Rejection sucks.

When a sales prospect is giving you objections, it feels like they are rejecting you.

But that is not the case. Instead, they have genuine objections that often have nothing to do with you. If you have confidence in your value proposition, you can handle objections and deliver win-win solutions for their problems.

Below is a list of common sales objections that confront real estate professionals when prospecting on the phone or at the listing presentation.

I included several real estate trainers’ perspectives and scripts on each objection.

You will want to rehearse your sales process and common objections with a colleague to get comfortable. Role-play a cold call and an entire listing presentation.

If you’re looking for a cold-calling script to get you started, I have some articles on expired and FSBO scripts as well!

• Expired Scripts
• FSBO Scripts

List of Real Estate Objection Handling Scripts

My friend/relative is an agent.

“I hope all my friends are as loyal as you are! But let me ask you a question: Are you serious about selling your house, or just helping your friend get a listing?

“If this is your most expensive asset, don’t you want to choose the best agent and not the agent you’re friends with?

“It’s important to be loyal to your friends, but because your home is probably your most valuable asset, you owe it to yourself to choose the professional who can best market the house and best represent you to get you the highest and best price and terms for your house. Wouldn’t you agree?

“Plus — if you have a problem with your friend’s performance or services, how will you be able to criticize or fire your friend? Who would you rather yell at — me or your friend?

“And then there’s the fact that you might need to reveal more about yourself to your friend than makes you feel comfortable. When you start to negotiate and prepare for the settlement, you’ll be discussing your finances, life, your bottom line and opening up some warts and blemishes in the process. Are you sure you really want to expose that much to your friend?”

Inman

I have an agent already.

“Great! So, you have already signed a listing agreement?” (Well, no)

“So, you are not committed, you are just promised…right?” (Right!)

“You know…I really don’t care if you list your house with me… “If you’re thinking of interviewing more agents for the job of selling your home…it is vitally important that you understand the different marketing approaches so you don’t get burned the next time…

“You don’t want to get burned again…do you?”

“So let me ask you this…Do you know the difference between passive marketing and active marketing?” (No)

“You don’t!”

“Passive marketing is basically sitting around doing nothing like, holding open houses, sending out flyers or advertising in the newspaper. Did your last agent use any of these methods?” (Yeah)

“I was afraid of that!”

“These methods have been ineffective! Yet, your last agent sold it to you as if this was the answer to all your problems…right?

“Do you understand what I mean by passive…basically, sitting around with you’re fingers crossed…waiting for the buyer?

“Active marketing, on the other hand, is literally getting on the phone every single day and personally contacting as many people as I can 25, 50, even 100 a day.

“The key is…asking them if they would like to buy your home, if they know someone who would like to buy your home, or if they would like to sell their house…”

“Do you know why I ask if they would like to sell their home? Because the more signs I have the more buyers’ calls I get to show your home…that makes sense…doesn’t it?

“Now, which way passive or active do you believe will get more homes sold?

“And you understand that I am doing active marketing on you as we speak, right?”

Mike Ferry

“That’s great, I can appreciate your loyalty and that is a quality that I respect in people …

So I’m curious, let me ask you this …

Has there ever been a time when you decided to buy something or do something and because a friend said, hey no problem, when you need help, I can do it and in the end, because you didn’t check around, you really didn’t get what you wanted … have you ever been there before?” (Yes)

“Well this time is just like that time, and with that in mind, I’m sure you can see the importance of having me over just to give you a second opinion … that wouldn’t hurt anything, would it?”

Tom Ferry

We’ve already gotten 20 other calls.

That’s awesome! That’s great that there are X hardworking agents who want to help you sell your home! Have you set an appointment with any of those agents? Would you be interested in sitting down with me on Tuesday at or Wednesday at if I could show you a way to get your home sold at top dollar this time?

The REDX

I want to try selling it FSBO first.

No problem. That’s great, what do you plan on selling it for?

The nice thing is that our appointment is more of a complimentary lesson than a sales pitch.

If you like the things that I have to say you can incorporate them into your own strategy or if you’re really impressed you can put me to work to get top dollar for your house.

