What do I say on the second and third call to a for-sale-by-owner?

Call on the day you promised, and bring something the owner did not have last time: what sold nearby since you last spoke, what has happened with showings or buyers since, and a specific date to review their own timeline. Ask before you offer, and request a short preview visit rather than a listing appointment.

Drafted with AI by the 10before10 team, reviewed and approved by Grant Freer and Gia Freer, licensed Florida real estate brokers. Updated October 25, 2026. También en español.

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What is really being said

By the second call, the owner already knows who you are. They remember whether you kept your word the first time. If you said you would call in a week and you call in a week, that single fact does more work than anything you say next.

If you said a week and it has been three, the owner hears another agent who talks big and follows through small.

The second and third calls are not about asking again. They are about showing up with something the owner did not have before: a sale down the street, a question answered, a date circled on the calendar. The owner selling alone is running their own small business right now, researching, showing, fielding calls.

They do not need a cheerleader. They need someone who brings information they cannot easily get on their own, and who respects the plan they chose.

Some owners will keep selling alone and do well. That is not a loss for you. It means the relationship was honest and the next person they call, when the house does not move or the deal gets hard, will be you.

The goal of these calls is to stay useful and welcome, not to wear the owner down.

What to say

These are examples in plain words, not lines to memorize. Say them the way you actually talk.

"Hi, this is your name with your brokerage, the agent who called last Tuesday. I said I'd check back today, so here I am. Two homes closed near you since we spoke, one on street and one on street, both in the last three weeks.

Want the numbers?"

This works because it opens with a kept promise, not a pitch. The owner hears that the date on the calendar meant something, and the new information gives them a reason to keep the call going instead of ending it politely.

"How's it been going since we last talked? Any showings, any buyers' agents calling, anything in writing yet?"

Open questions let the owner report their own progress without feeling interrogated. Whatever they say tells you exactly where they stand and what the next useful thing to bring might be.

"You mentioned you'd try it yourselves for a while and see how it goes. What date were you thinking we'd check back in on that?"

Turning a soft phrase like "for a while" into an actual date on the calendar gives both of you a fair, agreed point to revisit, rather than you guessing when to call again.

"Would it be all right if I came by sometime this week, not for a listing conversation, just to see the home? It helps me know what's out there, and it means I'm not walking in cold later if you ever want a second opinion."

A preview visit asks for very little and gives you a real look at the home before any pressure exists on either side. Most owners find this easier to say yes to than a meeting framed around signing anything.

Two routes for "Nothing's changed, call me next month"

Route one, answer and ask the next question: "Understood. Before I let you go, can I ask what you're seeing happen with the two homes that sold nearby since we talked? I'm curious what you make of those prices compared to yours."

Route two, answer and ask for the small step: "Fair enough. In the meantime, would it be all right if I previewed the home sometime this week, just so I have eyes on it? No paperwork."

Two routes for "We already have someone interested"

Route one, answer and ask the next question: "That's good news. Where are things with them right now, is there anything in writing yet?"

Route two, answer and ask for the appointment: "Glad to hear it. If that one falls through for any reason, would it help to have a second set of eyes lined up already, so you're not starting from zero? I could stop by this week so I'm ready if you need me."

What not to do

Do not call on the day you promised with nothing to say. A call that only checks whether the owner has changed their mind costs trust every time it happens. If you have nothing new, wait until you do, or send the useful thing in writing and call when you have more.

Do not push past a clear answer that selling alone is working. An owner with a real buyer in the inspection stage does not need you reminding them of risk. Ask what stage they are in and offer to be useful if anything changes, then let it go.

Do not quote a fee, a commission or what buyer's agents usually get paid. If the owner says they will pay a buyer's agent, say that amount is agreed deal by deal and should be in writing before anyone tours the home. Resist naming a figure even if asked directly.

If the owner has forgotten your first call, start again with the first-call approach.

How to practice it

Have a colleague play an owner who says "We let a couple walk through yesterday, kind of want to see what they say first." Your job: acknowledge it without alarm, ask where things stand, and offer either a useful next question or a small request like a preview visit. Run it five times, changing the owner's situation each time: a buyer in the inspection stage, a neighbor's flat-fee success story, a firm "call me in a month," a vague "we'll see how it goes," and an owner who has forgotten your first call.

Record yourself and listen for whether you bring something new before you ask for anything. That is the habit 10before10™'s scorecard listens for on this drill.

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