FSBO Founder Can’t Sell Own Home — Hires Realtor!

According to the Wall Street Journal, the founder of ForSaleByOwner.com couldn’t sell his own home. Colby Sambrotto, the founder and former chief operating officer of ForSalebyOwner.com spent 6 months trying to sell his New York condo himself before turning the listing over to a Realtor.  Shortly thereafter, Sambrotto’s home received multiple offers and sold for $2.15 million ($150,000 over the original asking price!)

Why FSBOs Often Turn to Realtors

Sambrotto story is similar for many Clovis FSBOs — trying to sell your own Clovis home yourself isn’t easy.  Selling a home is complicated and the do-it-yourself approach to real estate rarely works (get the facts here).  There’s a better way.  At Clovis Real Estate, we offer FSBO services for those who want to go it alone and a 2-4-6% compensation plan to Clovis homeowners who want an expert to sell their home for them.  Choose the plan that’s right for you.

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What is the MLS?

MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service (which is a mouthful so it’s commonly referred to as “MLS”).  The MLS is a world-wide database of homes for sale translated into 27 different languages.  Since it’s located on the Internet, it’s “turned on” 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.   Plus, listing a home on the MLS notifies all Fresno | Clovis agents that your home officially is for sale.  In other words, when you place your home on the MLS, over 4,000 local agents are now helping you sell your home.

How Do I Place My Home on the MLS?

You can’t.  Only a licensed real estate company can list homes for sale on the MLS.  Click here if you want to place your home on the MLS.

Why Newspaper Ads Don’t Work

To be blunt, real estate newspaper ads no longer work.  They’re a waste of your time and money because only 2% of buyers now find the house they purchased using print ads and that number is shrinking by the year. Newspaper ads no longer work because photos can a better job of illustrating what a home really looks like than a written description ever can.  And if you added photos to your newspaper listing, you’ll be spending hundreds of dollars for 1 photo … that’s of poor quality.  And then gets thrown away later that day.  Homes with internet photos are color, higher quality, and there’s more of them — all for the fraction of the price.

The Problem with Craigslist

I’m a big fan of Craigslist.  I’ve used it to sell my car and buy a ladder to paint my own home.  We even use it to list our rentals and homes for sale.  The problem with Craigslist is that it works just fine for selling household items, but it’s not very effective in real estate.  That’s because there’s a much better way for home-buyers to view properties.  When searching for a home, Buyers search out sources that have the best information.  And that’s not Craigslist.  For example, a home on Craigslist is limited to a short description and a couple of photos.  Plus, when a new add is placed on Craigslist the previous one gets pushed down until by the end of the day the ad is buried at the bottom and barely noticeable.  That’s not a very good way to sell a home, hoping someone happens to scroll through page after page of the same ads over and over.

That’s why Buyers have flocked to the MLS.  It’s easier to search and has better information.  And with over 90% of all homes listed on the MLS, most Buyers conclude it’s a waste of their time to go to a site that has less than 1% of all homes for sale.  Who can blame then?

Don’t get me wrong, Craigslist is a great resource for certain items, but in real estate it shouldn’t be your only marketing plan.  By putting all of your eggs in one basket, you’re ignoring more effective marketing sources.  To sell your home (or any item for that matter), you want to get as many people as possible interested in it.  So the more people who see it, the better chance you’ll have of not only selling it, but getting top dollar too.  That’s why the MLS is a must-have in your real estate marketing toolbox.

Advantages of the MLS

Over 90% of all homes for sale are listed on the the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Why?  Because the MLS helps sellers reach nearly every home-buyer in the area.  More importantly, the MLS works.  Over 80% of all properties are sold through an MLS listing.  In other words, if you don’t list on the MLS — you’ll be missing out on 4 out of 5 Clovis and Fresno Buyers. Think about that for awhile and give us a call if you want to learn more about our MLS services (or click here to see all of our MLS plans).

