Dated: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
From: James Osmar
Subject Matter: Private Seller Web Site as a Listing Tool

Dear Real Estate Friend,

Let me explain…

It’s about The Law of Reciprocation and what needs to be done after all that you have said does not convince them to list with you.

All that is required is a small tweaking of the way Realtors look at the For Sale by Owner (FSBO) and how our relationship is with them. It is very important to keep an open mind.

Canada Private is just a new twist on an old idea; you see all of your Sellers have already considered the challenge of selling on their own. Fortunately, they will continue to sell with you whether you talk to them about selling private or not.

Most Realtors do not want anything to do with Private Sellers other then to watch them fail and hope that they do so miserably. In tandem, Private Sellers often hope that we will suffer a slow pitiful end to our real estate careers.

The FSBO/Realtor relationship has grown in this way because the Seller thinks that they are paying to much commission and Realtors tend bug them with their endless sales pitch.

The fact is that we are never going to rid ourselves of the other. So the best thing to do is to figure out how to work together and of course earn a commission. What Realtors have to accept is the fact that you’re Sellers know about private seller companies and how to find them on the Internet, they are not a secret.

At the time of this writing our staff searched For Sale by Owner’s and found over 40 For Sale by Owner companies across Canada. So as a Realtor, you have to realize that the Private Seller is here to stay… now more then ever.

These companies are all able to be found all over the Internet with functioning web sites that cost the Seller as little as $39.95, with the first two months free, to actively market their home until sold. None of these sites by the way are as easy to use as the site I am about to show you and ours is FREE to the Seller. This is an important point that I will explain here in this letter.

It's very common for the FSBO to choose one of these 40 plus Internet companies in an attempt to get their home sold, this is good to know because it's how you are going to win them over.

Canada Private is a web site that can be used by Realtors to offer to the Private Seller and at the same time use it as a listing tool. Believe me I know that this will be controversial with Realtors; many new radical ideas often were at first.

In order to beat back these Private Seller companies, it is important that Realtors band together and work with one FSBO company that is Realtor friendly.

The fact is, there will always be Private Sellers no matter what we as Realtors say or do. It is the goal of Canada Private to be used as a listing tool, to go around all the other FSBO companies and slam them with our own. Therefore, we have created a Private Seller company for Realtors. One that advertises you and your company logo right beside the Private Seller's listing, with the header “Looking for a Realtor”

We will show you here in this letter that Private Sellers are most often never going to sell anyway…

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No other Private Seller site advertises you,
the Realtor…

Now before I go on extolling the virtues of this concept, I want to point out some very interesting statistics.

Did you know that the average Private Seller will list their property with a Realtor after only 27 days of trying on their own? This marketing effort will be longer if they have paid a lot of money to list their property with a FSBO company.

Tip – Direct them to Canada Private because it’s FREE for the Seller. The very fact that they can list for FREE, will induce them to give up on their go it alone attempt, sooner rather then later and it will open the door for you.

At the time of this writing, on the London and St. Thomas Real Estate Board, only 40% of all listings actually sold, this means that 60% of all homes did not sell. The startling fact is that London, Ontario is considered to be in a strong real estate market and could very well represent most areas across the country.

If Realtors, with all of our tools, expertise and resources can only manage to sell 40% of our listings. What do you think the success rate of Private Sellers will be, especially if they are only on the market for an average of 27 days? Probabilities are, only less than 1 out of 10 actually end up selling on their own.

Armed with this knowledge we have decided to build a web site that is user friendly for Buyers, Sellers and an awesome listing tool for Realtors…

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How the system works…

By going through the paper or getting the Sellers phone number off yard signs, call or drop in and ask about their future plans about listing.

When the iron is hot, offer them a FREE Internet listing on Canada Private. They will get their own web page, complete with photos, comments, they can also display up to 5 pictures with the ability to add and edit all content. This will give them the feeling of being in total control of their sale.

When you sign up, we will provide you with an easy to use Killer Script!!

It is important to remember that most FSBO’s will end up on one of the 40 plus Private Seller sites available to them. So don’t hesitate to get your prospect onto Canada Private, a site that promotes you, especially knowing that they are going to advertise on one anyway.

With this tool, even the meanest of Private Sellers will open up to you when they hear they can get their property advertised for FREE, on a National for Sale by Owner site.

The fact that they can advertise on a National For Sale by Owner site, sounds very impressive, but this alone will not get their home sold any faster. Buyers that are relocating to your city will always contact a Realtor.

It is also important to understand that even with all of your Real Estate advertising. How many times have you sold a home because of the ad? I would venture a guess that it is very few and if you have sold many, it was an anomaly. I know this to be true because I have run an $80,000.00 annual advertising budget and I have always tracked where my Buyers and Sellers have come from.

