The 25 Seller Objections Every Real Estate Agent Hears, and What to Say to Each

There are not a hundred seller objections. There are about twenty-five, and you'll hear the same eight of them on most calls. The agents who handle objections well aren't quicker on their feet than you. They've just heard each one enough times that the answer is already there.

This page is the list, drawn from the objections sellers raise most in SalesGo role-plays and on real listing appointments. Each objection gets a plain response you can say tomorrow. The ones that decide listings, like commission, timing, and price, link to a full article with the branches and the practice drills. Read it once, then use the quick reference at the bottom to drill.

One rule before the list, because it applies to every item on it: don't argue with the objection. Agree with something in it, ask a question, and let the seller talk. Arguing wins the point and loses the listing.

On the first call

1. "I'm not interested."

"That's fair, most people aren't when an agent calls. Can I ask one thing before I let you go, so I'm not wasting your time next time? Is it that you're not planning to sell, or that you're just done with agents calling?"

The two answers lead to two different places. "Not selling" gets a polite exit and a check-in date. "Done with agents" is a conversation.

2. "How did you get my number?"

"It's public record, I'm calling everyone on [street] about [the sale / the listing]. If you'd rather I didn't call again, say the word and I'll take you off the list."

Plain, quick, no apology. Apologizing makes it worse.

3. "We already have an agent."

"Good, you should. I'm not trying to replace anyone. I'm calling because [the sale on your street] changes your number, and I figured you'd want to know. If you ever want a second opinion, I'm around."

Say it and move on. Pleasant costs nothing and the street has fifty houses.

4. "Just send me some information."

"Happy to. So I send the right thing, what would actually be useful: what your place is worth right now, or what's been selling around you? ... Got it. What's the best number to text it to?"

"Send me information" is usually a brush-off. Answering it with a question turns it into a contact method and a reason to follow up.

5. "Call me back in a few months."

"Will do. Can I ask what changes in a few months, so I call at the right time? ... Okay. I'll put you down for [month]. Is text or a call better when I do?"

Get the reason and the date. Then actually call on the date. Almost nobody does.

Selling on their own

6. "I'm going to sell it myself."

"Totally fair, and I'm not asking you to list with me. Can I ask, when you priced it, did you build in a buyer's agent commission or not? Because most of the buyers who'll come through have an agent, and that changes the math."

You're being useful for free, not defending commissions. Full script: FSBO script for real estate agents.

7. "I want to try it myself for a while first."

"Makes sense. How long are you giving it? ... If it hasn't sold by then, would it be alright if I checked back in?"

Get the date. Call on the date. This is where most FSBO listings come from.

8. "If you have a buyer, bring them. Otherwise I'm not interested."

"I might. Can I preview it this week so I can describe it properly to them? Fifteen minutes, no pitch."

The preview is the real objective.

At the listing appointment

9. "Your commission is too high."

This is three different objections wearing the same words: a comparison to another agent, a question about what they're paying for, or a plain negotiation. Find out which before you answer:

"That's fair. When you say too high, is it compared to another agent you've talked to, or does the whole thing just feel like a lot?"

Then answer the one they actually have. Full script for all three branches, and how to say no without sounding defensive: the commission objection.

10. "Another agent said they'd do it for less."

"They might be great, and if they are, hire them. But the fee is one or two percent of the price, and the agent is the whole price. The question I'd ask both of us is: what's the plan for getting you the highest number? Then pick whoever's plan is better."

Then have a better plan, and describe it specifically.

11. "Another agent said they'd list it higher."

"They may be right. Can I ask what they based it on? ... Here's my concern, and you can decide what to do with it. The easiest way to win a listing is to name the biggest number in the room. The house then sits, gets cut, and sells for less than it would have if it started right. If their comps are better than mine, list with them. If the number is just bigger, be careful."

You're not calling the other agent a liar. You're describing a pattern the seller has probably already heard of.

12. "We're going to interview a couple more agents."

"You should. Can I ask what you're going to be comparing? ... Okay. Then let me make sure you have what you need from me on those three things before you talk to them. And one request: whoever you go with, would you call me before you sign? Not to change your mind, just so I can answer anything the last conversation raised."

Asking for the last call is the single most effective thing you can do here. Sellers usually grant it, and the agent who talks last has the advantage.

13. "We have a friend who's an agent."

"Then you should probably talk to them, and I mean that. Can I ask one thing, though? Is this friend someone who does this full time, in this area? Because the friendship is a reason to talk to them. It's not a reason to hire them if it's not what they do every day. And if they are that person, you'll hire them and that's the right call."

Give them permission to hire the friend. Most sellers who raise this are looking for permission to not.

14. "Zillow says it's worth more."

"I looked at that before I came over, and it's a reasonable place to start. Can I show you what it's built on and what it can't see? Then you decide."

Then the comps, as photos, not a spreadsheet. Full script: the Zestimate objection.

15. "We need to net a certain number."

"I understand, and I know what the number means for your next move. Here's the honest part: the buyers don't know what you need, and they wouldn't pay for it if they did. Let's look at what a sale at [market number] actually nets you after everything, because it may be closer than it feels."

Their need is real. It has nothing to do with what the house is worth. Say both, gently.

16. "We want to wait until spring."

