8 Helpful Questions to Ask Sellers at a Listing Appointment

Are you looking for the right questions to ask sellers at a listing appointment? This is the right place.

Your listing appointment is both a chance to get to know your sellers better and a chance to actually secure your role as a listing agent. But that doesn’t mean that it should be all about marketing.

While you should go over your listing presentation and marketing materials, you also need to ask the right questions. You have to inspire faith in your services, make sure you know what your sellers want, and determine how to best serve them.

So, once you’ve gone over your listing appointment checklist, it’s time to make a list of questions.

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1. What Initially Drew You to This Home?

These are the things that a homeowner has loved about the property; it will give you a key insight into what others will love about the property, too.

Did they like the quirky ceilings? Gas appliances?

Is there something that you might not have even noticed or known about the property, such as family history, or a historical event?

Now, it could be that they had some fairly unique needs. But, often, if it worked to sell a house once, it’ll work again.

2. What is Most Important to You: Time or Money?

Do they want to sell fast? Do they want to sell for a lot? Or do they want both?

This question gives you a better picture of where their head is at. Most sellers want to sell their property quickly and for as much as possible.

But every once in a while, you’ll run into a seller who has to sell fast—even if it’s for less than they should. Or you’ll find someone who is really holding out for more money, even if it’ll take a while to get.

As a real estate professional, it’s important that you be able to align your services with what your client needs. And that starts with asking questions.

3. What Property Services Are You Interested In?

During your real estate listing presentation, ask about which services most interest them. Home staging, home photography, open house arrangements, videos walkthroughs—most home sellers want the works. They understand that they stand to make tens of thousands of dollars or more in the sale; they want their real estate agent to do everything for them.

This question is a great time for a real estate professional to walk sellers through the property services that they offer, as well as to “upsell” on any alternative products you have (such as social media real estate marketing).

Since your sellers likely purchased a house before, you can also ask them about what impressed them when they went to buy a house. Were they sold on a video walkthrough? Or did they attend a fantastic open house?

4. Is the Property Unencumbered?

It’s surprising, but you can get as far as the Multiple Listing Service without finding out that someone doesn’t actually own the property they’re trying to sell.

Remember to ask outright if the person talking to you is the owner of the property—and the only owner of the property. Ask about liens, other owners, or other interested parties upfront, or you might find out your real estate listing presentation was targeted to the wrong person entirely.

There’s a lot of situations in which someone might try to sell a property but they actually don’t have the permission of their family members or their spouse. Always ask whether the person you’re talking to is the owner and try to arrange to meet with everyone at once.

5. Why Are You Selling Your Home?

This question gives you more context as to the seller’s position. Are they in debt and need to sell fast? Do they already own their home outright and are just interested in liquidating it?

Overall, you want to know how urgent their situation is and how much value they have in their home. This will give you more information about how you need to treat the property.

If your potential seller is only casually selling their property (perhaps to fund retirement), they may be more interested in waiting for the right buyer. If they need to sell now, you’ll have to give them more support, faster.

And this can be a great introduction if they’re selling their house to find another home. At this point, they can start talking about the properties they’re interested in and what they want for their next buying journey.

6. What are they looking for in a real estate agent?

It’s likely that someone who is selling their house has already worked with an agent or brokerage before.

Ask them about what they liked and didn’t like. Did they feel supported through the process? Why aren’t they working with the realtor or broker they worked with before? Are there issues that they encountered?

It’s possible that their old agent just moved away, doesn’t work anymore, retired, or has started working in another area like commercial real estate. They could have even referred you.

Regardless, this is your chance to reassure them that your services are going to be amazing, that you are a great agent, and that you’ll be able to address any of their concerns. In fact…

7. Do You Have Any Concerns About the Home Selling Process?

This is where you can get deeper into a consultation, talking about any objections that the sellers have—and heading off any doubts that you might not be the right agent.

They might be concerned that you’re a new agent. They might have an important question they’ve held back; maybe they have a lien on their property or they’re nearing foreclosure. This is when they’ll start opening up and talking to you.

Sometimes, people have just had a terrible experience with another agent. This is usually what leads them to try an FSBO listing. But if you can assuage these concerns early, you can convince them that you’re worth working with.

8. What Are You Looking for in Your Next Home?

Every home seller is also a potential buyer. If they aren’t buying in your area, they may still be interested in a referral in another.

After you’ve gone over your listing agreement, start asking them questions about their next home. What are they looking for? Are they looking to purchase immediately?

Many home sellers who are selling their homes also want to become home buyers within a few months; in fact, they may be selling their homes so they can purchase a new home.

Bring some featured listings with you in what you estimate to be their list price. After you’ve gone over the comparative market analysis for their current house and walked them through the listing process, you can then talk to them about their next house.

Following Up After a Listing Appointment

Your potential sellers have left, with your pre-listing package in hand.

Alright. So a lot of other professionals recommend some pretty aggressive follow-ups. “Do you want to sell your house for a lot of money, or do you want to go with another agent, who won’t do anything for you?”

I ask you: Would that actually work for you? Would you want it to?

The truth is, if you’re a good salesperson, you should be able to walk away from any listing appointment with a deal. Most sellers will go to the first real estate agent they talk to and feel comfortable with.

So that can give agents the wrong idea about what a listing appointment is. They’ve spent all that time to win it and now they think that aggressive tactics and tricks are the way to go.

Treat a listing appointment as a way to really get to know your potential clients, address their concerns, and learn about their needs. Trust me, it’ll pay off far more than trying to bully them into accepting your help.

Finally, it’s always a good idea to follow up after a listing appointment with a potential client. Send them your marketing materials and a thank you note for visiting with you. Call them up and ask them if they have any additional questions.

FAQs

What do you say during a listing appointment?

A listing appointment is supposed to serve as an introduction between the realtor and a potential client. You should be selling your services as aggressively as is prudent while answering the client’s questions and concerns.

How do you win a listing appointment?

A realtor should be open and honest, should outline their marketing plan, and should feature their knowledge about the current market. They should go over their process with confidence and answer any of the client’s questions.

How many leads does it take to get a listing appointment?

On average, most real estate professionals will go through about 50 seller prospects before they land an appointment with a prospective client. Don’t get discouraged if you haven’t acquired a lead yet; it takes time.