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Wholesaling text scripts: 20 seller and buyer texts with opt-out language
A wholesaling text script is a short SMS template for a seller or buyer conversation: it names you and your company, asks one question, and puts opt-out wording such as Reply STOP to opt out in the first message. Send them only to people who opted in, during texting hours.
Can you cold text skip-traced numbers?
Generally not without consent. A skip-traced number, or one you found through a public-record owner lookup, comes with no consent, and three layers of rules expect it before a business texts:
- Federal. The FCC treats texts as calls under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act's autodialer limits (FCC Enforcement Advisory 2016-06, checked Oct 2026). Autodialed telemarketing to a cell phone needs prior express written consent: a signed agreement for that number stating that agreeing is not a condition of purchase. The same rule's Do Not Call protections and 8am to 9pm limit extend to texts (47 CFR 64.1200, checked Oct 2026). Whether your texting tool counts as an autodialer is a question for your attorney.
- Carriers. Twilio's onboarding guide calls out a cold "is this the owner" text to buy a house as outreach that isn't allowed (Twilio, checked Oct 2026), and CTIA says to text only after a consumer opts in, and not to use opt-in lists that were rented, sold or shared (CTIA Messaging Principles, May 2023, checked Oct 2026).
- States. Florida counts texts as telephonic sales calls and requires prior express written consent for automated ones (Fla. Stat. 501.059 on FindLaw, checked Oct 2026). Other states have their own rules, and how any of them apply to an offer to buy a house is a question for your attorney.
What to do instead:
- Call first, within Do Not Call rules. Check the National Do Not Call Registry and your internal list, call from 8am to 9pm local time, and stop when asked; the cold call script is built for this. This applies to FSBO sellers too: a number posted on a for-sale-by-owner listing is not a signed agreement to receive texts.
- Get written consent before the first text. If a seller would rather text, send your form with an unchecked consent box. Twilio's onboarding guide says verbal consent is not enough for marketing use cases.
- Reply when they text you first. CTIA says that when a consumer starts the exchange and you only respond with relevant information, no further permission is expected. Add them to automated follow-up only after they give written consent.
How these scripts are written
Each texting script below follows the same rules, so you can write your own in the same style.
- Say who you are. Twilio requires every sample message in a 10DLC registration to name your business (Twilio, checked Oct 2026), and your real texts should match your samples. Every opener names [Your name] and [Company].
- Opt-out in the first message. "Reply STOP to opt out" goes in any text that could start a conversation. Mid-conversation replies leave it out.
- One question per text. A seller can answer one question from a parking lot.
- Stay under 160 characters. A plain SMS segment holds 160 characters, but one emoji or curly quote switches the message to an encoding that holds 70, and Twilio bills per segment and recommends staying under 320 characters (Twilio, checked Oct 2026). The counts below include the bracket placeholders, so check the final length after you fill them in.
- Send in texting hours. Federal rules bar telephone solicitations before 8am or after 9pm in the recipient's local time (47 CFR 64.1200(c)), and Florida's telemarketing law sets 8pm for commercial solicitation calls (Fla. Stat. 501.616).
Inbound seller: first replies
Use these when a seller filled out your form or texted you first, the inbound side of your motivated seller leads marketing. Send them fast; our post on speed to lead explains why. Each one is a first message, so each carries opt-out wording.
Missed-call follow-up
Use these with sellers who already opted in. Any of them could be your first text to that person, so each keeps the opt-out line.
Appointment confirmations and reminders
The confirmation may be your first text after a phone call, so it keeps the opt-out line. The reminders go into an ongoing thread.
Follow-up texts after an offer
These go into a conversation that is already open. Ask about the offer, not for a yes.
If they say no to a check-in, mark them do-not-contact and stop.
Re-engaging old leads who opted in
Only use these with people who gave consent and never opted out. After months of silence, treat the text as a first message.
Buyer side: texts to opted-in cash buyers
Buyers need to opt in too, for example through a buyer sign-up form with consent wording. Treat each deal alert as a first message.
