Greg Isaacson, Author at Semya-Moya

How to Sell a House By Owner in Washington State (2023 Update)

Greg Isaacson — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:46:26 +0000

Why trust us: To create this guide, we surveyed and interviewed Washington real estate agents, studied Washington real estate law, and researched more than 20 FSBO companies and alternatives. Learn more about why you can trust our advice.

Hiring a real estate agent in Washington means you'll pay an average commission of 2.67% of your home's sale price. Choosing to sell the home without a realtor would mean savings of $15,175 based on the average Washington home price.

But selling a home for sale by owner (FSBO) takes a lot of work. You'll be responsible for setting the price, bringing in prospective buyers for showings, and negotiating the offers you receive. You'll also need to handle closing on your own, which can be daunting. Finally, you might not even save that much in the end — FSBO homes typically sell for up to 35% less than agent-listed homes.

Most sellers recognize the knowledge and experience a real estate agent brings to the table — only 10% of home sales are by owner. But there are many other FSBO sellers who want to take on a challenge and maximize the profits from their sale.

Selling FSBO is only recommended for homeowners who have the time and knowledge to sell a home on their own. Our guide will help you determine if selling without an agent in Washington makes sense for you.

Who should sell a house by owner?

If selling a home on your own without the help of a real estate agent was easy, everyone would be doing it to save money. If you're considering it, weigh the pros and cons of selling FSBO before you decide.

Selling without an agent in Washington could be right for you if:

You've already sold more than one property, with the help of an agent or on your own. This means you know what to expect from the selling process and won't be overwhelmed from the beginning.
You know a real estate expert willing to provide advice. If you know someone who can help with the occasional question, you might be able to get by without a real estate agent.
You have ample time to focus on selling. Will your current commitments allow you to take on basically another job?
You already have a buyer. If you don't have to look for a buyer, most of your FSBO work is already done. But you'll still need to deal with closing and all of the required paperwork.
You want more control over your home sale. If you feel more comfortable being the one who decides the price and marketing strategy for your home, selling on your own allows you to do that.

If more than a few of these criteria don't describe your situation, selling without a realtor in Washington might not be in your best interest.

If saving money on realtor commission is what you’re after, it’s worth looking into real estate agents who’ll work at a lower-than-typical commission. Semya-Moya matches sellers in Washington with experienced, local agents who offer traditional service for just 1.5%. You can save money and the headache of doing it all on your own.

In addition to looking into FSBO, reach out to Clever to connect with multiple agents in your area. You can interview agents and get a free home valuation so you’ll know you’ve explored all of your options.

Connect with top, local agents in Washington!

How to sell a house by owner in Washington

Here are 6 steps to sell a house by owner in Washington:

Prepare your home for sale
Set a price
List your home
Show your home
Negotiate the best price
Close

As a FSBO seller, you need to know and understand all your responsibilities, which include preparing your home for sale, pricing your home accurately, finding buyers, negotiating, and filing the necessary paperwork required by state law.

Real estate laws vary across the country. For example, some states don't allow sellers to put a for sale by owner sign in their yard if they list on the multiple listing service (MLS) using a flat fee company.

Here's an overview of what laws you need to know in Washington:

Washington FSBO facts
Real estate attorney required?	No
FSBO yard sign allowed?	Yes
Required state disclosures?	Seller's property disclosure statement Flood zone statement Lead-based paint disclosure Material facts that affect the property

Although selling your home without an agent may seem like a great way to save on realtor fees, it’s trickier than many people expect. If it becomes overwhelming, you can hire an agent at any time.

Working with a low-commission real estate company may be a better option for those who don’t have time to sell FSBO. You'll avoid the hassle of a FSBO sale and walk away with the most money possible. Clever saves sellers thousands, and they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average.

👋 Skip the DIY: Get a better agent AND bigger savings

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✅ You'll only pay 1.5% to list your home

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Step 1: Prepare your home for sale

Small upgrades and repairs can make a big difference in swaying potential buyers. The key is knowing how to spend your money wisely to get higher offers.

We asked top agents in Washington what repairs or upgrades they think help a home sell. Weather issues figure prominently in the northwestern state.

According to Jeff Dickinson, a broker with Seattle-based eXp Realty, the following repairs and improvements are popular in the market:

Removing carpets and replacing them with LVT (vinyl plank flooring)
Installing energy-efficient roofs, siding, and windows to keep the elements out
Updating heating systems and replacing old hot water tanks
Installing air conditioning systems as summer temperatures increase

» LEARN: Best Paint Colors to Sell a House

Stage and photograph your home

You'll need professional photos for your listing, and you'll want to showcase a clean and furnished home for potential buyers to see.

Professional staging can cost up to $3,000, but a well-staged home can help you sell faster and for more money. Start by decluttering, deep cleaning, and sprucing up your home's curb appeal.

Furniture is a plus because it helps buyers imagine themselves living in the home, Dickinson comments. People want a move-in ready home. "Blank" homes, especially if they are older, may attract lower offers because buyers will be distracted by stains on the walls and other imperfections.

Bonus tip: Hire a professional stager who knows your local market and can ensure your home is ready to impress, giving you one less thing to worry about. In Washington, expect to pay $1,499 on average in staging costs. This will get you 60–90 days of a fully designed living room, kitchen, dining room, master bedroom, and bathrooms. Some realtors will pay for the staging or offer credit in Florida. Prices vary from city to city, so be sure to give local companies a call for specific estimates.

Step 2: Set a price

Pricing strategy can make or break a FSBO sale. List your home for too little, and you leave money on the table. Price it too high, and the listing goes stale, forcing a price drop that could make buyers wary.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Ask a realtor: Agents can use resources like the MLS to price the house below fair market value and collect multiple offers. But without MLS access as a FSBO seller, your best bet is probably to just price the house realistically based on market comps. "List it on Zillow and take the first bonafide offer that comes along," Dickinson advises.

To get an accurate idea of what your house is worth, look at comparable listings online in your area. For example, if you think your house is worth about $300,000, search Zillow, Redfin, or other listing sites for properties that are about $50,000 more or less than that target. Analyze details about the homes and how they compare to yours.

A pre-sale appraisal will show you your home's fair market value, which is a more accurate starting point for pricing your home. In Washington, appraisals average $400 to $580 but help you walk away with thousands more once your home is sold.

Bonus tip: Ask an agent to perform a comparative market analysis examining comparable properties that have sold recently in your neighborhood. Many realtors will do this for free in the hopes of gaining your business if you decide to forgo FSBO.

» LEARN: What is a Comparative Market Analysis?

State of the Washington real estate market

To generate interest in your home, you'll need to price it correctly based on the trends of the local real estate market. Prices in Washington state in late 2022 were down only 1.3% from the same time in 2021. Also, 46.5% fewer homes were sold in 2022 than in 2021, and the average days on the market has gone up to 37 from just 13 in one year.

All of this means that while you'll still be able to sell for a good price at the moment, selling will take more time and effort than it did a year ago.

However, home values vary from city to city within the same state, and determining the right price for your home will depend on your location. Here are the median home values for some of Washington's biggest cities:

City	Median home value
Seattle	$698,864
Spokane	$
Bellingham	$
Yakima	$
Kennewick	$

Don't count on selling too high. Currently, 19.1% of homes are selling above list price, down 30% from last year. This suggests that fewer bidding wars are breaking out, buyers are submitting more take-it-or-leave-it offers, and in many cases, the sellers are taking them.

But it's also possible sellers are pricing their homes too high to begin with, turning off buyers who are already dealing with high mortgage rates and inflation costs elsewhere. This underscores the importance of settling on the right price before listing — which the real estate agent usually does for the client.

Sell a Home with Clever and Save Thousands!

Enter your ZIP code to find a Clever partner agent in your area.

Step 3: List your Washington home

Once you've decided on a price, it's time to write a listing description that speaks to local buyers. Understanding their priorities will help you identify what features of your property to highlight in your listing. Here are some of the top buyer priorities in Washington, according to real estate professionals.

Washington buyer priorities	Advice for FSBO sellers
Move-in ready home	Making renovations can go a long way toward boosting a property's value. Kitchen and bath remodels offer the biggest return on investment, according to Dickinson. Right now, though, it's challenging to find a vendor for supplies like appliances.
Using space to the fullest	In the tech-oriented Puget Sound market, where both parents are typically working from home, buyers are looking for dedicated home office space and even additional family space because the children are at home more often. "We are seeing a trend out west here to finish unfinished space," notes Dickinson. Another trend is converting mother-in-law suites into Airbnb rentals.
Climate control	Seattle is the least air-conditioned metro area in the nation, with just 44% of housing units having air conditioning (although that proportion has been rising fast in recent years). Houses with central air or room units are in high demand as residents seek relief from dreaded June heat waves. Energy-efficient roofing, siding, and windows are also a plus.

Where to list your home

The best place to market your home is on the MLS. MLS listings populate onto real estate websites like Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com, increasing your home's online presence. That's important because 51% of buyers found the homes they purchased via the internet.

However, agents are the only ones who can list on the MLS. As a FSBO seller, you can work with an agent and still maintain control of your sale by using a flat fee MLS company that charges a one-time payment to list your home on the MLS.

It usually costs a few hundred dollars and includes a property description, up to 25 photos, and a listing lasting no more than 12 months. Additional services, such as a virtual tour, downloadable contracts, and free changes to your listing, are often bundled into more expensive packages — but they're still typically cheaper than paying a listing agent's 3% commission fee. Find the best flat fee MLS companies in Washington.

As a FSBO seller, you also have several free or low-cost options.

Zillow: Listing on Zillow is free and takes just a few simple steps: create a profile, claim your home, navigate to the FSBO page, fill out your listing info, click publish, and wait for verification. Zillow listings also automatically appear on its sister site, Trulia. However, recent changes to Zillow keep FSBO listings separate from agent listings, meaning your home will be a lot less visible to buyers.
ForSaleByOwner.com: This well-established and recognized for-sale-by-owner site caters specifically to people wanting to buy or sell FSBO homes. It's free to advertise, but your home won't show up on the MLS or syndicate to other real estate websites. That means your listing will only be viewable to buyers who go to ForSaleByOwner.com.
Social media: Post your home listing to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Nextdoor. Sharing is free, and you can reach a lot of people where they’re already spending time.
For-sale-by-owner yard sign: You can buy a FSBO sign from most hardware stores or online for $20–50. Choose one that allows you to add your phone number so interested buyers can contact you for property information and showings.
Craigslist: Posting your home on Craigslist is free and simple. Just go to the Washington page, find your city, and create a "real estate — by owner" listing.

» MORE INFO: Learn How to Sell a House on Craigslist

Step 4: Show your home

Organization is key when showing your home to potential buyers. You'll need a good scheduling system and a spreadsheet to save buyers' and agents’ contact information. You'll want to be flexible and try to show your house at buyers’ convenience.

Keep the home clean and decluttered at all times. The last thing you want is to scramble with a vacuum after a buyer calls for a last-minute showing.

Step 5: Negotiate for the best possible price

Negotiations are about more than the final sale price. You and the buyer (or their agent) will also have to agree upon contract contingencies, how closing costs are divided, the timeline, and more.

To gain the upper hand, get creative with the seller concessions you offer a buyer. While they might cost you a little more at closing, concessions sweeten the deal for buyers and could lead to a higher final sale price.

Knowing what's important to buyers in your area will help you strengthen your offer. A Clever survey of local real estate professionals found that in Washington, sellers often cover 1.50% to 2.50% of buyers' closing costs. On a home of median value, that will cost an additional $8,491 to $14,151.

You should also consider offering these popular seller concessions:

Concession	Benefits of offering concession
Home warranty	A home warranty can give buyers peace of mind if your home has major appliances or systems that are on their last leg. A warranty will cover possible problems and is typically less expensive than paying for the repairs (or accepting a lower offer from a wary buyer).
Property taxes	You often have to share past tax information about the property before closing a sale. By covering some of those costs, you can offer buyers some financial relief and make them more inclined to close the sale.
Repair credits	Repair credits are a win-win for buyers and sellers. You'll credit the buyer a set amount to cover the cost of repairs. Once the deal closes, buyers can oversee the project to their liking, and you don't have to worry about repairs going over budget.

Step 6: Close

Closing is the final step in a real estate transaction. The title of the property is officially transferred from the seller to the buyer, and both parties pay their closing costs.

Use a title company to facilitate a smooth closing. Title companies collect and distribute closing costs, collect signatures, ensure sellers have the right documents, and file them with relevant agencies.

Seller closing costs include title and escrow fees, which will come to around $2,500 for the average home. As a seller, you are also responsible for Washington's Real Estate Excise Tax (REET), which is graduated and ranges from 1.1% on homes less than $500,000 to 3% on homes more than $3 million.

Your lender may also require title insurance, which could cost another couple thousand dollars.

🤔 Do I need a real estate attorney to sell my house in Washington?

No. In Washington, sellers typically use a title escrow company rather than an attorney. Title and escrow fees (a one-time closing cost for the seller) will run about $2,500 for the average home. That said, selling a home is a complex, high-stakes transaction, so hiring an attorney can give you extra peace of mind.

» READ: How Much are Closing Costs for Sellers in Washington?

Paperwork to sell a house by owner in Washington

In a typical real estate transaction, your agent will make sure you fill out all the necessary documents and forms. As a FSBO seller, you'll have to navigate the paperwork by yourself. Here’s a quick breakdown of Washington's requirements.

Want to save this list for later? Download our FSBO paperwork checklist to help you prepare for your sale.

Required for all Washington real estate sales

Two forms of ID	In most cases, a valid passport, driver's license, or other form of Washington-issued ID.
Copy of purchase and sale agreement and addendums	Copy of the original, signed purchase and sale agreement, as well as any agreed upon changes.
Closing statement	A detailed list of all the costs associated with the sale and who pays them. This is often prepared by your escrow agent or title company.
Signed deed	To legally transfer your property, you'll need the deed that proves you're the rightful owner. At closing, you'll sign the deed over to the buyer.
Bill of sale	This is basically a receipt that includes both your information and the buyer's. It will also list the final price of the home and what was included in the sale.
Affidavit of title	A notarized document that states you own the home, that there are no liens on the property, and that you are not simultaneously selling the home to someone else.

Additional documents

Loan payoff information	If you have a mortgage on your home, you'll need documentation of exactly how much you still owe and any payoff fees. If you've already paid your mortgage in full, you'll need documentation proving that.
HOA forms and guidelines	If your home is part of an HOA, you'll need to give the buyer documentation on the covenants, codes, restrictions, financial history, required fees, and approval process.
Survey results or survey affidavits	A survey or an affidavit verifying a previous survey proves exactly where the property lines are.
Home inspection results	If you had a pre-sale inspection, you'll want the results to compare to the buyer's inspection. If having a buyer's inspection was part of the sales agreement, you should receive a copy of the results before closing.
Proof of repairs or renovations	Documentation proving any major repairs or changes to the house help verify its value. These receipts also provide buyers with information about who to contact if they discover issues with the repairs in the future.
Home warranty information	The home warranty service agreement will explain what is covered, for how long, and costs associated with the policy.
Copies of relevant wills, trusts or power of attorney letters	If you are selling an inherited property, you'll need copies of all legal documents that passed ownership to you.
Relevant affidavits (name affidavits, non-foreign affidavit under IRC 1445)	You may need additional affidavits like a name affidavit, which lists all of your or the buyer's previous names, or an affidavit proving you are not a foreign citizen and, therefore, exempt from certain property sales taxes.
Closing disclosure	If your buyer is taking out a mortgage and you agreed to certain seller's concessions, you may need a copy of their closing disclosure to verify the lender approved your concessions.
Correction statement and agreement	If forms are lost or errors are discovered in the future, a correction statement and agreement requires you, the buyer, or their lender to replace or fix those documents.

Washington disclosure forms

Seller disclosure statement	The seller disclosure statement details known issues with your home and its major appliances and systems.
Flood zone statement	With some federally backed mortgages, your buyer's lender might require information about the property's flood risk.
Lead-based paint disclosure	If your home was built before 1978, federal law requires that you disclose information about the dangers of lead-based paint.

» LEARN: Disclosure Requirements for Selling Washington Real Estate

Where to find documents

Unlike realtor trade groups in many other states, Washington Realtors does not provide the forms used in a typical real estate transaction on its website. However, documents may be written in various legal formats if you choose to write them yourself or hire an attorney to help with the paperwork.