So, when can I come by to take a look at the home? What’s better for you, Tuesday at or Wednesday at ?

The REDX

You’re too new an agent.

– Be very confident here. This is an opportunity for you

*Never say 3 months, say I’m in my first year and doing very well* – Re-establish confidence and control.

– Come back to why you are in real estate (EX – I was very successful in XYZ with sales and with negotiations so I had to get into real estate and it’s paying off for my clients!)

– Co-Brand and use Stats (with your broker/team/brokerage) – Example “I’m new but my tenacious sales skills and hard work are really paying off. I also have a broker/team member/ etc that sells X number of homes in a year and can deal with any situation.

The major benefit is that I have an experienced team behind me PLUS because I’m newer your awesome listing gets more attention. It’s frustrating when your listing doesn’t get the attention it deserves and busier agents sometimes just don’t have the time to give you this much dedication.

Rev Real Estate School

Do you have a buyer or not?

1. Great question,
2. And I’m sure you’re getting a ton of calls from agents,
3. I don’t want to mislead you and tell you I have a buyer right now when I don’t, I’m previewing
   some homes that just went up for sale just like yours and was hoping to see yours too, are you
   around tomorrow between 4-6pm to show me the home quickly?

Brandon Mulrenin

You’re too successful to have time for us.

“I can appreciate that and you probably haven’t had a chance to think about the advantage I have over my fellow agents in town.

You see, the more listings I have the more signs I have on the street.  The more signs I have on the street, the more calls I get from buyers … and, of course, most of those buyers don’t buy the home they call about and many will be interested in your home.

If you were a buyer would you want to talk to an agent who had 2 homes for sale or 50 homes for sale?

Can you see the advantage of listing with an agent that has 50 or more homes for sale?”

Tom Ferry

“I can appreciate that and you probably haven’t had a chance to think about the advantage I have over my fellow agents in town…

“You see, the more listings I have, the more signs I have on the street. The more signs I have on the street, the more calls I get from buyers…and, of course, most of those buyers don’t buy the house they call about and many of them will be very interested in our house.

“Can you see the advantage of listing with an agent that has 20-30 signs on the street working for you?”

Mike Ferry

I want to find a house first.

“I agree, finding your new home is important and the unfortunate thing is it may take as long as 3 to 5 months for your home to sell.  Then it will take another month to get the closing done and by that time, any home that you would have found will likely already be sold.   Does that make sense?

Let’s get your home on the market right now and get to work on getting your home sold so you don’t have to wait any longer than is necessary to get moved into your new home … sound good?”

Tom Ferry

I understand.  How are you planning on finding your next home?  Would it help if you could see all of the homes for sale that fit your criteria at home on your computer first?  That way you could just contact me when you want to see the inside of one?

I see. Have you spoken to a lender to determine a price range and monthly payments yet?

May I ask what expectations you have for the agent that ultimately represents you?

Many of my clients have felt the same way at first.  Until they discovered that searching for homes by driving around and looking at scattered listings on line was not very efficient.  What if I set you up on your own customized online search so that you could see all of the homes for sale by all REALTORS® that fit your criteria? You would also receive email notifications for homes the instant they come up for sale so that you would be one of the first to see them before they sell?

The Real Estate Trainer

You don’t have listings in our neighborhood/price range.

“You’re right, I don’t sell a lot of homes in your price range and that’s exactly why I’m here tonight…

“I usually sell homes in lower price ranges and what I find is…after I sell my client’s homes, a great many of them move up to your price range, therefore, it only makes sense…that the next logical step for me is to start to sell your price range as well, considering I already have a relationship with many of the buyers that will be interested in your home…does that make sense?”

Mike Ferry

I’m busy right now.

Try to get a small commitment here – ask if they can answer 4 quick questions in less than 2 minutes. This will set you up for further conversations later, where you can offer more detailed help.

“I understand, if I can just ask you 4 quick questions I can have you off the phone in less than 2 minutes. Would that work?”

Boomtown ROI

We’re waiting for the market to improve.

