A prospect is someone who might hire you but hasn't yet. There are six ways to find them below, and you don't need all of them. Pick two, run them on a schedule, and add a third once the first two feel routine. The phone has the most rules, so check the table before you dial.
The Main Prospecting Methods
Your Database
Start with people who already know you: past clients, friends, neighbors, people you've met at events. Ask how they are before you ask for anything, then ask who they know who's thinking about buying or selling. Ten names, ten real messages. If one reads like a mass text, rewrite it.
Phone Calls to Homeowners
The phone reaches an owner fastest. For full word-for-word calls, see our cold calling scripts, expired listing scripts, and FSBO scripts.
Texting
A marketing text to a cell phone falls under the same Do Not Call rules as a call. Our recommendation is no cold texts: text only people who gave you written consent. Ask for it in writing, with a signed or checked consent that says you may text that number, and keep a copy.
Letters and postcards aren't covered by the Do Not Call Registry, so mail is a way to reach owners you can't call. Every piece needs your brokerage name. A general mailing to everyone in an area is fine under NAR's Article 16. NAR members shouldn't aim a mailer at owners they pulled from current listings or signs.
Door Knocking and Circle Prospecting
Pick a street where you have a new listing or a recent sale, so you have a real reason to knock. Keep each visit short and leave something useful behind, like a sheet of nearby sales. NAR members should skip homes that a sign or the MLS shows are exclusively listed with another broker.
Open Houses
The sign-in sheet is how you get names at an open house. Ask for a phone number and a yes or no on follow-up, ask every visitor the same questions, and never ask about protected characteristics. Add a consent checkbox to the sign-in that says you may call or text the number they wrote. See our open house sign-in sheet and open house checklist.
The Rules to Check Before You Reach Out
| Method | Do Not Call Registry | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Your database | Applies unless an exemption fits | Scrub first. Past clients and friends may qualify for an exemption, so ask your broker before you skip a scrub |
| Calls to owners | Applies | Scrub the numbers, keep to calling hours, say who you are |
| Texts | Applies | Autodialed marketing texts to cell phones legally need written consent. See Texting above |
| Voicemail | Applies | Leave it live, yourself. Ringless drops and AI voices count as prerecorded |
| Doesn't apply | Brokerage name on the piece. NAR members: no mailers aimed at owners picked from current listings | |
| Door knocking | Doesn't apply | Local solicitation rules, No Soliciting signs, NAR members: skip homes exclusively listed with another broker |
| Open houses | Applies to follow-up calls and texts | Our recommendation: get a written yes, with consent wording on the sign-in, before you text. A sign-in sheet without consent wording isn't consent |
Scrub every number against the National Registry at least every 31 days, plus your state's list and your own internal list. You or your brokerage need your own Registry account, even if a vendor scrubs for you.
An expired listing gives a new agent no exemption, so confirm the listing really expired and wasn't extended or relisted. Don't use a buyer as a cover story when you call an FSBO: pitching your listing services is a solicitation.
Say who you are, your brokerage, and why you're calling, and send your real caller ID with a number people can call back. When someone asks to be left alone, record it when they say it and honor it. The law allows up to 10 business days. Our house policy is immediately. Keep the record for at least 5 years.
Compliance: The federal calling window is 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the homeowner's local time, but some states are stricter. Florida, Maryland, Washington, and Louisiana stop at 8 p.m. Texas starts at 9 a.m. (noon on Sunday). Louisiana bans Sunday and legal holiday calls. Florida and Maryland allow no more than 3 calls in 24 hours on the same subject. Our recommended house policy is 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Saturday, no legal holidays, and no more than 3 attempts in a day.
Compliance: Marketing calls or texts to a cell phone made with an autodialer, or with an artificial or prerecorded voice, need prior express written consent. Ringless voicemail and AI or cloned voices count. A homeowner calling you first is not written consent. A spoken "call me" at the door isn't enough for a number on the Registry either. You need signed written permission that includes the number. Private lawsuits under the TCPA can run up to $500 per violation, or $1,500 if it was willful or knowing. The FTC can seek civil penalties up to $53,088 per violation (the figure as of October 2026), and state laws add their own. Rules vary by state, MLS, and brokerage. Use your brokerage's approved forms and check with your broker.
A Weekly Prospecting Plan
Block about an hour a day to start, and change it to fit your schedule.
| Day | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Your database | Call or write to ten people you know. Scrub every number you plan to call or text |
| Tuesday | Expired and FSBO owners | Confirm each listing really expired, scrub the numbers, then call |
| Wednesday | Send a general mailing with your brokerage name on every piece | |
| Thursday | Door knocking | Knock one street, respect No Soliciting signs, and hand out a sheet of nearby sales |
| Friday | Follow up and review | Send the follow-ups you promised, update your do-not-contact list, plan next Monday |
Open house follow-up and any texts go in Friday's block. The free weekly prospecting plan turns each day into a checklist, with the setup steps to do once. It's a fillable PDF with clickable checkboxes.