Best wishes,

Dr. John McMillen
Clovis Real Estate, CEO
(559) 325-4545 (Text & Phone)

Yes!  I Want to List My Home on the MLS

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Tips for Clovis FSBO’s

Real estate is a lot like golf.  It looks easy … until you try it.

As a real estate professional who sold my first two homes as for sale by owner (FSBO), I can appreciate why you’re going it alone.  Now that I own my own real estate company (Clovis Real Estate), I wanted to give you some tips and advice on selling your own home.  By avoiding these common mistakes, you’ll be 100 X better off than I was all those years ago.

Here are the top 5 reasons why most FSBO’s never sell their home:

1. FSBO’s can’t be listed in the MLS

The #1 selling tool in real estate is the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).  Over 90% of all homes for sale are on the MLS.  That’s because the MLS works — over  80% of all homes are sold through the MLS.  As a for sale by owner, you don’t have access to the MLS.  The Fresno MLS has very strict rules and only licensed real estate brokers can list a home on the MLS.  That’s not all, when a home is listed on the MLS all of the home’s information is sent out to thousands of other real estate listing sites that are automatically connected to the MLS system.

The exact opposite is true of FSBOs.  As a FSBO, your home just sits there and gets only the exposure you give it, e.g., newspaper ads, yard signs, etc.  Unfortunately, these forms of marketing rarely work in today’s Internet age.  In fact, most of real estate web sites actually lock-out FSBO’s.  It’s kind of like going to a professional baseball game.  If you don’t have a ticket, they won’t let you in.

If there’s only one bit of advice you listen to today, put your home on the MLS.  You’re missing out on 4 out of 5 buyers if you don’t.  We offer an entry level FSBO option starting at just $299, so there’s really no excuse not to.  Click here to see all of our MLS plans.

2. Realtors won’t show FSBO homes

I can’t speak for all Realtors, but the majority that I know and deal with on a day-to-day basis won’t even bother attempting to contact a FSBO owner.  Why?  The MLS already has 90% of all homes on the market and each one comes with a commission to entice the Realtor to bring the homeowner a buyer.  Compare that to what you’re offering.  A handshake and pat on the back are nice, but they won’t pay the bills.

Yes, you could offer to pay a Realtor who brings you a buyer a commission, but the problem with that is, no Realtor will ever know that.  Realtors simply assume FSBO’s won’t pay a commission or they already would be on the MLS.  More importantly, a Realtor’s commission on the MLS is guaranteed in writing.  Verbal FSBO promises aren’t legally binding, so unless you have something in writing no Realtor will even listen.

There’s no reason why you can’t have the same Realtors who are currently ignoring you, come beating down your door to bring you a buyer for your home.  I’m saying this as both a Realtor and someone who sold both of my homes as a FSBO using the MLS before I got into real estate.  Without it, you’re all but sunk.  Click here if your home isn’t currently on the MLS and see how affordable listing on the MLS really is.

3. FSBO’s are usually over-priced

Most of the homes I come across are overpriced.  About the only ones that aren’t are foreclosures and short sales.  A little unknown secret in real estate is agents don’t set the price for a home, the homeowner does.  All Realtors do is make a suggested price based on what other similar homes in that neighborhood have sold for recently.  FSBO sellers don’t have access to these comparable home sale statistics like Realtors, so FSBO’s usually rely on online estimates from Zillow.com, Homevalues.com, etc.  The problem with these websites are they’ve never seen your home.  A computer has no idea if you put in marble floors from Italy or if you just painted your home florescent green — both of which would dramatically impact the price of your home.

Once a home is placed in the MLS, the #1 thing that sells any home — whether it’s large or small, new or old, worth $75,000 or $7.5 million — is price.  If you price your home slightly below market value (like foreclosures do), your home will sell almost instantly.  However, if you price your home even a few $1,000 dollars above market value, it will sit.  And sit.  And sit.  So price your home correctly and you’ll notice a BIG difference in the number of buyers you’ll have knocking at your door.

