I found much of my success with For Sale By Owners in a very out of ordinary way. You see, I take my responsibility as a realtor very seriously and to heart. What I mean by this,too, is that I want to help only those that need my help. So, instead of calling the FSBO's and using the script that we all hold dear to our hearts, I took a completely different approach.
I found the FSBOs, wrote down the address, and dropped off, unsolicited, a color photo flyer for them with a cover letter stating that they are free to make copies and should they need any additional help or want any changes to the flyer to feel free to call me.
I would wait a few days and then either call them or stop by and ask them how it is going for them. However, most of the time, they would call me before I ever had a chance to reach out to them. Almost like clockwork, they would call and say, "I am not listing with a realtor, so your doing this is a waste of your time." My standard, yet honest response, "I understand this and appreciate this. I am ONLY here if you need me. If you can do this on your own, that is great. I think it is great that you are able to be home and accomodate the prospective buyers at their convenience and make sure they are qualified for your home." At that point, I would give them a second item of value - either a CMA or some pertinent information regarding their neighborhood. The exchange would again take place, "I am not listing with a realtor, so your doing this is a waste of your time." My standard, yet honest response, "I understand this and appreciate this. I am ONLY here if you need me. I just wanted you to be aware of what and who you are up against." In the original letter, I would also include a "sign in register". I explained and reiterated by this second exchange, "Make sure to sign each buyer in with all their info (i.e. name,phone,email,etc) and if you would like me to prequalify them, I can. By this second exchange, they have gained some respecta nd trust with me and will usually hand me over the buyer register.
I was then, able to prequalify them (and I was always honest in letting them know that if I did help them with the deal, a commission would be due) and 90% of the buyers were not the right ones for that house but some were and I would get a commission or assist the FSBO in finding their new home. On one occasion, the FSBO had a great buyer but they needed to sell their home fast in order to buy the FSBO's home, so I ended up getting that listing as well.
After a while of educating and overeducating the FSBO's and establishing the relationship, if their home had not sold, I was able to get the listing and usually at the right price since they had already tested the market at their price or at the very least, I would have the buyers that were not for the FSBO's and I would have the FSBO referring me out to everyone.
I was always honest and made myself available even when a commission was not due to me ( seller priced home right and it sold to a qualified buyer) but I gained a fan and one that knew I was ethical and honest so it was always a win,win.
I am now selling in the North Georgia are,Duluth,Lawrenceville,Lilburn, Alpharetta and Atlanta and look forward to assisting you in any way possible in this area. Please visit my website.
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