Why you should LOVE those FSBOs

For Sale By Owner (FSBO), Real Estate Agent Lead Generation

Normally Realtors® hate to see the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) signs up and try to bombard the home owner with fliers, information and compelling arguments as to why they should change their mind and use a broker. It is important to know that there is usually a reason the owner has decided to list their property as FSBO, whether it be financial, personal confidence in the market or simply a dislike for the brokering industry.

Whatever their reason may be, chances are the direct marketing, telephone calls and other attempts to convince them that your real estate services are more effective than theirs will always be up for argument but chances are, it’s just more literature for their recycle bin and added frustration at unwanted calls.

You should consider looking at these FSBOs as future opportunities and try to establish a new contact with them, even if it’s not for the immediate sale. The key here is showing your business acumen and befriending them as a colleague, not as someone taking away your potential commission. Look for referrals and opportunities for their future properties.

Here are some ways the myAgentPHONE™ customers have used their 800# service and Talking Property™ feature to help with their real estate lead generation efforts:

Provide them with an informational packet on selling their home (keep it to $5 or so)
• Go to www.zillow.com and print out their estimated property value (if available).
• Give them a list of suggestions or tips on what home improvement are most cost-effective. You can print this out…or find a better article online.
• Provide them with safety and other FSBO information, so they know what to look out for and what to be aware of.
• Include your standard media kit/presentation (along with several business cards) and be sure you have an area highlighting the advantages and successes of your Talking Property™ service.
• Anything else you feel may help them sell their home…and help them remember you in case they decide to get a Real Estate agent later.
• Also, be sure to include sample reports from a myAgent PHONE™ Talking Property™ sample customer. Let them see the types of information you provide to all of your customers.
They should see that you provide the names of their prospects, unblock all calls and provide phone numbers and also the source of the advertisement being used.

Now that you’re in their good graces and have assured them that there is no catch…

Offer them the ability to use your Talking Property™ feature and offer them a FSBO/24 hour recorded info sign to post on their front lawn to get reports on interested callers. Let them know this isn’t something you normally do but will do this for them if they will use you if (and only if) they decide to use a real estate agent in the future. Do the following to show them the benefits of Talking Property™:

• Make sure to let them know of the powerful stat from the National Association of REALTORS® (N.A.R.) that states that they will have a 500% increase in calls from interested parties when they offer 24-hour pre recorded into.
• Make them aware of the rule that callers who block their caller ID give up that right when calling a toll free number because someone else is paying for the call.
• Show them the text messages on your phone that include; name, phone number and ad source that you receive instantly from interested parties on your other listings if applicable. Let them know that you will set it up so that they get a text of interested parties directly.
• Also, be sure to let them know that they will receive calls directly from interested parties who want to talk to the seller right away.
• Remind them how important a QUICK response is in real estate.

You see by taking this approach you’re not hard selling. They haven’t signed anything and you’ve provided them with valuable information. If nothing else, you build a rapport with them and a relationship that may generate you business in the future.

Our customers have found that this strategy has been an effective way of generating qualified real estate leads at little cost and also has helped generate referrals and future business because a potential client will never forget the Realtor® that didn’t try to talk them out of FSBO marketing and actually helped them sell and market their property.

What is in it for me? You ask..

Remember, with the 500% increase in calls along with the fact that the seller really only needs one of them to sell their house, you will bring in an abundance of other qualified potential buyers. 80% of these callers are not represented by an agent and normally have a property to sell so go after the DOUBLE-ENDED DEAL$!

Wow! Who would have ever thought that a Realtor® could potentially receive an abundance of qualified leads and possible double-ended deals by working with a FSBO???

Give it a shot, it’s a great method of real estate lead generation, building new relationships and at a much lower cost than some of your equally qualified (or not qualified) real estate leads that you’re paying for now.

Now if you are not already a myAgentPHONE™ customer and want to learn more about Talking Property™ and other powerful marketing methods click here and put this powerful tool to work today!

Until next time,

Damien Zamora
myAgentPHONE™

dzamora@myagentphone.com