Today, because of the internet and technology, more people are trying to sell their own homes than ever before. There are enough people trying the FSBO route nowadays that you could focus exclusively on wooing FSBOs and have a thriving business. So it’s important you understand how to engage FSBO online and persuade these people to work with you.
FSBO Ad Sources
Many people who decide to sell FSBO do so because of the internet. They think advertising online is the way to sell their home because it’s almost always free to advertise online and millions of people are using online classifieds sites like Craig’s List and Kijiji. So these are the best places to look for FSBO sellers. On the Craig’s List boards for your local area go to the Real Estate For Sale section. There are two types of ads in these sections: broker ads and FSBO ads. The Broker ads will have a broker link beside them and the FSBO ads will have an owner link beside them. Find one of the FSBO ads and click on the owner link. This allows you to see only the FSBO ads.
Getting Their Email Address
One thing you’ll notice right away with Craig’s List and Kijiji is that most people’s email addresses are not posted in the ad. About 90% of the ads on Craig’s List have email addresses ending in @craigslist.org. When people post ads on this site they’re given the option of using a temporary Craig’s List email address in their ads. When prospects email these @craigslist.org email accounts Craig’s List automatically forwards the email to the ad poster’s real email account. This allows them to not reveal their email address publicly, making them far less susceptible to having their email address harvested by spammers and phishers. And pushy real estate professionals!
It’s a similar situation with Kijiji and many FSBO focused websites. To contact the seller via email you fill out a form with what you want to say and provide your email address and then the site relays the email to the seller.
Now some people do provide their email address in the body of the ad. They may even have a website setup for their listing, so visit their site and see if their email address is posted. If it is, add it to your database.
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