.
2. Disappointed: Quietly discouraged, maybe questioning whether selling was a good idea.
3. Guarded: They've heard it all before and don’t trust agents anymore.

Knowing how to navigate these emotions makes a huge difference. We’ll give you emotional cues to look for and sample phrasing to help build trust, fast.

Why Scripts Matter When You're Calling Expired Listings

Considering all that, it becomes clear that using a script while prospecting expireds can come in pretty handy. And if you’re still not convinced, here are the key advantages of expired listing scripts. 

You’re Calling Someone Who’s Been Burned

Unlike FSBOs or new leads, expired sellers already gave an agent a shot, and for whatever reason, it didn’t work out. They're frustrated. Disappointed. Maybe even embarrassed.

If you sound like every other agent rushing to pitch, they’ll tune you out.

But when you lead with empathy, when you actually acknowledge what they've been through, it changes the conversation. A thoughtful script helps you do that - naturally, confidently, and without forcing it.

You’ll Handle Emotions, Not Just Objections

One of the biggest mistakes agents make? Ignoring how emotional these conversations really are.

Expired sellers aren’t just evaluating your marketing plan. They’re wondering if they can trust anyone again. If you can’t pick up on that and respond the right way, the call is over before it starts.

A well-crafted script doesn’t just give you words. It gives you presence. It helps you stay calm, clear, and steady when someone’s annoyed, skeptical, or just done with agents altogether.

Scripts Help You Say the Right Thing at the Right Time

It’s not just what you say - it’s when and how you say it.

A smart script gives you the timing, pacing, and phrasing to guide the conversation instead of rushing it. It helps you stay focused when the seller pushes back or changes direction mid-call. 

It also lets you pivot smoothly between listening, asking questions, and presenting your value without losing trust.

With expired listings, the timing of your message matters just as much as the message itself.

Using the Right Script Can Open the Door

Most expired listings take more than one conversation to convert. That’s why your script needs to support follow-up, not force the close.

A great script helps you build momentum over time. It gives you the right language to check in without being annoying, to revisit the conversation without sounding desperate, and to stay on their radar in a respectful, consistent way.

The agents who win these listings aren’t pushy. They’re persistent and prepared.

How to Use Expired Listing Scripts

Memorizing scripts isn’t the goal. You want to internalize them so they become second nature and sound like you.

Here’s how to make that happen:

• Practice with a colleague or coach. Role-play common objections until you’re smooth.
• Record your calls (if legal in your area). Listen to how you sound.
• Speak less, listen more. Use scripts as conversation openers, not monologues.
• Mirror the seller’s pace and tone. People like people who sound like them.
• Always bring visuals. Have a simple CMA or marketing summary ready to support your words.

☕ Espresso’s Tip: Great agents don’t read scripts. They embody them. Adapt them until they feel natural in your voice.

How Espresso Agent Makes All of This Easier

Expired outreach can be a grind. Dialing, tracking, and managing leads can be time-consuming and messy if you don’t have the right system.

That’s where Espresso Agent comes in.

With our platform, you get:

• Daily refreshed expired listing leads - you call before your competitors
• Built-in scripts you can tweak and personalize
• Integrated dialer to streamline outbound calling
• CRM and tagging system, so no lead slips through the cracks
• Call tracking + notes to track conversations and follow-ups

Explore Espresso Agent’s Expired Listing Leads to see how you can scale your outreach, without losing your sanity.

Final Thoughts: This Isn’t Just About Scripts - It’s About Strategy

When you call an expired seller, you’re not just reading from a page. You’re stepping into someone’s disappointment, offering a solution, and building trust from the ground up.

Here’s what really works:

✅ Use empathy before strategy
✅ Ask more than you tell
✅ Be consistent and follow up
✅ Leverage tools that support your momentum

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Just roll it better.

Ready to turn expired leads into your best listings yet?

👉 Explore our pricing options. 

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