Every expired listing is warm for 72 hours. The seller is emotional, annoyed at their last agent, and open to a new answer. Miss the window and they ghost.
Day 1: embarrassed. Day 2: angry. Day 3: researching. Day 4-7: cold-pitched by 40 agents. Day 8+: they either hire one of the 40 at random or pull the listing forever. Your window is days 1-3.
Hand-addressed envelope, one-page letter. No MLS data, no CMA. Just: "I saw your home came off the market. I'm not writing to pitch you. I'm writing because I noticed [something specific about the home from photos or comps]. If you decide to try again, call me. If not, I wish you the best."
Show up in person. "Hi, I'm [name]. I sent you a letter yesterday. I'm not here to list your home, I'm here because I wanted you to see a face. Here's a net sheet I pulled showing what the last 3 comparable homes on your block sold for. No commitment. I'll be in my car for 10 minutes if you want to ask me anything."
"Following up one last time. If the answer is no, totally understand and I'll leave you alone. If the answer is maybe, I have a 15-min slot tomorrow at 10 AM to show you a pricing strategy that got my last 3 listings sold in under 14 days. Up to you."
Every other agent calls. You show up. Every other agent pitches. You solve. Every other agent closes hard. You give them an out. The out is what makes them pick up the phone.
Closed 4 expired listings in Q1 2026 using this exact sequence. Average time from expired to signed: 3.2 days.