An appraisal that didn’t list isn’t a lost listing. It’s an owner who told you they were thinking about selling, and then didn’t. Yet.

Most offices handle the first fortnight well. There’s a thank-you, a copy of the appraisal, maybe a follow-up call. Then the agent gets busy with the listings they did win, and the file goes quiet. By month six nobody has called, and the owner no longer thinks of your office as theirs.

This guide is about that call: the one around six months after the appraisal, when the owner’s situation has often moved and nobody has asked about it.

Why month six

Six months is long enough for things to change. A tenancy ends. A renovation finishes. A builder’s quote comes in higher than hoped. Someone gets a job in another city. The reasons an owner gave for waiting are often the first things to shift.

It’s also short enough that they remember you. They remember the agent who walked through the house and the conversation about what buyers were paying. A call at month six picks up a conversation. A call at month eighteen starts a new one.

In a slower market this matters more. When homes take longer to sell, owners wait. Waiting owners don’t stop thinking about selling. They just stop hearing from anyone.

Before you pick up the phone

Spend five minutes on the file. You’re looking for a reason to call today rather than any other day.

  • What they told you. The appraisal notes are the most useful thing in your CRM. “After the renovation”, “once Mum’s settled”, “not before Easter”. If they gave you a reason or a timeframe, that’s your opening.
  • What has changed nearby. A sale on their street, a new development, a school zone change. Something real and local.
  • Who they dealt with. The call should come from the agent who did the appraisal if at all possible. If that agent has left, say so up front.

Check one more thing: that the owner hasn’t listed with another agency in the meantime. If they have, and that agreement is still running, this isn’t a listing conversation.

The call

Keep it short and make it about them. You’re not pitching. You’re finding out where they’re at.

1. Remind them who you are. “Hi [owner], it’s [your name] from [agency]. I came through your place on [street] back in [month].”

2. Give the reason for the call. “You mentioned you were waiting until the renovation was done, and I wondered how it’s going.” If there’s nothing in the notes: “A home a few doors down from you sold last week and I thought of you.”

3. Ask one open question, then listen. “Where are you at with things?” Then stop talking. Write down what they say, in their words.

4. Agree the next step, whatever it is. If they’re ready, book a time to come back through. The market has moved since the appraisal, so offer a fresh look rather than a number on the phone. If they’re not ready, ask when it would make sense to check in again, and put that date in the CRM while you’re still on the call. If they’ve decided not to sell, thank them and ask if it’s alright to stay in touch now and then. Some will say no. Respect it and record it.

What not to say

  • Don’t open with the market. “Prices are down” or “now’s a great time” sounds like a pitch, and it invites an argument you don’t need.
  • Don’t quote a value on the phone. Six months is a long time in a moving market. A number given without seeing the home can be wrong and still be remembered.
  • Don’t make them feel chased. “Just checking in” with nothing behind it tells the owner you’re working through a list. Always have a reason.
  • Don’t push for a decision. The goal is to be the office they think of when they’re ready, not to make them ready.

If they don’t answer

Leave a short voicemail with your name and agency, and the reason for calling. Then send a text the same day:

“Hi [owner], it’s [your name] from [agency]. I tried calling about your place on [street]. No rush at all, I just wanted to see how things are going. Reply STOP if you’d rather not hear from me.”

A text like this is a commercial message under the Spam Act. ACMA’s guidance is that you need consent, that every message must identify who it’s from, and that it must include a way to unsubscribe. Unsubscribe requests have to be honoured within five working days. In practice, stop straight away.

Consent is the part to think about. ACMA describes express consent as best practice, and says inferred consent, which relies on an ongoing relationship with your business, is less reliable. The simplest habit is to ask at the appraisal whether it’s okay to keep in touch, then note their answer in the CRM with the date.

ACMA does act on this. This month SpinTel paid a $653,400 penalty for marketing emails sent to former customers without consent. This isn’t legal advice, so check your own process with your adviser if you’re unsure.

Making it a habit

One good month-six call is easy. Doing it for every appraisal that didn’t list is the hard part, because the call is never urgent on any given day.

  • Set the date on day one. When an appraisal doesn’t list, add the month-six reminder before you close the file.
  • Give it an owner. Decide who makes these calls when the appraising agent is flat out or leaves. If the answer is “everyone”, it’s usually nobody.
  • Look at the list each month. In a sales meeting, pull up the appraisals from six months ago and check each one has had a call. It takes ten minutes, and it’s the clearest view you’ll get of next year’s listings.
  • Keep the owner’s words. What they say at month six tells you when to call next and what to say when you do.

If you’d like to see how your office’s follow-up compares, the follow-up health check takes about two minutes: nextlisting.au/check