Answering Common Seller Questions

Direct, honest answers are the easy & smart way to move past a seller’s assumptions or suspicions.

Calling a seller can immediately place some hurdles in front of you. For Sale by Owner homes (FSBOs) are typically bombarded by real estate agents trying to secure the listing for themselves, so you’re already facing an uphill battle over the phone. Expired listings are a great source but they’re definitely getting even more bombarded by real estate agents.

All the previous calls can make sellers irritable by the time they answer your call. Often you will have to field a few terse questions from a skeptical seller before explaining the types of lease-options or owner-financing deals you make as an investor and simply the fact that you’re looking to buy and not an agent. You will literally hear and feel the seller’s wall come down and their energy change.

Sellers have an idea about how real estate agents sell properties, but moving beyond that can raise questions, if not a little suspicion simply because so many people haven’t heard about TERMS even though it’s been around for decades and decades. We’re accustomed to answering several questions on phone calls with sellers and have put together a few quick scripts to help ease the voice on the other end of the line. We’ve even partnered with a persuasion specialist and reworked all of our scripts we use and our students use.

Are you a Realtor?

If you are a Realtor, you should disclose that. Yes, I am a Realtor, but I’m not contacting you to list the property. I’m actually looking to purchase a home in your area.

If you are not a Realtor; No I am not a Realtor. I’m actually looking to buy property in the area and I wanted to chat with you briefly and see if your house is a good fit for me to buy.

Simple and direct.

Are you an investor?

Yes, I am an investor, but I’m not like your typical investor. I’m looking to buy property in the area and pay full market value so if you’re thinking about an investor on HGTV, that’s not me. I’m not here to try to buy really low and sell it higher. This, again, will take down the wall so to speak and allow the seller to relax and be more open. Depending upon how many wholesalers and rehabbers are in your local market, they may have been targeted by them already and you buying on TERMS is refreshing for them. This is one of the many reasons we love buying on terms and not wholesaling or rehabbing (besides the fact that our niche and TERMS is way more profitable and less transactional in nature).

No knocks on wholesalers or flippers, but when facing this common question from sellers we call, it is best to set their misconceptions aside and make set the seller at ease before explaining lease-option or owner-financing deals. Many of my friends and many guests on our podcast are in that niche - ours is just better, more fun, creates more wealth and is more profitable.

Are you a flipper?

No, I’m not a flipper, that’s not my specialty. I am an investor though, and I do buy property. I usually buy nice, move-in ready homes. That’s why I wanted to chat briefly with you about your home because I am picky about the homes that I buy.

All these examples are quick meant to get to a yes or no honestly and then move the conversation toward the reason we are calling them. That helps set the seller at ease and their next questions are usually about the types of deals we do as investors, which can take a few minutes to explain. That’s where a polished, but flexible, conversation comes in. Keep in mind always and forever -- you will get deals under contract by focussing on the sellers’ challenge, problem or goal. Stay away from giving mini seminars. Turn the focus on them. Ask questions.