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What do I say to the objections owners selling alone raise most?

Answer what is true, then choose one of two routes: ask the next logical question in the call, or ask for the appointment. Both routes respect the owner's plan. Strong agents carry both and pick the one that fits the person in front of them, rather than running the same script every time.

Captions on. Narrated with an AI voice.

Read the transcript

Look, we've already decided.
We're not paying anyone a commission.
We'll put up a sign and sell it ourselves, thanks.
Honestly, that's a mistake. Most owners can't do this alone.
You'll get the pricing wrong, the inspection will stall,
and the paperwork will bury you.
You really need an agent.
After every practice call, your card arrives: what worked, and the one thing to fix.
The call trains four moves. Hear it as a plan being defended, not a fight.
Answer what is true. Then ask the next question, or ask for the meeting.
And match their pace.
Telling an owner their reason for going alone is wrong closes the
conversation faster than any objection ever could.
A plan being defended responds to respect and a good question.
Practice it until it sounds like you.
Each call runs as long as the conversation needs,
and you can make as many as you want.
Practice free at 10before10.com/try.

Drafted with AI by the 10before10 team, reviewed and approved by Grant Freer and Gia Freer, licensed Florida real estate brokers. Updated October 30, 2026. También en español.

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What is really being said

An objection from an owner selling alone is usually a plan being defended, not a fight being picked. Somewhere along the way they decided: save the fee, handle it themselves, wait for a buyer to show up. The objection is the plan talking.

It sounds like resistance, and it is closer to a person holding onto a decision that felt right when they made it.

That matters for how you answer. A plan being defended responds to respect and a good question. A fight responds to nothing you say, because nobody is actually fighting.

Treat the words in front of you as the owner's current thinking, not as a wall.

Hey Ten™What do I say to "we're going to relist with the same agent"?Practice it now

What to say

These are examples in plain words, not lines to memorize. Each objection below has two routes: answer and ask the next question, or answer and ask for the appointment. Strong agents carry both and choose the one that fits the owner's pace and directness, which is why practicing both matters more than picking a favorite.

"We're saving the commission"

Route one: "That makes sense. Can I ask what you're planning to do with what you save?" This keeps the conversation moving toward the owner's real goal rather than the fee itself.

Route two: "That's fair. Would it help to put two numbers side by side, what you'd likely walk away with either way? I could come by this week."

Asking for the meeting works when the owner sounds ready to compare rather than defend.

This objection has more depth than fits here. See the commission objection for a full answer.

"We'll try it ourselves first"

Route one: "That's a reasonable plan. What would need to happen for you to feel like it worked?" This gets the owner to name their own success measure, which tells you a lot about timing.

Route two: "Sounds good. Before you start, would twenty minutes at the house help, so you know where the hard parts usually sit whichever way you go? I could come by Thursday."

Asking for a short visit respects the plan and makes you useful to it.

"Bring me a buyer and I'll pay you"

Route one: "I hear that a lot. Can I ask, are you open to any buyer, or only one who's already pre-approved and ready?" This answer narrows what "a buyer" actually means before anyone wastes time.

Route two: "I don't have a name to give you today, and I want to be honest about that. Would you be open to a short meeting so I understand what you're looking for, in case someone comes along?" This route trades a promise you cannot make for an honest ask.

"I have a friend in the business"

Route one: "That's great, family and friends matter. Have you two talked specifics yet, like how they'd handle it?" This treats the relationship as real rather than something to argue around.

Route two: "Totally understand. Would you be open to a second opinion before you decide, Tuesday at five or Wednesday at six?" Asking for a small meeting works because it does not ask the owner to choose against someone they trust.

"We've sold before. It was easy."

Route one: "Sounds like it went well. What was the one part that took more time than you expected?" This question respects the experience and finds the one spot where help might matter.

Route two: "That's good to hear. Would it help to sit down for twenty minutes and compare how this market differs from back then?" This route offers something new without implying the owner did it wrong last time.

"Just send me something."

Route one: "I can do that. Can I ask what would be most useful, what buyers actually paid nearby, or what the process looks like start to finish?" This turns a brush-off into a real request.

Route two: "I'll send that over today. Would it make sense to go through it together at the house this week, so the numbers have the home beside them?" The meeting gives the information a reason to matter.

What not to do

Do not argue with the plan itself. Telling an owner their reason for going alone is wrong closes the conversation faster than any objection ever could.

Do not use the same route every time. An owner who answers quickly and directly wants the next question, not a long explanation. An owner who sounds unsure benefits more from a meeting offered softly.

Matching their pace matters more than having a favorite line.

Do not quote a fee or a number on the phone, in any of these routes. And do not mention a buyer you do not actually have in hand, even to keep the conversation going.

How to practice it

Have a colleague play an owner selling alone who opens with one of the six lines above, chosen at random. Answer the objection, then pick a route out loud before you speak it, so you notice yourself choosing rather than defaulting. Run it five times, once per objection, alternating which route you choose each time.

Listen back for the moment you start explaining instead of asking. That is the habit 10before10™'s scorecard listens for on this drill.

Honest answers

What are common FSBO mistakes?Three places tend to get hard: pricing from an online estimate rather than what buyers actually paid nearby, the inspection negotiation after an offer comes in, and the paperwork and deadlines between contract and closing. These are information, not warnings. Owners who know where the hard parts sit can plan around them, whichever way they sell.

How many times should I answer the same objection?Answer what is true, then ask again. If the owner repeats the objection with less energy, keep going gently. Stop when the no sounds like a decision rather than a reflex. Pushing past a real decision costs trust and rarely changes the outcome that day.

Should I bring up the commission first?No. Let the owner raise it if it matters to them. Opening with a defense of your fee puts you in a position of justifying something nobody asked about yet, and it frames the whole call around money before you know what the owner actually wants.

What do I say to a for-sale-by-owner on the first call?Say who you are, say you are not a buyer, give an owner selling alone something useful, th…What do I say on the second and third call to a for-sale-by-owner?Bring something new each time, on the day you said you would call. What to say on follow-u…How do I handle the commission objection?The commission objection is usually a question about the net, not the fee. Say your fee pl…How do you tell an objection from a condition?An objection is a concern a good answer or question can resolve. A condition is a fact no …

Practice this moment

Make one practice call. See your card.

A prospect who sounds real raises this exact moment. Ten minutes, in the browser, no account. The scorecard tells you the one thing to fix.