know that you’re honest and at least not trying to
act like you’re a buyer. When calling FSBOs the
last thing you want to do is be sneaky. Remember
this: FSBOs get more calls from agents than buy-
ers. Therefore, they can tell a buyer from an
agent. Don’t play dumb because they’ll call you
out and make you wish you had never called.Listening
One quality you’ll soon discover in people is that they
like to talk about themselves and what they have achieved.
In order for you to be able to feel out the personality and
motivations of your prospect, you’ll have to be a good lis-
tener. Think about it, what do most people enjoy talking
about the most? The answer is, themselves. This remains
true for many social conversations, whether it be dating,
storytelling, or proving a point. For FSBOs, the conversa-
tion may be about themselves and also about what they
have done with their home in terms of improvements and
customizations. So, when they go off on a tangent on how
they remodeled the bathrooms and the kitchen...
LISTEN!
This is also a relationship tool. You have to listen to peo-
ple if you want to be listened to. If you can’t listen to the
seller, they are going to get agitated. And nothing is worse
than a salesperson who talks over a prospect because they
want to take their turn in boasting about themselves. That
will shoot needles into your seller’s nerves. Do not talk over
people. The best thing to do is, listen for a break and then
step into the conversation and do your part.
The Real Estate Agent’s Guide to FSBOs