Here's where to find forms online:

LawDepot — Free
eForms — Free
US Legal — Charges a small monthly subscription

When you're looking for other documents, such as tax records, property surveys, and deeds, check state or local government offices, such as your tax assessor’s office or department of revenue.

Just remember, many closing documents are legally binding agreements. Errors can result in an unenforceable contract that could derail your sale and cost you thousands in fees. To avoid an expensive mistake, consider working with a low-commission realtor.

💰 Incredible savings, none of the DIY

Selling your home is time-consuming, and fraught with potential legal issues.

There's a better option. Clever pre-negotiates lower listing fees with top agents in your area. You still save on commission, while getting the support of a full-service agent.

Clever partner agents offer full-service support for half the typical cost: a pre-negotiated 1.5% listing fee
Clever sellers save an average of $7,000 on commission AND they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average

Ready to find real estate agents who can help you save thousands on your sale? Enter your zip code below to get started!

FSBO alternatives

If saving money is your main reason for selling FSBO, there are alternatives.

Semya-Moya

Clever is a nationwide real estate service that connects Washington home sellers with top, local agents. You pay Clever nothing. You'll only pay your full-service agent 1.5% of your home sale price, saving up to 50% on listing fees.

Semya-Moya

Get Started

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% ($3,000 min.)

💰 Buyer Savings

Cash back after closing

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

5/5 (2,735 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Clever is a quick, easy, and free way to find a top-rated local agent. And, unlike many similar companies, Clever pre-negotiates big discounts on your behalf, so you can save thousands without sacrificing on service.

Try Clever for free — save thousands on commission!

Clever is a free, nationwide agent matching service that partners with full-service local agents from conventional brokerages like Keller Williams, Century 21, and RE/MAX.
You get multiple agent matches so you can interview several, compare marketing plans, and choose the best fit.
Clever pre-negotiates low rates on your behalf — you get full service for just a 1.5% listing fee ($3,000 minimum).
If you buy with Clever, you can get cash back to help pay for your move.

You may not get matched with an agent from your preferred real estate brokerage.
Agents may not provide premium services like drone photography and professional home staging.

As of 11/6/2023, Clever has a 5.0 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, based on 2,589 reviews.

Read reviews from real Clever customers here.

Clever has pre-negotiated low commission rates with top agents in all 50 states and Washington, DC.

Discount real estate services in Washington

Discount real estate companies can help you sell your house for less than a traditional realtor, although pricing and services vary. In most cases, you'll still need to offer a competitive buyer's agent commission, but you'll save on listing fees.

Redfin

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% (min. fees vary)

💰 Avg. Savings

$5,550

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

2.9/5 (331 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Redfin offers real savings and is a proven brand. But sellers could compromise on service — especially agent experience and availability.

Read the full Redfin review.

If you buy and sell with Redfin, you'll get a 0.5% listing fee discount.
Redfin gives its listings premium placement in its popular home search app.

If finding the right agent is a top priority, you'll have limited options — Redfin only has a few agents in each of its markets.
Redfin agents handle more customers at once than the average realtor, so they may not be able to provide as much personalized service.

Redfin has a 2.9 out of 5 rating (331 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Yelp.

Read reviews from real Redfin customers here.

Redfin is available in 80+ U.S. markets (see all locations).

REX Real Estate

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

2.5% ($9,000 min.)

💰 Avg. Savings

-$325

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.7/5 (1,041 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

REX’s promise of huge savings is misleading. Its advertising misrepresents the significant risks of its pricing model and marketing approach. And its high minimum fees mean that many sellers won't save anything.

Read the full REX Real Estate review.

REX's approach is incredibly risky — but if the gamble pays off, you could save about 50% on realtor fees
Like other full-service brokerages, REX agents provide in-person services and support

REX's 2.5% listing fee doesn't save you much — many full-price agents charge similar rates
REX doesn't list your home on the MLS, so up to 90% of buyers may not even know it's for sale
This risky marketing strategy seems likely to fail, so you may not save anything on commission

REX has a 4.7 out of 5 rating (1,041 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real REX customers here.

REX is available in the following areas: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, MD, NV, NJ, OR, PA, TX, WA, DC.

Trelora

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1% (min. $3,000)

💰 Avg. Savings

$7,375

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.7/5 (1,308 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Trelora's flat fee offers big savings at higher price points — but the company may provide less personalized service and local support than a traditional agent.

Read the full Trelora review.

Trelora's 1% listing fee makes it one of the cheapest real estate companies for home sellers
Trelora's commission rebate offers qualifying home buyers solid overall value

Trelora agents juggle up to 20x as many customers as the average realtor
Since agents handle so many customers at once, you'll be competing with a LOT of other people for your agent's time and attention
This high-volume approach greatly increases the risk of mistakes, oversights, and delays that could impact your experience

Trelora has a 4.7 out of 5 rating (1,308 reviews) across popular review sites like Google, Yelp, and Zillow.

Read reviews from real Trelora customers here.

Trelora is available in the following areas: AZ, CA, CO, GA, NC, SC, WA.

» COMPARE: Discount Real Estate Brokers: Who's the BEST in 2023?

Flat fee MLS companies in Washington

A flat fee MLS company will post your listing on the local MLS, usually for a low, upfront fee. In Washington, this will typically cost you a couple hundred dollars.

MLS4owners.com

Best For

Sellers who are fine with the basics, but might want agent support down the line.

Price Range

$95-495

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Your listing will be launched within 24 hours of being submitted - or often on the same day.
You can design personalized flyers and slide shows on the MLS4owners.com website to amplify your marketing presence.
A basic market analysis with pricing guidance is available for free, regardless of package selection.

Cons:

MLS4owners.com's facilitator service with contract assistance is only available for an additional percentage fee at closing.
Listings do not allow as many photos as many competitors at a similar price range.

Flat Fee Realty

Best For

Budget-conscious sellers who need a simple, affordable listing.

Price Range

$299

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Your listing comes with all the state seller's disclosures that you'll need.
You can pay a little more to post up to 25 photos on the MLS instead of the standard six.

Cons:

Flat Fee Realty doesn't offer any pricing or contract assistance.
The company won't be your listing broker. Instead, they'll refer you to a Montana-based broker who will list your property. If you have problems or questions, you'll end up talking to two companies instead of just one.

Houzeo

Best For

Sellers looking for a lot of a-la-carte options.

Price Range

$299

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You can fill out, sign, and submit all your seller's paperwork on the Houzeo app.
When you enter your address, Houzeo auto-fills publicly available data about your property.
Houzeo lets you buy additional services like contract reviews, agent showings, and professional showings a la carte.

Cons:

You have to pay extra for pricing assistance — several local competitors offer this for free.
You're limited to 10 free changes for price, status, and description in their two most popular packages. Most competitors offer unlimited free changes.

» FIND: 3 Best Washington Flat Fee MLS Companies in 2023

If you'd like some professional guidance with no strings attached, Clever can help. Fill out your info below to connect with a top, local realtor for a no-obligation consultation.

👋 Need a great agent on your side?

Connect with top local agents who can help you get a great deal on a new home. Eligible buyers also earn cash back after closing.

Additional resources for Washington home sellers

FAQs: How to sell your house without a realtor in Washington

Do I need a lawyer to sell a home in Washington?

You're not required to hire a lawyer in Washington, but it's recommended that you do so for extra peace of mind. Selling a home is a complex process, and an attorney can help protect you from potential legal problems — especially if you're selling by owner. Most sellers in Washington use a title escrow company in lieu of a lawyer.

What documents do I need to sell my house in Washington?

To sell your house in Washington, you will need to provide two forms of ID, a copy of the purchase agreement and any addendums, a closing statement, a signed deed, a bill of sale, and an affidavit of title. A seller disclosure statement is also required, and you may need other disclosures as well.

What closing costs am I responsible for as a FSBO seller?

Closing costs in Washington include title and escrow fees (around $2,500 for the average home), a state excise tax (ranging from 1.1%–3%), title insurance (around $2,000 for the average home), and the buyer's agent commission (usually 2–3%).

The post How to Sell a House By Owner in Washington State (2023 Update) appeared first on Semya-Moya.

How to Sell a House By Owner in Virginia (2023 Update)

Greg Isaacson — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:45:57 +0000

Why trust us: To create this guide, we surveyed and interviewed Virginia real estate agents, studied Virginia real estate law, and researched more than 20 FSBO companies and alternatives. Learn more about why you can trust our advice.

Selling your home without a realtor in Virginia means you won't need to pay the average Virginia listing commission of 2.56% of your home's sale price. That adds up to a savings of $9,512 based on the average home price in Virginia.

But selling on your own — also known as for sale by owner, or FSBO for short — is a lot of hard work, which is why only 10% of home sales are by owner. You'll need to determine the correct price, schedule showings, negotiate with buyers, and handle all of the paperwork on your own.

Plus, you might even end up selling your home for up to 35% less, canceling out any savings you made on commission.

For all of these reasons, going the FSBO route is only recommended if you're an experienced seller who's confident about the process.

This guide will give you the information you need to decide if FSBO makes sense and explain how to sell without a realtor in Virginia.

Who should sell a house by owner?

Selling without a realtor isn't the best choice for everyone. You have to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of FSBO before you decide. Selling on your own means you need to do all of the work of a real estate agent, which will take up a lot of your time and energy.

Selling without a realtor in Virginia could be the right choice for you if:

You've already sold more than one property, with a realtor or on your own. You already know what to expect from the selling process. If you were once a licensed real estate agent, even better.
You have a real estate expert to rely on for advice. Even if you don't have a realtor working for you, maybe you have a friend or family member who can answer the occasional question.
You have time in your schedule to put in the work. If you have a demanding job or a family that keeps you busy, it could be difficult to find time to market and close on the home.
You already have a buyer lined up. If you know who you're going to sell your home to, much of the work of selling has already been done. But you'll still need to tackle closing and all of the paperwork that comes with it.
You're looking for more control over your home sale. You'd rather handle all of the details yourself — including pricing, marketing, and negotiating — instead of trusting a realtor.

If you don’t meet at least a few of these criteria, selling without a realtor in Virginia may not be right for you.

If saving money on realtor commission is what you’re after, it’s worth looking into real estate agents who’ll work at a lower-than-typical commission. Semya-Moya matches sellers in Virginia with experienced, local agents who offer traditional service for just 1.5%. You can save money and the headache of doing it all on your own.

💰 Connect with top, local agents in Virginia!

How to sell a house by owner in Virginia

Here are 6 steps to sell a house by owner in Virginia:

Prepare your home for sale
Set a price
List your home
Show your home
Negotiate the best price
Close

Real estate laws vary across the country. For example, some states don't allow FSBO sellers to put a for sale by owner sign in their yard if they list on the multiple listing service (MLS) using a flat fee company.

Here's an overview of what laws you need to know in Virginia:

Virginia FSBO facts
Real estate attorney required?	No
FSBO yard sign allowed?	Not if your home is on the MLS
Required state disclosures?	Federal lead-based paint disclosure Flood risk disclosure Otherwise, Virginia is a "buyer beware" state

Although selling your home without a real estate agent may seem like a great way to save on realtor fees, it’s trickier than many people expect. If it becomes overwhelming, you can hire an agent at any time.

Working with a low-commission real estate company may be a better option for those who don’t have time to sell FSBO. You'll avoid the hassle of handling the selling process on your own and walk away with the most money possible. Clever saves sellers thousands, and they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average.

👋 Skip the DIY: Get a better agent AND bigger savings

With Clever:

✅ You'll only pay 1.5% to list your home

✅ You'll work with a full-service realtor from a top broker

✅ It's free, with zero obligation — you can walk away at any time

Saving on realtor fees doesn't have to mean sacrificing service. Find a top local agent today!

Step 1: Prepare your home for sale

Small repairs and upgrades can make a big difference in boosting your home's appeal and swaying potential buyers. The key is knowing how to spend your money wisely to get higher offers.

Simple DIY projects like a fresh coat of paint or new cabinet pulls have a high return on investment, whereas pricier improvements like building a new bedroom may not. The most important thing is knowing what's necessary and what's over the top.

Also, consider how valuable specific repairs are to buyers in your area. According to Jon Granlund, a realtor with Real Broker, LLC primarily covering Northern Virginia, regrouting the bathrooms and replacing old-fashioned light fixtures are among the top repairs that local sellers make.

» LEARN: Best Paint Colors to Sell a House

Stage and photograph your home

You'll need professional photos for your listing — photos taken with your iPhone are much less likely to impress — and you'll want to showcase a clean home and furnished for potential buyers to see.

Start by decluttering, deep cleaning, and sprucing up your home's curb appeal. Consider moving your personal belongings to a storage unit. Clear your yard of leaves if you're selling in autumn.

"Get everything off the counters," says Granlund. "The less you have in there the better."

As for paint, natural colors are popular for interiors. "Agreeable Gray is kind of the go-to around here," he adds, referring to the Sherwin Williams paint color.

Granlund tends to avoid virtual staging, as he doesn't like how the results look, but he adds there are some virtual staging companies that do a reasonable job.

Bonus tip: Hire a professional stager who knows your local market and can ensure your home is ready to impress, giving you one less thing to worry about. In Virginia, expect to pay $773 on average in staging costs. This will get you 60–90 days of a fully designed living room, kitchen, dining room, master bedroom, and bathrooms. Prices vary from city to city, so be sure to give local companies a call for specific estimates.

Step 2: Set a price

🙋🏻‍♀️ Ask a realtor: Granlund suggests pricing your home at fair market value. That way, you have a reasonable chance of getting multiple offers and thereby securing more than what you asked for.

"If you price it lower, and you only get one offer, then what do you do? Take the lower offer?" he says. "If you price it too high and you sit, then you're just going to hurt yourself."

A pre-sale appraisal gives you a sense of your home's fair market value, which is a more accurate starting point for pricing your home. In Virginia, appraisals average $300 to $365 but help you walk away with thousands more once your home is sold.

Bonus tip: Ask a real estate agent to perform a comparative market analysis examining comparable properties that have sold recently in your neighborhood. Many realtors will do this for free in the hopes of gaining your business if you decide to forego FSBO.

» LEARN: What is a Comparative Market Analysis?

State of the Virginia real estate market

Pricing your home correctly is key to generating interest, and it will depend upon the trends in the local market. As of late 2022, home prices in Virginia were up 1.7% compared to the same time in 2021. The number of days on the market has remained steady at 32, compared to 31 in 2021.

City	Median home value
Virginia Beach	$334,034
Richmond	$349,661
Roanoke	$
Lynchburg	$
Harrisonburg	$

Experts predict the housing market in Virginia will continue to shrink as home sales decline. The Virginia Realtors organization said the housing market "is on track to have the sharpest annual drop in sales activity in more than a decade."

Stats support this. There were 39.2% fewer houses sold in late 2022 than in late 2021.

This means you might not have as much competition. But due to higher mortgage rates and two years of record-high prices, fewer people are buying, as well. Expect to sell your Virginia home more slowly and for less than you would have a year ago.

In a cooling market like this one, it might sound good to save on commission fees and boost your overall profit by selling without a realtor. However, as the market changes, having the local expertise of an agent on your side can be helpful when determining a pricing and marketing strategy.

Sell a Home with Clever and Save Thousands!

Enter your ZIP code to find a Clever partner agent in your area.

Step 3: List your Virginia home

Virginia buyer priorities	Advice for FSBO sellers
Home style	Colonial homes and modern townhouses are in high demand in Virginia. Older homes are popular as long as they have high-end interior finishes. Condos, however, may sit on the market for a while unless they are in perfect, move-in ready condition.
Home offices	Home office spaces are popular with many people working from home, especially in Northern Virginia's tech-heavy economy. In Virginia's competitive market, though, it's common for buyers to compromise on space or the number of bedrooms, according to a 2021 survey by the Virginia REALTORS association.
Yard size	Granlund points out that most lots in the market are a quarter or a third of an acre, so larger, one- or two-acre yards are desirable. "The more yard they can get, the better."
Swimming pool	"Pools are super in demand," says Granlund, noting that in some areas, there's a waitlist of two years or more to get a pool installed. The long wait might make installing a pool impractical if you're trying to sell in the near future.

Where to list your home

However, agents are the only ones who can list on the MLS. You can work with an agent and still maintain control of your sale by using a flat fee MLS company that charges a one-time payment to list your home on the MLS.

As a FSBO seller, you also have several free or low-cost options.

