Selling FSBO--question about real estate agents

[bluebunny]

We're trying to sell our house FSBO. We have gotten several calls from real estate agents who want to see the house. They don't have interested buyers but tell me they have a "pool of possible buyers." I think it's a ploy to get us to list with them.

Do you think it's a waste of time to show our house to agents without buyers?

[Asha]

well, if you aren't willing to give them a buyer's commission of say 2-3%, then i would say it is a waste of your time. some realtors are willing to show their clients a fsbo if they know they will be getting a commission. that's the way my parents sold their house fsbo bc they offered a buyers' commission to the agent who brought the buyer in. this was way back when the california real estate market was horrrible, and my parents had their house listed for several mos without any bites. once they offered the buyer's agent commission, they were able to sell it within a matter of weeks.

[bluebunny]

We're willing to pay the buyer's agent a 3% commission. The problem is that these agents are telling us up front (when we ask) that they don't have a buyer that is interested in the house. They say they could POTENTIALLY have a buyer but they want to see the house first. I'm just wondering if they are just trying to get us to list with them or whether seeing the house first is what they routinely do with FSBO houses.

[Hello Kitty]

What harm could it do if you were resolve to NOT list with the agent? I mean, if they want to come in and see it (knowing about your commission) they may find a client who wants it. It may be a good listing to keep in their back pocket when helping people try to find a home. If they pressure you to list with them, you can decline, it's not like they can force you to do anything.

[bluebunny]

Yeah, it can't really hurt for us to show it to real estate agents. We've already let one look at it and she gave us her sales pitch. I'm letting another one come on Thursday. I guess my feeling right now is that it's a pain to get the house all gussied up for a showing and take time out of our schedules if the agent is not going to bring us a buyer, kwim?

[hmbay]

agents often do "prospecting" looks at houses they don't have buyers for to see how things compare in the neighborhood or incase they do find a buyer they already know if it's worth showing it to their clients. I'd show it to the agents and just tell them up front when they call for the appointment that you will pay them 2-3% if they find you a buyer and they are welcome to look but that you are not looking to use a listing agent to sell your property at this time. Any good agent will respect that.

[Asha]

also, isn't it kinda customary to have an open house just for agents? i imgaine they would want to look at it ahead of time to see if it is worth their time to show this property to prospective buyers.

[julietchicago]

Some agents might really want to come in to view your home for potential clients. But most just want to get in the door and offer their sales pitch.

Trust me, I have been very successful turning FSBO's into my own listing.
I don't lie and say I have a buyer, because I have never had a buyer for a FSBO. Showing a client a FSBO would be a last resort if I could not find them their "perfect" home in the MLS.

Good luck to you.

[kerrykate]

We are also selling our house FSBO and have had a couple realtors contact us. One came to our door and said she wanted to see our house. I told her right off the bat that if the house doesn't sell in a couple weeks that we already have a realtor lined up that we're going to work with (which is true). Suddenly she didn't want to see the house anymore and said thanks and turned around and walked away. IMO, definitely not worth showing the house to a realtor. I think the more likely scenario is someone driving by your house and taking interest in it and calling you directly or telling their realtor and the realtor calls to let you know that they have someone who would like a showing.

[bluebunny]

Showing a client a FSBO would be a last resort if I could not find them their "perfect" home in the MLS.


julietchicago, can I ask why? I guess I don't see what difference it makes to the buyer's agent if the FSBO seller is willing to pay the same commission that any other seller would pay. Is it just on principle? I mean, do real estate agents not want to show FSBO homes so that they will end up listing with an agent?

kerrykate, thanks for the advice. If we do list with an agent, we'll be using the agent we used to purchase our house so I guess we'll say the same thing as you are.