FSBO Scripts: How to Text and Call a For Sale by Owner Seller

Before you send anything

A FSBO seller posted their number to sell a house, which is not the same as consent to marketing texts from agents.

Check the number against the National Do Not Call Registry and your state's list, and follow your brokerage's consent policy. If you have a real buyer for the house, say so; that is a different conversation than a listing pitch.

TCPA violations can cost $500 to $1,500 per text. This is not legal advice; ask your broker.

The first text

The first FSBO text should give the seller something useful before it asks for anything.

• Hi [Name], saw [address] is for sale by owner. I have a buyer looking in [area] around [price]. Would you work with a buyer's agent?
• Hi [Name], I pulled the three most recent sales near [address]. Want them? Useful for pricing either way.
• Hi [Name], good luck with [address]. If a buyer's lender or title asks you something you're not sure about, text me. Happy to help.

The call script

The FSBO call works when you lead with a buyer or a useful fact and ask permission to keep talking.

Call only numbers you have checked against the Do Not Call Registry and your state's list.

• Hi, is this [Name]? This is [You] with [Brokerage]. I'm calling about [address]. Is it still available? ... Great. Would you work with a buyer's agent if I brought you a qualified buyer?
• If yes: What price would you need to net, after any buyer agent fee? And when would you want to be moved?
• If no: Totally fair. Can I send you the three most recent sales near you? No strings. What's the best number to text?
• Close: If it hasn't sold in 30 days, would you be open to a 15-minute conversation about what's in the way?

The follow-ups

FSBO follow-ups work when each one answers a problem sellers hit around week two.

• Day 3: How are showings going? Most FSBO sellers I talk to get lots of agent calls and few buyers. True for you?
• Day 7: A home on [street] sold for [price] last week. Here are the photos they used, if helpful.
• Day 10: Quick tip, free: ask every buyer for a pre-approval letter before a showing. Saves you a weekend.
• Day 14: If you decide you want help, I'll give you a straight answer on price and a plan. No hard sell.

When the seller answers

When a FSBO seller replies, respect the choice they made and offer to make it easier.

• They say 'We don't want to pay commission': Totally fair. If I bring a buyer, we can talk about how the buyer side gets paid. You keep full control.
• They say 'We're doing fine': Great. If it sits past 30 days, save my number.
• They ask a question: Answer it in one text. No pitch. That is how you earn the next conversation.
• They say stop: Sorry for the bother. I'll take you off my list.

Who keeps the sequence going

FSBO sellers list with an agent weeks later, and the agent who is still in touch is the one who gets the call.

Sifta remembers every FSBO seller you texted, what you sent and what they said, and drafts the next useful text in your voice when it is due. You approve from your phone.

Sifta is not a CRM, does not make phone calls, does not run ad campaigns and does not do compliance paperwork. It does the follow-up, the chasing, the booking and the research, from the text thread you already have open. Sifta Pro is $199 a month.

Three ways to start

You can text Sifta, get a free Leak Report on your own inbox, or read the pricing page.

Text Sifta and ask it for comps on any address. Or connect your Gmail or Outlook for the free Leak Report: it reads the last 90 days and shows you the leads, offers and lender messages that got no reply.

Or see pricing. Sifta Pro is $199 a month.

If Sifta doesn't catch something worth more than the price in week one, you don't pay.