How to Preview a FSBO to Get a Listing Appointment - Kevin Ward

For a free copy of Kevin's actual FSBO scripts go to http://yesmasters.com/fsbo/ . How do you handle a FSBO, when you get an appointment that is really only set up as a preview, rather than a listing appointment? Through this training video, you'll discover how to use the preview to clarify their motivation, to connect, and to schedule a legitimate listing appointment so you get more listings...along with the Do's and Don'ts of talking to For Sale By Owners.

---

Closed Caption:

the winner is Kevin ward here at Kevin
out I com one of the questions I had an
accident two agents ask me that this
question this week is they are talking
to for sale by owners and their they've
got an appointment with a for sale by
owner to go and preview their home or to
go see the house and so forth and so the
question is it's not actually a listing
appointment
how do you approach a preview
appointment or where you're going to see
ourselves and see the house and so forth
so i wanted to share with you some
several thoughts on that
about what it takes to our what's the
best approach in talking to a for sale
by owner and the first thing is is to
respect their perspective and by the NSF
let me never make it for so violent or
stupid or wrong or inferior because
they're trying to sell the house
themselves because one of the things for
example that you asked him is so what
methods are using to market your home
and they're going to tell you you know
whatever they got a sign that they are
they've got ad on Craigslist
they may have advertised on the website
they may have run in a local newspaper
or whatever they did whatever they are
doing to market home excellent good for
you you affirm what they're doing great
so you've got it you got it on
craigslist get sign in the yard you do
an open house is good for you
I've repeated and I have affirmed what
they're doing because to them that makes
totally perfect sense that they would do
it that way
so one is you got to create agreement
with them so that they don't see you as
your it's you against them they want to
see it that it's you and them that I'm
here to help you and that's it with the
approach that I teach is is that when
you first talked to force all better hey
I work with a lot of buyers and sellers
in the area and i was just wondering how
can I help you
is that I'm here to help you and I'm not
here to get your listing I'm not here to
you no charge you money
I'm here to help you get the property
soul so that's the first thing is you
want to identify with them don't make it
wrong
see it from their perspective and
respect that perspective the second
thing that you want to do is never buy
into
you there apparent lack of motivation
don't buy another story when they say
about you know how to sell the house who
cares i'm just i'm testing it out didn't
really matter and i'm in no hurry
have you ever had that happen or
somebody tell you that and you believed
him and then you call back two or three
or four weeks later
only to find out that the very next week
they listed with an agent oh don't you
hate it when that happens
what happened they had more motivation
than they let on
now is that this doesn't always happen
but you have to assume that when they
tell you well you know what we at least
try to solve for a couple of months and
we're no hurry and we thought blah and
they're tough they're they're
downplaying their motivation
what they're doing is that's their
script they're using that as a way to
keep you from trying to get them to list
the property because they don't want to
pressure and so they just to let you
know what we're not doing anything right
now
it keeps them in control and if you
believe them and you buy into that then
you know you're never going to know if
that's the reality or not until it's too
late
so you want to make sure you're asking
questions to identify obviously the
third most important key and that in
working for some hunters and talking to
them is dig in to find the real
motivation
what is their motivation for selling
this property that's true with any
seller that the most important key for
anybody before the list of house is what
is their motivation because if they're
not motivated they're either not going
to list it or they're not going to be
realistic and when they listed about
what it's going to take to actually get
the property sold to a little surprised
it will be demanding about all kinds of
marketing that doesn't help
so I've got to ask questions about
motivation just to identify what their
position is so forth now let's say
you've talked to him on the phone and
they say yeah come around to the
property we're not listening and we're
just you know but will you know if you
bring some fire will pay you a
commission
here's another tip one is never fall
into the trap of saying hey if I have a
buyer will you pay me a commission or
say would great if I have a buyer
offering him over as you whenever you do
that and it's a lot of people teach you
to do that is like you call them and say
hey you know survey and for sale by
owners in the area and I want to know if
I bring over a bar we pay commission
well of course I mean no I'll do that I
mean virtually not always but virtually
all of us that you bring a bar and i'll
pay you a commission in my question is
why in the world would I approaching for