Scripts for Four Awkward Moments
A short first call to a neighbor of a recent sale. Scrub the number first, and say who you are in the first sentence.
Hi, is this [First Name]? This is [Your Name] with [Brokerage]. I'm an agent who works in your area. A home sold on [Street Name] recently, and I'm calling neighbors to share what it sold for and to ask whether you have plans to sell or buy. Is now an okay time?
Who is this again?
[Your Name] with [Brokerage]. I'll be quick, and if you'd rather I not call again, just say so and I'll remove your number right now.
If they say yes, ask whether they'd like a short list of what nearby homes sold for. Share sold prices only if your MLS and state allow it. If they say no, thank them and log it.
A live voicemail. Leave it yourself, and keep it short.
Hi [First Name], this is [Your Name] with [Brokerage]. I'm an agent in your area, calling neighbors about a recent sale on [Street Name]. My number is [Phone]. If you'd rather I not call again, call me back and say so, and I'll take you off my list.
Leave it live. Our house policy is no voicemail drops. Say your number slowly.
A door knock. Lead with something they can use.
Hi, I'm [Your Name] with [Brokerage]. I work in this neighborhood. Do you have a minute?
I guess. What's this about?
I keep track of recent sales on [Street Name]. Would you like a short sheet of what nearby homes sold for?
Sure, I'd like to see that.
What's the best email? I'll send it today.
If they want a call and the number is on the Registry, get signed written permission that includes the number. A spoken "call me" isn't enough. Share sold prices only if your MLS and state allow it.
The call where someone tells you to stop.
Please take me off your list.
Of course, I'm removing you right now. Sorry for the interruption.
Add the number to your internal do-not-contact list and record the date before you do anything else. Don't ask why.
Follow Up and Keep Track
After a first conversation, send a short thank-you within a day. Then check in on the date they gave you, with a list of nearby sales. If they said no, log it and stop calling, which is our house policy. One place for everything is enough: name, source, date, what they said, next step, and the follow-up date. A spreadsheet works, and the Playbook has follow-up templates if you want the wording.
Fair Housing While You Prospect
Talk about the house and the sales. Never describe who lives there or who should, in mailers, scripts, or at the door. Skip phrases like "family-friendly" and "safe neighborhood," which are subjective or coded. Give every owner the same information.
Prospecting Mistakes to Avoid
- Calling before you scrub. Do it every time you build a new list.
- Soliciting an owner who's exclusively listed with another broker. NAR Article 16 bars it for NAR members.
- Skipping the log. If you don't write the next step down, you won't do it.
- Treating "I'm not interested" as "call me again next week." Our house policy is to log it and stop calling. Anyone who asks you to stop goes on your do-not-contact list as soon as you hear it.
Where the Playbook Fits
The free plan covers the week. If you want the scripts and the tracker, that's what The Prospecting Playbook is for. It's a PDF workbook with scripts for expireds, FSBOs, cold calls, and circle prospecting, objection handlers, a compliance chapter, a 7-letter mail strategy, follow-up templates, listing appointment prep, and a 30-day prospecting tracker with weekly review pages. The letters also come as an editable DOCX.
It doesn't include lead lists or phone numbers, and it recommends against cold texts and autodialers. See what's in the Playbook.
Download the free weekly plan, pick your two methods, and put Monday's hour on the calendar before you close this tab.
Questions agents ask
What is prospecting in real estate?
Prospecting is the outreach part of the job: you go to people who might hire you instead of waiting for them to find you. Agents use the phone, mail, door knocking, open houses, and their own contacts.
What is a prospect in real estate?
A prospect is a person who might hire you to buy or sell but hasn't yet. Agents also call them leads. Prospecting is the work of finding them, and a prospect stops being one when they sign with you or tell you no.
Can real estate agents still cold call?
Yes, with rules. A call or text to a homeowner asking for a listing is a telephone solicitation unless an exemption or signed written permission applies, so scrub your numbers and keep to the calling hours before you dial. Rules vary by state, MLS, and brokerage. Use your brokerage's approved forms and check with your broker.
Can I text a homeowner I don't know?
Not safely without written consent. Texts fall under Do Not Call rules, and autodialed marketing texts to cell phones legally need prior express written consent. A homeowner who contacted you first hasn't given it. State laws add their own rules.
How do I prospect without cold calling?
Use your database, mail, door knocking, open houses, and referral requests. Scrub calls and texts to your database too, unless your broker confirms an exemption such as a recent transaction or inquiry. The Registry doesn't cover mail or door knocking. For door knocking, local solicitation rules and No Soliciting signs apply. For both, your brokerage's name goes on every piece, and NAR members have to follow Article 16.
