It’s been fascinating to watch the growth of FSBO, or “For Sale by Owner” properties. After all, with the Internet, real estate agents no longer have the power to keep only their listings in the public eye.
There are so many companies that have sprung up to help FSBOs market their properties on their own. Gone are the days of the sad store-bought “For Sale” sign in the window with a handwritten phone number. These days, home sellers who want to work without an agent can set up their own websites to showcase their properties and advertise them with a number of online services.
Once you have your own home staging business, it’s important to think about all your possible target markets and home sellers who don’t intend to list with a real estate agent can certainly be an important group. In fact, one could argue that these sellers need us even more because we’ll probably provide the only objective feedback they’ll get before putting their homes on the market.
Plus they really need our help to ensure their online photos are solid.
Then there’s the added benefit that with the 5% or 6% commission on their selling price that they’re saving, they may be more willing to invest in staging.
Congratulations to Dolly Dewald who transformed this FSBO property. What a difference her staging made! The owners held their own open houses and even without a real estate agent, they managed to sell this Omaha home for 96% of their asking price.
About her training, Dolly writes, “My goal was to have a job I loved. The Staging Diva Program gave me the structure and know-how to create a business and make it work. With Debra Gould’s help I now have an outlet for my creative juices and a job I love.”
> Read the rest of Dolly’s home staging story here.
For more marketing ideas to help you take advantage of the spring real estate season and to ensure you reach all your target markets, consider these two products:
14 Marketing Ideas to Rev Up Your Home Staging Business
Staging Diva’s Sales and Marketing Secrets to Boost Your Home Staging Business
I have noticed a lot of FSBO popping up in the last few weeks. I have a question though. Do we have to worry about the “Do Not Call” listings?
Pamela, if someone is on a “do not call” list, don’t call them. Of course there is nothing to stop you from stopping by when they have an open house 🙂