The first fifteen seconds of a cold call decide the rest of it. Everything below is written to be said out loud, not read.
The opener
"Hi, is this [Name]? — Hey [Name], my name's [You], I'm a local real estate investor here in [City]. I know I'm calling out of the blue. I'm actually calling about the house on [Street Name] — do you still own that one?"
Three things happen there: you use their name, you admit the call is cold (which disarms), and you ask a question they can answer with one word.
Say "the house on [street name]", never the full address. Full addresses sound like a database. Street names sound like a neighbor.
The four questions
Once they engage, you're gathering four things — in this order, price last:
- Condition — "What kind of shape is it in? Anything major it needs — roof, HVAC, that kind of thing?"
- Timeline — "If you did sell it, when would you want to be done with it?"
- Motivation — "What's got you thinking about it?" *(then be quiet)*
- Price — "If I could pay cash, close on your timeline, and you didn't have to fix a thing or clean it out — what would you need to walk away with?"
The silence after question 3 is where deals are made. Count to five in your head before you speak.
The seven objections
"I'm not interested."
"Totally fair — I figured you'd say that. Can I ask, is it that you're not selling at all, or just not at some lowball number?"
"How did you get my number?"
"Public records — the county lists ownership. I pull properties in [area] and reach out directly. If you'd rather I take you off my list, I'll do that right now, no problem."
"I want [way over market]."
"I appreciate you being straight with me. I probably can't hit that number today — I buy at a discount because I pay cash, close fast, and take it as-is. Can I ask what you'd do if it hadn't sold in six months?"
"I'll just list it with an agent."
"That might genuinely be your best move — if it's in good shape and you can handle showings and a 60-day escrow, an agent will beat me. Where I win is when someone doesn't want to fix it, clean it, or wait."
"I need to talk to my [spouse/sibling/kids]."
"Of course. Is [name] usually around in the evenings? I'd rather talk to both of you at once than play telephone — what's a good time?"
"Are you an agent?"
"No — I'm a buyer. I'm not listing it, I'm not charging you a commission. I buy the house, or I bring in a partner who does."
"Send me something in writing."
"Happy to. So my offer's not a wild guess — can you tell me about the roof and the HVAC first? Then I'll email you a real number today."
The close
Never close on price. Close on the next step.
"Here's what I'd like to do: I'll put together a real number tonight based on what you told me. If it works for you, I can walk it Thursday and we can be done in two weeks. If it doesn't, you tell me no and I won't bother you again. Fair?"
The mechanics nobody tells you
- Call 9am–11am and 4pm–7pm local. Never before 8am or after 9pm — that's federal law, not preference.
- Dial the mobile number first. Answer rates are 3–5× landline.
- Three attempts, three different days, three different times before you retire a number.
- Leave a voicemail on attempt two only: "Hi [name], [you] calling about the house on [street]. I'm a local buyer, wanted to see if you'd consider an offer. [Number]. Thanks."
- Log every call. Motivation, timeline, price, and a callback date. The deal is usually on call four.
The mindset that actually works
You are not trying to convince anyone to sell a house. You're trying to find the small percentage of people who already have a problem, and offering them one specific solution: certainty, speed, and no repairs. When you internalize that, rejection stops costing you anything — a "no" just means this wasn't the person, and there are 180 more on the list.