How to Get Expired Listings: 9 Strategies & Conversion Tips

Let’s talk about expired listings — properties that were recently on the market but couldn’t find a buyer before their listing expired. While it might be challenging to get these listings, agents armed with a strong marketing strategy and a thoughtful outreach approach can succeed. Read along as I review strategies for how to get expired listings and effectively nurture clients.

1. Buy Expired Listing Leads

• Cost: $50 to $200
• Time commitment: 1-2 hours per week

Purchasing expired listing leads is an excellent option to jumpstart your prospecting without spending hours combing through data manually. While some agents prefer to save money by finding leads, buying real estate leads from a lead gen platform saves time by pulling public records and MLS data into one easy-to-use list.

If you’re looking for a game-changing lead generation platform, REDX is one of the best. With its Vortex CRM, lead contact info, tax details, and listing specifics for FSBO and expired leads are easily accessible. But that’s not all — its Brand Builder provides top-notch editing tools and topic suggestions to help you create engaging content. These are some of the reasons why REDX is one of our top recommended lead generation platforms.

Visit REDX

2. Leverage the multiple listing service (MLS) and public records

• Cost: $20 to $200
• Time commitment: 2-4 hours per week

The MLS is a great place to start if you want to learn how to get expired listings. Search for expired properties in the last two to four weeks and add them to your CRM for follow-up. Besides your time and MLS access, these leads are essentially free.

You can also search public records for expired listings that may not appear in the MLS, though it’s more time-consuming. Local archives can provide property details like ownership history, divorce filings, or probate activity. These records can reveal off-market opportunities, but weigh the time investment against the potential return.

Once you’ve built your list of expired listings, follow up consistently using a lead-nurturing plan. If you don’t have a CRM or want a real estate CRM with specific functionality, check out our guide on the best real estate CRMs for some options.

3. Network with real estate professionals

• Cost: Free
• Time commitment: 3-5 hours per month

Reach out to other agents who are up for swapping expired listings. Connect through email and social media or by joining groups like Referral Exchange or Agent’s Referral Network, and local real estate groups on platforms like Meetup. It’s a terrific way to sell listings using your marketing style, and you might even hook a referral fee from some agents. 

Explore local chapters of real estate associations as well, like the following:

• National Association of Realtors (NAR)
• National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP)
• Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM)
• National Real Estate Investors Association (NREIA)
• National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB)
• Women’s Council of Realtors (WCR)

4. Reach out to expired listing owners directly

• Cost: Free
• Experience level: 4-6 hours per week

Reaching out directly to homeowners with expired listings — whether by phone, letter, or email — is one of the most effective ways to get your foot in the door. These sellers are often frustrated or disillusioned with the selling process, so your message needs to be thoughtful, professional, and above all, seller-focused.

Each method has advantages: a phone call allows real-time interaction, a letter offers a personal touch, and an email can quickly build rapport. The key is to lead with empathy, not a hard pitch.

If you want to start converting expired listing leads to clients, here are customizable scripts you can use for phone calls, letters, and emails:

Related Articles

• Expired Listing Letters That Work: Free Templates & Tips
• 21 Expired Listing Scripts That Could Change Minds [+Tips & Best Practices]
• 11 Scripts for Real Estate Internet Leads (+ Tips)

5. Create & automate drip marketing campaigns

• Cost: Free
• Time commitment: 5-8 hours

Drip marketing is when you automatically set up a bunch of emails to send to your contacts. It’s a perfect way to connect with people whose house listings expire on the MLS since it lets you stay in touch with potential leads without manually following up each time. But here’s the catch — the emails in your drip campaign must offer value, not just be about sales pitches.

Include neighborhood market reports, recent sold data, seasonal check-ins, and helpful tips. For your expired listings leads, share information about what causes listings to expire and simple changes that can prevent it, or share stories about how you managed to sell expired listings.

If you want to step up your email game, try Market Leader. It offers real estate-focused CRM and marketing solutions with customizable email templates, automatic responders, drip campaigns, and tracking tools. You also get reports to fine-tune your strategies and some branded content for sharing the latest real estate news.

Visit Market Leader

6. Create & share videos that speak to expired listing leads

• Cost: Free
• Time commitment: 3-6 hours (including writing scripts, filming, and editing)

Keep this in mind: owners of expired listings are usually skeptical of agents and fed up with the whole process, which is why video can be such a powerful way to break through. Unlike a phone call, video lets potential clients see and hear you without feeling pressured to respond immediately.

You don’t need a polished production to do this. Simple, direct-to-camera videos where you introduce yourself, share quick insights, and explain your approach can go a long way. Send them by text or email to create a more personal connection.

7. Run online advertising campaigns

Make your real estate ads specific and address the issues your audience cares about (like owners of expired land listings). Tell them you’re a top-notch agent who can sell their property, and show them that you genuinely care.

It’s a good idea to create an ad that leads potential sellers to a tailored real estate landing page where you can offer something valuable, like a list of common reasons homes fail to sell, in exchange for their contact details.

Related Article

43 Clever Examples of Real Estate Ads (+ Why They Work)

8. Send personalized mailers to expired listing leads

Direct mail has been a go-to strategy for agents for a long time and is still super effective today. Plus, it’s affordable, with postcards costing 8 to 73 cents each. You can try out many different designs and messages to determine what grabs expired listing owners’ attention the best.

If you want to quickly create a bunch of top-notch mailers to help you seize those expired listings, try ProspectsPLUS!. They’ve got tons of templates ready — plus, you can even have them handle the mailing for you. In fact, it’s one of our top picks for the best real estate direct mail companies.

Visit ProspectsPLUS! Related Articles

• 15 Real Estate Flyer Examples & Templates to Boost Your GCI
• 22 Real Estate Postcard Templates To Generate Leads [+Design Guide]
• Top 20 Real Estate Newsletter Templates & Tips

9. Offer complimentary marketing consultations

• Cost: Free
• Time commitment: 1-2 hours per consultation

When a homeowner’s listing expires, they feel frustrated and burned out. To win them over, show them a solid marketing strategy for their home. Explain what went wrong before and how you can do it right. 

During your pitch, clearly outline your plan, focusing on practical sales approaches and home features that were overlooked before. Discuss the marketing tools and strategies that have worked for you and throw in some numbers from your past successes. Prove that you’re committed to selling their expired listing, and you’ll likely convince them to give it another shot with you.

Why target expired listings: Benefits

Expired listings give you access to sellers who are still interested in moving but didn’t get the results they wanted the first time around. Some benefits of targeting expired listings include the following:

• Motivated sellers: Homeowners with expired listings are often more eager to sell, which could make them more open to negotiation and possibly willing to accept lower offers.
• Less competition: Expired listings may have fewer competing buyers, giving you a better shot at getting the property.
• Opportunity for renegotiation: Sellers of expired listings might be more open to renegotiating terms, especially if their property has been on the market for a while.
• Potential for better deals: Expired listings offer a chance to find good deals, as sellers may be more willing to entertain offers they previously wouldn’t have considered.
• Access to inventory: Targeting expired listings can give you access to new housing inventory that may not be readily available.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Your take

Expired listings are a goldmine! You can find success by relisting expired properties to grow your business and boost your income. Have you ever worked with expired listing leads? Share your experience in the comments!