Zillow: Listing on Zillow is free and takes just a few simple steps: create a profile, claim your home, navigate to the FSBO page, fill out your listing info, click publish, and wait for verification. Zillow listings also automatically appear on its sister site, Trulia. However, recent changes to Zillow keep FSBO listings separate from agent listings, meaning your home will be a lot less visible to buyers.
ForSaleByOwner.com: This well-established and recognized for-sale-by-owner site caters specifically to people wanting to buy or sell FSBO homes. It's free to advertise, but your home won't show up on the MLS or syndicate to other real estate websites. That means your listing will only be viewable to buyers who go to ForSaleByOwner.com.
For-sale-by-owner yard sign: You can buy a FSBO sign from most hardware stores or online for $20–50. Choose one that allows you to add your phone number so interested buyers can contact you for property information and showings.
Craigslist: Posting your home on Craigslist is free and simple. Just go to the Virginia page, find your city, and create a "real estate — by owner" listing.

» MORE INFO: Learn How to Sell a House on Craigslist

Step 4: Show your home

Keep the home clean and decluttered at all times. The last thing you want is to scramble with a vacuum after a buyer calls for a last-minute showing.

Step 5: Negotiate for the best possible price

Negotiations are about more than the final sale price. You and the buyer (or their agent) will also have to agree upon contract contingencies, how closing costs are divided, the timeline, and more.

Knowing what's important to buyers in your area will help you strengthen your offer. A Clever survey of local real estate professionals found that in Virginia, sellers often cover 1.30% to 2.10% of buyers' closing costs. On a home of median value, that will cost an additional $4,846 to $7,829.

You should also consider offering these popular seller concessions:

Concession	Benefits of offering concession
Home warranty	A home warranty can give buyers peace of mind if your home has major appliances or systems that are on their last leg. A warranty will cover possible problems and is typically less expensive than paying for the repairs (or accepting a lower offer from a wary buyer).
Property taxes	You often have to share past tax information about the property before closing a sale. By covering some of those costs, you can offer buyers some financial relief and make them more inclined to close the sale.
Repair credits	Repair credits are a win-win for buyers and sellers. You'll credit the buyer a set amount to cover the cost of repairs. Once the deal closes, buyers can oversee the project to their liking, and you don't have to worry about repairs going over budget.

Step 6: Close

Closing is the final step in a real estate transaction. The title of the property is officially transferred from the seller to the buyer, and both parties pay their closing costs.

🤔 Do I need a real estate attorney to sell my house in Virginia?

No, you don't need a real estate attorney to sell a house in Virginia. State law allows non-lawyers to close real estate transactions, and title companies typically handle closings. But it's in your best interests to use an attorney for the complex and stressful process of selling a home. A good real estate lawyer can give you peace of mind by reviewing your contract, being present during the closing, and advising on any legal issues that may arise.

» READ: How Much are Closing Costs for Sellers in Virginia?

Paperwork to sell a house by owner in Virginia

In a typical real estate transaction, your agent will make sure you fill out all the necessary documents and forms. As a FSBO seller, you'll have to navigate the paperwork by yourself.

Keep in mind — Virginia is a "buyer beware" state

Virginia is one of several "buyer beware" states, meaning you don't have to disclose most problems with the house. It's up to the buyer to do their due diligence before purchasing your home.

That said, if you actively withhold information from the buyer about problems with the home, you could be committing fraud. Check with a realtor or attorney if in doubt about your obligations.

Even without needing to fill out a long disclosure form, you'll still have a lot of paperwork to complete. Here’s a quick breakdown of Virginia's requirements. Want to save this list for later? Download our FSBO paperwork checklist to help you prepare for your sale.

Required for all Virginia real estate sales

Two forms of ID	In most cases, a valid passport, driver's license, or other form of Virginia-issued ID.
Copy of purchase and sale agreement and addendums	Copy of the original, signed purchase and sale agreement, as well as any agreed upon changes.
Closing statement	A detailed list of all the costs associated with the sale and who pays them. This is often prepared by your escrow agent or title company.
Signed deed	To legally transfer your property, you'll need the deed that proves you're the rightful owner. At closing, you'll sign the deed over to the buyer.
Bill of sale	This is basically a receipt that includes both your information and the buyer's. It will also list the final price of the home and what was included in the sale.
Affidavit of title	A notarized document that states you own the home, that there are no liens on the property, and that you are not simultaneously selling the home to someone else.

Additional documents

Loan payoff information	If you have a mortgage on your home, you'll need documentation of exactly how much you still owe and any payoff fees. If you've already paid your mortgage in full, you'll need documentation proving that.
HOA forms and guidelines	If your home is part of an HOA, you'll need to give the buyer documentation on the covenants, codes, restrictions, financial history, required fees, and approval process.
Survey results or survey affidavits	A survey or an affidavit verifying a previous survey proves exactly where the property lines are.
Home inspection results	If you had a pre-sale inspection, you'll want the results to compare to the buyer's inspection. If having a buyer's inspection was part of the sales agreement, you should receive a copy of the results before closing.
Proof of repairs or renovations	Documentation proving any major repairs or changes to the house help verify its value. These receipts also provide buyers with information about who to contact if they discover issues with the repairs in the future.
Home warranty information	The home warranty service agreement will explain what is covered, for how long, and costs associated with the policy.
Copies of relevant wills, trusts, or power of attorney letters	If you are selling an inherited property, you'll need copies of all legal documents that passed ownership to you.
Relevant affidavits (name affidavits, non-foreign affidavit under IRC 1445)	You may need additional affidavits like a name affidavit, which lists all of your or the buyer's previous names, or an affidavit proving you are not a foreign citizen and, therefore, exempt from certain property sales taxes.
Closing disclosure	If your buyer is taking out a mortgage and you agreed to certain seller's concessions, you may need a copy of their closing disclosure to verify the lender approved your concessions.
Correction statement and agreement	If forms are lost or errors are discovered in the future, a correction statement and agreement requires you, the buyer, or their lender to replace or fix those documents.

Virginia disclosure forms

Residential property disclosures acknowledgment form	You must fill out this form to notify the buyer of disclosures required by Virginia law.
Residential property disclosure statement	This statement notifies the buyer to exercise due diligence regarding the condition of the property and other issues.
Flood zone statement	Virginia has a new affirmative seller disclosure regarding flood risk that took effect on January 1, 2022.
Lead-based paint disclosure	If your home was built before 1978, federal law requires that you disclose information about the dangers of lead-based paint.
Radon fact sheet	Your real estate sales contract may include a radon test or mitigation contingency clause, according to the Virginia Dept. of Health.

» LEARN: Disclosure Requirements for Selling Virginia Real Estate

Where to find documents

You can find the required disclosure forms and other forms you may need on the website of Virginia's Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation.

The Virginia REALTORS association also provides a library of standard forms on its website, but they're intended for realtors and you need to log in to access them.

Looking for other documents? Real estate forms can be written in a variety of formats, and you can find downloadable forms online:

LawDepot — Free
eForms — Free
US Legal — Charges a small monthly subscription

When you're looking for other documents, such as tax records, property surveys, and deeds, check state or local government offices, such as your tax assessor’s office or department of revenue.

💰 Incredible savings, none of the DIY

Selling your home is time-consuming, and fraught with potential legal issues.

There's a better option. Clever pre-negotiates lower listing fees with top agents in your area. You still save on commission, while getting the support of a full-service agent.

Clever partner agents offer full-service support for half the typical cost: a pre-negotiated 1.5% listing fee
Clever sellers save an average of $7,000 on commission AND they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average

Ready to find real estate agents who can help you save thousands on your sale? Enter your zip code below to get started!

FSBO alternatives

If saving money is your main reason for selling FSBO, there are alternatives.

Semya-Moya

Clever is a nationwide real estate service that connects Virginia home sellers with top, local agents. You pay Clever nothing. You'll only pay your full-service agent 1.5% of your home sale price, saving up to 50% on listing fees.

Semya-Moya

Get Started

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% ($3,000 min.)

💰 Buyer Savings

Cash back after closing

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

5/5 (2,735 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Try Clever for free — save thousands on commission!

Clever is a free, nationwide agent matching service that partners with full-service local agents from conventional brokerages like Keller Williams, Century 21, and RE/MAX.
You get multiple agent matches so you can interview several, compare marketing plans, and choose the best fit.
Clever pre-negotiates low rates on your behalf — you get full service for just a 1.5% listing fee ($3,000 minimum).
If you buy with Clever, you can get cash back to help pay for your move.

You may not get matched with an agent from your preferred real estate brokerage.
Agents may not provide premium services like drone photography and professional home staging.

As of 11/6/2023, Clever has a 5.0 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, based on 2,589 reviews.

Read reviews from real Clever customers here.

Clever has pre-negotiated low commission rates with top agents in all 50 states and Washington, DC.

Discount real estate services in Virginia

Redfin

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% (min. fees vary)

💰 Avg. Savings

$5,550

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

2.9/5 (331 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Redfin offers real savings and is a proven brand. But sellers could compromise on service — especially agent experience and availability.

Read the full Redfin review.

If you buy and sell with Redfin, you'll get a 0.5% listing fee discount.
Redfin gives its listings premium placement in its popular home search app.

If finding the right agent is a top priority, you'll have limited options — Redfin only has a few agents in each of its markets.
Redfin agents handle more customers at once than the average realtor, so they may not be able to provide as much personalized service.

Redfin has a 2.9 out of 5 rating (331 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Yelp.

Read reviews from real Redfin customers here.

Redfin is available in 80+ U.S. markets (see all locations).

Houwzer

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1% (min. $2,500)

💰 Avg. Savings

$7,625

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.9/5 (1,463 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Houwzer has very low listing fees, but you may be frustrated working with a team instead of just your realtor.

Read the full Houwzer review.

You’ll pay a 1% listing fee, which is one of the lowest rates in the industry.
Houwzer’s maximum listing fee of $10,000 makes it a great deal for homes over $1 million.

Houwzer has a small team, which limits your options if you don't hit it off with the first agent it sends you.
The company uses a team-based approach, which increases the chances of miscommunication and mistakes.

Houwzer has a 4.9 out of 5 rating (1,463 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real Houwzer customers here.

Houwzer is available in the following locations: FL, MD, NJ, PA, VA, DC.

Redefy

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

$3,500 (1% above $1M)

💰 Avg. Savings

$8,500

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.6/5 (300 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Redefy’s flat fee could offer big savings. But hands-off service and non-refundable upfront fees make it a hard sell over other, less risky options.

Read the full Redefy review.

Flat $3,500 listing fee is an excellent value for higher-priced homes
Agents provide more in-person services than some similarly-priced low commission brands

Redefy charges an upfront, non-refundable $500 fee (most companies don't make you pay anything until your house sells)
Your agent will not host an open house for you

Redefy has a 4.6 out of 5 rating (300 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real Redefy customers here.

Redefy is available in the following areas: CO, FL, GA, IL, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA.

» COMPARE: Discount Real Estate Brokers: Who's the BEST?

Flat fee MLS companies in Virginia

A flat fee MLS company will post your listing on the local MLS, usually for a low, upfront fee. In Virginia, this will typically cost you a couple hundred dollars.

Cottage Street Realty

Best For

Inexperienced sellers who want extra guidance from their listing broker

Price Range

$299-999

Pros & Cons

Pros:

The basic package includes the maximum number of photos allowed by your local MLS while many flat fee MLS companies limit you to six or fewer photos.
The premium and supreme packages get the broker more involved in your listing with things like contract reviews and market analysis.

Cons:

You have to sign up for the Premium package ($799) before you can e-sign contracts.
The basic listing doesn't include any kind of pricing assistance.

Home Discovery Realtors

Best For

Sellers who may need longer than the typical six-month listing to sell their property

Price Range

$379

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You'll get quite a bit of broker assistance for things like offer consultations, contract reviews, and marketing assistance (beyond just the MLS listing).
You can fill out and sign your forms completely online instead of having to either mail, fax, or drop them off in person.

Cons:

It’s not clear if you can change your listing, what changes you can make or how much it costs to make them.

Net Realty Now

Best For

Experienced sellers who only need a basic listing

Price Range

$299-1,299

Pros & Cons

Pros:

The basic listing package includes comparable sales info for similar properties in your area, giving you a better idea of how to price your house.
For an extra fee, you can access Showingtime, a software Realtors use to coordinate property showings.

Cons:

You don't have many options if you need more than the basic listing but don't want to pay for the full support listing package ($1,299).

» FIND: 6 Best Virginia Flat-Fee MLS Companies

If you'd like some professional guidance with no strings attached, Clever can help. Fill out your info below to connect with a top, local realtor for a no-obligation consultation.

👋 Need a great agent on your side?

Connect with top local agents who can help you get a great deal on a new home. Eligible buyers also earn cash back after closing.

Additional resources for Virginia home sellers

FAQs: How to sell your house without a realtor in Virginia

Can I list my home on the MLS without a realtor in Virginia?

No, only real estate agents can list on the multiple listing service (MLS). The good news is that if you want to market your house without hiring a full-service agent, you can use a flat fee company that charges a one-time payment for an MLS listing. This usually costs a few hundred dollars and will populate your listing onto websites like Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com.

Can I sell my home as is in Virginia?

Yes, you can sell your home as is in Virginia, even if it's in bad shape, provided you can find a buyer. We Buy Houses companies will buy homes in any condition, allowing you to sell your home quickly for cash — but you'll only get about 70% of the fair market value of your property. Consider fixing up your home to boost its value and then listing it on the market instead.

What paperwork do I need to sell a house by owner in Virginia?

Paperwork you'll need to provide as a FSBO seller includes a copy of the purchase agreement and addendums, closing statement, signed deed, bill of sale, and affidavit of title. Required disclosures include the residential property disclosure statement and flood risk information form, and there are additional documents you may need to provide.

The post How to Sell a House By Owner in Virginia (2023 Update) appeared first on Semya-Moya.

How to Sell a House By Owner in New Jersey (2023 Update)

Greg Isaacson — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:41:45 +0000

Why trust us: To create this guide, we surveyed and interviewed New Jersey real estate agents, studied New Jersey real estate law, and researched more than 20 FSBO companies and alternatives. Learn more about why you can trust our advice.

Deciding to sell your home without an agent in New Jersey means you won't have to pay the average New Jersey listing commission of 2.63%. This works out to $13,041 on a typical New Jersey home.

However, selling your home on your own, also known as selling for sale by owner (FSBO), can be an overwhelming task. You'll be responsible for listing and marketing your home, scheduling showings, negotiating offers, and navigating all of the paperwork for closing. All of the extra work is why only 10% of home sales are by owner.

Additionally, there's a risk that you might end up selling your home for up to 35% less than you would with a real estate agent. Selling your home independently is only a viable option if you have the experience and confidence to take on the role of a real estate agent.

Our guide will help you determine whether selling your home without a realtor in New Jersey is the right decision for you.

Who should sell a house by owner?

Selling a home without the help of a real estate agent isn't the best idea for everyone. Before you make this major decision, review the pros and cons of FSBO.

Choosing to sell without a realtor could be right for you if:

You've sold a home before, with an agent or on your own. If so, you already have a good understanding of the selling process.
You have a friend or family member who is a real estate expert. Having someone to lean on for (free) advice is very valuable in case you have questions.
You have the time and energy to sell on your own. Taking on the tasks typically handled by a realtor is a lot of work. If you have a demanding job or a busy family, it may be challenging to find the time to market and close on the home.
You already know who you're selling to. If you already found a buyer, your job is mostly done. However, you'll still need to handle the closing process and complete all of the necessary paperwork.
You want more control over the sale of your home. Selling FSBO gives you the chance to make all of the decisions about pricing, marketing, and negotiating.

If more than a couple of the criteria above don't apply, consider hiring an agent instead.

If saving money on realtor commission is what you’re after, it’s worth looking into real estate agents who’ll work at a lower-than-typical commission. Semya-Moya matches sellers in New Jersey with experienced, local agents who offer traditional service for just 1.5%. You can save money and the headache of doing it all on your own.

Connect with top, local agents in New Jersey!

How to sell a house by owner in New Jersey

Here are 6 steps to sell a house by owner in New Jersey:

Prepare your home for sale
Set a price
List your home
Show your home
Negotiate the best price
Close

Here's an overview of what laws you need to know in New Jersey:

New Jersey FSBO facts
Real estate attorney required?	No
FSBO yard sign allowed?	Yes
Required state disclosures?	Lead-based paint disclosure Otherwise, New Jersey is a "buyer beware" state

Although selling your home without a realtor may seem like a great way to save on realtor fees, it’s trickier than many people expect. If it becomes overwhelming, you can hire an agent at any time.

