Episode 773: The Follow Up Most Agents Skip - Your Daily Real Estate Podcast with Tristan Ahumada

Summary4 min read

Episode Overview

Podcast: Your Daily Real Estate Podcast with Tristan Ahumada
Host: Tristan Ahumada
Episode: 773: The Follow Up Most Agents Skip
Date: January 11, 2026

Main Theme:
This episode focuses on the critical step of effective follow-up in prospecting expired listings—a process where most real estate agents falter after sending just one letter or message. Tristan dives into why the second follow-up letter is essential, shares a proven script, and explains how agents can stand out by showing persistence, strategy, and empathy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Why Most Agents Fail with Expired Listings

Agent Drop-off After One Attempt:
- Most agents send a single piece of mail, get no response, and move on (00:10).
- “They send one piece of mail, they get no response and move on to the next shiny object. But here’s the truth about expired sellers. They're skeptical. They've been let down before. One letter or one text or call isn’t going to undo any of that.” — Tristan (00:12)
Value of Persistence:
- The second, carefully timed follow-up is where trust starts to build (00:28).
- “The second letter, though, that’s where that trust actually starts to build. It's where you separate yourself from every other agent who gave up after one attempt.” — Tristan (00:29)

Sequencing and Timing of Letters

Letters should be spaced 5–7 days apart for an effective follow-up sequence (01:03).
If only sending the second letter and not intending to continue, send it after 2.5–3 weeks (01:22).

In-Depth Walkthrough: Letter Number Two—“The Strategic Truth”

Main Elements of Letter #2 (01:13–02:56)

Introduction:
- Acknowledge prior contact (“I sent you a note a few weeks ago…”).
- Offer context—sellers may have changed their minds or circumstances.
Build Empathy & Credibility:
- Emphasize timing and understand sellers’ hesitation due to past disappointments.
Position Yourself as a Solutions Provider:
- “If you’re thinking about selling again, you don’t need a salesperson. You need a strategist… someone who values the relationship over the transaction.” — Tristan reading script (02:23)
- Promise honesty and a tailored approach.
Outline Your Approach:
1. Honesty: Willingness to walk away if the sale isn’t viable.
2. Strategy: Analyze what didn’t work previously and fix it before relisting.
3. Humanity: Respect for the seller’s home and situation.
Clear and Simple Call-to-Action:
- “If you have even 1% of curiosity about what a successful sale would look like this time around, let’s talk for 10 minutes.” — Tristan reading script (02:53)
Credibility Booster:
- Briefly share a recent client success story (optional).

Real-World Adjustments

Personalize the letter and success story details to fit your real cases (03:20).
If no recent expired success, reference a relevant past success, adjusting as needed (03:32).

Building Relationships Over Transactions

Tristan reiterates focus on relationships, innovation, and not forgetting past fundamentals:
- “It’s meant to focus on relationships, innovation, technology, the future, but not forgetting that relationships is the key to everything.” — Tristan (01:01)
Relationship-building is what differentiates truly successful agents.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Why Most Agents Quit Too Soon:
“They send one piece of mail, they get no response and move on to the next shiny object. But here’s the truth about expired sellers. They're skeptical. They've been let down before. One letter or one text or call isn’t going to undo any of that.” — Tristan (00:12)
On The Importance of Second Contact:
“The second letter, though, that’s where that trust actually starts to build. Its where you separate yourself from every other agent who gave up after one attempt.” — Tristan (00:28)
On Positioning Your Value:
“If you’re thinking about selling again, you don’t need a salesperson. You need a strategist… someone who values the relationship over the transaction.” — Tristan (02:23)

Important Timestamps

00:10 – Why most agents drop the ball after first contact
01:01 – The importance of relationships in real estate
01:13–02:56 – Detailed breakdown and reading of “Letter Number Two”
03:20 – Customizing the letter’s success story to fit your experience

Conclusion & Call to Action

Tristan closes by encouraging listeners to use and personalize the scripts, and stresses that if agents need a copy, they can reach out to him directly on Instagram (03:57). He manages all his messages personally and asks for patience in reply times.

