Along with expired listings, for-sale-by-owners (FSBOs) prospecting is one of the classic sources for hot real estate listing leads.

FSBOs have already signaled their desire to sell their home. And thanks to some headwinds for FSBO sellers, it’s more than likely that you can actually contribute once you persuade them (or they persuade themselves) that they should list with an agent.

Sometimes, it is simply giving value to that owner so that, when they do decide to list their home, you are the agent they are prepared to work with.

Cold calling FSBO leads is intimidating. You need to have the right attitude, persistence, consistency, and a good real estate FSBO script!

FSBO Script Examples

Download a list of scripts in your preferred format, or keep reading below!

Kevin Ward

Kevin Ward is probably already on your radar. He is a very successful real estate coach and creates lots of YouTube content on his channel and podcast. He also is the author of The Book of YES: The Ultimate Real Estate Agent Conversation Guide.

Below is his FSBO script, which includes a lot of qualifying questions as well as strongly reinforces the dialog by positively acknowledging the seller’s responses.

Hi, I’m calling about your house for-sale-by-owner. Are you the owner?

• Great! Well, this is [YOUR NAME] with [BROKERAGE]. The reason I am calling is because I work with a lot of buyers and sellers in your area and wanted to find out what I can do to help you.
• Great. By the way, again, my name is [YOUR NAME]. What is your name?
• Hi [NAME]! So [NAME], how much time will you take before you might decide to hire a strong agent to get your property sold for you?
• Excellent. So when you sell this house, where are you going next?
• That’s exciting. How soon do you want to be there?
• Great. So why did you decide to make the move?
• How would you rate your motivation to sell your house at this time: low, medium, or high?
• Good for you. Now how are you marketing it?
• That’s great. How did you determine the price you’re asking?
• Fantastic. Do you have any flexibility on your price or are you firm?
• Terrific. So, why did you decide to market the house yourself rather than hire a professional agent?
• That makes sense. So if you were to hire an agent, what would you expect from them?
• Excellent. Now, have you heard about the strategies I use to sell homes?
• Really. [NAME], if I could help you get your property sold, and [ADDRESS OTHER SELLER CONCERNS], and still net you the money you need in your pocket, would you consider interviewing me now?
• Perfect. When would the best time for us to together? Would [DAY] at [TIME] be good or would [DAY] at [TIME] be better?
• Excellent!

Tom Ferry

Tom Ferry, son (and competitor) of legendary coach Mike Ferry, has carved out a big space for himself in the coaching industry. And his scripts are legendary (“tom ferry scripts” is searched on Google approximately 1000 times a month).

The below script is from his free script book to help you get to the listing appointment.

Hi, I’m looking for the owner of the home for sale. This is (name) with (company). As an area specialist, my goal is to know about all the homes for sale in the market place for the buyers I’m working with. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your property? Excellent!

1. I know the ad in the paper said it had (#) bedrooms and (#) baths
   • Are the rooms a good size?
   • How is the kitchen?
   • Have the bathrooms been remodeled?
   • Would you tell me about the yard?
   • Tell me about your neighborhood: do you feel it’s nice for raising a family?
   • Is there anything else that is important to know?
2. Sounds like you have a great home, why are you selling? (Great)
3. Where are you moving? (Terrific)
4. How did you decide on that area? (Fantastic)
5. Who did you want to sell your home to: a friend, neighbor or a relative? (Great)
6. How much is the new house you are buying? (Good for you)
7. So, do you have to sell this home first to close on the new one? (Great)
8. What is your time frame? Okay …
9. How did you determine your sales price? Got it.
10. You know, with as many homes as are on the market right now, what are you doing differently to market yours? What else?
11. If there was an advantage to … use me … to market your home would you consider it?
12. Normally at this point … I would say … let’s get together for 20 minutes or so … so we can discuss how we can help you achieve your goal … I have some time (___) or would (___) be better for you?
13. I’d like to have some information delivered before we meet … where should I send it, to your home or office?
14. I look forward to meeting with you on (___), thanks again and have a great day!

Borino

Borino is a coach with a prolific YouTube channel and training that focuses on prospecting. His script is slightly different in that he frames it as a home preview tour, which makes for a faster convo and a softer sell.

Then, when at the home in person he is able to develop rapport, trust, and a relationship with the homeowner.

