Guide for wholesalers and investors
How to follow up with motivated sellers: scripts and a schedule
Most sellers are not ready on the first call. This guide sorts your leads by how soon they might sell, gives a follow-up schedule for each group, six word-for-word follow-up scripts, and the notes to log after every call so no deal goes cold.
The short answer
Follow-up is a schedule, not a feeling
Follow up with a motivated seller on a set schedule tied to their own timeline, and bring something new to every call. Sort each lead by how soon they might sell, give every lead a next step and a date, and log what the seller told you so the next call starts where the last one ended. Keep going until you get a signed contract, a clear no, or a request to stop.
Sort your leads
Four groups, four different follow-ups
Sort every lead by what the seller told you, not by how keen you are. A lead moves between groups as their situation changes.
| Group | What the seller told you | How to follow up |
|---|---|---|
| Hot | Wants to sell within about 30 days and has a reason: a move, a tenant leaving, a repair they cannot pay for | Get the offer or the appointment done now. Call every day or two until it is signed or it cools. |
| Warm | Open to selling in the next few months, still deciding | A call every week or two, each with something new: a nearby sale, an answer, a check on their plan. |
| Long-term | “Not now, maybe next year” | A call every month or two, timed to anything they mentioned: a lease ending, a probate step, a retirement date. |
| Dead | Sold, not a seller, wrong number, or asked you to stop | Close it with the reason written down. If they asked you to stop, add them to your do-not-call list that day. |
The schedule
A follow-up schedule you can actually keep
These are starting points. Adjust them to what each seller says, and always put the next date in your CRM before you hang up.
- New lead: call back the same day. If you miss them, try again the next day and the day after, at different times.
- After an offer is sent: call within two days to ask what they thought, then keep in touch while they decide.
- Hot: every day or two until it is signed or the seller tells you the timing has changed.
- Warm: every one to two weeks.
- Long-term: every one to two months, plus a call on any date the seller mentioned.
- Every call: a next step and a date, written down before you move on.
Text a seller only if they have agreed to texts from you, and stop the moment anyone asks you to stop calling or texting. The rules are in our guide is real estate cold calling legal?
The scripts
Six follow-up scripts, word for word
Square brackets are for you to fill in from your notes. Every script opens with something the seller told you, which is why the notes matter.
Script 1: the check-in
You: Hi [First Name], it’s [Your Name] with [Company]. We talked on [date] about [Street], and you mentioned [their reason, e.g. the tenant moving out in the spring]. I said I’d check in around now. Where are things at?
Why it works: It proves you remember them, and it asks about their situation, not your offer.
Script 2: “has anything changed?”
You: Last time you said selling was something for [timeframe]. Has anything changed since then, with the house or with your plans?
Seller: Actually, the roof started leaking.
You: Sorry to hear that. Does that change how soon you’d want to sell, or are you planning to fix it first?
Why it works: Motivation usually changes between calls. This question finds the change, and a new problem often moves a lead from long-term to hot.
Script 3: the price gap
For a seller who wanted more than you could pay.
You: When we talked, you were hoping for [their number] and we were at [your number]. I didn’t want to lose touch over that. Have you had other offers since, or any closer to what you wanted?
Seller: Not really.
You: Is the price the only thing between us, or is the timing or the repairs part of it too? Sometimes we can do more on one of those than on the price.
Why it works: You do not chase them with a higher number. You look for what else matters to them: a quick close, an as-is sale, time to move out.
Script 4: after the offer
You: Hi [First Name], it’s [Your Name]. I wanted to make sure the offer came through and see what questions you have about it. What did you think?
Why it works: An offer with no follow-up reads like an offer you do not care about. Questions are where the seller tells you what is stopping them.
Script 5: the voicemail
You: Hi [First Name], it’s [Your Name] with [Company], about your property on [Street]. You mentioned [their reason] when we spoke, and I had a quick question about it. You can reach me at [number]. Again, that’s [Your Name] at [number].
Why it works: Their own words, one reason to call back, and the number said twice.
Script 6: the close-out call
For a lead that has gone quiet after several attempts.
You: Hi [First Name], it’s [Your Name]. I’ve tried you a few times about [Street] and I don’t want to be a bother. Should I close your file for now, or is selling still on the table?
Why it works: It is honest, it is easy to answer, and it often gets a reply from a seller who has gone quiet. If they say close it, close it, and note when to check back if they allow it.
Your notes
What to log after every call
The follow-up is only as good as the notes behind it. After every conversation, write down:
- Why they might sell, in their words.
- Their timeline, and any date they mentioned: a lease end, a move, a court date.
- The condition of the property, and the repairs they named.
- The price they hope for, and any offer they have had.
- Who decides, and whether everyone has been part of the conversation.
- The next step and its date, and the group the lead is in now.
- The reason, whenever a lead is closed as dead.
Mistakes
Five follow-up mistakes that lose deals
- Calling with nothing new. “Just checking in” with no reason teaches the seller to ignore you.
- No date on the next step. A lead without a date is a lead nobody calls.
- Giving up early. A seller who was not ready in month one can be ready in month four.
- Inventing urgency. Fake deadlines and pressure lose the seller’s trust for good.
- Letting it live in someone’s head. If the notes are not in the CRM, the follow-up leaves when that person does.
Who does the follow-up
When follow-up becomes a full-time job
Follow-up is the work that slips first, because a new lead or an appointment always feels more urgent. Once your marketing produces more leads than you can call back on schedule, the follow-up is a job of its own.
That job has a name: a lead manager. Ours work full time on your leads, call back new ones, keep every follow-up date and log everything in your CRM. If you need more leads rather than more follow-up, see our cold calling for wholesalers.
Common questions
About following up with motivated sellers
How often should you follow up with a motivated seller?
It depends on their timeline. A seller who wants to sell within about a month needs a call every day or two; one deciding over the next few months, every week or two; a “maybe next year” seller, every month or two. Every call should end with a next step and a date.
How long should you keep following up?
Until you have a signed contract, a clear no, or a request to stop. A seller’s situation can change months after the first call, so long-term leads stay on a slower schedule rather than being thrown away.
What do you say on a follow-up call with a seller?
Open with something they told you last time, then ask whether anything has changed with the property or their plans. That question finds new problems and new deadlines, which is how a slow lead becomes a ready one.
Can I text motivated sellers to follow up?
Only sellers who have agreed to get texts from you. Marketing texts are covered by the same do-not-call rules as calls, and automated texts need consent. Calls and voicemails are the safe default for everyone else.
Who should do the follow-up in a wholesaling business?
Usually a lead manager: the person who qualifies sellers and keeps the follow-up schedule, so whoever makes offers and signs contracts can spend their time on sellers who are ready.
Stop losing deals to missed follow-ups
A full-time lead manager calls back your new leads, keeps every follow-up date and logs everything in your CRM. Book a 15-minute call to see how it would work with your leads.