Or until rates drop, or after the holidays. Don't argue the market. Find out what "wait" means:

"What are you hoping is different in spring? More buyers, a higher price, or just more time to get the house ready?"

Three answers, three different conversations. Full script: the wait-until-spring objection.

17. "We're not ready yet."

"That's okay, most people I meet aren't on the day we meet. What would need to be true for you to be ready? ... Okay. Can I do two things? Send you a note on what's selling near you every few weeks, no pitch, and check in around [month]?"

"Not ready" is a timeline, not a no. Get the trigger and stay in touch.

18. "I need to talk to my spouse."

Sometimes real, sometimes a polite exit. Respect it, then sort it:

"Of course, it should be both of you. Can I ask one thing so I'm useful when you do talk? If it were just up to you, where would you be leaning?"

Full script, both branches: the spouse objection.

19. "We're thinking about renting it out instead."

"That can be a great move. Can I ask what's driving it, is it the income, or not wanting to sell in this market? ... Let's put real numbers on it. What would it rent for, what's the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and what does a vacant month or a bad tenant cost you? A lot of people run those and decide to sell. Some run them and decide to rent, and I'll tell you if I think you're one of them."

The math usually does the arguing. Sometimes renting really is right, and saying so is how you get the listing later.

20. "Can we do a shorter listing agreement?"

"We can talk about it. Can I tell you why I'd push back a little? The first thirty days are when I'm spending the most money and time on your house, photos, marketing, the launch. If the agreement ends before that pays off, neither of us gets the benefit. What I'd suggest instead is a longer term with a clear out: if I'm not doing what I said, you can cancel. Would that work?"

Trade the shorter term for an easy exit clause. Sellers want the escape hatch, not the short term.

21. "We're going with a discount broker."

"Okay. Can I ask what they're offering for the fee? ... That's a real option and it works for some houses. The thing to check is what happens after the listing goes live: who's handling the showings, the negotiation, the inspection issues. If that's you, the discount is real. If it's you and you didn't want it to be, it's not. Want me to show you what the difference looks like on a house like yours?"

No trashing the discount model. Describe what it includes and let them compare.

After listing

22. "Let's give it a few more weeks before we cut the price."

"The buyers who were going to see it at this price have seen it. Two more weeks at the same number gets the same result, plus a house that's been listed a month, which buyers read as a problem. I'd rather cut once, now, than twice later."

Full script for the price reduction conversation, including how to set it up on day one so it isn't a fight: the price reduction conversation.

23. "It's the marketing, not the price."

"Fair question, and I've looked. Online views are strong, which means the marketing's getting people to the listing. Showings aren't, which means they're seeing it and choosing not to come. That's a price signal, not a marketing signal. If the views were low, I'd be saying let's fix the photos."

Have the numbers before you make this call. If views are low, fix the marketing first and say so.

24. "We don't want to do showings during [the week / evenings / weekends]."

"I get it, showings are disruptive. Here's the trade-off: every window we close is buyers who see something else that day. Can we agree on the minimum that keeps the house sellable, say [specific windows], and I'll make sure every showing is confirmed and on time?"

Negotiate the specific windows. Don't accept "whenever's convenient," because that's never.

25. "That offer is insulting. We're not even responding."

"I understand the reaction. Can I make the case for responding anyway? An offer, even a low one, is a buyer who wants the house. Silence tells them no. A counter tells them where the real number is, and it costs us nothing. Let's counter at [number] and see if they're serious. If they walk, we've lost nothing."

Always counter. A seller who refuses to respond to a low offer has confused pride with strategy, and your job is to gently un-confuse them.

How to practice this

Twenty-five objections is too many to drill at once. Do it this way:

1. Pick the three you'll hear this week. Cold calling? Numbers 1, 2 and 5. Listing appointments? 9, 14 and 16. After listing? 22 and 23.
2. Have someone say each one to you, five times, out loud. The first rep is bad. Practice the fourth.
3. Practice the second push. Sellers rarely accept the first answer. Have your partner push again after you respond, because that's where agents fold.
4. Rotate weekly. In eight weeks you've covered the list.

SalesGo's seller personas raise these objections in the order real sellers do, sometimes two at once, and the coach scores whether you agreed, asked, and stayed calm, or argued. Your first role-play is free.

More on the method: how to practice real estate scripts.

Quick reference

The rule: agree with something, ask a question, let them talk. Never argue.

Not interested: "Not planning to sell, or just done with agents calling?"

Have an agent: "Good, you should. If you ever want a second opinion, I'm around."

Selling it myself: "Did you build in a buyer's agent commission or not?"

Commission too high: "Compared to another agent, or does the whole thing feel like a lot?"

Other agent said higher: "What did they base it on? The easiest way to win a listing is to name the biggest number."

Interviewing others: "Would you call me before you sign?"

Friend's an agent: "Is it what they do full time, in this area?"

Zillow says more: "Reasonable place to start. Let me show you what it can't see."

Wait until spring: "More buyers, a higher price, or more time to get ready?"

Talk to my spouse: "If it were just up to you, where would you be leaning?"

Rent it instead: "Let's put real numbers on it."

Shorter agreement: "Longer term with an easy out instead."

Give it more time: "Cut once now, not twice later."

Insulting offer: "Always counter. Silence tells them no."