By Sash Joveski and Andrew, Fearless Agents at Realest.com
To prepare for a listing appointment, do four things before you knock on the door. Call the sellers ahead of time to learn why they’re moving and when, build a CMA from real nearby sales, put together a simple marketing plan for their home, and practice how you’ll open and close the meeting. At the appointment, walk the home first, listen more than you talk, show the sales before you say a price, and ask for the listing. Then follow up the same day.
Most listing appointments aren’t lost at the kitchen table. They’re lost the night before, when an agent decides to wing it. Sellers can tell when you did the homework. They can also tell when you care more about the sign in the yard than about them. Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches.” Every listing appointment is a chance to earn a good name, whether you get the listing or not.
What is a listing appointment?
A listing appointment is a meeting with homeowners who are thinking about selling. You see the home, learn what they need, share what you think it will sell for and explain how you’ll market it. If it’s a fit, you go over the listing agreement together. Most of these meetings happen in the sellers’ home, so they can show you what makes it special.
How do you prepare before the appointment?
- Make a pre-appointment call. Ask why they’re moving, where they’re headed, when they want to be there and who else will be at the meeting. Every decision maker should be at the table.
- Pull the public record. Note the year built, square footage, lot size, bedrooms, baths and the last sale date.
- Build your CMA. Pull sold, pending, active and expired homes nearby. Pick the three to six sales most like their home and work out a price range, not one number.
- Drive the neighborhood. Look at the competing listings so you can talk about them with confidence.
- Write a one-page marketing plan. Photos, listing description, showings, open houses and how you’ll keep them updated.
- Load your forms. Have your brokerage’s current listing agreement and disclosures ready so you aren’t hunting for paperwork.
Our CMA and Home Valuation lesson walks through how to pick comps and build a price range step by step.
How do you run the listing appointment?
- Connect first. Thank them for having you and ask them to show you the home. Let them tell you what they love about it and what they’ve updated.
- Listen to their plan. Ask what a good result looks like to them. Is it timing, price, an easy move or all three? Write it down.
- Show the sales before the price. Walk through the sold homes, then the actives they’ll compete with, then the ones that didn’t sell and why. Let them see what you see.
- Give a range and a recommendation. Share your price range and the list price you’d suggest inside it, with your reason. Remind them a CMA is an opinion of value, not an appraisal.
- Walk through your plan. Show your marketing plan, how you’ll handle showings and feedback, and what you’ll do if there are no offers in the first couple of weeks.
- Explain the agreement and ask. Go over the listing agreement line by line, including how you get paid. Answer every question straight. Then ask if they’re ready to move forward.
The Listing Appointment in Four Stages
Call ahead
Why they’re moving, when and who decides.
Do the homework
CMA, competing listings and a one-page plan.
Listen, then show
Walk the home, show sales, then give a range.
Ask and follow up
Explain the agreement, ask, recap the same day.
A good name is more desirable than great riches. Proverbs 22:1
What can you say to open the listing appointment?
Keep the focus on them, not on you. Here is a simple opener you can make your own:
“Thanks for having me. Before we talk about price, I’d love for you to show me the home and tell me what you’ve done to it. Then I want to hear what a great move looks like for you. After that, I’ll show you what’s sold nearby, what you’d be up against and exactly how I’d market your home. Sound good?”
Say it out loud a few times before you go. It should sound like you. If the sellers push back on price or ask about your fee, our post on handling real estate objections has calm ways to answer.
How do you keep the listing appointment fair?
Talk about the home, the sales and the market, never about who lives in the neighborhood or who might buy. Give every seller the same level of preparation and the same straight pricing advice. Market the home to every qualified buyer. If sellers ask about schools or crime, point them to public sources. Fair housing is part of serving people well.
What should you do after the listing appointment?
- Send a thank-you and recap the same day. Include their goals, your price range and the next step you agreed on.
- Answer open questions fast. If you promised to find something out, send it within a day.
- Follow up if they’re still deciding. Check in when you said you would, and share any new nearby sales. Our post on following up without being pushy has more ideas.
- Review your own appointment. Write down what went well and one thing to do better next time.
Inside Fearless Training, our Listing Appointment with Sellers lesson is a training replay that covers what to say when you walk in, how to build trust and how to guide the meeting without being pushy. Join Fearless Training for more lessons like this.
Frequently asked questions
What should I bring to a listing appointment?
Bring a printed or tablet copy of your CMA with photos of the sold homes, a list of competing listings, a one-page marketing plan and your brokerage’s current listing agreement and disclosures.
How long does a listing appointment take?
Plan for about an hour. That gives you time to walk the home, listen to the sellers, review the sales, explain your plan and go over the agreement without rushing.
Should I give sellers a price at the first meeting?
Give a price range and a recommended list price after you walk the home and review the sales together. Seeing the home first can change your range, so stay open until you have.
What questions should I ask sellers before a listing appointment?
Ask why they are moving, where they are going, when they want to be there, who else will help make the decision and what a great result looks like to them.
What should I do if the sellers don’t sign at the appointment?
Thank them, send a recap the same day and ask when they would like you to check back. Follow up when you said you would and share any new nearby sales that help them decide.
Be fearless. Sash, Realest.com
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