Selling Your Own House

The Phone is Ringing!

One of the (many) skills to learn when selling your own house, is how to handle those phone, e-mail and on the doorstep inquiries.

We will start with the phone inquires first as this will probably be the most frequently used method buyers will use to contact you, when selling forsalebyowner.

Why Buyers REALLY Call

OK, here is your first lesson. This might be hard to believe, but buyers call on properties to try and eliminate each one. Huh? Yep, they ask enough questions so that they can find something wrong with your property so they can cross it off their list.

I always like to cover the why with you, so here it is in a nutshell. Buyers that are seriously looking for a house to buy, will circle a bunch of newspaper ads, and then start phoning each one.

They really don't want to look at 45 properties, so they try to eliminate as many as possible so they only have to look at perhaps 4 or 5 of their top choices.

Don't forget, when selling your own house, they will be probably be looking at far more "listed with real estate houses" than forsalebyowners.

Whats the Lesson?

The lesson is when selling your own house, Talk Less - Listen More. Don't volunteer information.

That buyer on the other end of the phone is not going to put an offer in until they actually see the property. Right? So what is your job? Not to sell the house. Nope.

Your one and only goal when handling a phone inquiry is to get an appointment with the buyer to view your house. That's it Period.

What does the Buyer Already Know?

If you followed the lesson on how to advertise when selling your own house, you know that the buyer already has the location and price. If you need a refresher or haven't been to the "how to advertise" section yet, you can go there now at selling your own house advertisng main page I'll wait here. So, if the buyer has the location and price, you either have a buyer that is looking in your area and price range or perhaps a real estate agent looking for a listing. More on that on another page.

You see, when selling your own house and you include the price, location, and some great features, you eliminate the useless calls that just discourage you. If the buyer doesn't want to buy in your area or can't afford your house, why do you want to waste time on that call? Exactly!

Lets do an Example Run

Ring! or more likely, Tchaikovsky's 1812-Overture :-)

You - Hello?

Buyer - Yes, I'm calling about your house for sale on Whispering Pines Boulevard. How many square feet is it?

You - We have 2200 sq. ft finished on both levels.

Buyer - How many bathrooms?

You - We have 2 full baths, one on each level.

Buyer - Is there a garage?

You - Yes we have a detached single garage

Buyer - How old is the house?

You - I think it was built about 25 years ago.

Buyer - Do you have air-conditioning?

You - Yes we do.

Buyer - How far are you from the elementary school?

You - Oh, its right across the street from us.

Buyer - Oh, we don't want to be near a school. To much noise. (now comes the great escape). I'll talk to my wife when she gets home. Note: She's standing right beside him.

Perhaps we'll give you a call later today to set up an appointment.

You - OK, this house is totally fenced, and has a large garden with apples, and grapes. We have a fireplace in the family room....

Buyer - Huh, huh.

You (with some desperation in voice) - The master bedroom has his and her closets, and we were thinking of adding a 2 piece bath next year.

Buyer - Huh, huh.

You - Blah, blah, blah.....Hello? hello?

What Went Wrong?

Lets go back to what I said earlier. When selling your own house, and you receive a phone inquiry, your job is to get the appointment, not to sell the house.

You can't sell the house over the phone. Your ad should have had enough information to entice the buyer to come take a look.

If they had the address, they can drive by the house first.

If they have the price, they know they can afford it.

If you had the # of bedrooms, the square footage, mentioned the garage, air-conditioning and # of bathrooms there should be enough information for the buyer to come take a look.

Here Comes Another Call

Ring!

You - Hello?

Buyer - Yes, I'm calling about your house for sale on Whispering Pines Boulevard. Are you still for sale?

You - Yes we are. Did you see our ad in the Daily News?

Buyer - Yes we did.

You - Well I guess you have a fair amount of information already on our home. Would you like to view the property sometime today or this evening?

Buyer - umm...umm....Let me ask my wife...muffled conversation. Hello?

You - Yes?

Buyer - Sure, could we come over around 6:00 tonight.

You - 6:00 should be fine. What is your name?

Buyer - George.

You - OK George, if something comes up and you can't make it, could you give us a call?

Buyer - Sure.

You - Just in case, what is your number?

Buyer - 555-1234

You - Thanks, we'll see you at 6:00 then. I'm looking forward to meeting you.

What Went Right?

You took control of the conversation. In the first call, the buyer was in control. What is the easiest way to take control when selling your own house? Ask questions. The other party feels obligated to answer them.

In the first call, the buyer asked question after question until he found a reason to eliminate your property from his list. "Whew! One less to look at Mary". On the second call you asked the questions.

When selling your own house, you HAVE to ask for the appointment at some point and the sooner the better. If they don't accept your first offer, let them ask perhaps two questions and then ask for the appointment again.

Why are people afraid to ask for the appointment? Because of my favorite saying of ALL time, which I believe was first said by a motivational speaker, named Zig Ziggler.

"The Fear of Loss is Far Greater, Than Any Hope for Gain"

Think about that for a moment. People fear loss (someone saying no to them) far more than any hope for gain (that the other party might just say yes). Let me put your mind at ease.

* By asking for the appointment when selling your own house, you have NOTHING to lose.

* By not asking for the appointment you have the potential for loss.

* If the buyer isn't going to view your house, asking for the appointment won't change anything, one way or the other.

A Good Idea

When selling your own house, it is always good practice to get a name and phone number of the other person. When the buyer above said George, you might have continued this way.

Buyer - George

You - Hi George, is there just you coming?

Buyer - No my wife will be there also.

You - and her name?

Buyer - Mary

You - and your last name is.....(trailing)

Buyer - Brown

Then you go into the phone number bit.

Note: You might also want to check the authenticity of the caller. You could call back a bit later and say something like, "Is this George Brown?" Yes. "You have an appointment to view my home on Whispering Pines Boulevard at 6pm this evening." "Is there any change we could make it 6:30?"

What you are doing here, is making sure the buyer is who they say they are and confirming the appointment.

In a Nutshell

* Take control of the conversation by asking questions.

* Ask for the appointment as soon as comfortably possible.

* If the caller does not take the appointment request the first time, answer 1 or 2 questions then ask again.

* Never volunteer information - Your goal when selling your own house, is to get an appointment with the buyer to view your property, not to sell it.

A Couple More Things

When on the telephone speaking to a potential buyer, try to smile. Talk in the way you would talk to a friend if they were standing in front of you. You want the person on the other end to think, "I like this person!".

If you are distant, sound like it's a bother to talk to the caller, or just plain grumpy, you can actually lose the showing, and perhaps a sale. Ouch!

When asking for a last name or a call back number, I always found the easiest way was to trail my voice with a slight questioning tone like this;

You - Whom am I speaking to?

Buyer - George

You - George.....?

Buyer - Brown

or try this one

You - Whom am I speaking to?

Buyer - George

You - And your last name....?

Buyer - Brown

It's hard for me to explain but you can practice with perhaps your husband, wife, or friend. When you ask the trailing question, try raising your eyebrows.

As a forsalebyowner, don't fret over the calls that don't result in an appointment. Real estate agents get these calls by the tons! When selling your own house, you will get far less because you have the price, address, and some important features listed in your ads.

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