The Hunt for FSBO's

The hunt for FSBO's is on. Pronounced fiz' bō, the owners of FSBO's are an interesting lot. The reasons for selling on one's own vary and can range from a general dislike of REALTORS® to the desire to keep the commission money in the family to having to sell in a market where profits are tight.

As a real estate agent, I know these folks can be in for a rough ride. More than 80% of people attempting to sell a home themselves end up turning to a professional for help - and I'm not talking about a psychiatrist. Although after dealing with people knocking on the door all hours of the day and night and dealing with Lookie Lous who just want to "check it out", owners selling on their own may want to go somewhere to vent all those pent up frustrations!

Most people don't realize all the work that goes into selling a home. First of all, you have to keep your home clean all the time. Okay, I can't really help with that, but I can take care of most of the other business that goes along with selling real estate. As far as the house cleaning goes, I can and will tell you which parts of your home need the most cleaning/painting/repairing/etc. Let's face it, we all have a blind eye to our own dirt. I'm not afraid to tell you, "Your kitchen cabinets are dirty and need to be washed down, and you need to replace that torn hinge so the pantry door hangs straight," or "Your light switches are filthy. A little window cleaner will take that grime right off." There's no shame in not seeing your own dirt. Heck, I've gone two weeks between bathroom cleanings in my own home. I know, I know, it's gross, but I get so busy selling your house that I forget to take care of my own home.

I can screen the people coming into your home. No more worries that a serial killer may be on the loose in your kitchen. I can make sure the buyers are pre-approved and able to actually buy your home should they like what they see because I don't have time to take Lookie Lous all over town looking at houses. (Okay, I've actually taken Lookie Lous all over town to see homes for sale, but I've learned the value of asking, "Are you pre-approved?")

I take care of the advertising, marketing, and sale of your home. If you try to sell on your own, you have to come up with the advertising text, take decent pictures of your home, and pay for the advertising. If I sell your home, I write the advertising text, take decent pictures of your home, AND pay for the advertising. If your home doesn't sell, I don't get my money back - which is great motivation for getting the job done!

So why hunt down FSBO's and try to convince them to list with me? First of all, I know that they are highly likely to eventually list with a real estate agent , and I'd like to be that agent. Secondly, even if they aren't ready to list with me, they often are willing to pay me a commission if I bring them a buyer. Frankly, I don't care where my commission comes from just as long as I get paid for bringing a buyer. I also really like looking at houses. I can't help but wonder what the inside of that FSBO looks like. How is it decorated? Is it clean and tidy? How is it laid out? Is that a pool home? You get my point. Finally, I like keeping tabs on all the inventory my buyers might be interested in seeing. If a FSBO house is the right house for my buyer, then I'm more than happy to match the two together - just as long as I get paid for doing so.

So, the hunt continues.