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Helping a FSBO

August 8, 2008 By George O'Neill Leave a Comment

 

FSBO House in The Beach, Toronto

Earlier today I noticed this semi-detached property is still for sale.  It is listed with Property Sold.ca, a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) website.

Last year when I saw the listing I contacted the owner to see if he was interested in letting me come take a look, since at the time I had a client looking for a property in this location, which is south of Queen St, and is very desirable.  After sending repeated e-mails to him with no reply, I finally found his phone number and called. He does not live at this address, so it was difficult tracking him down.  When I called, I could not even complete my first sentence introducing myself before he cut me off and hung up.

I guess he really does not like real estate agents, even those that are trying to help.

Unfortunately his house is still for sale. The mean days on the market in this area, according to the most recent Toronto Real Estate Board Market Watch report is 15 days. I believe his property has now been for sale for over 365 days.  I understand some people wish to go through the process of selling their property themselves, and may be happy and have a good experience, and I respect their choice.   But, as I think this case demonstrates, not every property is cut out to go it alone.  There is a role for the old fashioned, professional, local expertise of a good Realtor.

I would really like to help this person sell this property, since it is in my real estate farm area, and it hurts me every time I drive by and see it sitting vacant, and deteriorating.  This property needs a home!

If you are the owner, and you are reading this, I can help.  If you are a buyer and like the property photos, please contact the owner directly through the FSBO website linked to above.

By the way, my clients bought another property and are happy. 

George

Related posts:

  1. For Sale By Owner Eyes Wide Shut
  2. Toronto Real Estate Market Watch Report – January 2009
  3. Seller Disclosure
  4. I Took the Plunge!
  5. When to use CMAs
Filed Under: Toronto Real Estate Musing Tagged With: , , , ,

About George O'Neill
George O'Neill is CEO and Broker of Record at O'Neill Real Estate Limited. Prior to founding this business, George worked for over twenty years as a management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Consulting and for leading Canadian and U.S. companies including Hydro One, Spar Aerospace, McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) and the Manufacturing Technology Centre in business development, marketing, sales and technology roles.George holds Master and Bachelor Degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick (UNB) as well as an MBA Degree from Queen's University. Active in the local community, George supports various charities and organizations and sits on various Boards including two private corporations and three not-for-profit organizations. George was an adjunct professor in Economics at Humber College for years and is founder of Real Estate Technology Toronto (RETechTO), Ontario's largest digital marketing discussion group for real estate professionals, and is founder of the annual Social Media Marketing Summit for Real Estate.George is an author, video blogger, sought after speaker and recognized as a thought leader in the real estate industry. He is pleased the majority of his business is based on repeat clients and referrals, and loves to spend time with his growing family.

Comments

  1. Mike Stewart Downtown Vancouver Realtor says:
    November 25, 2008 at 1:51 pm

    Great Article. I have worked with FSBO’s and it can be a challenge. I find the best course of action is to be consistent yet persistent. That said there are those people who are immune to reason.

    Reply
  2. George O'Neill says:
    November 26, 2008 at 12:53 am

    Thanks Mike for your comment. Yes, some FSBOs are real bears and have a hate on for any realtor. But, as you said there are ways to win them over, sometimes. In fact, when I look back when I started in this industry, my first listing was for a FSBO, and we sold that property after just one weekend open house. Luck perhaps, but I do think approach and the marketing we brought in play helped.

    George

    Reply

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