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For Sale By Owner (FSBO):  The Cost of Selling Without a Real Estate Agent

You’ve heard of buyer’s remorse; but without your market expertise and sales skills to back them up, sellers who choose to sell their home on their own just may experience “seller’s regret” when they see how much less they get for their properties when going the “For Sale By Owner” route.  Here is the article from REALTOR® Magazine.  CLICK HERE to see the original article.

For Sale By Owner, commonly known as FSBOs, earn an average of $60,000 to $90,000 less on the sale of their home than sellers who work with a real estate agent, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Here’s the breakdown:

  • All agent-assisted homes: $250,000 (median selling price)
  • All FSBO homes: $190,000
  • FSBO homes when buyer knew seller: $160,300

With this kind of discrepancy, why would any seller choose to go it alone? Some may want to avoid paying an agent's commission—but even factoring that in, FSBOs still stand to make less on their home sale. “Talk to an agent and find out what they suggest for the commission, and then do the math yourself,” researchers write on NAR’s Economists’ Outlook blog. “The closing price for the agent-assisted seller is likely going to be way above a FSBO. [But] in reality, homes sold by the owner make less money overall.”

Homeowners seem to be hearing the message: Only 8 percent of sellers last year—an all-time low—chose to sell their home themselves, according to NAR’s 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. That figure has been falling since 2004 when 14 percent of homeowners sold their own homes.

Of the share of FSBOs last year, 38 percent of the homes were sold to a buyer that the seller knew, such as a friend, neighbor, or family member. The majority of FSBO transactions, however, were sold to buyers the owner did not know.

I hope this information has been helpful and will be useful to you.  I look forward to visiting with you soon and do not hesitate to contact me if I can help you with any of your real estate needs.


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P.S.  If you are looking to sell your home, be sure and get my Special Report “29 Essential Tips That Get Homes Sold Fast (And For Top Dollar) by CLICKING HERE.

P.P.S.  If your listing has expired and did not sell, get my Special Report “20 Questions You Absolutely Must Ask Your Next Agent Before You Sign On The Dotted Line (And Make The Same Mistake Twice)” by CLICKING HERE.

P.P.P.S If you are looking to buy a home, you need to get my Special Report “How To Avoid Paying Too Much (A Simple Guide To Help You Avoid Overpaying For Your Home.) by CLICKING HERE.

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