‘Playmakers’: How to impress sellers and win listings 

Editor's note: The Playmakers podcast explores the biggest shifts in real estate with those who are shaping the industry's future. Check out our top takeaways and watch the latest episode from host Andrew Flachner, co-founder of RealScout.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in the Playmakers podcast belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.

On this episode of the Playmakers podcast, three experienced real estate professionals — team leaders Stephanie Younger and Andrew Undem, and Founder/CEO of coaching behemoth Ferry International Tom Ferry — shared their tips and tricks for mastering the home listing presentation to win business.

How and when you arrive at a seller's house is just as important as what you say, the pros explained. But every agent ultimately needs to figure out what their process is — and how to best demonstrate their value to clients.

After all, homesellers don't just want to know an agent's pricing strategy or comps, noted Younger, who leads the Stephanie Younger Group at Compass. "They want to know that you can execute from start to finish; that you can get them through the process."

Let the phone screening do some heavy lifting: Before an agent schedules an in-person listing presentation, they should first coordinate a time to chat with the seller over the phone. Glean as much information as possible during that initial call, Younger advised, including details about the home and what the seller wants out of the process.

"By the time I get there, they feel like they know me, because we've had a 20- to 30-minute conversation," she said. "In some ways, people will tell you more things on the phone than they might in person. I feel like we're really trying to break down walls and to get to the heart of why they're selling."

Do your homework: To demonstrate your expertise and preparation, it's important to hunt down basic information about the home and neighborhood prior to a listing appointment, according to Undem, SURE Group co-owner and managing partner. This includes when the seller bought the home and at what price, what type of loan they have, what their neighborhood's population demographics are and the home's proximity to local landmarks.

"Preparation is so important," Undem said. "You're either going to win through reputation or preparation — ideally both."

Don't be late: In fact, be early. Some people "feel extremely disrespected" when a professional shows up late to an appointment, observed Ferry. He advises agents to arrive early and use that extra time to be visible — make a phone call, take pictures of the house, jot down notes and so on — in case the seller is watching from inside.  

"They're seeing you there 10 or 15 minutes early, and for a lot of people that is just a level of respect that could be the difference," Ferry said.

Be thoughtful and polite: Set the tone from the get-go. After knocking on the door, "I always say, 'Hey, thanks so much for allowing me to come over tonight.' I want them to feel like they're in total control," Undem said.

Younger is in the habit of bringing a standard client gift — to give the sense that "I'm already bringing you value, even if it's just a little gift" — and prioritizes greeting the seller's dogs or kids, if they have them. Offering to take off your shoes before entering the home is another way to be polite and show respect, she added.

Set expectations: Put clients at ease by helping them understand what to expect from the appointment, Undem urged. "You want to set the table, set the frame for how this meeting's going to go, because people want to know what's going to happen before it happens," he said. "It immediately makes them comfortable, and it also makes them feel like, 'Hey, this person knows what they're doing.'"

Younger typically blocks off two hours for a listing appointment and finds most do last that long. Many clients will "spend as much time as I want to spend with them — and the more time they let me spend with them, the better," she said.

Identify how the seller makes decisions: Ferry suggested asking clients how they picked the home they are now preparing to sell. "If they say, 'Well, we just knew. It was just automatic; we walked in and we just knew.' That's an internal decision maker," he explained. "External decision makers" seek input from others before making decisions.

"If you don't understand how that person decides, you're kind of swinging at the fences and just hoping something works," Ferry said. Once an agent pieces together this part of the puzzle, they should "find out what's important" to that client — "and then deliver it."

Anticipate AI fastballs: Agents today are increasingly hearing seller questions that were most likely suggested by AI — and they need to be prepared to answer, Younger warned.

"It's clear that people are going to their favorite LLM and asking ChatGPT or Claude: 'I'm about to sell my house. I'm going to interview a top agent. Tell me the questions I should ask this person,'" she said. "We should be doing that and going into that meeting knowing those questions."