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For Sale By Owner (FSBO) - I Will Not Call You.

For sale by owner (FSBO) I will not call you.

Sometimes we Realtors see signs like this. For Sale By Owner - No Agents Please.

Personally, I never call For Sale By Owners with that sign on the lawn. And I know lots of other Realtors like me. We never push ourselves on anyone. It is one of the qualities of Professional Realtors.

I sometimes wonder what you really think about a Realtor that does not call FSBOs. It is not that we are too busy to call you or that we are afraid to call either. There is a very important reason why Realtors like me will not call you.

I don't call FSBOs with this sign because they asked me to NOT do that. I have had aggressive sales people contact me and I don't like it any more than you do. I understand how being agressive can bother people so out of respect for you and the Real Estate industry, I will not do it.

So don't worry dear seller, I am not calling you because I respect your wishes. You have a right to try selling your home on your own if that is what you really want to do. Sure there are risk to that and we can talk about it if you like, but you are free to do it. It is your call.

However, can I ask you something? If you ever decide you really would like a little assistance with the sale of your home, will you ask the Realtor that did call you even though you asked him not to?

Why would anyone do that? That reinforces the practice of Realtors calling For Sale By Owners which you clearly said you did not want them to do.

Call a professional Realtor who has actually respected your wishes. When FSBOs call a Realtor who called them first, they reinforce those Realtors to keep calling FSBOs.

Think about it. It is like those folks who buy from spam emailers even though they hate being spamed. Some people do it so spam emailers will never go away.

So remember For Sale By Owners, I won't call you...unless you call me first. For assistance from me, private sellers must make the first call.

And if and when you do, you will be one of the most well served and informed sellers in the city. I work for my clients even harder than I work for myself. Have a look at my client testimonials.

You know, sometimes selling your home fast for top dollar is not that easy. There is usually more to this job than many people think. I have written about that in Seven Do's For Selling Your Home Fast For Top Dollar.

We all need a little help once in a while. So when you think you may be there, make the first call. Call a Realtor that you respect and make it one who respected you too.

For more information about the qualities of a Professional Realtor read Seven Things You Should Know About Professional Realtors.

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About the Author: R. Greg Osmond is a Platinum Award winning Realtor dedicated to serving the people of St. John's, Mount Pearl, Paradise, Kilbride, Goulds, Conception Bay South (CBS), Portugal Cove - St. Philips, Torbay – Flatrock – Pouch Cove, and Logy Bay - Middle Cove - Outer Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador. For over 21 years Greg has been practicing in Real Estate. He can be reached at 709-895-2500.

Want to get in touch? Email rgosmond1@gmail.com. For more information, please visit http://www.rgregosmond.com. Thinking of selling your home? I have a passion for helping my clients with buying and selling real estate! If there is any way I can be of service to you today, please feel free to contact me!

Posted by R. Greg Osmond Realtor, St. John's, Newfoundland, Real Estate on 11/09/2009 07:22 AM

Comments (15)

For Sale by Owner in the Home Selling Channel

for sale by owner, fsbo, selling without a realtor, no agents please, realtor in st johns, who should i call

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15 Comments on For Sale By Owner (FSBO) - I Will Not Call You.

NOV

I dont solicit FSBOs but if I see a home my clients mike would like I will call them to see if they will work with s on a one time showing agreement.

Nice post. Thanks.

FSBO folks are funny independent group. It is an art dealing with and "landing" For Sale By Owners. I have seen some very good Realtors crash and burn trying to communicate with a FSBO sale. I do believe you are right that sellers will contact the Realtor that called them even though they asked to be left alone, funny thing. Either way FSBO's have again become a sales avenue for Realtors in this market.

Most of the FSBOs I have worked with have readily offered a commission to the buyer's agent, so I am not wary about approaching them. One of my friends sold her house as a FSBO, but she said she was grateful for the buyer's agent because everything went so smoothly.

If someone says don't call, I don't call - simple as that. This has something to do with the Golden Rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

interesting post. i guess you can go both ways. wonder why they don't want to list if there is other oppurtunties. Have they bought a new home yet?

tony

I won't knock on a door either, if it says that they don't want agents calling. It's rude and disrespectful. It's not hard for a homeowner to get a phone number for dozens of real estate offices, either by opening the phone book, or walking down the street (if they really want an agent).

It is true, though ... and I don't understand it. Many people I know DO KNOCK and the sellers yell at them and ask if they can't read the sign, but two or three months later, THEY CALL THEM BACK!!!!
What does that say about the REALTOR AND THE SELLER?

