FSBO (For-Sale-By-Owner) refers to a situation when a house is being sold by the owner of the house themselves, without intermediaries. According to the Zillow Group consumer housing trend report, the biggest reasons homeowners go the FSBO route are:
However, it is still possible to get hired by people who are trying to sell their home by themselves — since only 10% of all sellers never engage an intermediary, while the other 10% try to do it alone but eventually turn to an agent or broker for help.
This is where FSBO scripts bring value. You can get started quickly using a script on your calls. The advantage of proven scripts is that they let you quickly put together a workable template, and then you can iterate and refine it as you go.
Effective FSBO scripts (which we will discuss in this article) are focused on building trust and demonstrating value to potential clients.
Features common to FSBO scripts:
For-sale-by-owner scripts’ role is to help you get a foot in the door. Since FSBO’s sell their houses by themselves for various reasons, the next 10 scripts approach setting an appointment from different angles.
If you want to get a foot in the door and secure a listing, then the ”Appointment setter” by Tom Ferry is your go-to script. This script is designed to help you get an appointment with the seller to discuss their property and explain why you are a better choice than an owner selling their house by themselves.
Many FSBOs are selling by themselves to try and save some money. David Hill’s “We’re trying to save some money” script focuses on this while also highlighting the benefits of working with a real estate agent. The script starts by acknowledging the seller’s goal and then moves on to explain how working with a real estate agent can actually save them money in the long run.
Below is the script that David Hill used when he played out a hypothetical cold call to a prospective homeowner, during his interview with Pat Hiban.
If you want to stand out from other agents and get more FSBO listings, you could consider trying the “Reverse selling” by Kyle Handy. This technique involves communicating with FSBOs in a way that aligns with what they believe — that they don’t need a listing agent.
Mike Ferry has over four decades of experience in sales and management and rose to become one of the top agents in his state during his career. Mike’s “Describe your perfect agent” script goes around the question of whether an FSBO wants to hire an agent, and gets your prospect to think about what they’re looking for in the agent.
If you have many buyer contacts but not enough homes, Agent Mastermind’s “I’ve Got a Buyer” should be one of your go-to scripts.
Breakthrough Broker is one of the most popular realtor resources in North America, and their “Choose your own adventure” FSBO script lives up to their reputation.
Unlike other scripts here, this one looks like a flowchart — meaning it offers different ways to continue the talk depending on the seller’s answers. If you want to pivot mid-conversation, Breakthrough Broker’s “Choose your own adventure” is a great fit.
Chastin J. Miles claims that his “No excuses” is a “non-threatening FSBO script that gets sellers to give you a shot”. Use it to look for opportunities even after the homeowner said “No”.
Below is the full script along with hypothetical answers from a homeowner.
There are cases when an FSBO house does not sell for a long time. This is a challenge for the owner, but an opportunity for a real estate agent. The “Older FSBO” script by Fit Small Business targets owners of such listings.
This script is similar to the “No excuses” script by Chastin J. Miles, but it tackles the most common objection FSBOs have to hiring a real estate agent: the agent’s commission.
Unlike other scripts in this article, the elevator pitch is short and its main point is to identify if the seller is willing to work with a buyer’s agent. If yes, it immediately tries to arrange an in-person meeting with the seller.
Using FSBO scripts can be a great way to capture more leads and close more deals. Here are some tips to help you use your scripts more effectively.
Rehearse your script before making calls. You want to sound confident and knowledgeable when talking to potential clients. Here are a few ways how you could do it:
It will take some practice to get the hang of it, but the more experience you have, the easier it is to learn new scripts and improvise in unexpected situations.
Choosing the right time to call a potential client is crucial. You don’t want to call them during dinner or when they’re busy with other things.
The 2022 study by Revenue found that the best time to cold call is in the afternoon, during 4-5 p.m. hours. It is followed by the 3-4 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. hours windows. In a 2019 study by the same company, the best time to call showed up to be between 8 a.m. — 11 a.m.
In addition, an analysis by Yesware found that calls lasting over five minutes most often happen between 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Both 2019 and 2022 studies by Revenue focused on B2B sales, meaning things might be different with homeowners. However, while they are homeowners, many of them are also working professionals, so the studies can serve as a reference.
The key is to try different times and see what times work best for you and your clients. Look for patterns and then stick to the timing where you see the most success.
A dedicated business phone number can provide several advantages for a real estate agent:
There are several free and paid options for getting a dedicated business phone number.
Free options include Google Voice and Skype. If you need more functionality, there are paid options like Grasshopper, RingCentral, and Phone.com.
When talking to potential clients, it’s important to respect their decision. If they’re not interested in working with you, don’t push them. Thank them for their time and move on to the next lead.
Some clients may prefer to communicate via email instead of phone calls. Make sure to ask them how they prefer to communicate and adjust accordingly.
Alternatively, you could also try cold email outreach instead of calling. Since it’s quite different from a call, here is an example to get you started.
Title: Inquiry about the sale of [address]
Unlike a phone call, a conversation via email is drawn out in time, and it’s easy to dismiss or forget about the message. You need to make sure to grab the homeowner’s attention and keep it throughout the communication.
One thing to keep in mind is that FSBO sellers believe they can sell by themselves. Contradicting people’s beliefs will upset them and make the conversation harder for you. The phone scripts listed earlier in the article all take this fact into account — and the same should be done with email, too:
Because of these reasons, what works best is creating a multi-touch and multi-step FSBO campaign. This means multiple calls and emails, or a combination of them, and perhaps other channels like advertising, too (i.e., the Facebook advertising platform has an option where you can upload a list of contacts and show your ads exclusively to them. You could use this to retarget your leads as part of your overall client acquisition campaign).
With that in mind, here are some of the FSBO-targeted real estate email ideas you may want to consider for your next campaign.
Title: Discover how to price your home and sell it for top dollar yourself
Title: Sell your house fast with these 3 simple tips
Sending a follow-up email after a call can also be a good way to keep in touch with potential clients. Here are a few real estate follow-up email examples of how such an email could look like.
The “Appointment setter” script follow-up email
A follow-up email example after the “We’re trying to save some money” script call:
FSBO scripts are an essential tool for real estate agents looking to work with For-Sale-By-Owner homeowners. These scripts provide a structured way to navigate communication with potential clients and help agents build trust, demonstrate value, and secure appointments.
By using proven, tried-and-tested scripts like “Appointment setter” by Tom Ferry or “I’ve got a buyer” by Agent Mastermind, agents can overcome objections and get their foot in the door with FSBO sellers.
With the right approach and the right scripts, real estate agents can successfully convert FSBO sellers into clients and grow their businesses.
