What works better for you and why? We got a debate going amongst a few of us and wanted to see how others do it.

I always call FSBO's.

Expireds, I mail them about three times before I contact them in person or phone. I prefer phone.

I had my house for sale and withdrew it form the market and started getting mailings from someone marketing me as an expired.

His biggest selling point and his "slogan" is horrible. I still get mailings from him. His catchphrase:

"I won't interrupt your day with unsolicited phone calls"

That is seriously the best thing he has to say about himself.

I would rather get the phone calls than the 2-3 mailings a week.

Ok folks,

You can just do a serious mail campaign to expireds (at least 7 postcards)....., with hand delivering the 1st package which increases your chances.


Now with Fsbos, I would mail a minimum of 3 postcards and then go to the door or call.

With fsbos you could waste a unlimited amount of postcard stamps on....it's a waste.

Thats my 2 cents and since I've had a feww to many to drink I better just stop teyping for tonight! ...

I pull comps and knock on their door. The phone usually rings while I'm there (another agent).

I have found that people are more likely to have confidence in an agent who shows initiative and takes the time to try and meet them in person.

It's interesting the things they will discuss with you too. Neighbors possibly moving, why they were unhappy with the last agent, what they expect.

I actually like to ask them what they believe "excellent" service is. A lot of times, it's not what YOU think it is or it's something simple that you've never thought of. I let them know why I'm asking. My reason, I learn something new and am able to custom tailor a plan just for them!

If you don't know their objections, how can you overcome them? A post card is not personal enough. Plus, they already get 50 different cards from other agents. The phone call is better but you're one of many tht they will get. Think about how the seller percives that.. agents just sit around all day and mail postcards and make phone calls.. what are they really doing for me? Do they actually get out of their office?

That's my 2 cents. May or may not work for you but it is different!

I pull up some comps too. Call the FSBO and ask them when they're having an open house and then just plan to stop by with your marketing material. I find it works better than mailers or phone calls. It shows initiative on your part and is a great way to build a relationship with the homeowner and stand out from the crowd.
I've only had one homeowner refuse to let me in.
As far as expireds go, we're not allowed to contact expireds in our area- they have to initiate the contact.
Cliff

Go to the door. Set yourself apart from the rest of the crowd. ( Also You have bypassed the do not call list.)

I believe that people are going to list with people they trust, and personal contact is the best way to build trust.

This may seem like a stupid question but, how can you prepare comps for fsbo without knowing details. For instance, if you drive by and see a fsbo sign and haven't seen an ad to know certain details (amenities, number of rooms, etc.). Seems like you would need to make a phone call for details and then run the risk of rejection if they wouldn't care to receive your information.

I really like the idea of dropping by with a cma but am just curious about details of how you gather your information beforehand.

Thanks for any input.

Tax assessor records are the way that I find the basic information on a property. I have a direct link to the courthouse records, including sales.

Where in Central Alabama are you located? I'm in the Foley/Gulf Shores area. Maybe we can share referrals!

[/qb][/QUOTE]Tax assessor records are the way that I find the basic information on a property. I have a direct link to the courthouse records, including sales.

Where in Central Alabama are you located? I'm in the Foley/Gulf Shores area. Maybe we can share referrals! [/QB][/QUOTE]

I have some of that, basic sales data, sometimes the sq.ft. and # of Bedrooms/baths. I go through old listings on MLS. But many of these homes haven't been sold since the records started being kept on computer. For any information on those homes, I have to go to city hall - for multiple municipalities, in a dense area with heavy traffic, this isn't very cost-effective and can take hours. With expireds it makes no sense to do this every day - I could get it done, but I'd never do anything else because it would take up the whole day. How do you get such a direct link?

Another stupid question...you can't tell anything about condition. A lot of homes have been redone inside and out. You can tell about the exterior from a driveby, but I've seen some beautiful exteriors look like a 60s timewarp once I get into the house. How do you account for that when you do your comps? Even with all that info, you are dealing with a huge margin of error. Overestimating - the sellers get that nice high number drilled into their heads! Underestimating - they get offended...

Give them a price range of the comparables. And to answer the original post, I drop off a copy of my book


http://www.listeveryfsbo.com

The book sounds nice, but my back is against a wall financially. Waaaay too expensive. $30-40 per copy is the MOST I would be willing to pay and even that's a stretch. It's simply more than I can afford right now.

Also FSBO's in my area are generally the poisonous type (quoting Dirk Zeller). They want far more than their property is worth and they don't want to pay for an agent. You have to get them over BOTH hurdles. Also, with 7000 realtors in my immediate area -everyone has a "friend" in the business - who probably advised them on the FSBO to begin with. 99% already know who they will list with before the sign goes in the ground. (if horror of horrors - they find they have no choice but to cough up the money.)

Yes, FSBO's can be tough, I tried working them but never had a reason to get back in otuch with them that was any different than anyone else.

That's why I wrote the book. Not only does it put me in a class by myself, it gives me a reason to contact them the next week.

By the way, the book is only $19.99 and that's cusomized and personalized with all the changes.

Regardless, best of luck, and get out there and meet people!

Do you start FSBOS's on a mailing campaign first ScoFla...say 2-3 postcards then just go and visit/drop off the book or call them??