To overcome this objection you have to ask them questions about their process or plan. “You say you want to wait until the market gets better, what do you mean by better/what is your definition of ‘better’?” In other words, learn what “better” means to this lead. You can also ask, “How do you think waiting to list your home will benefit you?” Get to the crux of what they really want and offer the lead a route to get there that doesn’t involve waiting for the market to “improve.”

Lab Coat Agents

You know, I’ve found that a lot of times the price I could sell your home for today, is often greater than what I could sell your home for in a couple of months, because of foreclosures, homes being sold for less, new homes going up or similar factors. 

I also understand that you want to sell your home for a little more. When you sell your property are you potentially going to be buying something else?

Is that property going to cost a little more? So, what happens if you wait to sell your property for a little more and everybody else is selling their homes at that time for a little more? What you’re saying is that you’re willing to make a little more money on your home, just to spend a little more for a home, which doesn’t make sense. 

The price that you sell your home for, is not based on the value of your home but on the interest rates.

Brivity

Your price recommendation is too low.

“Here’s exactly what’s happening in the market. We have X houses on the market right now, and we have X selling per month. That means we have X months of supply for buyers to choose from. You told me you wanted to sell your house in X months — correct?

“With X properties coming on the market every month, not to mention the number of foreclosures and short sales, wouldn’t you agree that accurately pricing the property is important today?

“Your home does have many upgrades; and many of the houses I showed you have similar upgrades. That demonstrates what buyers are willing to pay. Do you have any reason to believe that buyers are offering more than the recent closed sales?

“The MLS data is all the same — but some agents will tell you what they think you want to hear just so they can get the listing because they’re desperate to land your business. What kind of agent do you want to work with?”

Inman

There are plenty of people around who will tell you what you want to hear and stop at nothing to get a signature on the dotted line. A lot of agents you’ll come across, don’t have many listings at any given time.

So, they are desperate to sell you on their services and say anything to win you as a client.

This sweet talking and high pricing may seem appealing now, but isn’t so ideal in half a year when you still haven’t received a single offer.

Follow Up Boss

Will you cut your commission?

“You know, you’re right, there are a lot of desperate agents out there and I’m a little concerned … can I tell you why?

Do you own anything more valuable than this home?  (No)

Could you say that it is your most valuable possession?  (Yes)

If an agent is so desperate that they are willing to broadcast the fact that they don’t think they have value as a Realtor, then I’m confused.

Is that the type of person you want sitting across from the negotiating table trying to negotiate you a better price?

We are talking about a person who has already admitted that he or she doesn’t even see value in himself or herself.

Is that the type of person you want to represent you in the most valuable transaction of your life?

Good. If that was the case, then I should not even come over, considering I work 14 hours per day and my assistant works 8 hours a day to get your home sold and that’s very valuable … don’t you think.”

Tom Ferry

“You know, I can appreciate that, and I want to be up front with you and say NO, I will not cut my commissions, and for one very simple reason”.

“As a professional my time has a certain value and I only work with people, like you, that realize the value of my service….and before you say anything, think about this…

“If an agent is willing to cut his or her commission, just like that, how well do you think they will hold up when it comes to negotiating the best possible price for your home?”

I want to demonstrate, up front, how tough I am going to be for you…Therefore, cutting my commission is not an option…does that make sense?”

Mike Ferry

We still need to interview other agents.

“I’ll call in a day or two to see if you have additional questions. Is there something in my presentation you’d like me to cover in more detail right now?

“I understand this is a big decision — but I know you’re looking to sell quickly. If you sign a listing agreement tonight, I’ll have the time to do an open house this weekend.

“Here’s a thought: We can do the paperwork now, and I’ll postdate it. If you don’t want to work with me, I’ll rip it up. And if you do, we’ll be ready to go.

“I can appreciate that you want to compare real estate agents. Let’s set up a follow-up appointment so I can answer any concerns or questions you may have after you meet with the other agents.

Inman

“Great! I think that is one of the best things that you could do and before I go…Tell me, what is it specifically that is stopping you from picking up that pen and signing your home with me?” (We’re just a little shocked by the price)

“Hey, I understand and let me ask you this…If I can help you to realize that your home will not sell for a dollar more than what I have told you…If you felt completely satisfied that it was true…would you still want to waste your valuable time talking to another Realtor or would you just list we me tonight?”” (Well, I guess if we felt comfortable, we would list with you tonight)

“Great!”

