BrokerBryant.com: Do you want a good FSBO solicitation letter?

Reserved Parking For "The Lovely Wife"...TLW...ROAR!

They give me points for typing that :)

TLW...ROAR!

Bookmarked! Thank you, as always. :D

Excellent letter. The letter does an terrific job, like you mention with calls to action. I would suspect that some sellers who are going to sell on their own have had a bad experience with a Realtor but most are trying to save money. Many FSBO's do not think we bring any value to the table. Of course over 80% of them end up listing and that's why it is great to try to establish a relationship with them.

I think your letter would get some serious attention and would generate some interest.

Thank you for sharing the letter. This is well put together and with the multiple calls to action without trying to pressure I think it will generate a good amount of inquiries from FSBO sellers. I am going to modify it with my information and give it a shot in my area. Thank you again.

Great letter, I have bookmarked it also.  I also think most of them are trying to save money and think this is the way to go. Thank you.

Good letter. Thanks for the post! Having good form letters is a must!

That is an excellent letter! I have not seen many, actually I can't remember when I last saw a FSBO sign in our neighborhood and/or farm areas. hmmm... ~Rita

Yes, this is a good letter. Is it free for us to use? LOL, you wouldn't have put it out there for public consumption otherwise, right? Now, if you could post an example of an expired letter that works, now that would be something....

Bryant,

I have problems with this!  >:)

"We offered them free stuff"  Nothings free, a perceived moral obligation exceeds compulsory obligation and cover price every time! Well done.

"Or they just don't want to pay us."  No one ever wants to pay, you've created a sense of need to pay you in their own best interest! Excelent.

"Notice I'm not trying to sell them."  The hell you're not! Your not closing on them. You're doing a great job of selling!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great.

Now make them ask you to list their house.

It's a good post and great advice!

Bill

i'm saving this one for sure, thanks for sharing!

Sue

I say that I'm bookmarking, and saving for a rainy day!  Thank you for sharing  :)

Great letter, Bryant, I am sending to my team!

Hi Bryant, did you find this letter online? I'm pretty sure I found the same on a while back, and I've tweaked it to make it my own. It's worked well when combined with strong follow-up! Great thought to share it here!

This is terrific information for us! Thank you so much for sharing with the gang!

BB,

Good letter. Always nice to have something to drop off at the FSBO's doors. I have not really prospected FSBO's for a very long time.

What used to be sucessful for me was the following method.

I would send them a copy of my recent sales. ( New agents could do this using their office sales)

I would include a CMA and my Market plan for their home.

I would include a completely filled out listing agreement with highlights for signature and or initials.

I would include two explanations. ( 1 ) explaining the CMA ( 2 ) explaining the elements of the Listing Agreement.

Then follow up follow up follow up!

You know this is a good fisbo approach. It made me think I haven't seen any fisbo signs out in quite some time. Hmmmmmmmm.  I will pass this on to agents - always good to look at new ways to improve.

So if I use your letter, do I have to give you a referral fee?  LOL!

Great letter.  Thank you!

Good Stuff! Thanks for sharing :)

Hey thanks for the post.  Ha....I like Bobby Haywood's comment above about giving you a referral.

Patricia/Seacoast NH

Kristen, I did find it online. On my blog from 2007!! I wrote it with another AR member and then just tweaked it a little foir this post. Everything I post is original unless credit is given.

CHECK IT OUT

You guys are all welcome to use it. You may want to adapt it to fit your style and market area.

This letter touches all of the things that are important and of concern to FSBOs while not being too pushy and salesy.  It also has several calls to action which helps give you more opporunities to get an appointment.

Thank you Bryant.  Are you giving anything else away?

Terri, Yes I am!! http://ShortSaleSuperStars.com  all the short sale knowledge you need. Pop over and join.

Bob. I have a hidden affiliate marketting cookie embedded in the letter. :)

Hi Herb. Thanks for adding some pointers. I also don't solicit FSBO any more. My expired lsitings soliciatations keep me busy enough.

Thanks for sharing the letter. Bookmarked! 
Soon to bee copied, pasted etc.

methinks there's going to be loads of FSBO's who start running to agents once they realize in this market how difficult it is move a property for what they are asking for it. Once they get offered an extreme lowball offer for the third time, "the throw in the towel" attitude may begin to set in and they seek out a professional.

That may be happening already.

Excellent Letter! As a newbie, tools like this are invaluable.

A Huge Thanks to you.

Great letter and excellent points.  I would be surprised if this didn't at least get a Realtor in the door.

