Hey guys, we're coming up on the end of summer. That means it’s time to have a specific conversation with one key group of clients: sellers.

If their home hasn’t sold yet, it may be time to reprice—because fewer and fewer buyers are entering the market. Many buyers want to be settled before the school year starts. Not all, but a large percentage.

We know the bulk of real estate activity happens in spring and summer. But once we hit late summer—August and September—the market begins to slow down dramatically.

So, what do we say to our sellers?

Here’s how I’d frame it:

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"Mr. and Mrs. Seller, we’re entering September, which means we’re approaching the end of summer. Buyer activity is beginning to taper off, and there’s a lot of competition right now. Many other sellers like you are working to attract a smaller pool of remaining buyers.

"What we typically see this time of year is a wave of repositioning. Sellers begin to get more competitive—especially with price and buyer incen...

We have a lot more listings nationally on the market than we’ve had in many years. That means we’re going to see a lot more expired listings, especially since pending sales are also dropping.

Pending sales are soft—we're on track for about 3.94 million sales this year, very similar to last year. This is all driven by interest rates. As they hover around 6.5% to 6.75%, the sales pace will likely persist. When interest rates drop, we’ll see a big surge back into the market. But for now, expect more expired listings.

If you're an agent looking for more listings, it's time to focus on expireds—especially as we move from summer into the fall and winter market.

So what can you do to engage these potential sellers?

The #1 strategy: Work with an active buyer.

We all have buyers. Use that active buyer to farm three key categories:

1. The Neighborhood – Target the neighborhood your buyer wants. Use that buyer as a conversation starter with homeowners there. One in 20—at least 5%—will have ...