Why do people try to sell FSBO?
- Some think going the FSBO route will save them money - and that it will be easy.
- Some have had a bad experience with an agent and figure they can't do worse.
- Some have had a bad experience with an agent and thus have a negative attitude about agents.
You, as a professional real estate agent, know it isn't easy. You also know that listing with a good agent, like you, will likely put more money in their pockets and get their home sold faster.
But if you insult those FSBO sellers by telling them they have no idea what they're getting into or that they made a bad choice when they picked their last agent, you aren't going to win a friend or a listing.
If you want to gain their trust - and their listing - you need to take a gentler approach.
Start by stopping by to get acquainted. Ask to see the house - and ask if they'd be willing to work with you if you had a 
potential buyer. Then thank them for talking with you and tell them you have some free information that would be helpful to them. Ask their permission to send it. (With no obligation, of course.)
See if they'd like the information via postal mail, or if they'd prefer email. If email is the choice, be sure to tell them who to watch for in their "from" line.
Then start mailing, and don't stop with just one or two letters. Trust is a fragile thing, and it takes time to develop.
So get ready to stay in touch until they list, tell you to go away, or actually sell the house themselves.
The For Sale By Owner Letter Set I offer on my prospecting letters page includes two "give-away" items you can use at different stages in your relationship. The first is a "Getting Started" report. It gives hints on determining the proper price, gathering the necessary forms, taking safety precautions, etc. The second is the same kind of checklist that you'd give any seller - things to do to get the house ready for market. Remember that you can also send your market reports, which will help them see if their price is right AND show them that while their house sits there waiting, homes around them are selling.
Letters 1 through 10 expand on the items listed in the getting started report. Each letter offers a little advice and perhaps a little warning. For instance, the letter that mentions the title report warns that they need to contact the title company and get this ahead of time, because sometimes unexpected clouds on the title can delay (and kill) a sale.
While the letters do indicate your willingness to help, none of them shouts "You're wasting your time, list with me today!" The whole point of the letters is to gain that homeowner's trust while you show them that you DO know your business. Right now you're paying attention to them and being helpful - and that's a good indication of how you'll behave should they decide to list with you.
Depending upon the time you have to devote to prospecting for FSBO's, you can call a day or so after you've sent a message - just to ask if they have any questions. And if you happen to be in their neighborhood with a few minutes time to spare, you can stop in to ask how things are going.
Your goal is to stay "top of mind" with them, so when the day comes that they throw in the towel, they'll reach out to you.
Of course, as a professional, you may recognize the signs and know when it's time to ask for the listing.
One thing you shouldn't do - and you may disagree with me - is offer a market analysis before they've indicated a willingness to list with you. In fact, if you believe price is the primary reason why their home has not sold, you probably shouldn't do it until after the listing is signed.
You're giving away plenty of free information with your letters - but never enough for them to be completely effective without your help.
If you have the time and like to write, you can write a FSBO prospecting letter set yourself. If not, my set of 12 letters plus the special report and checklist is only $97.
You can use it as I've described, AND you can use it via a capture form on your website. Put it in a sidebar, or write a whole page about selling as a FSBO. Include a little bit of advice, then offer the special report.
You might even title the page something like "Why listed homes sell for more than FSBO's." Then quote the most recent NAR statistics.
Here's a productivity nudge:
If you decide to write your own set, do make the time to write all the letters before you start using them. You know how busy life can become when you're showing homes, listing homes, and working to get transactions to closing. If you put off writing the follow-up letters, chances are that your plans to follow up faithfully could get derailed.
Wishing you success, and dozens of good new listings!
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