Thanks.

Darla

Hi Bryant -- great letter, especially with the calls to action and the fsbo kit.  Many homeowners go it alone for the reasons you suggested but then find it's not as easy as they thought it would be.  Having a realtor available to help them with quality information would certainly be their security blanket should they find themselves unsuccessful.  

Hi Bryant!  Excellent call to action, touching all of the points that they NEED to hear.  I read a statistic the other day that only 2% of FSBOs actually go FSBO.  I think that if a desperate seller needs to sell, they need to know this statistic and get in touch with a REALTOR who knows how to market and SELL their home.  Carry costs can be quite expensive! 

Have a wonderful weekend...

Bryant..thanks so much. I am saving to my computer for future use.

Hey Bryant,

Thanks for a great letter. I am going to modify slightly and use it. I think it covers all the important points a FSBO needs to know without being too aggressive and only gently pointing out the kind of help they really do need.

Pat

Excellent letter and concept for reaching out to FSBOs. Thanks for posting!

Excellent letter and concept for reaching out to FSBOs. Thanks for posting!

This is a nice, educational post. I have not thought about FSBOs in awhile because we haven't really seen any around here. Maybe if the market begins to change???? (Notice I did not say 'when' the market begins to change ;-)

I will definitely keep a copy of the letter, although I haven't proscpected FSBOs in a while. I use to offer to do their flyer for them and trade them for names & contact info of people who toured their house but didn't like it for some reason. Never really worked very well, but probably because I didn't follow up like I should have.

Nice Letter and thank you very much for sharing. I'll will try it out and let you know how it goes!

Great letter.  I am sure you get results with it. Not to many FBSO in my area right now. More expired, canceled and Bank owned(maybe the Bank owned were the FBSO's)

Thank you for the letter.  I will be using it very soon.

that's a great letter.  I've bookmarked the blog.  Thank you for sharing.

BB - great letter. We have fewer FSBOs now than we did a year ago but some folks are till trying. Have seen several that had theior homes lsited and THEN went out on their own. Still no luck.

Multiple calls to action are the key. And letting them know we are there to help if they need it.

Jeff

Great letter and some great tips too. Thanks.

I think Lori hit the nail on the head. Follow-up is key.

Denise

Thanks for the great post, it's very timely to we are just now working on a letter like this

I like the assumptive close at the end ... "Your future REALTOR®". Do you have a specific Sale by Owner website or is it a page within your general site?

Thank you Broker Bryant.  I have a page on my website for FSBOs as seen here: ForSaleBy Owner and this letter will certainly go a long way in helping them to see the value in hiring a Realtor.

Great Letter--Not many FSBO's in our area who really want to sell.  Most FSBO's are upside down on their mortgage, and think that Realtor's are trying to scam them when we give them the market value of their home.  Most are under the delusion that some buyer will come along and buy their home, for more than it is worth not realizing that the home will not appraise for the amount that is owed.

Next to driving around finding FSBO's, do you pay for a service to have them emailed to you? What kind of success rate do you see with your letter?

Hi Bryant - very Good Blog. I tried this method with very limited success. I even included with the letter the disclosures they need along with some material that helps them sell their home, such as seller reports and such. I, personally, haven't found much success in this model. Have you?

What I did find success with was to understand why they are selling on their own. Here is what I learned:

1. They are real estate savvy (or think they are). They are former real estate agents or think that real estate agents make too much by doing nothing. My solution to them is an opportunity to put it on the MLS for a flat fee.I also offer a pay per service plan. So depending on what services they need, I can help them.

2. They have no equity or very little equity. My solution is to suggest a short refi, loan modification or a short sale then buy program.

Regards

Thanks for posting.  Printed and appreciated!

Thanks for the letter and to all who posted. Lots if good info.

Something an agent in our office did...which I thought was extrememly clever:

She asked the FSBO if she could put fliers in a flier box on his property about our "Breast Cancer Awareness"event our office was hosting.  The owner said "yes"... and she ended up having an interested buyer pick up a flyer...and the interested buyers closed on the home using HER to represesnt them!!

That's a great letter. I haven't targeted FSBOs in several years, but you never know when it could come in handy.

Bryant,  what a great letter!  Early in my mortgage career, I worked with FSBO's as a way to capture more buyers, and, HOPEFULLY, refer them over to my Realtor Partners when they realized they needed professional help.  I think you'd be surprised at how much quicker they warm up to mortgage people.  I'm gonna use that letter, too, and see if I can't help my Realtor partners get a few more listings...so they can bring me more buyers!  Thanks

This is a great letter and I do agree the goal is to get the appointment.  I can see where this would be a great way to do that.