Working with a low-commission real estate company may be a better option for those who don’t have time to handle the selling process as a FSBO. You'll avoid the hassle of a FSBO sale and walk away with the most money possible. Clever saves sellers thousands, and they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average.

👋 Skip the DIY: Get a better agent AND bigger savings

With Clever:

✅ You'll only pay 1.5% to list your home

✅ You'll work with a full-service realtor from a top broker

✅ It's free, with zero obligation — you can walk away at any time

Saving on realtor fees doesn't have to mean sacrificing service. Find a top local agent today!

Step 1: Prepare your home for sale

To prepare your home for sale, consider doing a "tank sweep" to check for any buried tanks. Millions of New Jersey homes have heating oil tanks buried underground. Many of these tanks are old and corroded, posing the risk of hazardous leaks.

You'll need a licensed contractor, usually oil tank removal companies, to perform a tank sweep. They usually charge a fee of around $250. Buyers are responsible for due diligence on the property, including checking for underground tanks.

If the buyer does find an underground tank, they may demand that you have it removed and perform any related clean-up, which could delay the transaction by months. For this reason, it might be a good idea to conduct the tank sweep yourself before listing the home.

Radon testing is also a common issue in New Jersey, even for homes that don't have basements, according to Gina Cristiano, a realtor with Shore Realty Exchange.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recommends that all homeowners hire a professional to test their houses for radon and perform mitigation if tests show levels of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) or more.

🙋🏾 Ask a realtor: Cristiano notes that rain can cause foundation problems in New Jersey homes. "Sometimes in the basement, walls might collapse a little bit, or there's a foundation crack in between the cinder blocks," she says. "That's very noticeable and should be repaired."

» LEARN: Best Paint Colors to Sell a House

Stage and photograph your home

You'll need professional photos for your listing — photos taken with your iPhone are much less likely to impress — and you'll want to showcase a clean and furnished home for potential buyers to see.

A well-staged home can help you sell faster and for more money. Start by decluttering, deep cleaning, and sprucing up your home's curb appeal. Consider moving your personal belongings to a storage facility.

"Take every personal item that you may have and remove it from the home," including family photos, Cristiano advises. "Be almost a minimalist."

Cristiano offers the following additional pointers for staging:

Decorate the home properly.
If there's a smoker issue, paint and change the rugs.
Try to clean the vents.
Virtual staging is a good way to show buyers what the home could look like.

Professional staging — decorating and arranging a house for maximum visual appeal — positions the home to sell for more than its list price. Cristiano generally avoids professional staging, though.

"You have to deal with movers, furniture, trucks. It can be very expensive," she says.

Bonus tip: If you don't trust your staging skills and would like to give professional staging a shot, hire a stager who knows your local market and can ensure your home is ready to impress. In New Jersey, expect to pay $2,500–5,000 on average in staging costs. This will get you 60–90 days of a fully designed living room, kitchen, dining room, master bedroom, and bathrooms. Prices vary from city to city, so be sure to give local companies a call for specific estimates.

Step 2: Set a price

🙋🏻‍♀️ Ask a realtor: Cristiano recommends pricing your home at fair market value. "It's going to get overbid regardless," she says. "But you don't want it to be so high that it's just nonsense."

The house should be appropriately priced to draw interested and willing buyers, Cristiano suggests. "You don't want a buyer that's going to have buyer's remorse. You want a buyer that wants it and wants to spend the extra money knowing the way the market is now."

To get an accurate idea of what's fair market value for your home, look at comparable listings online in your area. For example, if you think your house is worth about $300,000, search Zillow, Redfin, or other listing sites for properties that are about $50,000 more or less than that target. Analyze details about the homes and how they compare to yours.

A pre-sale appraisal gives you a more accurate starting point for pricing your home. In New Jersey, appraisals average $375 to $585 but help you walk away with thousands more once your home is sold.

Bonus tip: Ask an agent to perform a comparative market analysis examining comparable properties that have sold recently in your neighborhood. Many realtors will do this for free in the hopes of gaining your business if you decide to forego FSBO.

» LEARN: What is a Comparative Market Analysis?

State of the New Jersey real estate market

In New Jersey, the real estate market has slowed down significantly in the past year. From December 2021 to December 2022, home sales decreased by 34.5%. Properties are also taking slightly longer to sell, with the median days on market rising to 47 days compared to 42 days a year ago. This means that it may take longer for you to sell your home in 2023 compared to last year.

City	Median home value
Trenton	$
Vineland	$
Atlantic City	$
Ocean City	$

With fewer homes on the market, there is less competition for sellers, even if it takes a little longer to get an offer. Fortunately, home prices have not dropped significantly yet, although they have begun to level off from the high-demand market of the last two years. The median sale price is still up by 2.7% from a year ago.

While FSBO may seem like a good way to make up for lost home value in the current market, keep in mind that having a realtor on your side can lead to a higher sale price, particularly in a challenging market.

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Step 3: List your New Jersey home

Once you've decided on a price, it's time to write a listing description that speaks to local buyers. Understanding their priorities will help you identify what features of your property to highlight in your listing. Here are some of the top buyer priorities in New Jersey, according to real estate professionals.

New Jersey buyer priorities	Advice for FSBO sellers
Extra space	Many buyers in New Jersey are looking for homes that can accommodate remote work and learning. Popular amenities include extra space for private offices, as well as finished basements that family members can use for virtual work and schooling. Recreational spaces such as gyms, home theaters, and large living rooms are also in demand.
Backyards and privacy	Spacious, fenced yards are among the top priorities for buyers as privacy becomes a major concern. Smaller homes with downtown walkability have lost some of their appeal, and demand for riverfront and bayfront properties has soared, according to realtors. When it comes to backyards, flat land is always a plus.
Swimming pool	Swimming pools are also extremely desirable in New Jersey as buyers target larger properties and more amenities. Realtors say that the prices on pool installations have doubled, and pool contractors are almost two years behind. The cost of a basic turn-key pool in New Jersey averages about $45,000–85,000.
Pricing	Homes are scarce in New Jersey's hot market, but setting the right price will help you get the best possible offers. Do your research and look at recent sales data in your area for an accurate price point for homes of comparable size and condition. Be careful not to overprice your home, because if it sits on the market for a while, potential buyers may think there's a problem.

Where to list your home

A flat fee MLS company usually costs a few hundred dollars and includes a property description, up to 25 photos, and a listing lasting no more than 12 months. Additional services, such as a virtual tour, downloadable contracts, and free changes to your listing, are often bundled into more expensive packages — but they're still typically cheaper than paying a listing agent's 3% commission fee. Find the best flat fee MLS companies in New Jersey.

As a FSBO seller, you also have several free or low-cost options.

Zillow: Listing on Zillow is free and takes just a few simple steps: create a profile, claim your home, navigate to the FSBO page, fill out your listing info, click publish, and wait for verification. Zillow listings also automatically appear on its sister site, Trulia. However, recent changes to Zillow keep FSBO listings separate from agent listings, meaning your home will be a lot less visible to buyers.
ForSaleByOwner.com: This well-established and recognized for-sale-by-owner site caters specifically to people wanting to buy or sell FSBO homes. It's free to advertise, but your home won't show up on the MLS or syndicate to other real estate websites. That means your listing will only be viewable to buyers who go to ForSaleByOwner.com.
For-sale-by-owner yard sign: You can buy a FSBO sign from most hardware stores or online for $20–50. Choose one that allows you to add your phone number so interested buyers can contact you for property information and showings.
Craigslist: Posting your home on Craigslist is free and simple. Just go to the New Jersey page, find your city, and create a "real estate — by owner" listing.

» MORE INFO: Learn How to Sell a House on Craigslist

Step 4: Show your home

Keep the home clean and decluttered at all times. The last thing you want is to scramble with a vacuum after a buyer calls for a last-minute showing.

Step 5: Negotiate for the best possible price

Negotiations are about more than the final sale price. You and the buyer (or their agent) will also have to agree upon contract contingencies, how closing costs are divided, the timeline, and more.

Knowing what's important to buyers in your area will help you strengthen your offer. A Clever survey of local real estate professionals found that in New Jersey, sellers often cover 0.90% to 1.50% of buyers' closing costs. On a home of median value, that will cost an additional $4,459 to $7,432.

You should also consider offering these popular seller concessions:

Concession	Benefits of offering concession
Home warranty	If your home has major appliances or systems that are on their last leg, a home warranty can give buyers peace of mind. A warranty will cover possible problems and is typically less expensive than paying for the repairs (or accepting a lower offer from a wary buyer).
Property taxes	You often have to share past tax information about the property before closing a sale. By covering some of those costs, you can offer buyers some financial relief and make them more inclined to close the sale.
Repair credits	Repair credits are a win-win for buyers and sellers. You'll credit the buyer a set amount to cover the cost of repairs. Once the deal closes, buyers can oversee the project to their liking, and you don't have to worry about repairs going over budget.

Step 6: Close

Closing is the final step in a real estate transaction. The title of the property is officially transferred from the seller to the buyer, and both parties pay their closing costs.

🤔 Do I need a real estate attorney to sell my house in New Jersey?

No, you're not legally required to use an attorney to sell a house in New Jersey. However, home buyers and sellers in the Garden State normally hire an attorney, and we recommend doing so, especially for FSBO sellers.

Unlike realtors, real estate attorneys don't have knowledge of the local market and can’t help you negotiate the price of your home, but they can write a purchase and sale agreement and other legal contracts. Hire one if you want a contract that's free of loopholes, ensures the best terms for you, and safeguards you against a breach of contract.

Real estate attorneys usually work for an upfront flat fee or an hourly rate costing a few hundred dollars. In New Jersey, flat legal fees are more common than hourly and average range from $1,000–1,500 on average. Find New Jersey lawyers near you by searching the state bar association, Avvo, or FindLaw.

» READ: How Much are Closing Costs for Sellers in New Jersey?

Paperwork to sell a house by owner in New Jersey

In a typical real estate transaction, your agent will make sure you fill out all the necessary documents and forms. As a FSBO seller, you'll have to navigate the paperwork by yourself.

❗ Keep in mind — New Jersey is a "buyer beware" state

New Jersey is one of several "buyer beware" states, meaning you don't have to disclose most problems with the house. It's up to the buyer to do their due diligence before purchasing your home.

That said, if you actively withhold information from the buyer about problems with the home, you could be committing fraud. Check with a realtor or attorney if in doubt about your obligations.

Here’s a quick breakdown of New Jersey's requirements. Want to save this list for later? Download our FSBO paperwork checklist to help you prepare for your sale.

Required for all New Jersey real estate sales

Two forms of ID	In most cases, a valid passport, driver's license, or other form of New Jersey-issued ID.
Copy of purchase and sale agreement and addendums	Copy of the original, signed sales agreement, as well as any agreed upon changes.
Closing statement	A detailed list of all the costs associated with the sale and who pays them. This is often prepared by your escrow agent or title company.
Signed deed	To legally transfer your property, you'll need the deed that proves you're the rightful owner. At closing, you'll sign the deed over to the buyer.
Bill of sale	This is basically a receipt that includes both your information and the buyer's. It will also list the final price of the home and what was included in the sale.
Affidavit of title	A notarized document that states you own the home, that there are no liens on the property, and that you are not simultaneously selling the home to someone else.

Additional documents

Loan payoff information	If you have a mortgage on your home, you'll need documentation of exactly how much you still owe and any payoff fees. If you've already paid your mortgage in full, you'll need documentation proving that.
HOA forms and guidelines	If your home is part of an HOA, you'll need to give the buyer documentation on the covenants, codes, restrictions, financial history, required fees, and approval process.
Survey results or survey affidavits	A survey or an affidavit verifying a previous survey proves exactly where the property lines are.
Home inspection results	If you had a pre-sale inspection, you'll want the results to compare to the buyer's inspection. If having a buyer's inspection was part of the sales agreement, you should receive a copy of the results before closing.
Proof of repairs or renovations	Documentation proving any major repairs or changes to the house help verify its value. These receipts also provide buyers with information about who to contact if they discover issues with the repairs in the future.
Home warranty information	The home warranty service agreement will explain what is covered, for how long, and costs associated with the policy.
Copies of relevant wills, trusts, or power of attorney letters	If you are selling an inherited property, you'll need copies of all legal documents that passed ownership to you.
Relevant affidavits (name affidavits, non-foreign affidavit under IRC 1445)	You may need additional affidavits like a name affidavit, which lists all of your or the buyer's previous names, or an affidavit proving you are not a foreign citizen and, therefore, exempt from certain property sales taxes.
Closing disclosure	If your buyer is taking out a mortgage and you agreed to certain seller's concessions, you may need a copy of their closing disclosure to verify the lender approved your concessions.
Correction statement and agreement	If forms are lost or errors are discovered in the future, a correction statement and agreement requires you, the buyer, or their lender to replace or fix those documents.

New Jersey disclosure forms

Seller's property condition disclosure statement	While it's not legally required to fill out a disclosure form, the seller's disclosure statement can give the buyer peace of mind about issues with your home and its major appliances and systems.
Flood zone statement	With some federally backed mortgages, your buyer's lender might require information about the property's flood risk.
Lead-based paint disclosure	If your home was built before 1978, federal law requires that you disclose information about the dangers of lead-based paint.
Radon guide	New Jersey recommends that all homeowners test their houses for radon and perform mitigation if levels are at 4 pCi/L or more.

Where to find documents

Need a document that's not on the list? The New Jersey Realtors Association provides real estate forms on its website, but they're intended for real estate agents, and you must log in to access them.

However, real estate forms can be written in a variety of formats, and you can find downloadable forms online:

LawDepot — Free
eForms — Free
US Legal — Charges a small monthly subscription

When you're looking for other documents, such as tax records, property surveys, and deeds, check state or local government offices, such as your tax assessor’s office or department of revenue.

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Clever partner agents offer full-service support for half the typical cost: a pre-negotiated 1.5% listing fee
Clever sellers save an average of $7,000 on commission AND they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average

Ready to find real estate agents who can help you save thousands on your sale? Enter your zip code below to get started!

FSBO alternatives

If saving money is your main reason for selling FSBO, there are alternatives.

Semya-Moya

Clever is a nationwide real estate service that connects New Jersey home sellers with top, local agents. You pay Clever nothing. You'll only pay your full-service agent 1.5% of your home sale price, saving up to 50% on listing fees.

Semya-Moya

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💲 Listing Fee

1.5% ($3,000 min.)

💰 Buyer Savings

Cash back after closing

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

5/5 (2,735 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Try Clever for free — save thousands on commission!

Clever is a free, nationwide agent matching service that partners with full-service local agents from conventional brokerages like Keller Williams, Century 21, and RE/MAX.
You get multiple agent matches so you can interview several, compare marketing plans, and choose the best fit.
Clever pre-negotiates low rates on your behalf — you get full service for just a 1.5% listing fee ($3,000 minimum).
If you buy with Clever, you can get cash back to help pay for your move.

You may not get matched with an agent from your preferred real estate brokerage.
Agents may not provide premium services like drone photography and professional home staging.

As of 11/6/2023, Clever has a 5.0 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, based on 2,589 reviews.

Read reviews from real Clever customers here.

Clever has pre-negotiated low commission rates with top agents in all 50 states and Washington, DC.

Discount real estate services in New Jersey

Redfin

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% (min. fees vary)

💰 Avg. Savings

$5,550

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

2.9/5 (331 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Redfin offers real savings and is a proven brand. But sellers could compromise on service — especially agent experience and availability.

Read the full Redfin review.

If you buy and sell with Redfin, you'll get a 0.5% listing fee discount.
Redfin gives its listings premium placement in its popular home search app.

If finding the right agent is a top priority, you'll have limited options — Redfin only has a few agents in each of its markets.
Redfin agents handle more customers at once than the average realtor, so they may not be able to provide as much personalized service.

Redfin has a 2.9 out of 5 rating (331 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Yelp.

Read reviews from real Redfin customers here.

Redfin is available in 80+ U.S. markets (see all locations).

Houwzer

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1% (min. $2,500)

💰 Avg. Savings

$7,625

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.9/5 (1,463 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Houwzer has very low listing fees, but you may be frustrated working with a team instead of just your realtor.

Read the full Houwzer review.

You’ll pay a 1% listing fee, which is one of the lowest rates in the industry.
Houwzer’s maximum listing fee of $10,000 makes it a great deal for homes over $1 million.

Houwzer has a small team, which limits your options if you don't hit it off with the first agent it sends you.
The company uses a team-based approach, which increases the chances of miscommunication and mistakes.

