Traditionally in the past when I've spoken to FSBO's I've directed the conversation more in their interests. Why it will take longer to sell the house, why your "savings" are illusionary at best, why you might not want to show the house yourself.
I've switched over to talking about the buyer. Let's think about it logically. Mr. and Mrs. Buyer are relocating here from Colorado. They have a three day window to shop for a house. (over 40% of our buyers currently are relocating, so this is extremely pertinent in our market). As a Buyers Agent I've already sent them a list of potential properties that they might like. They have seen the list of probably fifty properties that they could be interested in and honed it down to twenty that they like. I've already shown them the map of the area so that they know how these listings relate to their work addresses. I've told them about potential problems with certain areas (this listing is close to railroad tracks, this one is close to a sewage treatment facility, etc) and we narrow the list down even further, let's say to 15. I've called ahead and scheduled the showings, which at this point will take an estimated four hours which we sill spread amongst two days so they aren't overexhausted. During down times I am giving them a tour of the town. Before this we've discussed major employers, history of the town, growth rate and growth trends.
When looking at the homes I can tell them about amenities expected in this price range of home and point out potential resale issues. When they have narrowed it down further I pull tax records, get sellers disclosures and search for any information about how long the house has been in the current sellers name and, if possible, what they paid for it. I contact local utility companies and find out a high and a low utility bill. I pull comparisions so that the buyer knows what the area prices are per square foot for comparable homes.
Let's look at it from a buyer that is willing to entertain a FSBO. First the buyer has to call and number and typically wait for a call back. If they want to get information about fifty homes that's fifty calls and fifty call backs. The buyer asks how many square foot the house contains and the seller might not even be sure (or quote what one FSBO did for me...the footprint of the house including garage and porches). They schedule an appointment and having no idea how long the first appointment will take don't schedule another for two hours. They are unfamiliar with the area and worry that they will make a wrong turn to get to the house. They go to the house to meet the seller and don't want to seem impolite so they compliment everything. They make it out in a half an hour (after the seller tells them about the special sponge painting technique they learned from great Aunt Pearl) and have an hour and a half left for the next appointment.
Let's say Mr. and Mrs. Buyer do find a house that they love. How do they know what to offer on it? They have heard that cousin Kurt got a house for 50% of what the people were asking, but they don't want to insult the the current owners either... They don't know any inspectors in town, and don't know how to go about getting inspections set up either. They don't know about option periods so they are concerned that they will offer on a house that has major problems.
Is it doable Mr. and Mrs. FSBO??? Yes, it does happen. Statistics show, however, that most FSBO's sell to a close relative or someone who knew about the house before. Is it the easiest way for the buyers to buy? No way. By trying to sell your home yourself you've limited it to a very narrow segment of the market. We've all talked about how their "savings" typically isn't savings, how many lookey-loos they endure and what a hassle and security risk it can be. Let's focus on the buyers and why it's not feasible for them to conduct a house search in this manner.
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