This is where it gets interesting; the Private Seller will want to know what is in it for you and what strings are attached. There truly are no strings; they can advertise one property on the Internet for FREE. I can’t remind you enough, that they will list with a Realtor within 27 Days. However, they will have selected a Realtor well before that. This why you need to use Canada Private as a listing tool, to get yourself noticed.

The answer as to what is in it for you should be obvious; whether they sell or not, perhaps you can help them with their future plans.

If they do not sell, perhaps you will be considered for the listing. If they do sell, you could help them buy their next home or even refer them to a Realtor in another city. This will give you at least three chances at a commission cheque and does not take into consideration all the potential referrals and their other future business.

All you have to say to them is, “when you sell, if I help you out here, perhaps I can help you find your new home”.

Short and sweet!

Try not to get to mention or get too excited at the possibility of them not being successful in their attempt to sell.

All you have to do is ask them to click on your name when completing their on-line listing form as the person that referred them to the site, so that you will get credit for it. You will then be advertised exclusively along side their listing.

Read on… or

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Get “you” and your company “logo” advertised!

You will be advertised right along side of the sellers listing, under the banner “Looking for a Realtor”. The real benefit to you is that the person that will look at the ad the most will be the Seller themselves. Your picture and company logo will automatically be placed beside their property advertisement, reminding them who it was that referred them to the site.

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Tip – As part of your promotion strategy, we suggest that you get the Seller to email all of their friends and relatives their new web page ad. This gives you more exposure in this hot target market. It is also important to let the Seller see that you are not self serving.

The Law of Reciprocation!

It is important that you remember these two things, most Private Sellers will get their property onto a FSBO site and almost all of them will not sell. I hope you are starting to get it, if most sellers do not sell, and they are going to list their property on a Private Seller site. It may as well be you that helps them out, in order to be the first in line when they do choose a Realtor and list their property, which is usually within 27 days.

Another advantage is that your ad profile will also be placed beside Sellers that were not referred to the site. These Sellers will see your ad, because your profile will also be placed beside their listings. Remember, the person that looks at the ad the most will be the Seller of the property.

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For those of you who are skeptical!!!

And believe me I know that when it comes to FSBO’s this is a subject that will bring out the most entrenched opinions. Clear your past beliefs, if only for just a few minutes, because that is what it will take to accept change… and remember: 

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With Private Sellers, the Realtor most often gets the listing is the one that got noticed. Because most Private Sellers will advertise their property on one of the 40 plus FSBO sites, it may as well be a site that promotes “you”. 

You see, if a Private Seller is going it alone, they already have the opinion that selling a house is not that hard and a Realtor does not offer much in terms of value. Therefore as a new Realtor in the business, FSBO’s are a great target market to compete in, even when you are up against most seasoned of professionals, because you are now equal.

You can also approach Sellers that are on other FSBO sites with the offer of additional FREE exposure. Simply let them know that it is in their benefit to tell Buyers all of the places that they are being advertised, giving that Buyer a feeling of urgency. Remember they will most likely not sell anyway.

Tip – Should the Seller decide to purchase a Canada Private sign, offer to cover the cost when they list with you. 

Canada Private – will get you one more chance to secure the listing…

I have heard some Realtors say they would never help a Private Seller, personally I think they are missing a golden opportunity. Understand, I am not suggesting that you go to your listing appointments offering them a space on Canada Private. Not useless they tell you they are definitely going to go FSBO.

However, I would let them now about Canada Private in letters and emails as I will explain further on.

Once you know the Seller is going to advertise privately, don’t let them slip away. Get them on Canada Private, this will enable you to keep in touch with them and squeeze out your competition. Because once they go FSBO they will be meeting dozens of other agents.

Now tell me what is better! To let them sell privately without your involvement and meet all kinds of other agents. Or, to get them on Canada Private, a site that will actually scare away many Realtors and place your profile ad right beside theirs.

What I am suggesting is that when you are working with people that are going to try and sell privately. This is the best tool to use because it enables you to gain the trust and following of that Seller. It is the best tool that you can use to get yourself noticed and keep them focused on you.

It is very important to keep the Private Seller attention on you, because within 27 days they are going to list with a Realtor. With Canada Private as you’re listing tool, you will stand out well above your competition.

If all Realtors worked together, we could actually make it harder for all of the Private Seller companies out there to operate effectively and you could list more properties at the same time. We can do this because we are Canada Private is FREE and most other FSBO companies are not, “fight fire with fire”. This will actually drive many of these FSBO companies out of business.

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This system is too important to leave out of your bag of tools…

We all have encountered listing appointments where after the presentation when doing our follow up call, we are told that they are going to try to sell on their own.

Don’t simply give up because the Seller told you they are going to try and sell on their own. Even after you give it your best shot and have done all that you can to impress upon them that you will be able to sell their property for more money then they will. Some Sellers are still going to go it alone. They are going to list with an Internet FSBO company, except the fact and turn it into your advantage.