Houwzer has a 4.9 out of 5 rating (1,463 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real Houwzer customers here.

Houwzer is available in the following locations: FL, MD, NJ, PA, VA, DC.

REX Real Estate

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

2.5% ($9,000 min.)

💰 Avg. Savings

-$325

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.7/5 (1,041 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Read the full REX Real Estate review.

REX's approach is incredibly risky — but if the gamble pays off, you could save about 50% on realtor fees
Like other full-service brokerages, REX agents provide in-person services and support

REX's 2.5% listing fee doesn't save you much — many full-price agents charge similar rates
REX doesn't list your home on the MLS, so up to 90% of buyers may not even know it's for sale
This risky marketing strategy seems likely to fail, so you may not save anything on commission

REX has a 4.7 out of 5 rating (1,041 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real REX customers here.

REX is available in the following areas: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, MD, NV, NJ, OR, PA, TX, WA, DC.

» COMPARE: Discount Real Estate Brokers: Who's the BEST?

Flat fee MLS companies in New Jersey

A flat fee MLS company will post your listing on the local MLS, usually for a low, upfront fee. In New Jersey, this will typically cost you a couple hundred dollars.

New Jersey Real Estate Boutique

Best For

Inexperienced sellers who want a little extra guidance from the listing broker

Price Range

$395-995

Pros & Cons

Pros:

The basic listing includes a for sale sign with a 1-888-number that forwards calls directly to your phone number. Many flat fee MLS companies charge extra for signs and automatic call forwarding.
You can post as many open houses as you want on the MLS without paying extra.
You can add a la carte options like professional photography and home staging if you don't want to upgrade to the agent-assisted flat fee MLS plan ($995).

Cons:

The money-back guarantee becomes void once your listing goes live on the MLS (usually within 48 hours after you turn in your listing forms).

Realmart Realty

Best For

Sellers looking for a lot of a-la-carte options

Price Range

$395

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You can choose from a lot of different a la carte options, like lockboxes, professional photography, and yard sign upgrades.
If you decide to go with a full-service broker, you can get a full refund when you sign with someone Realmart referred you to.

Cons:

You'll have to pay extra if you want to change any photos after your listing is live on the MLS.

Flat Fee Group

Best For

Sellers who are confident their property will sell quickly

Price Range

$199-999

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You can choose a timeframe that fits how quickly you think your property will sell. Packages include three month, six month, 12 month, and unlimited time listings.
If you don't need a very in-depth listing, the bronze package is cheaper ($199) than most other New Jersey flat fee MLS companies. It comes with only six photos and a three month duration.

Cons:

You have to sign up for the Platinum plan ($999) if you want any extra guidance like contract reviews and negotiation advice from the listing broker.
You have to pay extra to see nearby sales comps that could help you choose a listing price.

If you'd like some professional guidance with no strings attached, Clever can help. Fill out your info below to connect with a top, local realtor for a no-obligation consultation.

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Connect with top local agents who can help you get a great deal on a new home. Eligible buyers also earn cash back after closing.

Additional resources for New Jersey home sellers

FAQs: How to sell your house without a realtor in New Jersey

Do I need an attorney to sell my house by owner in New Jersey?

A real estate attorney is not required to sell a house in New Jersey, but you should hire one if you're selling without an agent. Home buyers and sellers typically hire attorneys in New Jersey to review their contracts, safeguard their rights, and ensure that local laws are followed.

Can I sell my house as is in New Jersey?

Yes, you can sell your home as is in New Jersey, even if it's in bad shape, provided you can find a buyer. We Buy Houses companies will buy homes in any condition, allowing you to sell your home quickly for cash — but you'll only get about 70% of the fair market value of your property. Consider fixing up your home to boost its value and then listing it on the market instead.

How do I advertise my house for sale in New Jersey?

The best way to advertise your house is to list it on the MLS. Only real estate agents can list on the MLS, so you can either work with an agent or use a flat fee MLS company that charges a one-time fee for an MLS listing. Your listing will populate onto major real estate websites like Zillow, boosting your home's online presence.

How should I price my home when selling by owner?

Pricing your home wisely is key to a successful sale. Set a price that will attract buyers while reflecting what your home is actually worth. Look at comparable listings online in your area and analyze details about those homes to see how they compare to yours. Be careful not to overprice your home.

The post How to Sell a House By Owner in New Jersey (2023 Update) appeared first on Semya-Moya.

How to Sell a House By Owner in Indiana (2023 Update)

Greg Isaacson — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:39:29 +0000

Why trust us: To create this guide, we surveyed and interviewed Indiana real estate agents, studied Indiana real estate law, and researched more than 20 FSBO companies and alternatives. Learn more about why you can trust our advice.

If you choose to sell your home without a realtor in Indiana, you won't have to pay the average Indiana commission of 2.96% of the sale price. This could mean a savings of $6,810, based on the average home price in Indiana.

But listing your home for sale by owner (FSBO) means taking on a ton of work on your own. You need to list the home, market it to potential buyers, schedule showings, and negotiate offers without any help. This is why most sellers choose to use an agent — only 10% of home sales are sale by owner. You'll also need to handle the closing on your own, which involves a lot of paperwork.

Plus, there's a risk that you'll end up selling for less than you would if you had the help of an agent. FSBO homes sell for as much as 35% less than sales using a listing agent.

Selling on your own is only advisable if you have the necessary experience and you're confident you can take the place of a real estate agent.

Our guide will help you figure out if selling without an agent in Indiana is the best path for you.

Who should sell a house by owner?

Deciding to sell your home without help from a real estate agent isn't a choice you should make lightly. First, research the pros and cons of FSBO. Next, determine if you actually have the time to devote to such a complicated task.

Selling by owner in Indiana could be right for you if:

You've sold a home before, with or without an agent's help. If you know what to expect from the selling process, or if you were once a licensed real estate agent yourself, you can draw on that experience.
You have a real estate expert you can call on for advice. If you have a friend or family member generous enough to answer the occasional question free of charge, it can be a huge help in the selling process.
You have some free time. Remember that being a FSBO seller is like taking on another part-time job. So if your family or first job keeps you occupied, you probably won't have time to act as your own real estate agent.
You already know who you're selling to. Marketing your home to find a buyer is a huge part of the selling process. If you can skip all of that, you'll have more time to focus on closing.
You want a hands-on approach toward selling. If you trust yourself over a real estate agent to price, market, and close on the home, FSBO will give you complete control.

If you answered "no" to two or more of the above, you're likely better off hiring an agent.

If saving money on realtor commission is what you’re after, it’s worth looking into real estate agents who’ll work at a lower-than-typical commission. Semya-Moya matches sellers in Indiana with experienced, local agents who offer traditional service for just 1.5%. You can save money and the headache of doing it all on your own.

Connect with top, local agents in Indiana!

How to sell a house by owner in Indiana

Here are 6 steps to sell a house by owner in Indiana:

Prepare your home for sale
Set a price
List your home
Show your home
Negotiate the best price
Close

Real estate laws vary across the country. For example, some states don't allow sellers to put a FSBO sign in their yard if they list on the multiple listing service (MLS) using a flat fee company.

Here's an overview of what laws you need to know in Indiana:

Indiana FSBO facts
Real estate attorney required?	No
FSBO yard sign allowed?	Yes
Required state disclosures?	Seller's property disclosure statement Flood zone statement Lead-based paint disclosure

Although selling your home without an agent may seem like a great way to save on realtor fees, it’s trickier than many people expect. If it becomes overwhelming, you can hire an agent at any time.

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✅ You'll only pay 1.5% to list your home

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Step 1: Prepare your home for sale

Small repairs and upgrades can make a big difference in boosting your home's appeal and swaying potential buyers. The key is knowing how to spend your money wisely to get higher offers.

You want your house to meet buyers' expectations. If your kitchen is in bad shape, spending more money on a remodel will pay off in the end. But investing in high-end features to take it from good to extravagant could be a waste.

Also, consider how valuable specific repairs are to buyers in your area. Ryan Radecki, a realtor with Indianapolis-based Highgarden Real Estate, recommends the following repairs and improvements that could help a home sell for more:

Remove carpeting. Most buyers want modern floor styles, including vinyl plank or hardwood floors.
Have your crawlspace examined before listing to check for any problems. Water and other issues in the crawlspace are a common pain point for homebuyers in Indiana.
Update electrical systems. Homes built in the early 1900s often have old electrical systems that could be dangerous.

» LEARN: Best Paint Colors to Sell a House

Photograph your home — but you can probably skip staging

Start by decluttering, deep cleaning, and sprucing up your home's curb appeal. Consider moving your personal belongings to a storage unit.

While hiring a professional photographer is a must, working with a professional staging company is optional in Indiana's hot market. Radecki notes that professional stagers typically charge somewhere around $1,500–3,000, depending on the square footage of the home.

But for homes under $650,000 or $700,000, it's generally hard to justify the expense — unless the home has an unusual floor plan that would look better staged.

Step 2: Set a price

Pricing strategy can make or break a FSBO sale. List your home for too little, and you leave money on the table. Price it too high above fair market value, and the listing goes stale, forcing a price drop that could make buyers wary of the home.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Ask a realtor: "Many (homebuyers) will cap searches at those even numbers, like $200,000, $250,000, $300,000," Radecki says. "You don't want to overprice beyond belief, because if it doesn't sell within the first few days, then people start making assumptions that there's something wrong," he adds, noting that the time period used to be 30 or even 90 days.

"Now if it's more than three days, you start getting phone calls, like, 'Hey what's going on, Ryan, is there black mold or what?'"

A pre-sale appraisal tells you your home's fair market value, which is a more accurate starting point for pricing your home. In Indiana, appraisals average $325 to $405 but help you walk away with thousands more once your home is sold.

» LEARN: What is a Comparative Market Analysis?

State of the Indiana real estate market

Indiana's real estate market is cooling, just like the rest of the U.S. From November 2021 to November 2022, new listings were down 19.1%, and sales declined by 27%. The median sold price in Indiana, however, has risen over that same period by 13.2%.

City	Median home value
Indianapolis	$267,549
Fort Wayne	$
Evansville	$
South Bend	$
Bloomington	$

This means that while the market isn't as competitive as it was a year ago, buyers in Indiana are still looking for homes. More importantly, they're willing to pay a bit more than they did a year ago. And because you won't have to compete with as many homes on the market as you would have a year ago, it might even be a bit easier to sell your home.

When prices begin to fall later in 2023, it might be tempting to skip hiring an agent so you can make as much money as possible from your sale. But remember, having the advice of a local realtor in the midst of a challenging market can help you sell for more than FSBO.

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Step 3: List your Indiana home

Indiana buyer priorities	Advice for FSBO sellers
Extra space	There's increased demand in Indiana for extra space for home offices and remote learning. Finishing your basement or building a loft upstairs to accommodate a home office or two could be a huge plus. Also think about conversion opportunities. Traditional dining rooms have fallen out of favor in new construction, so if you have one, consider remodeling or repurposing it.
Yard size	Homebuyers in Indiana have traditionally wanted the biggest yard possible, and Indiana has the largest median lot size of any U.S. city at 9,191 square feet. The trend in recent years has been toward smaller lots and lawns, but many buyers are still attracted to homes that have sprawling lawns, especially if they own dogs.
Listing price	Indiana's housing market is the most competitive it's ever been, but it's still very affordable compared to other states. Do your research and look at recent sales data in your area for an accurate price point for homes of comparable size and condition. Be careful not to overprice your home, because if it sits on the market for a while, potential buyers will think there's a problem.
School district	Include appealing information about school districts in your listing description. Mention the GreatSchools rating, graduation rates, parental reviews, or state accolades.

Where to list your home

As a FSBO seller, you also have several free or low-cost options.

Zillow: Listing on Zillow is free and takes just a few simple steps: create a profile, claim your home, navigate to the FSBO page, fill out your listing info, click publish, and wait for verification. Zillow listings also automatically appear on its sister site, Trulia. However, recent changes to Zillow keep FSBO listings separate from agent listings, meaning your home will be a lot less visible to buyers.
ForSaleByOwner.com: This well-established and recognized for-sale-by-owner site caters specifically to people wanting to buy or sell FSBO homes. It's free to advertise, but your home won't show up on the MLS or syndicate to other real estate websites. That means your listing will only be viewable to buyers who go to ForSaleByOwner.com.
For-sale-by-owner yard sign: You can buy a FSBO sign from most hardware stores or online for $20–50. Choose one that allows you to add your phone number so interested buyers can contact you for property information and showings.
Craigslist: Posting your home on Craigslist is free and simple. Just go to the Indiana page, find your city, and create a "real estate — by owner" listing.

» MORE INFO: Learn How to Sell a House on Craigslist

Step 4: Show your home

Keep the home clean and decluttered at all times. The last thing you want is to scramble with a vacuum after a buyer calls for a last-minute showing.

Step 5: Negotiate for the best possible price

Negotiations are about more than the final sale price. You and the buyer (or their agent) will also have to agree upon contract contingencies, how closing costs are divided, the timeline, and more.

Knowing what's important to buyers in your area will help you strengthen your offer. A Clever survey of local real estate professionals found that in Indiana, sellers often cover 1.00% to 2.00% of buyers' closing costs. On a home of median value, that will cost an additional $2,289 to $4,578.

You should also consider offering these popular seller concessions:

Concession	Benefits of offering concession
Home warranty	If your home has major appliances or systems that are on their last leg, a home warranty can give buyers peace of mind. A warranty will cover possible problems and is typically less expensive than paying for the repairs (or accepting a lower offer from a wary buyer).
Property taxes	You often have to share past tax information about the property before closing a sale. By covering some of those costs, you can offer buyers some financial relief and make them more inclined to close the sale.
Repair credits	Repair credits are a win-win for buyers and sellers. You'll credit the buyer a set amount to cover the cost of repairs. Once the deal closes, buyers can oversee the project to their liking, and you don't have to worry about repairs going over budget.

Step 6: Close

Closing is the final step in a real estate transaction. The title of the property is officially transferred from the seller to the buyer, and both parties pay their closing costs.

🤔 Do I need a real estate attorney to sell my house in Indiana?

No, you don't need to hire a real estate attorney to sell a house in Indiana. Even though it's not required, you might find it useful to work with a lawyer, especially if you're selling FSBO. A real estate attorney can review the final contract before you sign, assist with the closing process, or help resolve any disputes that may arise.

» READ: How Much are Closing Costs for Sellers in Indiana?

Paperwork to sell a house by owner in Indiana

Want to save this list for later? Download our FSBO paperwork checklist to help you prepare for your sale.

Required for all Indiana real estate sales

Two forms of ID	In most cases, a valid passport, driver's license, or other form of Indiana-issued ID.
Copy of purchase and sale agreement and addendums	Copy of the original, signed purchase and sale agreement, as well as any agreed upon changes.
Closing statement	A detailed list of all the costs associated with the sale and who pays them. This is often prepared by your escrow agent or title company.
Signed deed	To legally transfer your property, you'll need the deed that proves you're the rightful owner. At closing, you'll sign the deed over to the buyer.
Bill of sale	This is basically a receipt that includes both your information and the buyer's. It will also list the final price of the home and what was included in the sale.
Affidavit of title	A notarized document that states you own the home, that there are no liens on the property, and that you are not simultaneously selling the home to someone else.

Additional documents

Loan payoff information	If you have a mortgage on your home, you'll need documentation of exactly how much you still owe and any payoff fees. If you've already paid your mortgage in full, you'll need documentation proving that.
HOA forms and guidelines	If your home is part of an HOA, you'll need to give the buyer documentation on the covenants, codes, restrictions, financial history, required fees, and approval process.
Survey results or survey affidavits	A survey or an affidavit verifying a previous survey proves exactly where the property lines are.
Home inspection results	If you had a pre-sale inspection, you'll want the results to compare to the buyer's inspection. If having a buyer's inspection was part of the sales agreement, you should receive a copy of the results before closing.
Proof of repairs or renovations	Documentation proving any major repairs or changes to the house help verify its value. These receipts also provide buyers with information about who to contact if they discover issues with the repairs in the future.
Home warranty information	The home warranty service agreement will explain what is covered, for how long, and costs associated with the policy.
Copies of relevant wills, trusts, or power of attorney letters	If you are selling an inherited property, you'll need copies of all legal documents that passed ownership to you.
Relevant affidavits (name affidavits, non-foreign affidavit under IRC 1445)	You may need additional affidavits like a name affidavit, which lists all of your or the buyer's previous names, or an affidavit proving you are not a foreign citizen and, therefore, exempt from certain property sales taxes.
Closing disclosure	If your buyer is taking out a mortgage and you agreed to certain seller's concessions, you may need a copy of their closing disclosure to verify the lender approved your concessions.
Correction statement and agreement	If forms are lost or errors are discovered in the future, a correction statement and agreement requires you, the buyer, or their lender to replace or fix those documents.

