How Estate Agents Can Win More Instructions by Targeting Withdrawn Properties

Many estate agents focus their efforts on new listings, competing with multiple agencies to win instructions. But what if there was a way to target homeowners who have already shown intent to sell—without the same level of competition? Studies show that if someone withdraws their property from the market, there’s a 30% chance they will relist within the next 12 months. This makes withdrawn properties a gold mine for proactive estate agents who know how to approach them effectively.

Homeowners take their properties off the market for various reasons. Perhaps their asking price was too high, the marketing wasn’t effective, or their personal circumstances changed. But in most cases, the fundamental motivation to move hasn’t gone away. If someone was looking to downsize due to mobility issues, those challenges haven’t disappeared. If a family needed a larger home, their space constraints still exist. These homeowners are often still keen to sell—they just didn’t succeed last time. The key for estate agents is re-engaging them in the right way.

One of the most effective methods to target withdrawn properties is through direct letters. A well-crafted letter reminds homeowners that they were on the market before and encourages them to try again. However, the approach you take can significantly impact your conversion rate.

The simplest method is to send a general withdrawn letter to properties that were previously listed. This letter might say, “You were on the market last year, but it didn’t work out—why not try again?” While this broad approach does yield some results, it tends to be hit and miss. On average, for every 100 letters sent, you might receive one response. It’s better than nothing, but far from a game-changer.

A more effective strategy is to tailor your outreach to homeowners whose properties match active buyers’ requirements. If you have a buyer looking for a specific type of property in a certain area, this presents a powerful opportunity. By using platforms like Rightmove Plus, you can identify withdrawn properties that fit your buyer’s needs. Once you have a shortlist, show these properties to your buyer and ask which ones they’d like to view. You can then send a highly targeted letter to the relevant homeowners.

This letter carries far more weight than a generic withdrawn letter. It doesn’t just state that their property was previously on the market—it tells them that you have a real buyer who has seen their old listing and is interested in viewing it. This transforms the outreach from a speculative enquiry into a direct opportunity. From experience, this method generates responses from around 10% of homeowners—ten times the success rate of a general withdrawn letter.

While sending letters can be time-consuming and costly, outsourcing this process to a specialist company can make it more efficient. There are services that automate letter sending, saving time and reducing costs—especially considering the rising price of postage. Later in this book, we’ll explore ways to streamline this process further by combining it with other marketing activities to enhance efficiency.

If you’d like to access both of these high-converting letter templates to use in your estate agency, simply scan the QR code below to download them.

By targeting withdrawn properties strategically, estate agents can tap into a highly motivated pool of potential sellers with minimal competition. With the right approach, this method can become a powerful tool for securing more instructions and growing your business.