Spot seller opportunities from compliant sources

Why it matters

Most listing appointments start with someone who already knows you or raised their hand. Signals tell you where to spend attention: which past clients to call this quarter, which streets to farm, which owners to mail. Getting the source and contact rule right up front keeps that attention from turning into complaints.

Step by step

1. 01

   Start with signals in your own database

   Filter past clients with 7 or more years since Year Purchased. Add anyone who told you about a change that could mean a move: a job transfer, kids leaving home, a new baby, retirement. Record only what they told you, in their words, in a note.

   Check: You have a short list of named past clients with a tenure or life-change reason to call.

2. 02

   Pull expired and withdrawn listings from your MLS

   Run a saved search in your MLS for listings that expired or were withdrawn in the last 30 days in your area. Your MLS's rules govern how you may use that data and whether you may contact owners of other agents' expired listings; read them first.

   Check: You have a dated expired/withdrawn list and a note of which numbers passed a registry scrub.

3. 03

   Find absentee owners and long tenure in public records

   In your county assessor or recorder search, a parcel whose owner mailing address differs from the property address is usually owned by someone who lives elsewhere (a landlord or an heir). The last sale date gives tenure. Many title companies will run a farm report for a street or subdivision with these fields.

   Use the owner mailing address for letters. Do not try to match these owners to phone numbers from data brokers and then text them: you have no consent to text, and carriers prohibit purchased lists.

   Check: You have 20 to 50 parcels with owner mailing address, sale date and absentee flag for one farm area.

4. 04

   Use Census data to choose areas, not people

   The Census Bureau's American Community Survey table B25039 gives the median year owner-occupants moved in, by census tract. A tract where the median owner moved in many years ago has more long-tenure owners. Use it to choose which neighborhoods get a Community Update, never to single out residents.

   Check: You picked one or two neighborhoods to research in the next chapter.

5. 05

   Do not scrape portals or buy cell phone lists

   Redfin's Terms of Use prohibit automated crawling and scraping and limit use of listing data. Zillow and Realtor.com terms are widely reported to prohibit scraping too; we could not load their terms pages to confirm the current wording, so read them yourself before using any data from them. Use the downloadable research data these sites publish, under their stated terms, for market statistics only.

   Check: Every row in your signal sheet names a source you are allowed to use.

Copyable templates

signal,source,how_to_get_it,how_you_may_contact,notes
Long tenure (7+ years in home),Your CRM (Year Purchased) + county assessor last sale date,Assessor parcel search or your title company's farm report,Your normal permitted channel (Part 04 rule); mail for non-contacts,Tenure alone is not intent; pair with another signal
Past client life change they told you about,Your own conversations,Note it in the CRM the day you hear it,Personal call or text if permitted,Only act on what the person shared with you directly
Expired or withdrawn listing,Your MLS,MLS search by status and date under your MLS rules,Mail or door; phone only if not on National DNC or you have written permission,Check your MLS rules on contacting other agents' former listings
Absentee owner,County assessor/recorder,Owner mailing address differs from property (site) address,Mail to the owner mailing address,Access and bulk-data terms vary by county
Neighborhood with long average tenure,US Census ACS table B25039,Median year householder moved in (owner-occupied) by tract,"Use for where to farm and publish Community Updates, not to contact individuals",Margins of error are large for small areas
Inquiry on your home value page,Your website form (chapter 4),Form with consent checkbox,As consented on the form,The strongest signal: they raised their hand

Try it

How to test it

1. For 5 rows of your signal sheet, say aloud where the data came from and how you may contact that person. Any hesitation means the row needs work.
2. Check that no phone number on your expired list is marked callable without a registry scrub date.
3. Read your list descriptions. None should describe people by a protected characteristic.

Troubleshooting

Advanced technical details

Optional. You can follow every step above without these.