Twenty questions for a first call with an owner weighing a mid-term rental, so the rules and the goal are clear before you pitch.

Eighteen questions for a first call with a short-term rental owner: the license, the rules, the revenue and the goal.

Eighteen questions for a first call with a long-term rental owner, so you know the goal before you quote rent or fees.

Twenty questions for the first buyer call: why now, how they will pay, and what the home has to do for them.

Twenty questions for the first call with a seller, so you know why, when and what they need to net before you talk price.

The investor conversation does not begin with a pitch. It begins with a question and a useful number. These openers are written to sound like you, not a script, so change the words until they do. They work best with past clients who ever mentioned renting out a property, a second home, or putting money to work.

When a client says they are moving to Las Vegas, or want to invest here, you can pass the baton in a way that keeps the client’s trust in you. The test of a good handoff is simple: your client should feel more looked after after the introduction, not less. Subject: Introduction: [Client name] and [Partner name]Hi [Client first name] and [Partner first name],I am glad to connect you. [Client first name] is [one sentence on the goal and timeline].

Agents often avoid bringing up management because it feels like selling. It is not. It is part of the analysis, and an investor who hears about it only after closing feels surprised. Raise it early, as a question about their plans. Here is the net income after management fees, because that is what hits your account. Do you plan to run it yourself, or should I show you what professional management would look like in these numbers?