Whats your best approach

In my area, FSBO's are pretty quick to list so I don't think a letter or postcard campaign would work too well.

I try to call them and set an appointment to see the house, not list it, just see it. Then it's pretty easy to start a conversation and see what they are thinking about doing. Then it's easy to hand them the book.

But remember, getting in front of the people is the main thing. The book is great and all and I do like being the only one that has a book with my nme on it, but unless you meet the Sellers and build a little friendship with them, nothing else matters

I agree ScoFla,

My listing inventory would always be in the high numbers if I would combine going to the door w/the mailing campigns I'm doing.

The Fsbos' that list right away in Montana usually take 1-2 weeks before doing so and the rest..1-2 months.


Thanks for pointing out that this is a people business, as I'm finally getting that into my head.

-Using the hotline and working mailing campaigns so much, takes a ton of the face to face work out of the equation, but I think it also reduces your amount of listings by 40-50%....in this community up here anyhow.

Take care,


DM

One thing that i tried a few months ago (and shall try again). Was offering them a complementary listing on my website. I'm one of the few agents in the area that actually has a website , let alone does blogging , SEO , PPC and all the other goodies. They seem fairly reponsive to 'free'. As seeing how FSBOs can be cheap often times.

I may take you up on that then. Sorry, working 3 jobs really messes up your reading ability! There are quite a few people trying to FSBO where I am...STILL! Always with the high prices and arrogant attitude.

I had one guy say to me that he was "expecting at least two offers after only a week". Let's see what those offers are - if the materialize at all....

That's what they always tell me, too. Usually they call me after a couple of offers don't show

ScoFla, I had a few questions about the books you offer on your web site. I went to web site in a hurry and saw you had a variety of products there. Could you explain them us. I am asking, so it should not count as you trying to sell us something. After all, you are a regular poster. Are you comfortable doing that, please.

Sure, I'm offering my book in sets of ten.
To start with, you'll need to order the ten books and set up fee for a total of $239.

Then, the next orders will not need the set up fee so then it is just ten books for $199.

And if you order, send me an email and I'll split the set up fee since you guys have given me such good advice here.

Okay, I am going to web site and read some more stuff. It is a budget item for me, too, but you gotta spend money to make money, right? I'm moving soon and will have a "real office". I'll hopefully be able to get a lot more marketing done.

Let me know if I can do anything for you.

How do you find FSBOs? There are almost none in our local paper. There are several on craigslist.org but those are the same ones every agent in the city is working. I work the ones I find driving around but is there somewhere else I should be looking?

I like the ones that only advertise with a sign in their yard. Believe it or not, in this area, that's a lot of the FSBO's.

Best thing you can do for FSBO's is to arrange to pre-view the home as soon as you see the sign. Tell them you pre-view all the homes in area. Once there ask them about price and get their flyer or information sheet. Hand them a market data report listing all the solds and their prices for the past 6 months. Then ask them if you can check back with them later to see how things are going for them and last but not least get them to sign a one-time show agreement for x% if you bring them a buyer. If they are over-priced offer to do a CMA for a FEE somewhere between $50-$100..I personally charge $75 to $125 for full residential CMA's and do about 10 a week.

Just curious as to what you folks think. I was wondering if the real FSBO's (doing it alone, not using byowner.com and those type places) actually call up the byowner.com's to get all the free info and a free CMA, then once they have the price and a few facts, go ahead and list themselves with a Home Depot sign. The last two FSBO homes I have visited told me that (insert name of FSBO service here) had given them the suggested price, but they had decided not to use the FSBO service. Truth is, sellers may be "using" them the same way sellers use us. I'm thinking these sellers are getting more independent and learning how to work the system. How it all ends with their sale is another story. I'm sure agents don't mind at all the FSBO services getting a little of it back. I just wonder how many FSBO sellers actually do set their own price...not many, I'm thinking.

If I am wondering off thread, please tell me.

I don't know. Around here, FSBO's are generally just GREEDY. As a general rule, they not only try to avoid the commissions, but they also overprice their home enormously, are very over-overconfident. Although it wouldn't surprise me if they used a FSBO service to get a free CMA, why would they? You can always find a legitimate agent to do that and since the agent is local, the pricing is generally closer to the mark. But they generally jack the price up anyway!

They definitely read the papers and on-line stuff to see when we are running our open houses and run theirs alongside ours - which drives me nuts. We've spent all this money and they are sponging off of us. I did the reverse once. We were running out of advertising $$$ and I saw a FSBO of similar price a block away from my listing. I asked the sellers if we could run an open house at the last minute - got a lot of activity from it!

In my opinion, a FSBO is going to get bombarded with a million marketing peices from other Realtors doing the same thing you are doing. Your chances of scoring are slim to none. Percentages suggest that most FSBO's end up listing with an agent anyway. Try something different! I send them tips that help them sell on their own. Of course, I add that if it doesn't work out the way they planned, they should give me a call. The phone rings more often than not.

Exactly, that's why I wrote a book That way, I preview the home, build some rapport with them, hand them the book to help them show or hold an Open House (along with a section on Realtors in general and me in particular) then walk out the door.

No pressure, no bugging them for a listing, no handing them the same old brochure and generic printed stuff.

Call them, I can help you with this. Email me at insmktsolutions@yahoo.com. Thanks!