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How do I handle "we're interviewing other agents"?

When a seller says they are interviewing other agents, ask one question before you move on: what would make them choose one agent over another. Answer that, then ask for the appointment with two day-and-time choices.

Captions on. Narrated with an AI voice.

Read the transcript

Yeah, we're thinking about selling.
But we're interviewing two other agents before we decide, so we'll see.
Okay, I understand. But honestly, a lot of agents just list it and disappear.
We have a full marketing package: photos, video, the works.
After every practice call, your card arrives: what worked, and the one thing to fix.
The call trains four moves. Ask one question before you move on.
Ask what would make them choose one agent over another.
Answer that, honestly. Then ask for the appointment with two day-and-time choices.
It is one of the most honest things a seller says.
They have not chosen yet, and you are still in the conversation.
It is closer to a door being held open for a moment.
Practice it until it sounds like you.
Each call runs as long as the conversation needs,
and you can make as many as you want.
Practice free at 10before10.com/try.

Drafted with AI by the 10before10 team, reviewed and approved by Grant Freer and Gia Freer, licensed Florida real estate brokers. Updated October 26, 2026.

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What is really being said

"We're interviewing other agents" is one of the most honest things a seller says on a first call. It means they are taking the decision seriously, they have not chosen yet, and you are still in the conversation. Most agents hear it as a door closing.

It is closer to a door being held open for a moment.

It can also be a polite exit. A seller who wants off the phone will reach for the line because it sounds reasonable and ends most calls. You will not know which it is until you ask a question, which is why the worst response is the most common one: "Okay, I understand," followed by a pitch about your marketing package.

That answer treats the line as an objection to be talked past. It is neither an objection nor a condition yet. It is information, and it deserves a question.

Hey Ten™What do I say to "we're going to relist with the same agent"?Practice it now

What to say

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

"Good. You should. Can I ask what would make you choose one over another?"

This works because it agrees with the seller, which relaxes them, and then asks the only question that matters. The answer will be about price, about experience on their street, about someone they know, or about a feeling. Each of those leads somewhere different, and you cannot get there without asking.

"I ask because if what you want is something specific, I would rather tell you now whether I am the right fit than use up an hour of your week."

This says why you are asking. A seller who knows the reason for a question answers it honestly. It also tells the truth: you might not be the right fit, and saying so out loud is the thing they will remember about you when the other two agents oversell.

"Then here is what I would suggest. Meet me for twenty minutes so you have something to compare the others against, or I send you what buyers paid on your street this year and you decide whether a meeting is worth it. Either is fine with me."

Two real options, one of which asks nothing of them beyond an email address. The seller chooses; you do not decide for them. If they choose the email, you have a next step and a date, which is a better outcome than most calls that end with "we're interviewing other agents."

What not to do

Do not move on without a question. "I understand, so anyway" tells the seller you were not listening and were waiting to talk. It is the single most common way this moment is lost.

Do not run down the other agents. You do not know who they are, and the seller may like one of them. Anything you say about "discount brokers" or "big teams that hand you off" costs trust and gains nothing.

Ask for the appointment cleanly, with two options, on a falling tone. If the answer is no, answer the comparison and ask again a different way.

A second request with nothing answered turns a good call into a sales call; a close after you answer is the job.

How to practice it

Have a colleague play a seller who says the line at about the ninety-second mark, once, and who answers your question honestly and briefly. Your only job is to ask one question before you say anything about yourself, then offer two options. Run it five times, changing what the seller wants each time: price, experience, a referral, a feeling.

Record yourself and listen for the moment you start pitching before you have asked. That moment is the habit to break, and it is the one 10before10™'s scorecard listens for on this exact drill.

Honest answers

Should I ask who else they are interviewing?Only if it changes what you do next, and usually it does not. Ask what they want from the agent they choose instead. That answer is useful on the call; a competitor's name is only useful for your ego.

What if they have already signed with someone?Then it is a condition, not an objection. Congratulate them, ask when their agreement ends, and close for a day and a time after that date, in case the home has not sold.

Is it pushy to still ask for the appointment?Not if you have earned it by asking what matters to them and answering honestly. Asking cleanly, with two real options, is a service. Answer the comparison, then ask again.

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Practice this moment

Make one practice call. See your card.

A prospect who sounds real raises this exact moment. Ten minutes, in the browser, no account. The scorecard tells you the one thing to fix.