Thanks for this - I'm going to forward this to an agent right now.

I agree with you that trying to hard sell the FSBO on why they need a Realtor doesn't work. It only makes them mad. FSBOS are savvy these days on the tactics that agents use to get them to sign a listing agreement. They've seen and heard it all. I don't try to sell them and I am helpful if asked but I'm not one to give them the tools that we have at our disposal either. They will gladly take all you want to give them and never give you another thought. We worked hard to earn our license and giving away our knowledge and tools for free isn't in my opinion in our best interests. I ask them to consider me if they change their minds and want the help of a professional and wish them success. Some call me and I get the listing. I am honest with them if given the chance to talk to them about the benefit of using a professional I can usually win them over. But I do thank you for  freely sharing your marketing stradegy. I do not think my way is the only way to do anything. 

Bryant, fantastic letter.  I have been lax in pursuing FSBO's here in Lake County, Ohio.  This letter is just what I need to get back in the game.  Thank you!

Hi Bryant... this is a very well written letter and, as you pointed out, it engages the seller and sets the stage for further communication.  Way to go.

Thanks for the well written fsbo letter Bryant.  I'm sure that myself or someone in the office can put this to good use.

That is a great letter, have you had good success with this one?

I have not regularly gone after FSBO'S. Do you really sign it " Your future Realtor?"

I am going to print this off and give it some thought- thank you for sharing :-)

Great letter BB... I will take you up on your offer. Now for the FSBO help kit......

This is actually great to have.  We don't have that many around here - but from time to time they crop up and i haven't had much conversion success...actually NO conversion success.

Hi BB -- Great letter.  You write so well.  Heck, if I were the owner, I would call you!!!

thanks for the great post Bryant, having something that sounds professional makes converting FSBO's into listings so much easier.

Ooohhh I like it!  Thanks for sharing this with us!!

BB - I have added your FSBO letter to my library of sample letters.  Thanks.

Hi Bryant. I like how you offer some things of value. ~ Lana

Broker Bryant.  Great letter, but FSBO prospecting can be very time consuming.  I prefer EXPIRED prospecting.  Here is an idea, I offer a free website to all FSBO.  See www.4NMFSBO.com

Love the idea-do you get alot of calls from FSBO's?

Thanks!  Will definitely bookmark. Not seeing very many FSBOS in our area. But you never know! Great calls to action.

Thanks for sharing one of your systems. I've bookmarked this post!

WOW!! Thanks for stopping by.

OK I wrote this letter 3 years ago when the market was very slow and I was soliciting FSBOs. I don't any more and haven't for a couple of years. I do however work expired listings. Expired listings are my bread and butter.

However when I did use this letter it got results. 

The best way to work FSBOs in my opinion is to knock on their door and have a face to face conversation. There was a time when I would spend Saturdays riding around my market area talking to FSBOs. I picked Saturdays because they would be out working in the yard of having a garage sale. I'd just walk over and have a conversation. I ALWAYS came home with at least one new listing.

My suggestion would be to print about a dozen FSBO letters and place them in your car in envelopes. When you are out and about and see a FSBO just write the address on the envelope. Then it's a simple step when you get back to your computer to see who the owner is and drop the letter in the mail. You may just surprise yourself and get a listing.

It's just one more thig you can do to get business.

Bryany- you keys points are exactly right- they may not call right away- but eventually they may call. I especially like how you addressed the selling issue-trying to sell them up front, is not the way to get it done.  ALthough the majority of agent will push too hard int he beginning.  Give them some breathing room and make the appointment-even if you don't get the listing, keep cultivating the lead.

Great letter.  Thank you for sharing it or should I say reposting it from your previous blog.  I will definately tweak it and merge it with the one I currently use.

Bryant~  Great post!  Thanks for sharing!!  I'm going to put a few spins on this one myself and start using it on my FSBO leads!

Good letter - I like your approach. 

 I do think that one problem sellers are facing is fallen home values, and difficulty with fair appraisals. 

Paying a realtor's fee, as much as they might prefer the service, may cut into any margin of profit they need, particularly if the home is new and the equity amount is low.

Once again, nice approach and letter!

Great letter. THe biggest mistake agents make, I think, is acting superior to the FSBO. One angry FSBO listed with me, and showed me the condescending solicitation letters he got citing failure rates, statistics on FSBOs who eventually listed with an agent. He did list --but not with anyone who sent him those letters.

