Screen Callers When You 

Sell Your Home Yourself

When you sell your home yourself, you want to be careful whom you let in the door to show your house to. Gather as much information as you can when someone calls to make an appointment.

That way, when the doorbell rings, you have a way of making certain that it is the person you are expecting.

Make Sure the Buyer is Serious

Before you agree to show your home, make an effort to engage the caller in a friendly conversation. Try to find out whether this is a potential buyer or just a "tire kicker". If the caller is not planning to move within the next few months, there is no sense wasting your time with him or her.

Once a date and time to show your home has been set, ask the caller how many people are coming and what make and color car will they be coming in? When they arrive, a quick look in the driveway is a safety precaution.

Take Notes

When you sell your home yourself, keep copies of this form by the phone; it is designed to help you gather information you should have handy when the caller comes to see your home.

The form helps organize your appointments. Read it quickly before the prospective buyer arrives to remind yourself about details of your conversation. By asking about something personal when you greet the visitor, you immediately create a friendly atmosphere.

While you were chatting on the phone, you might have written on the Telephone Profile Form that the caller said his family would like a pool. Dig out some photos showing how much fun your family and friends had around the pool. Every little effort helps when you sell your home yourself.

Dedicated Phone Line?

Before you tell the world that you are selling your own home, you should think about what telephone number to use in your advertising. Do you want to receive calls about the house at your current phone number at any time, day or night?

Consider that when a call comes in about your home there should not be any annoying background noise, (loud TV, crying children, barking dog, etc) so you can handle the conversation without distraction. Besides, when the phone rings, it may not be an opportune time for you to field the call.

A second phone line that is answered by voice mail can solve the problem. Use that dedicated number in all your Internet postings, ads and signs. Calls will be answered by a message where you describe the major features of your house and politely ask the caller to leave a name and number if he or she is interested in making an appointment to view your home.

Check Your Messages Regularly

Check your messages regularly during the day and evenings and return calls as soon as possible. When people leave a number, they expect to hear back promptly. Keep your recorded message to two minutes or less. When selling your own home, write out everything you like about your home, and then work the most appealing features into your message. You can say a lot in less than two minutes, without sounding like a chipmunk.

Having phone calls answered by a voice mail eliminates wasting your time with callers who realize from the recording that your home is not what they are looking for. As well, you will not be jarred from sleep by that thoughtless person who happened to see your Selling Your Own Home ad after he got home late at night.

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