4. Buyers are nervous around FSBO owners

Have you ever been shopping at a car lot eying a nice shiny car, but then the salesman shows up and starts following you around asking if you need any help, or if there’s any questions he can answer?  If you’re like me, the moment the salesman shows up, all you want to do is tell him to please leave you alone so you can just look in peace, or run to your car and drive off.

Buyers get a similar feeling when they visit FSBO homes and the actual owner is present (it’s even worse when the homeowner gives the home tour).  Not only do buyers feel almost queasy inside, they tend to clam up and wait until they get outside of earshot.  In the meantime, there’s a lot of smiles and friendly nods, but inside, buyers are dying to get out so they can discuss their true feelings about the home. Compare that to when buyers walk through a home with an agent where they can discuss the good and bad points about the home openly and immediately … and in peace and quiet.

I understand why FSBOs do this.  You really have no other choice.  You certainly don’t want to let complete strangers wonder through your home unsupervised.  Realtors on the other hand can guide buyers through a home and keep on eye on them at all times, as well as openly talk about and point out the home’s strengths.

The point is, nobody wants to hurt someone else’s feelings, so buyers in FSBO homes hurry through the home and then start talking outside. They also are far less likely to open closets, look in closed rooms, check out every room, or sit down on the couch and imagine themselves living there if the seller is right there watching them.  In other words, buyers never get a chance to emotionally connect to a FSBO home.  And unless that happens, you have almost no chance of ever getting an offer.

5.  FSBO’s often run into legal troubles

FSBO sellers usually don’t understand all that goes into a successful real estate transaction. What contract works best?  How much of an escrow deposit should be required for a particular transaction?  What must the seller to with the deposit once received?  What title company should be used?  What is a title company?  When a buyer threatens to back out of the contract (which happens frequently in real estate) how does the FBSO owner keep the deal together?  What disclosures and addenda must be used to protect the seller against future lawsuits?  The list goes on and on and on.  As a Realtor with a law degree and Ph.D., I can tell you that making sure your i’s are dotted and your t’s are crossed is worth its weight in gold.  As the owner of Clovis Real Estate, I deal with contracts and legal forms everyday and trust me when I say that you don’t want to handle these documents by yourself.

Conclusion

There you have it, the 5 biggest reasons why a Fresno / Clovis FSBO seldom sell.  If your FSBO isn’t going as well as planned, you’re not alone.  The average FSBO only has 3% chance of selling their home without a Realtor.  But if you use all of these 5 tips you’ll dramatically increase your odds of selling.

Best wishes in selling your home,

Dr. John McMillen
Clovis Real Estate, CEO
(559) 325-4545

Posted by Clovis Real Estate | ClovisExperts.com /

3 Critical Factors for Selling a Clovis Home

Ever wonder why some Clovis homes sell right away and others just sit there for months and months and go through price drop after price drop?  There’s 3 reasons why some Clovis homes sell fast (and for top dollar) and others just sit month after month.

There are a lot of factors that go into selling a Clovis home these days due to the glut of Clovis foreclosures and short sales.  But the 3 critical factors that sell a Clovis home are:  (1) price, (2) location, and (3) condition.  We’ll explain why all 3 of these elements are critical and show you how we sell your Clovis home FAST and the highest amount possible! Read the rest of this entry »

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With over 90% of Clovis home buyers searching online for a new home your home must make a great first impression. The first impression is a lasting impression! In a buyers market, Clovis sellers compete with other Clovis sellers (such as Clovis foreclosures and Clovis short sales).  If Clovis buyers aren’t impressed by what they see online, they’ll simply move on to the next listing. At Clovis Real Estate, we put your home on the “must see” list for today’s Clovis home buyers. We offer a marketing plan and professional photos to assist with the sale of your Clovis home.

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