Keep it friendly and don't talk down to them.

Thanks for sharing your secrets Bryant.  How many letters do you send?  Just one, or a series?

BB, I'll send a kit all right. Bet mine will be different than yours! Thanks for sharing your tips.  Erica has a good point too.

Great letter, thank you! I noticed you mentioned working expired listings, do you have any suggestions on how to go after these listing?

We are seeing less and less FSBO's in the Ann Arbor market. I think sellers realize with the inventory we as the Realtor community don't need to call or knock on their door to see the house.

I have been using your expired letter for a  couple of months so this is also something I will consider using. I have never really done anything with FSBO's.

Great letter, but if you're going to send this out you definitely need to know how to work short sales, which I know you do!  I would think that the majority of FSBOs today are upside down for sure.

BB-

I always enjoy the nuggets (and sometimes boulders) of info I get from your blog.  I'm one of the few agents in my area that actively market to FSBO's.  Most of my listings last year were former FSBO's.  I've been looking for a really nice intro letter and this is just what I've been looking for!  Thanks for putting it out there!  I hope to really ramp up my business this year and I think this is just one of the pieces I needed!

Bryant, I think many of the FSBO, are hesitant to call Realtors due to the fact they have no equity in the property. They are hoping to save the commission and find a buyer with more money than sense...this is a long shot bet to make when you are in trouble. The Call to action is exactly what will tip them over the edge and ask for help. Thanks for the perspective it helps to see others thought on the same issues we all face.

Hi there,

I really appreciate you sharing this letter. FSBO's are one of the avenues I'll be exploring soon. However, I did notice that you mentioned in the comments that Expired listings are your bread and butter. Any advice you could give along those lines would be great because that is what I'm currently targeting in my area.

Thank you again for your generosity. It's always great to see those willing to share.

Sedie

BB - this is perfect for anyone who is trying to pick up a few extra listings from FSBO's. Of course a lot of homes are fsbo's because they don't think they have to money to pay us.

Thank you for sharing and well written.  I will be bookmarking. 

I have use similar approaches.  Like yours better.

Bryant,

Thank you for sharing....I like how you offer THEM something of value in your contact....too many try to make it all about themselves as agents....

Bryant,

Excellent letter, I'm going to use it this week. Thanks for the advice.

Brian

Uncomplicated, to the point, and non threatening.  Great letter.

Good ideas, I have found expireds are much easier too.

Bryant,

Excellent plan for working with resistant owners. Developing rapport with them before creating a business relationship can only be good for all. Even if you don't get their business, I'd bet chances are good the FSBO owner would reccomend you to someone who has chatted with him about buying or selling a home. Thank you for posting this!

Bruce

This is the perfect way to start a realationship with someone. Sometimes just showing people that you actually care about them can make all the difference in the world. Building realationships is building business.

Bryant, thank you for sharing!  I like to give the FSBO's some "help" by listing all the disclosure documents they'll need to complete in order to be legally compliant.  There can be up to 20 legal forms they need to fill out and sign correctly.  Where do they get these forms?  How to ensure they are correct?  What is their liability?  Will they be sued later?  Yikes!  That's scary to a do-it-yourselfer... so the more info you give them, the better.  Because they will recognize that you're the expert and they really do NOT want to do it themselves.

With that being said, there are ZERO FSBO's here in CA because 50% of the market is short sales and 40% are REO's.  So I'll put this in my file for use in about 5 years from now... But then again, we can use for short sales too, because our goal is to GET AN APPOINTMENT with them, then we can explain our method.

Regina P. Brown

I say, thank you!  This is a great way to get started with FSBOs.  Friendly and effective - the perfect mix.

Bryant:

The agent that is successful with a FSBO will be the one that understands that it takes persistances. Like in the Internet lead conversion (which was recently discussed), the winner will be the agent that has a system and takes consistent action.

I have found the more face time that a person has with a FSBO the better.

I see more and more FSBOs these days and I can't say that I blame them in many instances. I've also heard comments that it's cheaper to pay an attorney than deal with realtors who throw a sign up and that's about it. Great letter though. ;-)

Thanks for the letter.  I have been working a FSBO in my neighborhood.  He hasn't come around yet, but I am still working on him.

Hmm, I like some of your points in this letter....I'll have to hold onto this

Hi Bryant, Thanks for the letter. When ever I have picked up a FSBO, they said it was because I wasn't pushy.

Bryant,

Thank you for sharing the letter & the tips on working FSBO's.