New-deal alerts
Interest follow-up
Handling the replies you'll get
The second text matters as much as the first. A few replies need a set response:
| Reply | What to do |
|---|---|
| "STOP" or "stop texting me" | Stop. FCC rules treat stop, quit, end, revoke, opt out, cancel and unsubscribe as revoking consent, and other wording counts when a reasonable person would read it as a request to stop (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(10)). |
| "Not interested" or "no thanks" | Treat it as a likely opt-out and stop texting. |
| "Who is this?" | Give your name, your company and why you're texting, in one line. |
| "Wrong number" | Apologize, mark the number do-not-contact, and stop. |
| "How did you get my number?" | Say where it came from, such as the form they filled out. If you can't answer that honestly, you shouldn't be texting them. |
| A question about price | Move to a call: "Easier to walk through on a quick call. Free at [Time]?" |
Words and links that get filtered
Links need the most care. Twilio says US carriers expect short links to use a dedicated domain that belongs to your business and matches the sender named in the text; shared public shorteners such as free Bitly or TinyURL links carry a higher risk of filtering, with no recourse when it happens (Twilio, checked Oct 2026). A public shortener in a sample message can also get your 10DLC campaign rejected (Twilio error 30892). Recipients help with filtering too: the FTC tells consumers to forward unwanted texts to 7726 (SPAM) so their carrier can spot and block similar messages (FTC, checked Oct 2026).
- Use your own domain. Send the full link or a branded short link; Twilio's onboarding guide says links in your texts must represent your registered brand, with no third-party redirects. CTIA adds that the page a link leads to should identify who owns it and include contact information, such as a postal address.
- Identify phone numbers. If a text includes a phone number, make clear whose it is.
- Stay out of forbidden categories. Twilio forbids third-party lead generation on SMS, including businesses that buy, sell or share consumer information (Twilio, checked Oct 2026). Don't text sellers about passing their details to other investors.
- Match what you registered. Traffic that doesn't match your registered campaign is one of Twilio's listed reasons for suspension (Twilio, checked Oct 2026). If you registered inbound seller follow-up, don't send something else from those numbers.
For registration itself, see our guide to A2P 10DLC registration.
Sending these scripts in Find
Find, a CRM for real estate wholesalers, lets you run these scripts on your own Twilio numbers with the guardrails built in.
- Sequences. Put scripts 1 to 5 at the start of a follow-up sequence in the visual automation builder, which has 24 triggers and 21 action types, including delay, wait and filter steps. A new lead who gave consent can get the first text automatically once an admin turns automated texting on.
- Campaigns. Send scripts 17 and 18 as bulk campaigns to a tagged buyer list of up to 10,000 recipients. Find adds "Reply STOP to opt out" to campaign texts that don't already explain how to opt out.
- Texting hours. Automated and campaign texts are held to 8am to 9pm in the recipient's time zone (estimated from the area code), with an 8pm cutoff in FL, MD, WA and OK and 9am to 8pm in CT. Campaigns and sequences wait for the window; a one-off automated text outside it is skipped.
- STOP handling. A STOP on any of your numbers blocks texting that person from all of them. Plain-English opt-outs such as "stop texting me" count, and unclear replies pause automated and campaign texts until someone on your team decides.
- Skip-traced numbers. Find's automations and campaigns never auto-text skip-traced numbers. Find does not check numbers against the National Do Not Call Registry, so check the Registry and your state's rules before your team calls or texts.
Frequently asked questions
Is SMS marketing illegal?
It depends on how you do it. Federal rules generally require prior express written consent before marketing texts sent with automated systems, opt-out replies such as STOP must be honored, and Do Not Call rules extend to texts; carriers also require a registered 10DLC campaign with documented opt-in. Some states, including Florida, add their own rules, so check with an attorney before you text for marketing.
Why am I getting spam texts about selling my house?
Investors who buy houses often find owners in public property records and get phone numbers from data providers. If the sender is a real business, reply STOP, which FCC rules treat as a valid way to withdraw consent; if a text looks like a scam, don't click its links. The FTC says to forward unwanted texts to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can block similar messages, and to report them at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
How long should a real estate text message be?
Aim for 160 characters or fewer, which fits in one SMS segment as long as you avoid emoji and curly quotes; one of those characters drops the limit to 70 characters per segment. Twilio bills each segment and recommends keeping texts under 320 characters, according to its character-limit guide checked in October 2026.
What should the first text to a motivated seller say?
Your name, your company, the property address, one easy question and opt-out wording, ideally in 160 characters or fewer. For example: Hi [First name], it's [Your name] with [Company]. Thanks for your request about [Property address]. Good time for a quick call? Reply STOP to opt out. Send it only to a seller who asked to be contacted or texted you first.