Indiana disclosure forms

Seller's property disclosure statement	The seller disclosure statement details known issues with your home and its major appliances and systems.
Flood zone statement	With some federally backed mortgages, your buyer's lender might require information about the property's flood risk.
Lead-based paint disclosure	If your home was built before 1978, federal law requires that you disclose information about the dangers of lead-based paint.

» LEARN: Disclosure Requirements for Selling Indiana Real Estate

Where to find documents

Need a document that's not on the list? The Indiana Realtors Association provides real estate forms on its website, but they're intended for real estate agents, and you must log in to access them.

However, real estate forms can be written in a variety of formats, and you can find downloadable forms online:

LawDepot — Free
eForms — Free
US Legal — Charges a small monthly subscription

When you're looking for other documents, such as tax records, property surveys, and deeds, check state or local government offices, such as your tax assessor’s office or department of revenue.

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Clever sellers save an average of $7,000 on commission AND they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average

Ready to find real estate agents who can help you save thousands on your sale? Enter your zip code below to get started!

FSBO alternatives

If saving money is your main reason for selling FSBO, there are alternatives.

Semya-Moya

Clever is a nationwide real estate service that connects Indiana home sellers with top, local agents. You pay Clever nothing. You'll only pay your full-service agent 1.5% of your home sale price, saving up to 50% on listing fees.

Semya-Moya

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💲 Listing Fee

1.5% ($3,000 min.)

💰 Buyer Savings

Cash back after closing

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

5/5 (2,735 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Try Clever for free — save thousands on commission!

Clever is a free, nationwide agent matching service that partners with full-service local agents from conventional brokerages like Keller Williams, Century 21, and RE/MAX.
You get multiple agent matches so you can interview several, compare marketing plans, and choose the best fit.
Clever pre-negotiates low rates on your behalf — you get full service for just a 1.5% listing fee ($3,000 minimum).
If you buy with Clever, you can get cash back to help pay for your move.

You may not get matched with an agent from your preferred real estate brokerage.
Agents may not provide premium services like drone photography and professional home staging.

As of 11/6/2023, Clever has a 5.0 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, based on 2,589 reviews.

Read reviews from real Clever customers here.

Clever has pre-negotiated low commission rates with top agents in all 50 states and Washington, DC.

Discount real estate services in Indiana

Redfin

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% (min. fees vary)

💰 Avg. Savings

$5,550

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

2.9/5 (331 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Redfin offers real savings and is a proven brand. But sellers could compromise on service — especially agent experience and availability.

Read the full Redfin review.

If you buy and sell with Redfin, you'll get a 0.5% listing fee discount.
Redfin gives its listings premium placement in its popular home search app.

If finding the right agent is a top priority, you'll have limited options — Redfin only has a few agents in each of its markets.
Redfin agents handle more customers at once than the average realtor, so they may not be able to provide as much personalized service.

Redfin has a 2.9 out of 5 rating (331 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Yelp.

Read reviews from real Redfin customers here.

Redfin is available in 80+ U.S. markets (see all locations).

» COMPARE: Discount Real Estate Brokers: Who's the BEST?

Flat fee MLS companies in Indiana

A flat fee MLS company will post your listing on the local MLS, usually for a low, upfront fee. In Indiana, this will typically cost you a couple hundred dollars.

Flat Fee Realty LLC

Best For

Inexperienced sellers who need extra guidance from their listing broker

Price Range

$599

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Your listing comes with a comparative market analysis to help you price your home. Many competitors charge extra for this service.
You get a yard sign with your listing. The sign includes a phone number and website where people can get more info about your property.
An agent will come take pictures of your property that you can use for your MLS listing.

Cons:

There's only one package to choose from. This isn't a great option for sellers on a shoestring budget.
They don't specify how many photos you can add to your listing.

Mentor Listing

Best For

Sellers who like to keep things simple

Price Range

$299-399

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You can add as many open houses as you want to your listing without paying an extra fee.

Cons:

The base package only includes one photo. Most other companies include at least six (if not more) in their basic listing package.
You'll have to pay an extra $200 at closing to cover Indiana's minimum service requirements.

Mink Realty

Best For

Sellers looking for a lot of a la carte options

Price Range

$299-499

Pros & Cons

Pros:

The gold and platinum packages come with a lot of extra assistance from the listing broker like contract reviews and advice, listing feedback, and negotiation assistance.
For an extra fee, the broker will promote your listing on social media for you.

Cons:

You have to pay extra to e-sign documents.
The base package doesn't include any open house listings.

» FIND: 5 Best Indiana Flat Fee MLS Companies

If you'd like some professional guidance with no strings attached, Clever can help. Fill out your info below to connect with a top, local realtor for a no-obligation consultation.

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Additional resources for Indiana home sellers

FAQs: How to sell your house without a realtor in Indiana

What paperwork do I need to sell my house by owner in Indiana?

Home sales in Indiana require a lot of paperwork, including a copy of the purchase agreement and addendums, the closing statement, signed deed, bill of sale, and affidavit of title. You also need to provide the seller's residential real estate sales disclosure and other forms and disclosures.

Do I need to hire a lawyer to sell my house in Indiana?

No, you don't need a lawyer to sell (or buy) a house in Indiana. Real estate agents typically handle paperwork and closing details, rather than attorneys. That said, if you're not using an agent, you may want an attorney to look over the final contract before you sign.

What's the best way to list my house for sale in Indiana?

The best place to market your home is on the multiple listing service (MLS). Only agents can list on the MLS, so if you're selling without an agent, you'll need to use a flat fee MLS company. You can also consider listing your home for free on Zillow, Trulia, ForSaleByOwner.com, social media, and Craigslist.

The post How to Sell a House By Owner in Indiana (2023 Update) appeared first on Semya-Moya.

How to Sell a House By Owner in Illinois (2023 Update)

Greg Isaacson — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:39:16 +0000

Why trust us: To create this guide, we surveyed and interviewed Illinois real estate agents, studied Illinois real estate law, and researched more than 20 FSBO companies and alternatives. Learn more about why you can trust our advice.

Selling your house without a realtor in Illinois means you won't have to pay the average Illinois listing commission of 2.68% of your home's sale price. Based on the average sale price of an Illinois home, not using a realtor could save you about $6,755.

However, if selling a home on your own was easy, everyone would be doing it. In fact, only 10% of home sales are by owner. Listing your home for sale by owner (FSBO) means you'll need to set the price, schedule showings, and open houses, and negotiate with buyers — all on your own. Plus, you'll need to handle all of the paperwork at closing, where a minor mistake could lead to legal problems.

On top of all that, you might not even save that much. FSBO sales often sell for 35% less than sales completed using a listing agent.

FSBO is only recommended if you have experience selling and you're certain you can handle everything a real estate agent would normally do.

This guide will help you decide if sale by owner makes sense for your situation and tell you how to sell without a realtor in Illinois.

Who should sell a house by owner?

Selling without a realtor isn't recommended for everyone. Before deciding to forego an agent, look carefully at the pros and cons of FSBO. Selling a house on your own will occupy a lot of your time — it's like a part-time job.

Selling without a realtor in Illinois could be right for you if:

This isn't the first home you've sold, with or without a realtor. If you're familiar with the selling process — or if you were once a licensed real estate agent yourself — you can use your experience to guide you.
You know a real estate expert to ask for advice. If you have a relative or friend who's willing to provide occasional advice for free, you can rely on them when the unexpected happens.
You have enough time in your schedule. If you already have a lot of work, family, or school responsibilities, you might find yourself stretched thin.
You already have a buyer. A lot of the work of selling a home is marketing and showing. Already having a buyer means you can skip all of that and just focus on closing and the paperwork that comes with it.
You want more control over the selling process. If you'd rather take charge of the pricing, marketing, and negotiations instead of handing those responsibilities over to a realtor, FSBO gives you that freedom.

If at least a few of these things don't apply to you, think twice before selling without a realtor in Illinois.

If saving money on realtor commission is what you’re after, it’s worth looking into real estate agents who’ll work at a lower-than-typical commission. Semya-Moya matches sellers in Illinois with experienced, local agents who offer traditional service for just 1.5%. You can save money and the headache of doing it all on your own.

Connect with top, local agents in Illinois!

How to sell a house by owner in Illinois

Here are 6 steps to sell a house by owner in Illinois:

Prepare your home for sale
Set a price
List your home
Show your home
Negotiate the best price
Close

Real estate laws vary across the country. For example, some states don't allow sellers to put a FSBO sign in their yard if they list on the multiple listing service (MLS) using a flat fee company.

Here's an overview of what laws you need to know in Illinois.

Illinois FSBO facts
Real estate attorney required?	No
FSBO yard sign allowed?	Yes
Required state disclosures?	Residential real property disclosure report Flood zone statement Lead-based paint disclosure Radon testing pamphlet and disclosure

Although selling your home without a real estate agent may seem like a great way to save on realtor fees, the selling process is trickier than many people expect. If it becomes overwhelming, you can hire an agent at any time.

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Step 1: Prepare your home for sale

Small upgrades and repairs can do a lot to sway potential buyers. The key is knowing how to spend your money to get higher offers.

We asked top agents in Illinois what repairs or upgrades they think help a home sell. Health and safety issues ranked high on the list, including the following items recommended by Brent Wilk, owner of Chicagoland's Brent Wilk Real Estate:

Current smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
Installation of ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets in the appropriate rooms, as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Railings installed on staircases
Globe covers installed over lightbulbs, especially in closets
Confirming there isn't any visible mold in the home (attic, closets, basements, or crawl spaces)

Given the tight housing market in the Chicago area, many buyers are putting aside their wish lists and just focusing on looking for available homes and making an offer that can be considered and accepted.

🙋🏾Ask a realtor: "The biggest thing I see buyers looking for are move-in ready properties," said Mike Saladino, Managing Broker for Keller Williams Chicago-Lakeview. "The biggest values are updated kitchen, updated bathrooms. If there is the ability to have an extra room for a workout room, a home office, a remote learning room, those are in pretty high demand right now." Saladino has also seen some sellers converting garages into studios.

» LEARN: Best Paint Colors to Sell a House

Stage and photograph your home

You'll need professional photos for your listing, and you'll want to showcase a clean and furnished home for potential buyers to see.

A well-staged home can help you sell faster and for more money. Use these staging tips to make your home more appealing:

Make your home look more spacious by moving extra furniture to storage, especially if it's outdated.
Declutter countertops and bookshelves. There should be a combination of books, decorative items, and empty spaces on your display areas.
Add pops of warm color in the form of flowers, rugs, decorative pillows, or throw blankets.
Open or remove room-darkening curtains to let in lots of light.

Bonus tip: Hire a professional stager who knows your local market and can ensure your home is ready to impress, giving you one less thing to worry about. In Illinois, expect to pay between $1,000–1,300 in staging costs. This will get you 60–90 days of a fully designed living room, kitchen, dining room, master bedroom, and bathrooms. Prices vary from city to city, so be sure to give local companies a call for specific estimates.

» LEARN: How to Stage a House to Sell

Step 2: Set a price

Pricing strategy can make or break the selling process. List your home for too little, and you leave money on the table. Price it too high, and the listing goes stale, forcing a price drop that could make buyers wary of the home.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Ask a realtor: "Everybody’s online, everybody can see what the values are," Saladino noted. "So if you list a home too high, no one’s going to come see it. If you list it perfectly, you’re going to get a lot of activity. Sometimes if you underprice it, you’re going to get even more activity. But people know that it’s worth more, and you’re going to solicit offers that are at market value or above."

Saladino added: "If a home is sitting on the market for more than two weeks, now there’s a stigma that it’s either overpriced or there’s something wrong with it."

To get an accurate idea of your home's fair market value, look at comparable listings online in your area. For example, if you think your house is worth about $300,000, search Zillow, Redfin, or other listing sites for properties that are about $50,000 more or less than that target. Compare these homes to yours by asking these questions:

Is the school district better or worse?
Does it have the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms?
Has the house been renovated more recently than yours?
How do the neighborhoods and nearby amenities compare?

A pre-sale appraisal gives you a more accurate starting point for pricing your home. In Illinois, appraisals average between $400 and $500 (though they could run higher) but help you walk away with thousands more once your home is sold.

» LEARN: What is a Comparative Market Analysis?

State of the Illinois real estate market

Unfortunately for sellers, the Illinois market has taken a downturn. As of late 2022, the number of homes sold was down by 36.1%, and home prices in Illinois were down 2.4% compared to the same time in 2021. The number of days on the market has also almost doubled from 27 in 2021 to 57 in 2022. All of this means you'll sell for less than you did a year ago, and it'll take more work to sell at all.

But, there are a few things working in a seller's favor in Illinois. For one, 22.8% of homes are still selling above list price. This means that homes that sold likely received more than one offer.

Also, because fewer people are selling their homes, you have less competition. Higher mortgage rates and several years of high prices have led to fewer buyers, but there are still some out there looking for a home. If you price your home correctly, you should be able to generate multiple offers and perhaps even start a bidding war.

As the market cools and prices shrink, you'll want to save on as many expenses as you can to maximize your profits. Selling without a realtor is one way to save thousands. On the other hand, without the advice of a realtor in challenging market conditions, you may end up selling for less, possibly canceling out any FSBO savings.

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Enter your ZIP code to find a Clever partner agent in your area.

Step 3: List your Illinois home

Illinois buyer priorities	Advice for FSBO sellers
Listing price	You will attract a lot of interest from prospective buyers if you price a home perfectly. If you price it below fair market value, you may generate even more interest. Be careful not to overprice it, though, because your home will end up sitting on the market for more than two weeks — a sign to many buyers that either the house is overpriced or there's something wrong with it.
Architectural style	There is high demand for modern, move-in-ready homes with open floor plans in Illinois. Talk about any unique architectural features that could set your home apart, like if it was built by a known architect, has original flooring or doors, or has any historical value. Also, point out what takes your house to the next level. For example, highlight upgrades you made like new windows that will save buyers hundreds in heating costs.
Recent renovations	Be specific about large updates you’ve made in the last 5 years, such as rewiring electric, putting in a new roof, or installing a new furnace. List exactly when the renovation was done, roughly how much it cost, and what its current condition is today. Health and safety features that may be worth highlighting include the installation of railings on staircases and ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets in the appropriate rooms.

Where to list your home

As a FSBO seller, you also have several free or low-cost options.

ForSaleByOwner.com: This well-established and recognized for-sale-by-owner site caters specifically to people wanting to buy or sell FSBO homes. It's free to advertise, but your home won't show up on the MLS or syndicate to other real estate websites. That means your listing will only be viewable to buyers who go to ForSaleByOwner.com.
Social media: Post your home listing to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Nextdoor. Sharing is free, and you can reach a lot of people where they’re already spending time.
For-sale-by-owner yard sign: You can buy a FSBO sign from most hardware stores or online for $20–50. Choose one that allows you to add your phone number so interested buyers can contact you for property information and showings.
Craigslist: Posting your home on Craigslist is free and simple. Just go to the Illinois page, find your city, and create a "real estate — by owner" listing.

» MORE INFO: Learn How to Sell a House on Craigslist

Step 4: Show your home

Keep the home clean and decluttered at all times. The last thing you want is to scramble with a vacuum after a buyer calls for a last-minute showing.

🙋🏻‍♀️Ask a realtor: "Cleanliness is priority," Wilk notes. "Price will be affected with a house that's cluttered."

Step 5: Negotiate for the best possible price

Negotiations are about more than the final sale price. You and the buyer (or their agent) will also have to agree upon contract contingencies, how closing costs are divided, the timeline, and more.

Knowing what's important to buyers in your area will help you strengthen your offer. A Clever survey of local real estate professionals found that in Illinois, sellers often cover 2.10% to 3.00% of buyers' closing costs. On a home of median value, that will cost an additional $5,184 to $7,406.