What is your FSBO website?

Thanks for the letter!  I will book mark it for future reference.

Barbara Calwhite

Bryant, as usual, great stuff. I am sure not only residential but commercial realtors will benefit from this post. Thanks again.

Wonderful theory- Get the appointment first, then sell them.  thanks for the letter.

BB,  

Great letter and wonderful that you are sharing with the right to use!  I have definitely noticed fewer FSBO's these days in Atlanta.  

I agree the hard sell is not what is going to work.  Provide info and let them come to you:-)

All the best, Michelle

BB - Another great tool thanks to you. I have bookmarked the letter and will give it a whirl! I am in the process of updating my "hey, I have a buyer for your neighborhood" letter. Maybe instead of rewriting it I ought to just ask the master? (That was me bowing down in case you didn't quite see it!)

Hi Bryant,

I just did a mailing to some FSBOs in my area.  My next  week's mailing will probably include this letter.

I was able to call a FSBO and get an appointment.  He did say that they will be making a decision soon.  This inspired me to work others in my area, there are at least 4.  So thanks for this.

Like I wasn't going to bookmark this?  Excellent resource.  Thank you. 

Great letter...I must also concur with your take on getting face to face. This certainly increased the chances of conversion. I plan to use this. Thanks!

Bryant, thanks for the letter and for the tips. THe non confrontational approach always works best.

Bryant, thankyou for the letter. I am trying my FSBO campaign and no results as yet so I will give this a try.

This is a great letter. I usually for free market analysis but I like the idea of mentioning mortgage and title companies.

Excellent letter. I will add to my marketing toolbox for my Realtor Partners

Great stuff to share with us about FSBO's.  I know that a lot of agents are having success with FSBO's.  They are usually open to your help once they get past thinking you are like all other agents.

This works for you?  Probably like crazy.  It would work here for some but other sellers would see it as too condecending. 

Hey Bryant, what a great letter.  Non confrontational is the way to go.  They seem to have a chip in their shoulder as it is.

Bryant - thanks for sharing your letter, very nice. I like the approach of not selling them your services. Most FSBO's end up listing and they know they will probably eventually list, they just don't want to be sold.

Thanks for sharing that great letter.  I've never been one to hard sell so love your approach~ Kudos!

Thanks for sharing that great letter.  I've never been one to hard sell so love your approach~ Kudos!

Solid letter, as Im sure you know. Its offering the assistance without pushing yourself on them.

Very well done and thank you SO much for sharing!!

Bryant, your letter is very good.  But I don't believe in this type of approach.  FSBOs are avoiding paying your commission because they don't see the value in your services, yet.  That's why they don't want to hire us right out of the gate.  Giving your services away for free only reinforces that belief.  There are better ways to approach them that reinforce the value of your services and gets you a higher conversion percentage. 

Thanks for sharing, Very informative. I enjoyed the post.

Think Big Work Small directed me here; now I want ot ask you to measure your resulst.  How many of these letters did you send. How many did you list because of this and how many did you close in 2009?

Great letter. Too many Realtors contact FSBO's whether by phone, letter or in person and basically tell the seller's how stupid they are to try to sell on their own.

Often with FSBO's or expireds it is the agent who builds up rapport with the seller's who ends up getting the listing. Don't ask for the listing, but give items of value to the seller and many will choose you.

Great post ...and some great comments! Thank you Bryant for sharing.

I had solicited FSBOs myself several years back offering my services to assist them including an 800 #. The goal was to introduce the home owner to an agent by having the agent do a BPO for them to assist in pricing their home. I would have the exposure for all leads that came through the door or called the number ( call capture). Limited success at that time.

There are so many FSBOs currently in my local market that I might just "tweak" your letter and my program again sharing it with my Realtor partners.

To Your Success!

Congrats on being featured on the TBWS Daily

I missed this post

Great stuff BB! I know of a few FSBO's that are nearby and they're getting a copy of this letter today!

I noticed someone else got referred here from TBWS Daily.  Nice approach on the letter.  I'm adding this one to my toolbox.  Thanks!

Excellent FSBO letter. I will definitely implement this as part of my marketing strategy and am book marking this post!

Thank you for a great letter.  You are very generous to share so much.  Margaret C.

Thanks Bryant - great letter - I've bookmarked it.  Nice name too! :-)

Broker Bryant I read this blog before but forgot to comment. I am about to start targeting FSBO's and Expired listings. This letter is going to be very helpful. Thank you sooo much for sharing. I AM VERY GRATEFUL. Great post.