sale by owner that way because here's
what i just did what I just told that
was mr. for sale by owner your approach
works perfectly and I'm willing to
cooperate with your approach and that is
that if I have a buyer for your house
I'm going to magically remember your
house and find your house and find you
and I'm going to bring my buyer to see
your house
see what you do is whenever you do it go
with this impression of have a buyer
operating if you ever say that or if
they say well i'm going to work with an
agent what I brought you a bar would you
pay commission oh yeah well what you
just told him is you don't need to hire
an agent to sell your home all you gonna
do is let all the agents know that call
that when they have a buyer all they can
do is bring them and they'll get taken
care of they get paid a commission
see here's the reason you should never
say that that's not the way it works
k the reality is that's not how for sale
by owner cell and that's not how real
estate agents fine properties for their
buyers so two things happen
one is I'm I'm misinforming good for
sale by owner that their approach works
their strategy works that is that
hey you whatever they whatever if they
let other agents know they're willing to
work with an agent whenever an agent has
a buyer
they're going to find mr. for sale by
owner the reality is that's not how we
find buyers right are find listings
right
if you have a buyer think about it
you're an agent you have a buyer
how do you look for Bob properties for
that buyer you get on the MLS you look
and see what's available
ok you don't go out scrounging around
looking for for sale by owners that's
the I mean if you had to and there's no
inventory and you find your soul bond
okay we'll try to match them up but
every real-estate agent has been in the
business for ever tried to do a salad
for sale by owners
testing without being listed is you know
the chances are working with a for sale
by owner is much more difficult than if
you are working with them through
another agent and it just doesn't work
that way when we have motivated
qualified buyers we go on the MLS and
that's what would prefer every
real-estate agent would prefer to show
the property because you know you're
going to pay the Commission
you know there's a professional
standards standards of our profession
that are going to happen throughout the
listing and selling process when you're
working with a result by honor
it's anybody's game and you're gonna
have to fight for commission or it's
always uncertainty
you're going to run into more problems
because you got it for sale by owner
you're a homeowner trying to represent
themselves you know you've heard in in
law they teach the truth
only a fool represents himself right so
it doesn't it
the fact is it doesn't work that way for
sale by owners if they want ages to
bring listen so why would you play into
that game is what you're just telling
him is don't list with me
I have a buyer i'll bring so whenever
they say well you have a buyer
bring it here's the way you respond to
that great so you so if if an age of
brings a buyer
you are willing to pay a commission
excellent and what do you have a buyer
for me you know if that's a great
question mr. seller and I'm not calling
you because i have a specific buyer for
your house
the reason I'm calling is because I help
people like yourself saw their home for
top dollar in the best time possible
with the least amount of hassle and then
i'm going to go into another question so
if you saw this house where you going
next
I'm gonna go into motivation so whenever
you go to a for sale by owner let's say
you talked to on the phone is the I come
over to the house and I'm willing to
work with ages to bring a bar and great
ok good so I'm going to come over to see
that's what do I do
well one don't try to list the property
that's what we call a bait and switch
ok and sellers feel tricked if they
think you're going to preview the
property for a buyer or their think
you're coming to see the house so you
can know what's on the market or just to
meet on whatever
don't try to turn it switch and list the
property now a lot of people will try a
lot of agents will try to do that
the problem is one a lot of times
they're going to feel like you can
a man with false pretense you came in
here to preview it and now you're trying
to get me to sign the listing agreement
come on
and they so you actually hurt yourself
because you create distrust
now would you agree that trust is pretty
important between you and your clients
you and your sellers
absolutely so what you want to start out
is about being honest with him and
that's why I don't say if i bring a bar
all right you may have a bar for your
house I'm gonna come see it ok now if
you have a buyer for the house then you
can say that but here's the problem
what if the house doesn't work for your
buyer
well now what you gonna tell little
didn't work for my bar so now this with
me
ok well i don't want to list with you
I'm just going to do what we just did
that is whenever an agent is about to
tell him to bring them on over
ok and so that's going to run into that
and you see you've got to be careful and
realize the mindset that they have is if
you're telling you bring buyers they
don't think they need you when the
reality is they need you a lot
why because they are handling a several
hundred thousand or sometimes over a
