This No-Pressure Text Makes FSBOs Actually Want To Work With You

Hey guys, I want to talk to you about a unique way of going after for sale by owners and expired listings, and that is cold texting. Today, we’re going to focus on FSBOs.

With for sale by owners, we know that 92% of these folks are eventually going to work with a REALTOR.

The question is:

Will it be you or your competitor?

If you never reach out, never make contact, and never make an effort, you’re never going to have a shot at getting these listings. You never get what we call an “at bat.”

So how do you get an at bat? You make contact. You build a relationship. You’re never going to close them on the first appointment. Usually it takes several appointments and several conversations to get them to come to you.

Remember, FSBOs typically have a four-to-six-week incubation period. From the time they plant the sign in the yard or post on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, within four to six weeks, 92% of them will have worked with or decided to work with a REALTOR.

So what’s our conversation?

One option is a phone call where we say, “Hey, I respect your decision to sell on your own. I’m not calling to list your house. Quick question—would you be open to allowing me to show the property?”

That’s a great conversation. It opens a lot of doors. It’s simple, almost magic language.

But what if people aren’t answering their phone—which is happening more and more? Can we turn that into a text version and send it as a cold text?

Absolutely. But my biggest recommendation right now is a video text.

That’s a personalized video where I might say, “Hey, Jim Remley over at ABC Real Estate. I drove by and saw your sign in the yard. I’m not calling to ask for the listing, but I do have a quick question. Would you allow me to show the house if I have a qualified buyer?”

“If the answer is yes, just text me back and we can set up a quick time for me to walk through. I promise not to ask for the listing. I’ll respect your time. It’ll just be a quick walkthrough. I’d love to hear from you soon.”

That’s it.

When you do this, you’re personalizing yourself to the client. They get a sense of who you are and your style. You’re not threatening. You’re not overly aggressive. You’re very chill. That’s what they want—someone who’s not going to pressure them.

When you do this, watch the doors open. Watch how many people say yes to this approach.

Here’s the real beauty of it. For those of you who say, “I’m too busy, I’ve got too much going on,” you can offload this to an assistant, an ISA, or someone on your team.

They can monitor the FSBOs in your market and send out the video messages. It won’t be quite as personalized, but it’s still you on screen, connecting in a way a standard cold text never could.

I want you to try this. Explore it. Test it. A/B test it and see how it works in your market.

Remember, it doesn’t take much. If you start getting one, two, or three appointments a week, within a month or two you’ll see these people start listing with you—and that creates real transformation in your business.

If you want more cutting-edge ideas to help you generate leads at a high level, join us at erealestatecoach2.com. We have an incredible coaching program called Path Performance Coaching.

Your first month is only a dollar. Take it for a test drive here.

Have a great day, and good selling.