You should also consider offering these popular seller concessions:

Concession	Benefits of offering concession
Home Warranty	If your home has major appliances or systems that are on their last leg, a home warranty can give buyers peace of mind. A warranty will cover possible issues and is typically less expensive than paying for the repairs (or accepting a lower offer from a wary buyer).
Property Taxes	Often, you have to share past tax information about the property before closing a sale and many first-time home buyers are shocked by how much property taxes actually are. By covering some of those costs, you can offer these buyers some financial relief and make them more inclined to close on the sale.
Repair Credits	Repair credits are win-wins for buyers and sellers. You'll credit the buyer a set amount to cover the cost of repairs. Once the deal closes, the buyer can personally oversee the project to their liking and you don't have to worry about repairs going over budget.

Who draws up the contract in a for-sale-by-owner transaction in Illinois?

In a traditional home sale, the seller's agent draws up the contract. If you forego an agent, you'll have to create the contract yourself or hire a real estate attorney to help.

Writing a contract yourself can be difficult. You'll need to purchase a contract template online and fill it out with a comprehensive description of the terms, including the purchase price, down payment, closing date, payment plan, disclosures, and contingencies.

Mistakes, ambiguities, or the absence of key information may lead to legal disputes or cause you to lose money from the sale.

If you don't feel comfortable writing the contract yourself, you can hire a real estate lawyer. Illinois law doesn't require FSBO sellers to use an attorney, but it's customary to use one. An attorney can help ensure your contract is free of loopholes, secure the best terms for you, and protect you against a breach of contract.

🤔 How much are real estate attorney fees in Illinois?Real estate attorneys typically charge a flat fee ranging from around $500 to $700 in Illinois. Realtors say they've seen attorneys charge as little as $99 and as much as $1,250. Chicago real estate lawyers charge a fixed fee ranging from $500 to $1,000 for a condo or single-family residential closing, according to Brian J. Thompson, a CPA and attorney. Give local companies a call for specific estimates.

Step 6: Close

Closing is the final step in a real estate transaction. The title of the property is officially transferred from the seller to the buyer, and both parties pay their closing costs.

Title insurance protects homeowners from challenges to their legal ownership, such as unpaid property taxes, liens against the property, or clerical errors related to the property title. Typically, the seller covers the cost of an owner's policy in Illinois, but in some cases both parties negotiate who pays this closing cost.

🤔 Title insurance cost in IllinoisThe average rate for an owner's title insurance policy in Illinois is 0.78%, and the average cost is $1,904 (based on a sale price of $244,494, the typical home value in Illinois).

» READ: How Much are Closing Costs for Sellers in Illinois?

Paperwork to sell a house by owner in Illinois

Want to save this list for later? Download our FSBO paperwork checklist to help you prepare for your sale.

Required for all Illinois real estate sales

2 forms of ID	In most cases, a valid passport, driver's license, or other form of Illinois-issued ID.
Copy of purchase and sale agreement and addendums	Copy of the original, signed purchase and sale agreement, as well as any agreed-upon changes.
Closing statement	A detailed list of all the costs associated with the sale and who pays them. This is often prepared by your escrow agent or title company.
Signed deed	To legally transfer your property, you'll need the deed that proves you're the rightful owner. At closing, you'll sign the deed over to the buyer.
Bill of sale	This is basically a receipt that includes both your information and the buyer's. It will also list the final price of the home and what was included in the sale.
Affidavit of title	A notarized document that states you own the home, that there are no liens on the property, and that you are not simultaneously selling the home to someone else.

Additional documents

Loan payoff information	If you have a mortgage on your home, you'll need documentation of exactly how much you still owe and any payoff fees. If you've already paid your mortgage in full, you'll need documentation proving that.
HOA forms and guidelines	If your home is part of an HOA, you'll need to give the buyer documentation on the covenants, codes, restrictions, financial history, required fees, and approval process.
Survey results or survey affidavits	A survey or an affidavit verifying a previous survey proves exactly where the property lines are.
Home inspection results	If you had a pre-sale inspection, you'll want the results to compare to the buyer's inspection. If having a buyer's inspection was part of the sales agreement, you should receive a copy of the results before closing.
Proof of repairs or renovations	Documentation proving any major repairs or changes to the house help verify its value. These receipts also provide buyers with information about who to contact if they discover issues with the repairs in the future.
Home warranty information	The home warranty service agreement will explain what is covered, for how long, and costs associated with the policy.
Copies of relevant wills, trusts or power of attorney letters	If you are selling an inherited property, you'll need copies of all legal documents that passed ownership to you.
Relevant affidavits (name affidavits, non-foreign affidavit under IRC 1445)	You may need additional affidavits like a name affidavit, which lists all of your or the buyer's previous names, or an affidavit proving you are not a foreign citizen and, therefore, exempt from certain property sales taxes.
Closing disclosure	If your buyer is taking out a mortgage and you agreed to certain seller's concessions, you may need a copy of their closing disclosure to verify the lender approved your concessions.
Correction statement and agreement	If forms are lost or errors are discovered in the future, a correction statement and agreement requires you, the buyer, or their lender to replace or fix those documents.

Illinois disclosure forms

Residential real property disclosure report	The seller disclosure statement details known issues with your home and its major appliances and systems.
Flood zone statement	With some mortgages (like federally backed ones), your buyer's lender might require information of the property's flood risk.
Lead-based paint disclosure	Federal law requires that if your home was built before 1978, you disclose information about the dangers of lead-based paint to your buyer.
Radon testing pamphlet and disclosure	Buyers must receive a pamphlet detailing the dangers of radon and how to test for it. Sellers must also disclose any information they know about the presence of radon in the home.

Where to find documents

The Illinois Association of Realtors provides most of the forms used in a typical real estate transaction, but they can only be accessed by association members.

However, documents may be written in other legal formats if you choose to write them yourself or hire an attorney to help with the paperwork.

Here's where to find forms online:

LawDepot — Free
eForms — Free
US Legal — Charges a small monthly subscription

When you're looking for other documents, such as tax records, property surveys, and deeds, check state or local government offices, such as your tax assessor’s office or department of revenue.

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Selling your home is time-consuming, and fraught with potential legal issues.

There's a better option. Clever pre-negotiates lower listing fees with top agents in your area. You still save on commission, while getting the support of a full-service agent.

Clever partner agents offer full-service support for half the typical cost: a pre-negotiated 1.5% listing fee
Clever sellers save an average of $7,000 on commission AND they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average

Ready to find real estate agents who can help you save thousands on your sale? Enter your zip code below to get started!

FSBO alternatives

If saving money is your main reason for selling FSBO, there are alternatives.

Semya-Moya

Clever is a nationwide real estate service that connects Illinois home sellers with top, local agents. You pay Clever nothing. You'll only pay your full-service agent 1.5% of your home sale price, saving up to 50% on listing fees.

Semya-Moya

Get Started

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% ($3,000 min.)

💰 Buyer Savings

Cash back after closing

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

5/5 (2,735 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Try Clever for free — save thousands on commission!

Clever is a free, nationwide agent matching service that partners with full-service local agents from conventional brokerages like Keller Williams, Century 21, and RE/MAX.
You get multiple agent matches so you can interview several, compare marketing plans, and choose the best fit.
Clever pre-negotiates low rates on your behalf — you get full service for just a 1.5% listing fee ($3,000 minimum).
If you buy with Clever, you can get cash back to help pay for your move.

You may not get matched with an agent from your preferred real estate brokerage.
Agents may not provide premium services like drone photography and professional home staging.

As of 11/6/2023, Clever has a 5.0 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, based on 2,589 reviews.

Read reviews from real Clever customers here.

Clever has pre-negotiated low commission rates with top agents in all 50 states and Washington, DC.

Discount real estate services in Illinois

Redfin

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% (min. fees vary)

💰 Avg. Savings

$5,550

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

2.9/5 (331 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Redfin offers real savings and is a proven brand. But sellers could compromise on service — especially agent experience and availability.

Read the full Redfin review.

If you buy and sell with Redfin, you'll get a 0.5% listing fee discount.
Redfin gives its listings premium placement in its popular home search app.

If finding the right agent is a top priority, you'll have limited options — Redfin only has a few agents in each of its markets.
Redfin agents handle more customers at once than the average realtor, so they may not be able to provide as much personalized service.

Redfin has a 2.9 out of 5 rating (331 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Yelp.

Read reviews from real Redfin customers here.

Redfin is available in 80+ U.S. markets (see all locations).

Redefy

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

$3,500 (1% above $1M)

💰 Avg. Savings

$8,500

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.6/5 (300 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Redefy’s flat fee could offer big savings. But hands-off service and non-refundable upfront fees make it a hard sell over other, less risky options.

Read the full Redefy review.

Flat $3,500 listing fee is an excellent value for higher-priced homes
Agents provide more in-person services than some similarly-priced low commission brands

Redefy charges an upfront, non-refundable $500 fee (most companies don't make you pay anything until your house sells)
Your agent will not host an open house for you

Redefy has a 4.6 out of 5 rating (300 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real Redefy customers here.

Redefy is available in the following areas: CO, FL, GA, IL, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA.

REX Real Estate

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

2.5% ($9,000 min.)

💰 Avg. Savings

-$325

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.7/5 (1,041 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Read the full REX Real Estate review.

REX's approach is incredibly risky — but if the gamble pays off, you could save about 50% on realtor fees
Like other full-service brokerages, REX agents provide in-person services and support

REX's 2.5% listing fee doesn't save you much — many full-price agents charge similar rates
REX doesn't list your home on the MLS, so up to 90% of buyers may not even know it's for sale
This risky marketing strategy seems likely to fail, so you may not save anything on commission

REX has a 4.7 out of 5 rating (1,041 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real REX customers here.

REX is available in the following areas: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, MD, NV, NJ, OR, PA, TX, WA, DC.

» COMPARE: Discount Real Estate Brokers: Who's the BEST in 2023?

Flat fee MLS companies in Illinois

A flat fee MLS company will post your listing on the local MLS, usually for a low, upfront fee. In Illinois, this will typically cost you a couple hundred dollars.

Mentor Listing

Best For

Sellers who like to keep things simple

Price Range

$299-399

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You can add as many open houses as you want to your listing without paying an extra fee.

Cons:

The base package only includes one photo. Most other companies include at least six (if not more) in their basic listing package.
You'll have to pay an extra $200 at closing to cover Indiana's minimum service requirements.

Prello Realty

Best For

Inexperienced sellers who might need additional support from the listing broker

Price Range

$295-795

Pros & Cons

Pros:

The basic listing package allows up to 25 photos. Many flat-fee mls companies limit you to six for their basic listing.
If you spring for the MLS Plus package ($495), a professional photographer will come take photos of your property for your listing.
All listing packages include a yard sign with a unique phone number that automatically forwards calls to you.

Cons:

You don't have many choices for add-on options.
Prello Realty currently covers only the Chicago area, including Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties.

Beycome

beycome

Best For

Tech-savvy sellers who want to manage their listings on an online platform

Price Range

$99-299

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You can upload photos, manage your listings, and receive and negotiate offers all within the online platform. Great for people who don't like to talk on the phone!
If you need help pricing your home, you can check the two home value estimates that come with each package.
Sellers who opt for the $199 Premium version can use the platform to automatically list their homes on popular classified sites like Craigslist, Oodle, and Listanza.

Cons:

You'll get no assistance with paperwork, even as an add-on service.
Beycome's site doesn't make it clear that you may still have to pay a buyer's agent commission.

» FIND: 5 Best Illinois Flat Fee MLS Companies in 2023

If you'd like some professional guidance with no strings attached, Clever can help. Fill out your info below to connect with a top, local realtor for a no-obligation consultation.

👋 Need a great agent on your side?

Connect with top local agents who can help you get a great deal on a new home. Eligible buyers also earn cash back after closing.

Additional resources for Illinois home sellers

FAQs on how to sell your house without a realtor in Illinois

Do I need a lawyer to sell my house privately in Illinois?

Private home sellers aren't legally required to hire a lawyer in Illinois, but it's highly recommended. Seasoned realtors in Illinois say that almost every home seller uses a lawyer. Selling a home is a complex legal arrangement, and an attorney will help guide you through that process and ensure that you comply with all relevant laws.

What are the average real estate attorney fees during a for sale by owner transaction in Illinois?

Real estate attorneys usually charge a flat fee from about $500 to $700 in Illinois, but the exact cost will depend on the situation. Attorneys may charge as little as $99 or as much as $1,250. You should talk to local companies to get a specific estimate of how much you'll pay.

How much does it cost to sell a house by owner in Illinois?

Home sellers in Illinois pay around 1.8% of their home's final sale price in seller closing costs, not including realtor fees. With a median home value of $244,494, sellers can expect to pay around $4,518 at closing. Closing costs include taxes (transfer stamps), title insurance, attorney costs, survey costs, and tax credits that sellers need to give to buyers in Illinois.

The post How to Sell a House By Owner in Illinois (2023 Update) appeared first on Semya-Moya.

How to Sell a House By Owner in Florida (2023 Update)

Greg Isaacson — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:38:36 +0000

Why trust us: To create this guide, we surveyed and interviewed Florida real estate agents, studied Florida real estate law, and researched more than 20 FSBO companies and alternatives. We are committed to sharing unbiased reviews. Some of the links on our site are from our partners who compensate us. Learn more about why you can trust our advice.

Selling your property without a realtor in Florida can save you from paying the average listing commission of 2.70% of the home's sale price. On a typical Florida home, that works out to $10,608 in savings.

While saving money sounds appealing, selling your home by yourself, also known as selling for sale by owner (FSBO), requires a significant amount of time and effort. This is one of the reasons why only 10% of home sales are by owner. You'll be responsible for all of the tasks typically handled by real estate agents, such as pricing your home, scheduling showings, negotiating offers, and handling all of the paperwork required for closing.

Even if you do handle all of your responsibilities well, there's a chance you might sell for up to 35% less than you would with a real estate agent.

If you're confident in your ability to handle these responsibilities, FSBO may be a good option for you. Learn more about whether selling your home without a realtor in Florida is the right decision for you.

Who should sell a house by owner?

Selling your home without an agent isn't the right move for everyone. Before you make any decisions on how to sell your home, research the benefits and drawbacks of FSBO.

Selling by owner in Florida could be a good idea if:

This isn't your first home sale, whether you've previously sold with an agent or on your own. If you're familiar with the process of selling a home, you won't be caught off guard by the various steps involved.
You know a real estate expert who can help. If you have a friend or acquaintance who's well-versed in real estate and willing to provide you with (free) advice, you'll have help if you run into the unexpected.
You have time in your schedule to take on the role of a real estate agent. You'll need to be available to take calls and schedule showings. If your schedule is full, you might miss opportunities.
You already found a buyer. If you already have a buyer lined up, much of the work of selling your home will be done. However, you will still need to handle the closing process and complete all of the necessary paperwork.
You prefer to have more control over the sale of your home. FSBO sellers can make all of the decisions about pricing and marketing strategy.

If two or more of the criteria above aren't true for you, hiring an agent might be the better option.

If saving money on realtor commission is what you’re after, it’s worth looking into real estate agents who’ll work at a lower-than-typical commission. Semya-Moya matches sellers in Florida with experienced, local agents who offer traditional service for just 1.5%. You can save money and the headache of doing it all on your own.

Connect with top, local agents in Florida!

How to sell a house by owner in Florida

Here are 6 steps to sell a house by owner in Florida:

Prepare your home for sale
Set a price
List your home
Show your home
Negotiate the best price
Close

As a FSBO seller, you need to know and understand all your responsibilities throughout the selling process, which include preparing your home for sale, pricing your home accurately, finding potential buyers, negotiating, and filing the necessary paperwork required by state law.

Real estate laws vary across the country. For example, some states don't allow sellers to put a FSBO sign in their yard if they list on the multiple listing service (MLS) using a flat fee MLS company.

Here's an overview of what laws you need to know in the Florida real estate market:

Florida FSBO facts
Real estate attorney required?	No
FSBO yard sign allowed?	Yes
Required state disclosures?	Seller's disclosure statement Lead-based paint disclosure Flooding disclosure form (not required)

Although selling your Florida home without a realtor may seem like a great way to save on realtor fees, selling a house is trickier than many people expect. It's not just about finding a buyer. You need to show and list a house without a realtor, hold open houses, write a purchase agreement, provide a seller property disclosure, negotiate with homebuyers and real estate investors — and more. But if it becomes overwhelming, you can hire an agent at any time.

Working with a low-commission real estate company may be a better option for those who want to sell a house in Florida but don’t have time to sell FSBO. You'll avoid the hassle of a FSBO sale and walk away with the most money possible. Clever saves sellers thousands, and they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average.