Mike Ferry

We need to think about it.

“I can appreciate that, making a logical decision is important…so tell me, what is it specifically that you’re going to have to think over?”

Mike Ferry

I’m just looking.

“I love looking at homes too. It’s why I got into the business. What made you decide to look at homes today? I see… continue with LPMAMA.”

BoomTown

Reply: I’m pleased to hear that. You should look at all your options before buying anything. [Just curious], what type of home are you looking for?

Reply: OK. How many houses have you seen so far?

Real Estate Express

Script Resources and Coaches

Kevin Ward is the real estate scripts guru and has an inexhaustible amount of content worth browsing and exploring.

He’s also the author of The Book of YES: The Ultimate Real Estate Agent Conversation Guide.

Bryan Casella is a coach and trainer with sales training available on YouTube. He has numerous live sales calls you can view there as well.

Tom Ferry is the son of Mike Ferry and prolific real estate coach and content creator with loads of scripts resources.

Mike Ferry and his coaching organization is a mainstay of the real estate industry and the original trailblazer on some of the best known objection handling scripts in use today.

Brandon Mulrenin is a prolific YouTube resource for real estate agents who is a must-follow if you are spending time on the phone. He has a free script book on his site you can download.

Tips on Handingle Objections

• Agree with them. Avoid fighting and confrontation. If they say they hate Realtors, empathize! Why would anyone enjoy spending $10,000s for a transaction? Admit it – we’re expensive! Dismissing their concern is not a path to building a relationship.
• Be honest. But don’t take it too far. These are hopefully your future clients. You are at the beginning of a relationship, not selling toasters. You need to be mindful that you are building trust. Be honest about yourself, the market, and what they can expect from the process.
• Listen. Don’t just rattle off your scripts. Show that you are actively listening by engaging them with their objection and demonstrate that you understand their perceived problem, perhaps by repeating their concern back to them. Ask open-ended follow-up questions.
• Empathize. Address their concerns; don’t delegitimize them. For example, if you are a new agent who just got their license, that is a very valid concern for a home seller! Don’t pretend that it isn’t. Instead, demonstrate how you are going to overcome their objection instead of denying the validity of the objection.
• Tell stories. If you have past clients you have helped in similar situations, telling their story and how you helped them can help. The human mind is designed to think in narratives. Tell a good story, just as you learned about in high school. Introduce characters, then the conflict, rising action, and the heroic climax where their conflict is defeated, leading to the exposition of happiness and triumph!
• Get their verbal buy-in. This is where neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) can come into play. You may or may not ascribe to the specific principles of NLP. But asking open-ended questions and confirming whether they agree with you or not can still keep the conversation positive and fruitful. Kevin Ward does this all the time by including words like “Right?”, or “Does that make sense?” at the end of statements. That way the conversation is also not one-directional.
• Give them choices with pros and cons. Instead of forcing them to a decision, walk them through the pros and cons of the different decisions and then invite them to choose. For example, if they want to price high, that is okay! Just explain the pros and cons of pricing high versus low. Then you are a resource but they still feel in control and that you’re not being pushy.

Difference Between Objection and Condition

This isn’t called “condition handling”. You can’t “handle” conditions. Conditions are constraints. Don’t be pushy trying to make someone move who doesn’t want to, purchase a home they cannot afford, or list a home they won’t net enough to pay off their mortgage.

Objections represent resistance to your value proposition.

Conditions, on the other hand, are genuine barriers to using your service and not just skepticism as to whether you are a good fit.

Example conditions include:

• They’ve already signed an agreement with another brokerage.
• They don’t want to list until such-and-such date due to their moving schedule.
• They are underwater on the mortgage and don’t have the resources to come to closing to sell.
• They aren’t interested in selling or buying.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you’ve found some nuggets of gold among these real estate objection scripts for clients to help you better sell yourself and your business.

Updated March 17, 2023; Originally published August 24, 2019.