Dear For Sale By Owners,

If you are reading this, you have been granted access to a page on my website just for you– the for sale by owner home seller. If you live in Scottsdale or Paradise Valley, I am willing to offer you the following as a courtesy, for living in the area I live in, work in, grew up in and know best.

Here is what I will provide:

• Tour of your home and offer staging and/or repair tips for every budget level. The more prepared your home is for sale, the more money you will net.
• Initial market report of your neighborhood and then automatic notification of any sales or new listings as the market changes. Over-pricing causes your house to get stale on the market, but sometimes FSBO’s under value their home, too.
• A professionally written description of your property and your neighborhood for distribution in your marketing pieces. This lets a potential buyer know not only why they should buy your home, but also want to live in the area. It’s all about location, location, location, as the saying goes.
• Wide angle lens photography of your home, including flyers for your prospective buyers as a take along to remember the home. Ninety-two percent of buyers use the internet in some way in their home search process. Photography that shows off your home online positively is essential. Cell phone pictures or dark images just won’t do.
• Personalized property profile notebook that includes area demographics, deed, plat map and CC&R’s for your home.
• Tips on showing your home. Always think safety first.
• Open house assistance with 15 professional signs available. More signs means more visibility and open house attendees.
• Screen unrepresented potential buyers for you and make certain they are qualified. Provide contact information for loan professionals in the area for those that are not.
• Provide seller net sheets to figure your net proceeds, hypothetically or for actual offers.
• List of title companies in your area to escrow earnest money, transfer HOA and taxes properly as well as handle the loan pay off and deed transfer and recordation of property.
• Assist you with relocation to your new home. I can represent you and your best interests as your buyer’s agent, at no cost to you. In fact, I’ll even pay for your first year’s home warranty at close of escrow.
• Click here for a handy seller checklist to prepare your home for market.

WHY WOULD I DO THIS?

Well, simply put this is what I do and I enjoy working my local real estate market and being informed about all homes available for sale in MLS or otherwise.  Additionally, you may to consider me for the following:

• I may have a buyer for your home through our experienced buyer team, present and past client referrals, other open houses I sit, or other professional networking means– loan officers, colleagues, investors, builders, etc.
• You may refer me to others if you know of people that absolutely need a licensed professional real estate broker to sell their home. You may also know of someone who wishes to purchase a home.
• You may choose to eventually work with me and allow me to sell your home — ASK ABOUT MY 1% LISTING PROGRAM and my EXCLUSIVE LISTING PROGRAM! 
• For more information on what I do for my sellers, including my “10 Point Marketing Plan” under the “Seller” tab, click here. I enjoy what I do and through my tried and true developed processes, tools, and vendors, I can market a home extensively and quickly. Not all agents are alike. Won’t you let me prove it?

Whichever of these happen, we are happy to help. As always, please do not hesitate to call me if you have any real estate questions, no pressure, just honest help to the community in which we serve and live in.

I get it. There are many reasons why you may feel the need to sell your home as an owner. I understand that and want to help you. A few of the most popular reasons for FSBO’s are:

• they want to maximize profits by saving the money that would be spent on real estate commissions,
• they feel they can market their home sufficiently on their own and sell it with minimal exposure or
• that they had a bad experience with a real estate agent in the past and feel all agents are the same.

THINGS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER:

To those points I would say… if you live in Scottsdale or Paradise Valley, I will give you a deep discount on the real estate listing commission. True, if you sell your own home, you may save on commission but that is IF it sells. Consumers don’t have the same extensive marketing portals availability as real estate professionals and the limited exposure could mean the difference between selling and not selling. Do you know less than 10% of FSBO’s successfully sell their homes on their own? I know you don’t want to hear that, especially early on, but those are the statistics. That means 91% of initial FSBO home sellers eventually list with a real estate agent or broker. I myself am a real estate broker, having gone back to school for more education because I take my career very seriously and wanted to take those extra steps to perfect my craft and provide the best for my clients.

98 percent of buyers use an agent while searching for a home. Meaning they are not actively searching specifically for “For Sale by Owner” listings online or driving certain neighborhood areas looking for signs, that is if you even have a sign in your yard. Did you know there are currently 30,000+ agent members in Arizona Regoinal MLS? These agents have buyers that are looking for your home! Inventory is low and there is no time like the present for an agent to bring you an offer.

Are you always available to show your home? Often times the homeowner doesn’t have the time or availability to handle inquiries on their home or time to show it.  Home buyers and buyers agents want quick responses on their inquiries, otherwise, they will often move onto the next potential property. Many FSBOs aren’t able to answer showing requests and property inquiries promptly, whether it’s because they have a full-time job or because they are simply not diligent about answering every phone call and email.

If you are are getting showings, are you giving your potential buyers space to view your home? Most home buyers do not like to be pressured when looking at a home. Allowing the buyer to view your home without being rushed or making them feel like they are intruding will actually go a long way. Giving a potential home buyer space allows them to be able to speak openly about the property without worrying that they will hurt the homeowners feelings. It also allows them an opportunity to picture themselves living in the home in the future.

If you get a buyer on your own, how will you handle the home inspection and findings? Most home buyers want to have a home inspection and you will want to allow them to do so to perform their due diligence. The likelihood that a home inspector is going to find something wrong with any home is strong. Certainly there are some homes that will have fewer home inspection findings, however, even newly built homes will likely have some “issues.” Sometimes a seller will believe that there is nothing wrong with their home and refuse to correct or fix findings. This can be a great way to scare away a buyer. A real estate professional can help guide a seller as to which repair requests are reasonable and common to move the transaction forward.

Is your home getting it’s best exposure? The answer is no. One of the biggest reasons FSBO’s fail in real estate is because the homeowner is not able to get their home in front of enough potential home buyers. There certainly are websites that allow FSBO’s to list their home for sale, however, there are also some websites that will not allow FSBO’s to market their home. Using a marketing savvy real estate broker, like myself, will get your home much more exposure. Whether it’s online exposure or other methods, Realtors have the tools to provide exposure that FSBO’s do not. The use of cutting-edge technology and a comprehensive marketing plan are what you can expect when you hire me. Please know that not all agents and brokers are not alike and there are different experience and motivation levels in the market place. I am both experienced and motivated.

Final Thoughts

Before you decide to sell your home by owner, remember, the chance you will be successful is less than 10% as per current statistics. Most sellers tire at the 50 to 70 day mark if not sooner– again proven statistics. If you decide you want to take on the challenge, make sure you are aware of the above common reasons why FSBO’s can fail in real estate. FSBO’s who understand what the most common pitfalls are will greatly increase the chance that they have a successful sale!

Are you a homeowner and are thinking of selling your home without Realtor representation?  Have you attempted to sell your home by owner and failed?  If you were unsuccessful, I’d love the opportunity to talk with you about your real estate plans, objectives and what I can do differently. Contact me for a no obligation appointment today.