million dollar asset transaction of that
and they're trying to do it themselves
they're trying to do with that
professional representation that's when
you're selling a 1.2 million dollar
house or a two-hundred-thousand-dollar
house it doesn't matter you're handling
a huge financial transaction you need
professional representation
that's why real estate professionals are
still needed and that's why I still over
ninety percent of real estate of for
sale by owners that actually end up
selling actually end up listing and
selling their home with a real estate
professional
now you go to the house you're
previewing that you're going to preview
to meet them or whatever you haven't
gone out there to list it
so what do you do well get out there me
don't be excited about their house and
identify their motivation and then ask
for an appointment
here's how that plays out when I get
there I'm just like hey thanks again for
having me I'm excited about to get a
look at your house and you know and then
as I go through the house
take what I i use a seller information
sheet it's just a lead sheet and I'm
just taking
so the property ask them if they have a
flyer on the property which they
probably did I get a copy of the flyer
and so I'm taking notes on it but I'm
not asking them questions about the
property because what matters when it
comes to selling a house
the property for the seller's motivation
and the reality is it's the seller's
motivation so I don't ask questions
about the property
what I'm doing is great so when the
house doesn't you said you guys are
moving to San Diego that's exciting
so how soon are you wanting to be there
what's taking it to san diego oh that's
exciting and so I'm just talking to him
and I makes getting excited about what
they're excited about I'm focusing on
what's important to them so i'm curious
now you guys have had decided to put it
on the market for yourself why did you
decide to just try to sell yourself
rather than a list with a professional
real estate agent
well we want to save the Commission okay
great so obviously you want to save the
Commission's which is basically just
dollars and cents right let me make that
reasoning totally makes sense and tell
him at them just economics right it just
makes sense so naked here's the clothes
and this is over the phone or at the
house and it's it's the two-step
if you want to call it that i'm at the
house now I'm talking to him I'm not
today so you finally get together let me
and list the house with me always speak
in terms of their interest and their
perspective
what do they want they want to get the
most money in their pocket so I find out
their motivation that their
realistically motivated seller house
they have a reason to sell it and then I
asked a very simple question and it's
almost again I i used but it's the
colombo technique of so let me just ask
this if if I can help you get the home
sold faster if that's the motivation
issue for get the home so faster for you
and get you to San Diego's sooner rather
than later and most importantly if I can
help you met the money you want to make
in your pocket
would you consider going ahead and
interviewing me now and that's the line
guys right there is the magic
well how you gonna do that after all the
commissions and everything you know it's
going to cost me more money you know and
I hear what you're saying and I and
understand what a lot of people a lot of
for sale by owners think that way but
again if I could help you do it and get
you the money you need in your pocket
even after my commissions and
everything would you at least talk to me
about well yeah I talk to you about it
great
then what I'd like to do is just set up
a time to sit down and just take a look
at what i can
what it would take to get your home sold
get you the most money in your pocket
and get you to san diego sooner rather
than later
even after all my costs and everything
will be great
great so we don't be a good time for us
to get back together and go over there
well why don't we just sit down right
now
well I'd love to but what I need to do
some more homework on your property now
that I've seen it i want to do a full
market study on it and then be really
prepared to sit down with you and show
you the numbers to show you what is
gonna actually how it's going to play
out and make sure that it's to your
benefit to hire me
does that make sense great so i could
come out to see this is wednesday
afternoon i can come out tomorrow
afternoon around five thirty or wood on
wood friday around two-thirty work
better for you tomorrow 530 great then
I'll i look forward to seeing your mark
5 30 now I just got the appointment and
I did it on very fair trade
if I could help you necklace get the
home sold net the money you need in your
pocket even after commissions and
everything would you consider meeting
with me
that's the approach and when you use
that approach
it's totally fair I clarified by going
to their house and meeting them have
clarified their motivation and literally
your time at their house will be shorter
than the time of this training video is
it's not going to take you that long to
figure out their motivation to talk to
them to understand what what they want
and then asked me if I could help you
get what you want in the time you want
to get the money and he would you
consider interview me now talk to me