Maybe the two belong together, after all. There is no respect on either side, is how I look at it.

If I have a buyer looking in a specific neighbourhood, and they like the FSBO house, I will leave a note, asking them to contact me, IF the house has this, and this, and this, (whatever is on my client's wish list); and tell them I have someone looking for 'this specifically'. I let them call me if are so inclined. If they don't, I have told buyers that it's in their best interest to knock on the door themselves, if they really want that house, because the seller won't work with a REALTOR. I obviously still represent my clients, if it goes further. I do the paperwork and make sure both sides get legal representation before anyone finalizes anything.

Laura, Good point. Calling FSBOs for your buyer is perfectly fine as far as I am concerned. Private sellers want to sell and you have a buyer. Our job is to make it happen for our buyer client.

Jody, Glad you liked it.

Gerry, Usually the number of FSBOs rises in a bull market. I would think there are fewer of them these days, especially in the US.

Peggy, Some FSBOs don't mind paying out a buyer's agent fee. Those FSBOs don't put the notice, No Agents Please. They are open for business.

Brian, That is exactly the point. We speak the same language. There are many folks who operate that way.

Tony, Some sellers just want to try their hand at real estate. They usually find that trying to sell their own home is harder than trying to sell someone else's. It is usually nice to have the help of some third party influence and a large team of buyer representatives.

Sylvie, The situation of that Realtor and Seller is one that puzzles both of us. That is why I pointed out that if sellers call those Realtors, they are encouraging the aggressive agent scenario.

They should call a Realtor who respects their wishes but as long as they call the guy that ignored the sign, Realtors will call or knock on the FSBOs who have "No Agents Please".

If I have a potential buyer for the house, I don't mind calling them to say, "My buyer is looking after my commission. They would like to make an appointment to view the home. I will be coming with them to represent their interest. What time can we come by?" To date, that has never been a problem.

I have had very little success try to get FSBO to list with me and I don't trust them enough to take a buyer to them. So if they want to be independent let them be.

Larry, FSBOs are inventory that buyers may be interested in whether we like it or not. We can work with them by using buyer agency agreements to make sure we there will be no incentive for any behind your back deals. I think the industry is moving more towards this type of real estate trading.

NOV

They don't see any value in having a real estate agent, which is why they say "Don't Call". People will willingly pay for something where the VALUE exceeds the costs - and in their minds, YOUR value is less than the cost.

Eventually, they may come to realize that you have more value than they thought and will agree to hire you, but it's an uphill sale. I've met some agents who are really good at getting these listings, but they have a plan and it takes time. If all you're willing to do is knock once and see if you get lucky - DON'T!!! Prepare to make weekly visits for many weeks before you'll see any results and be willing to take abuse. And of course, after you convince the seller that they need an agent, be prepared to see someone else's sign in their front yard too (remember, they didn't want you to call in the first place - there's no loyalty there).

There's gold in them thar hills - but it ain't gonna jump out of the hill into your bank account by itself - it takes hard work and patience.

Glenn, I have no problem with those who want to sell their home themselves. People have their reasons. When they need assistance, they will call. Nobody wants to be on the market for too long. If they like what they see in me, I will be happy to assist them.

In terms of value, the vendor gets a couple hundred thousand dollars for their home because of my efforts, protetion from the pitfalls that many FSBOs have fallen into, and the peace of mind that their interest has been represented well leading to a better price, terms and conditions for the transaction.

A Realtor "collects" around 5% of the selling price. Then it is usually divided by two; half for the selling agent and half for the buyers agent. Then you deduct some for the broker, some for the office expenses and some for the phone and computor bills, some for the advertisers and a good chunk for Revenue Canada. Then you give some to the church and some to the poor and some to the local charity when they call.

When that is all deducted, you try to store some in the bank but one by one someone else finds their bit and takes it away including the banks themselves. I usually end up with the coffee money and the opportunity to do it all over again.

To some people it may sound like a lot but in the end, we are making a "living". I can't apologize for wanting at least that.

NOV

I have realtor friends that will knock on a door of a FSBO, I just cannot do that...I will call if they are willing to work with a Realtor. Unfortunately by the time we get to the FSBO's they already spent a ton of money with one of those FSBO companies so it is very hard for them to understand how we can help them.

Dave, I am not one to call a FSBO unless I know them. Then I might just suggest they call if they ever need any help. If you can help them with the little things, they may begin to trust you for the bigger things. Nice to hear from you.

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