His script includes using the person’s name a lot, which is a key selling technique (people are hard-wired to pay attention when they hear their name).

He has the cleverly named FSBOrino.com course for sale with materials for working FSBO leads.

Hey, is this [NAME]?

• Hi, [NAME], this is [YOUR NAME] with [YOUR BROKERAGE]. Now don’t worry, I’m not another agent trying convince you to list your house with me so you can breathe and smile, alright? Now [NAME], is the house still for sale or have you sold?
• Gotchya. Okay, and you’re still asking [PRICE] for it?
• Oh, okay. And I see here’s its a [BED/BATH], is that correct?
• That is correct, gotchya. Now, [NAME], question: if an agent could bring you a qualified buyer would you cooperate with agents? Would you pay a small commission?
• Sure. So [NAME], if I have a buyer or somebody remotely interested, should I just sell them your way? Is it okay if you deal with them directly?
• Okay, that sounds good. Let’s do this, [NAME]. Obviously, I need to see the property first before I can tell my potential buyers about it. Will you be there [DAY] at [TIME]? I need about a five or ten-minute tour.
• Awesome. So I’ll swing by about [TIME] on [DAY]. Looking forward to meeting you in person.

FSBO Tips and Training

• Set a Date. You won’t likely get a seller ready to sign a listing with you on your first phone call, and you shouldn’t expect to. Instead, set a more achievable goal like getting face-to-face time with the seller via a preview appointment.
• Send a Mail Piece. You may not always reach the seller by phone. Or, if you do, you were one of tens or hundreds of other agents who did the same. Sending something in the mail is a way to stand out from the crowd. There usually aren’t that many FSBOs, so sending regular and thoughtful FSBO packages isn’t too expensive or time-consuming. Include a list of sales in the neighborhood and your value add.
• Follow Up is Still Required. FSBOs can be very quick leads. After two weeks as a FSBO with no good buyers, some are ready to list and get it sold! But FSBOs are also one of the least motivated seller groups. Only 5% need to sell “very urgently” versus 15% of traditional sellers. It’s not uncommon for FSBO homes to sit on the market, overpriced, and the sellers aren’t too bothered about it. You can’t quit after your first call, first week, or first month of follow-up. Just like other leads, you need to be persistent and in it for the long haul.

FSBO Training

Real Estate Uncensored

Real Estate Uncensored with Greg McDaniel and Matt Johnson is a popular podcast that you should be following! They often focus on lead generation and prospecting topics like FSBOs and expireds.

Here they are interviewing Brandon Mulrenin (more on him below) about his own prospecting and FSBO strategies.

Vulcan7

Vulcan7 is a list and dialer. Like other dialers, they often have good resources on how to make the most of their product with scripts and training. Below is such an example, an interview with Jeanne Sommer.

Brandon Mulrenin

Brandon Mulrenin is a prolific YouTube creator with endless content for dialing. His site is ReverseSelling.com, named for the book he published by the same name. He also promotes his own free script book.

Live FSBO Call Examples

“You’re like the 5th or 6th agent who has called, and we’re only interested if you have a buyer”. Have you heard that?

Bryan Casella has a bunch of live calls you can look through on YouTube, for FSBOs and expireds alike.

Brandon Mulrenin is a Realtor in Troy, Michigan.

Ricky Carruth, author of Zero to Diamond, has an entire hour of live FSBO calls you can check out here to get a feel for the pace and scripts.

Chastin J Miles is another Dallas agent with a sizable YouTube following. His has several playlists oriented around marketing and lead generation advice.

Using a Dialer

There are a variety of dialers out there, from beginner-friendly REDX, rapid-fire Mojo, a simple dialing Chrome extension in Kixie, or the pricier but well-regarded pro systems of Espresso Agent or Vulcan7.

I wrote a list of these best dialers to go look through if you are prepared to make that jump.

Espresso Agent and Vulcan7 in particular are known for their FSBO lists to call. Landvoice is another service that provides FSBO lists albeit not dialers.

Conclusion

I hope this has been a start in the right direction for your FSBO seller prospecting! FSBOs are a plentiful and cheap way to get started in this business. There is a lot of competition, but with practice, confidence, and scripts, you can go far!

Updated April 24, 2024; Originally published August 18, 2019.