Real estate cold calling still works when you treat it like a system, not a hustle. Clean data, a strong opening, consistent calling, and disciplined follow-up turn daily conversations into motivated seller leads and signed contracts.
This blog comes from a live interview on the DealMachine Real Estate Investing Podcast with John Wahib, who runs a team of 60–70 real estate cold callers.
John’s team:
Whether you’re dialing alone or planning to hire, the same principles apply.
This article is based on a live conversation with cold calling operator John Wahib on the DealMachine Real Estate Investing Podcast. Want to hear the full interview and breakdown in his own words? Watch the full episode:
A high-volume real estate cold calling operation focuses on live conversations and qualified leads, not just dials. Each caller aims for hundreds of real talks per day and sends only qualified, tagged leads into a CRM.
In John’s system, each caller:
Typical benchmarks per caller:
Across clients, John consistently sees 65–75 qualified leads turn into about two contracts. That lines up with what many investors see: one solid caller can realistically help land a deal every month or every 4–6 weeks, depending on your market and follow-up.
Real estate cold calling surged during the COVID lockdowns because people were stuck at home, learning new ways to make money, and discovered virtual wholesaling and investing. It still works because it’s one of the fastest ways to reach owners before they list.
John launched his business in 2020 and expected investors to pull back. Instead:
Today, markets move up and down, but the core truth remains: motivated sellers still pick up the phone, and investors who call consistently still get off-market deals.
In the first 20 seconds of a real estate cold call, you should say who you are, what company you’re with, and which property you’re calling about. Direct, honest intros keep more owners on the line.
John’s go-to opener:
“Hey, David. This is John from [Your Company]. I’m reaching out today about the property at [Property Address].”
This opener quickly:
If they stay on the line, he follows with:
“We just bought a property in the area and we’re looking to buy more. Have you thought about selling now or in the near future?”
From there, callers only move into qualifying questions if the owner shows interest. Tone is as important as the script: callers should sound calm, confident, and natural, not rushed or robotic.
Data quality can make or break your results, because even the best real estate cold calling script and caller can’t overcome bad lists. Clean, current data turns calling hours into actual leads.
When clients tried to “save” on data, John’s team saw:
Now they insist on:
Dialer setup is the other half of the engine:
Good data + good dialer settings = more live conversations, more qualified leads, and a better return on your time and budget.
Outsourcing real estate cold calling is usually worth it once your time is more valuable than the cost of a caller and you already know how to close deals from leads.
Most beginners:
As you grow, the math changes. In John’s model:
If one caller helps you land one $10,000 assignment fee, you’ve more than covered that month’s cost. Two deals could mean $20,000+ from a $1,300 spend.
If you have time but not money, call yourself. If you have money but not time, outsourcing cold calling is often the first big task to hand off.
Solo real estate investors can start cold calling effectively by using clean data, a tight opener, a few key qualifying questions, and consistent daily call blocks.
A simple solo plan:
Even as a one-person team, this structure can create consistent lead flow over a few months.
The most common real estate cold calling mistakes are weak openings, over-talking, sloppy notes, low volume, stale lists, and no feedback loop, but each has a simple fix.
Frequent mistakes and fixes:
1. Weak, vague openings
Fix: Use a direct opener with the owner’s name, your name, your company, and the property address.
2. Talking too much
Fix: Ask one question at a time, then be quiet and listen.
3. Messy or missing notes
Fix: Log key facts and owner tone in your CRM right after each call.
4. Inconsistent calling
Fix: Set recurring call blocks and treat them like appointments.
5. Stale or bargain lists
Fix: Refresh lists on a schedule and avoid chasing the cheapest data.
6. No feedback loop
Fix: Record calls and review a few every week to adjust tone and script.
The mindset that helps real estate callers turn leads into contracts is accepting rejection as normal, focusing on consistent action, and protecting the handoff from caller to closer.
John’s advice:
“Take action and don’t be afraid of doing calls. Just do it. You’re not going to regret it.”
On the process side, contracts come from:
Over months, this builds a deep pipeline of future deals, not just a few quick wins.
A good target for full-time real estate cold calling is 150–300 live conversations per day with a dialer. If you’re just starting, aim lower and focus on building a consistent daily routine before you worry about hitting the top end of that range.
A solid benchmark is about 2 contracts for every 65–75 qualified leads, based on John’s 60+ caller operation. Your exact numbers will depend on your market, data quality, and follow-up, but this range is realistic for a well-run campaign.
Yes. Real estate cold calling is still worth it if your data is accurate, your script is honest and direct, and your follow-up is organized. Investors who commit to a simple, consistent system often reach motivated sellers before those sellers list with an agent or advertise the property widely.