Don’t let them slip into the hands of your competition. It is a fact that most Realtors will stay away from a FSBO that is listed with a For Sale by Owner Company.  This should give you more incentive to get them onto a FSBO site that advertises you; Canada Private is that ideal Realtor friendly medium.

This system will also work for the agent that does not want to get involved with Private Sellers. It will enable you to become proactive and keep your foot in the door. If you are not the kind of agent that does not work For Sale by Owners, keep this tool readily available anyway, because eventually you will find yourself in the situation where you need it.

For the agent that does not solicit Private Sellers - Canada Private will advertise you beside Sellers that have not selected a referring Realtor. Therefore, you can be promoted in this hot target market and not even have to approach a For Sale by Owner.

And if they do sell, they could be buying or relocating…

In the rare event that the Private Seller does get their home sold, most often they will have to buy a new home or they will be relocating to another city. If you handle things in a way that does not look self serving and is in their best interest, you will get at least one of these three possible commission cheques. This does not even cover the possibility of referrals or future business and all of the commissions earned this way.

The Law of Reciprocation… just reach back into your memory bank to a time when you felt compelled to reciprocate, because someone did something nice for you…

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Add another “System” to your arsenal…

If you are a Systems Guy or a Team Leader, Canada Private is ideal for you. When you have things running like a fine tuned violin, you probably already add another system to your busy office.

You guys know better then anyone the value of another system. This one is already setup and comes complete with a script to make the implementation process easy.

As a Team Leader this is an ideal way to get your Team members to produce more business. It is just one more system that you can use to keep your Team productive and increase your office production.

What is most beneficial to a Systems Guy is that it is totally accountable; it makes it easy to monitor the activity of your agents. With a few clicks of your mouse, you can see how many prospects are being worked. There can be no excuse for your Team not to be productive with this system. 

Keep in the loop with absentee landlords…

Many Realtors do not want to be bothered with renting places out. Tell your landlords about the Properties for Rent section on the site, this is especially a great tool to work out of town landlords; they are perfect for Canada Private. The system is self managing, so they won’t be a burden to you and you will have provided them a great service.

Do you know of any clients that have properties to rent, or investors that you are trying to win over? This is good way to get in with them and their market.

You can even call for rent signs to meet investors and landlords. There are several landlords that get fed up or pressured into having to sell on a moments notice. The idea here is to tell them about the Properties For Rent section on Canada Private so that you can be there when they are ready to sell.

Again, your profile and your company logo will appear beside their ad, keeping you in the forefront of their real estate mind. In the event that they should decide to sell they will most certainly remember the favor of referring them to the rental section of Canada Private. 

Shhhhhh!!!

Understand, only certain people are predisposed to selling privately, they are either going to, or they are not. People that will not sell on their own are not going to decide to just because they were told about Canada Private by a person like you.

You would have to think that going FSBO is a new idea, a secret that has just been let out of the bag?  Trust me on this one, your clients already now about selling on their own and advertising on the Internet. If they are going to do it then they will, no matter what you say or do and if they are not, they simply will not.

I can assure you that pretty much every Seller that you have ever worked with has given some consideration to trying to sell their home on their own.

Tell people about Canada Private in your mailings, it is a great system to use to flush out Sellers that are going to try on their own. The problem with not telling them is that if they are going to go FSBO, they will do it without your involvement and go to a company that does not advertise you!

Let them know about the site and they will not be embarrassed to see you should they do decide to sell on their own. This way you will at least have a chance to try to talk them out of it. If you can’t talk them out of it, get them on the Canada Private with your exclusive profile ad right beside theirs.

This will get you one more chance at getting their listing, future purchase or their out of town referral and it will thwart off much of your competition. It is very important to keep in mind that if they go FSBO without your involvement, they will be meeting dozens of Realtors and they will end up listing with the one that impresses them the most.

In addition to all of the reasons that we have covered here today, you can advertise your personal listings on the site to gain additional exposure. With all the Buyers and Private Sellers that are using the system, why not take advantage of the increased traffic that you can drive to your site. Your listings and promotional ad will also have a link that will go directly to your personal webpage.

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We will assist with training you and your prospects…

If you or your prospects have any questions we will assist and help train either of you on how to use the system. We have a staff on hand on hand 8:30 am to 4:30 pm EST, Monday to Friday.

However, we have designed the system to be so easy to use that even the novice can navigate their way around the site with ease.

After you have given this your consideration and have decided to join, we will forward to you a script that will make this entire task even simpler.

At this low price, if it’s possible that you are not convinced about the powerful influence this system will have on Private Sellers, you would have to be crazy not to try it out for even a few months. 

 

To your success,

James Osmar
Canada Private

www.CanadaPrivate.com

P.S. With Canada Private as a tool, listing FSBO’s has never been easier!!