Why bother?

There aren’t any in my area.

All they want to do is argue about paying commission.

They eat their young.

You’ve probably heard the excuses listed above and many more against working the for sale by owner.

The reality is that these people want to sell, and a homeowner who wants to sell is the very definition of a prospect.

One out of every one you contact wants to sell.

If you have ever cold-called, you know those are great odds.

There is a way you can make working FSBOs less intimidating and, believe it or not, kind of fun.

First, keep in mind that if they had wanted to hire you to sell their house, they would have called.

They are not going to call you. You have to call them.

Beyond that, the best way to make working FSBOs easier is to help them and, by helping, educate them. Educate them about all the things we do to put transactions together, and to keep them together all the way to closing.

We put together information packages that our students can give to FSBOs that start conversations, open their minds, and open their doors to us. By the way, there’s a BIG difference between giving a package to a FSBO and doing something for them.

Here’s an example:

Agent: What purchase agreement contract are you using?

FSBO: Uh, what do you mean?

Agent: We use a contract form that the State Association has approved. It is part of a sample pack of all the forms needed to get you and your buyer to closing. I’d be happy to drop one off for you. Would something like that be of value to you?

• Tips for converting inquiries into showings
• Pricing analysis
• Guidelines for screening and qualifying buyers
• Guidelines for conforming to Fair Housing practices
• Guest registry apps
• Prepping, staging, and showings checklist
• Following up on showings
• Security survey
• Dealing with represented and unrepresented buyers
• Negotiating offers, counteroffers, reverse offers, and multiple offers
• Inspection repairs, appraisal gaps, and escalation clauses
• Multiple offer comparison worksheet
• Contract to closing checklist

Helping the FSBO by educating them proves your value, earns you the right to follow up, and to ask the all-important closing question...

"If you knew that by hiring me you would actually net more cash in your pocket at closing than by doing all the work and taking all the risk yourself, would you let me handle your listing?"

What do you think?

Will you try using this dialogue the next time to talk to a FSBO?