Key Takeaway:
Real estate success—especially with expired listings—comes from strategic, empathetic, and persistent follow-up. Letter number two is the true separator between agents who give up and those who win trust and business.

For Scripts or More Details:

Message Tristan on Instagram for a copy of the letter template (03:57).
Listen to the previous episode for Letter #1’s breakdown (03:47).

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Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
You sent the first letter. It's already in the mail. In fact, they already have it. Now what? This is where 90% of agents completely drop the ball. They send one piece of mail, they get no response and move on to the next shiny object. But here's the truth about expired sellers. They're skeptical. They've been let down before. One letter or one text or call isn't going to undo any of that. The second letter, though, that's where that trust actually starts to build. It's where you separate yourself from every other agent who gave up after one attempt. I'm going to walk you through the letter. This is letter number two in this expired sequence, why the messaging shifts a little bit and how this follow up is often the one that actually gets the phone to ring. Now, if you're thinking longer term, I would say let's get letter number three and four as well. I'm not going to provide those for you. I only have up to letter number two. And I would space it out probably about five to seven days. Let's get into this. I'm Tristan. This is your daily real estate. It's a podcast, it's a show, five to ten minutes every single day. I've been doing this in real estate for 22 years. I started lab code agents 12 years ago to help agents for free, to help them level up. And now I started my own brokerage about a year ago. And it's meant to focus on relationships, innovation, technology, the future, but not forgetting the past, not forgetting that relationships is the key to everything. Let's get into this one. This is letter number two. I want you to pay attention to the wording. And if you need this, I'll let you know how to get it soon as we're done right here. I call this one the Strategic Truth. I would say five to seven days later, if you're going to have a sequence of letter number three, letter number four, I would then space those out every five to seven days as well. Now, if you're going to mail this out, and this is only letter number two, you're not going to do anything after this. I would probably do week two and a half to three just from experience. All right, here it is. Dear homeowner, put their name right. I sent you a note a few weeks ago. Now I'm leaving the a few weeks ago because that's what agents tend to do. They, they forget, they send this out later. Right. So tweak it. I sent you the note a few weeks ago simply to ask has anything changed? I've been doing this for over two decades and I've learned that timing is everything. Often homeowners who took a break six to 12 months ago suddenly find themselves ready again. But they're hesitant to pick up the phone because they dread repeating the same mistake. I want to take that dread off the table. If you're thinking about selling again, you don't need a salesperson. You need a strategist. I've tested out words there. Strategist expert, someone local. Right. You put whatever word you want there. You need someone who values the relationship over the transaction. Here's my promise to you. Total honesty. I'm not interested in listing homes that sit on the market. If I don't believe we can achieve your goals at a price that makes sense, I'll tell you. I'll let you know. Number two, a fresh strategy. We won't just try again. We will look at the data to see exactly why the buyers passed each. You buy the last time and fix it before we ever go live. Number three, humanity. This is your home and your life. I treat it with the respect it deserves. The market is moving and opportunities are opening up for sellers right now in whatever neighborhood this is. If you have even 1% of curiosity about what a successful sale would look like this time around, let's talk for 10 minutes. Phone number? Email? I'm ready when you are. With respect. Tristan Y Realty PS I recently helped a family who was in your exact position. They tried to sell a year ago and failed. We made two small strategic changes and sold it under 30 days. Love to share what we did. Now if you don't have that, don't put that in there. Right. I often have to tweak it depending on when the last time was. Sometimes I even reference one of my best expired sales, which was, I think year six. It was a multi million dollar one. It was amazing. We sold it in three days after putting it back on the market. But sometimes I refer back to that one and that was all a long time ago. So just depends on what you want to do there. This is letter number two. There are two. If you missed yesterday's, listen to it please. You're going to love it. And if you need this, message me on Instagram. I'll send this over to you. This is episode 773 old expired letter number two, 2026. I'm a little slow to respond because I am bombarded by different messages. So just be patient with me. I'm the one responding. I don't let my team touch any of my messaging on social media or my texts. So have an awesome day. I'll talk to you tomorrow.