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✅ You'll only pay 1.5% to list your home

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Step 1: Prepare your home for sale

When selling a house, small upgrades and repairs can make a big difference in swaying potential buyers. The key is knowing how to spend your money wisely to get higher offers.

We asked top agents in Florida what repairs or upgrades they think help a house in Florida sell. Aesthetic appeal is very important when selling a house in the Sunshine State, with home buyers prioritizing clean, modern-looking spaces.

Silvia Beham, a realtor with RE/MAX 200 specializing in Orlando and central Florida, recommends the following improvements:

Replace your roof if it's over 14 years old.
Have your air conditioner serviced.
Trim trees, especially before hurricane season.
Have your grout professionally cleaned.
Install new light fixtures.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Ask a Realtor: Lauren McGuire, a realtor based in Jacksonville Beach, notes that many Florida buyers look for open floor plans and updated flooring and paint. "A pool is always a plus in Florida," she adds.

» LEARN: Best Paint Colors to Sell a House

Stage and photograph your home

You'll need professional photos for your listing, and you'll want to showcase a clean and furnished home for potential buyers to see.

A well-staged home can help you sell faster and for more money. Start by decluttering, deep cleaning, and sprucing up your home's curb appeal. Beham, who strongly suggests having your home professionally staged, offers the following additional tips:

Place modern, trendy furniture in the house.
Use white or linen colors in the interior.
Choose blue and other "happy" colors are popular for the exterior.
Avoid carpet — it's very unpopular for any house in Florida. "If you put a carpet here, people might not even go to the house," says Beham.
Spruce up your yard with mulch and rock.

Bonus tip: Hire a professional stager who knows your local market and can ensure your home is ready to impress, giving you one less thing to worry about. In Florida, expect to pay $3,131 on average in staging costs. This will get you 60–90 days of a fully designed living room, kitchen, dining room, master bedroom, and bathrooms. Some realtors will pay for the staging or offer credit in Florida. Prices vary from city to city, so be sure to give local companies a call for specific estimates.

Step 2: Set a price

Pricing strategy can make or break a FSBO sale, but without a realtor it can be hard to know what your property is worth. List your home for too little, and you leave money on the table. Price it too high, and the listing goes stale, forcing a price drop that could make buyers wary of the home.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Ask a realtor: "It's always good to price a tiny little bit below market value," says Beham. "But in this market, if you're just at market value, and you're not too high, you're still going to get multiple offers because we don't have the inventory.

To get an accurate idea of what your home's fair market value is in Florida, look at comparable listings online from other Florida sellers. For example, if you think your house is worth about $300,000, search Zillow, Redfin, or other listing sites for properties that are about $50,000 more or less than that target. Analyze details about the homes and how they compare to yours.

A pre-sale appraisal gives you a more accurate starting point for pricing your home.

Expect an appraiser to charge roughly $250–500 in Florida. There is a shortage of appraisers in the state now, so it may be hard to hire one if you're selling without a realtor.

Bonus tip: Even if you’re selling without a realtor, you can ask an agent to perform a comparative market analysis examining comparable properties that have sold recently in your neighborhood. Many realtors will do this for free in the hopes of gaining your business if you decide to forego FSBO.

» LEARN: What is a Comparative Market Analysis?

State of the Florida real estate market

To find the fair market value for your home, dig into the details of the current housing market in Florida. In Florida, home sales are 38.7% slower than they were a year ago, and the median days on market is now 47, up from 30 a year ago. All of this means that it's going to take a bit longer to sell your home in 2023 than it would have last year.

City	Median home value
Jacksonville	$351,548
Miami	$473,096
Tampa	$374,014
Orlando	$386,244
Tallahassee	$

The good news is that home prices haven't dropped too much yet, although they've begun to level off since the red-hot sellers' market of the last two years. The median sale price is up by 5.8% from a year ago.

With the Florida real estate market cooling and home prices flattening out, FSBO may sound like a great way to make up for lost home value. However, it is important to keep in mind that having a realtor on your side can lead to a higher sale price, particularly in a challenging market.

Sell a Home with Clever and Save Thousands!

Enter your ZIP code to find a Clever partner agent in your area.

Step 3: Listing your Florida home without a real estate agent

This will complement but should not replace hiring a professional photographer; even serious buyers often look at photos first. Here are some of the top buyer priorities in Florida, according to real estate professionals.

Florida buyer priorities	Advice for FSBO sellers
Listing price	You can get multiple offers if you price your home at market value, but it might be a good idea to price it a little below market value to start a bidding war. The house may sit on the market for a while if you overprice it.
Safety	Identify and, if possible, remove any environmental hazards in your home, such as asbestos, lead, mold, or Chinese-manufactured drywall — a common problem that can complicate a Florida home sale. Also check whether the home has suffered structural damage from fire, wind, water, flood, hail, or sinkholes.
Amenities	Houses with pools sell better in Florida. If you don't have one, consider installing a patio or porch with a screen. People are interested in places where they can spend time outside, but because of the state's mosquito problem, a screen is a must. Modern kitchens and bathrooms, exterior lighting, and spacious laundry rooms are also popular in Florida.

Where to list your home

Listing with a flat fee MLS company usually costs a few hundred dollars and includes a property description, up to 25 photos, and a listing lasting no more than 12 months. Additional flat fee MLS services, such as a virtual tour, downloadable contracts, and free changes to your listing, are often bundled into more expensive packages — but they're still typically cheaper than paying a listing agent's 3% commission fee.

Find the best flat fee MLS companies in Florida.

As a FSBO seller, you also have several free or low-cost options to sell your Florida home.

Zillow: Listing on Zillow is free and takes just a few simple steps: create a profile, claim your home, navigate to the FSBO page, fill out your listing info, click publish, and wait for verification. Zillow listings also automatically appear on its sister site, Trulia. However, recent changes to Zillow keep FSBO listings separate from agent listings, meaning your home will be a lot less visible to buyers.
ForSaleByOwner.com: This well-established and recognized for-sale-by-owner site caters specifically to people wanting to buy or sell FSBO homes. It's free to advertise, but your home won't show up on the MLS or syndicate to other real estate websites. That means your listing will only be viewable to buyers who go to ForSaleByOwner.com, but you don’t have to pay a flat fee MLS company.
Social media: Post your home listing to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Nextdoor. Sharing is free, and you can reach a lot of people where they’re already spending time.
For-sale-by-owner yard sign: You can buy a FSBO sign from most hardware stores or online for $20–50. Choose one that allows you to add your phone number so interested buyers can contact you for property information and showings.
Craigslist: Posting your home on Craigslist is free and simple. Just go to the Florida page, find your city, and create a "real estate — by owner" listing.

» MORE INFO: Learn How to Sell a House on Craigslist

Step 4: Show your home

Keep the home clean and decluttered at all times. The last thing you want is to scramble with a vacuum after a buyer calls for a last-minute showing.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Ask a Realtor: If you've decided to sell your house, consider renting a storage unit and moving out most of your belongings, Beham suggests. "Clean up the closets and cabinets. People want to see space because you're selling space. So clear as much as you can and start packing."

Step 5: Negotiate for the best possible price

Negotiations are about more than the final sale price. You and the buyer (or their agent) will also have to agree upon contract contingencies, how closing costs are divided, the timeline or closing date, and more.

Knowing what's important to buyers in your area will help you strengthen your offer. A Clever survey of local real estate professionals found that in Florida, sellers often cover 1.60% to 2.50% of buyers' closing costs. On a home of median value, that will cost an additional $6,259 to $9,780.

You should also consider offering these popular seller concessions:

Concession	Benefits of offering concession
Home warranty	If your home has major appliances or systems that are on their last leg, a home warranty can give buyers peace of mind. A warranty will cover possible problems and is typically less expensive than paying for the repairs (or accepting a lower offer from a wary buyer).
Property taxes	You often have to share past tax information about the property before closing a sale. By covering some of those costs, you can offer buyers some financial relief and make them more inclined to close the sale.
Repair credits	Repair credits are a win-win for buyers and sellers. You'll credit the buyer a set amount to cover the cost of repairs. Once the deal closes, buyers can oversee the project to their liking, and you don't have to worry about repairs going over budget. Usually, this happens after the home inspection.

Step 6: Close

Closing is the final step in a real estate transaction. The title of the property is officially transferred from the seller to the buyer, and both parties pay their closing costs.

🤔 Do I need a real estate attorney to sell my house in Florida?

You're not required to hire a real estate attorney to sell a house in Florida, but it's recommended for your peace of mind. If you're selling for sale by owner, an attorney can ensure you comply with local laws and protect you from being sued.

Unlike realtors, real estate attorneys don't know the local market and can't show your home or help you negotiate the selling price, but they can provide a contract that includes the best terms for you and protects you against a breach of contract.

Real estate attorneys usually work for an upfront flat fee or an hourly rate costing a few hundred dollars. In Florida, a real estate attorney will charge about $1,000–5,000 to review your contract. Find Florida lawyers near you by searching the state bar association, Avvo, or FindLaw.

» READ: How Much are Closing Costs for Sellers in Florida?

Paperwork to sell a house by owner in Florida

In a typical real estate transaction, your Florida real estate agent will make sure you fill out all the necessary documents and forms. FSBO sellers have to navigate the paperwork by themselves. Here’s a quick breakdown of Florida's requirements.

Want to save this list for later? Download our FSBO paperwork checklist to help you prepare for your sale.

Required for all Florida real estate sales

Two forms of ID	In most cases, a valid passport, driver's license, or other form of Florida-issued ID.
Copy of purchase agreement and addendums	Copy of the original, signed sales agreement, as well as any agreed upon changes.
Closing statement	A detailed list of all the costs associated with the sale and who pays them. This is often prepared by your escrow agent or title company.
Signed deed	To legally transfer your property, you'll need the deed that proves you're the rightful owner. At closing, you'll sign the deed over to the buyer.
Bill of sale	This is basically a receipt that includes both your information and the buyer's. It will also list the final price of the home and what was included in the sale.
Affidavit of title	A notarized document that states you own the home, that there are no liens on the property, and that you are not simultaneously selling the home to someone else.

Additional documents

Loan payoff information	If you have a mortgage on your home, you'll need documentation of exactly how much you still owe and any payoff fees. If you've already paid your mortgage in full, you'll need documentation proving that.
HOA forms and guidelines	If your home is part of an HOA, you'll need to give the buyer documentation on the covenants, codes, restrictions, financial history, required fees, and approval process.
Survey results or survey affidavits	A survey or an affidavit verifying a previous survey proves exactly where the property lines are.
Home inspection results	If you had a pre-sale inspection, you'll want the results to compare to the buyer's inspection. If having a buyer's inspection was part of the sales agreement, you should receive a copy of the results before closing.
Proof of repairs or renovations	Documentation proving any major repairs or changes to the house help verify its value. These receipts also provide buyers with information about who to contact if they discover issues with the repairs in the future.
Home warranty information	The home warranty service agreement will explain what is covered, for how long, and costs associated with the policy.
Copies of relevant wills, trusts or power of attorney letters	If you are selling a house you inherited, you'll need copies of all legal documents that passed ownership to you.
Relevant affidavits (name affidavits, non-foreign affidavit under IRC 1445)	You may need additional affidavits like a name affidavit, which lists all of your or the buyer's previous names, or an affidavit proving you are not a foreign citizen and, therefore, exempt from certain property sales taxes.
Closing disclosure	If your buyer is taking out a mortgage and you agreed to certain seller's concessions, you may need a copy of their closing disclosure to verify the lender approved your concessions.
Correction statement and agreement	If forms are lost or errors are discovered in the future, a correction statement and agreement requires you, the buyer, or their lender to replace or fix those documents.
Property tax disclosure summary	A property tax disclosure summary outlining the amount of expected taxes for the property. The buyer should not expect their taxes to be the same as the prior owner's (yours), which may factor into affordability.

Florida disclosure forms

Seller's property disclosure statement	The seller disclosure statement details known issues with your home and its major appliances and systems.
Flood zone statement	With some federally backed mortgages, your buyer's lender might require information about the property's flood risk.
Lead-based paint disclosure	If your home was built before 1978, federal law requires that you disclose information about the dangers of lead-based paint.
Residential radon measurement report	The World Health Organization and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that you test your home for radon gas.

» LEARN: Disclosure Requirements for Selling Florida Real Estate

Where to find documents

Florida Realtors describes most of the forms used in a typical real estate transaction on its website, but it doesn't provide copies of the forms. However, documents may be written in other legal formats if you choose to write them yourself or hire an attorney to help with the paperwork.

Here's where to find forms online if selling a house without a realtor:

LawDepot — Free
eForms — Free
US Legal — Charges a small monthly subscription

When you're looking for other documents, such as tax records, property surveys, and deeds, check state or local government offices, such as your tax assessor’s office or department of revenue.

💰 Incredible savings, none of the DIY

Selling your home is time-consuming, and fraught with potential legal issues.

There's a better option. Clever pre-negotiates lower listing fees with top agents in your area. You still save on commission, while getting the support of a full-service agent.

Clever partner agents offer full-service support for half the typical cost: a pre-negotiated 1.5% listing fee
Clever sellers save an average of $7,000 on commission AND they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average

Ready to find real estate agents who can help you save thousands on your sale? Enter your zip code below to get started!

FSBO alternatives

If saving money is your main reason for selling a house FSBO, there are alternatives.

Semya-Moya

Clever is a nationwide real estate service that connects Florida home sellers with top, local agents. You pay Clever nothing. You'll only pay your full-service agent 1.5% of your home sale price, saving up to 50% on listing fees.

Semya-Moya

Get Started

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% ($3,000 min.)

💰 Buyer Savings

Cash back after closing

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

5/5 (2,735 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Try Clever for free — save thousands on commission!

Clever is a free, nationwide agent matching service that partners with full-service local agents from conventional brokerages like Keller Williams, Century 21, and RE/MAX.
You get multiple agent matches so you can interview several, compare marketing plans, and choose the best fit.
Clever pre-negotiates low rates on your behalf — you get full service for just a 1.5% listing fee ($3,000 minimum).
If you buy with Clever, you can get cash back to help pay for your move.

You may not get matched with an agent from your preferred real estate brokerage.
Agents may not provide premium services like drone photography and professional home staging.

As of 11/6/2023, Clever has a 5.0 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, based on 2,589 reviews.

Read reviews from real Clever customers here.

Clever has pre-negotiated low commission rates with top agents in all 50 states and Washington, DC.

Discount real estate services in Florida

Redfin

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% (min. fees vary)

💰 Avg. Savings

$5,550

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

2.9/5 (331 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Redfin offers real savings and is a proven brand. But sellers could compromise on service — especially agent experience and availability.

Read the full Redfin review.

If you buy and sell with Redfin, you'll get a 0.5% listing fee discount.
Redfin gives its listings premium placement in its popular home search app.

If finding the right agent is a top priority, you'll have limited options — Redfin only has a few agents in each of its markets.
Redfin agents handle more customers at once than the average realtor, so they may not be able to provide as much personalized service.

Redfin has a 2.9 out of 5 rating (331 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Yelp.

Read reviews from real Redfin customers here.

Redfin is available in 80+ U.S. markets (see all locations).

Houwzer

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1% (min. $2,500)

💰 Avg. Savings

$7,625

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.9/5 (1,463 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Houwzer has very low listing fees, but you may be frustrated working with a team instead of just your realtor.

Read the full Houwzer review.

You’ll pay a 1% listing fee, which is one of the lowest rates in the industry.
Houwzer’s maximum listing fee of $10,000 makes it a great deal for homes over $1 million.

Houwzer has a small team, which limits your options if you don't hit it off with the first agent it sends you.
The company uses a team-based approach, which increases the chances of miscommunication and mistakes.

Houwzer has a 4.9 out of 5 rating (1,463 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real Houwzer customers here.

Houwzer is available in the following locations: FL, MD, NJ, PA, VA, DC.

Redefy

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

$3,500 (1% above $1M)

💰 Avg. Savings

$8,500

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.6/5 (300 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Redefy’s flat fee could offer big savings. But hands-off service and non-refundable upfront fees make it a hard sell over other, less risky options.

Read the full Redefy review.

Flat $3,500 listing fee is an excellent value for higher-priced homes
Agents provide more in-person services than some similarly-priced low commission brands

Redefy charges an upfront, non-refundable $500 fee (most companies don't make you pay anything until your house sells)
Your agent will not host an open house for you

Redefy has a 4.6 out of 5 rating (300 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real Redefy customers here.

Redefy is available in the following areas: CO, FL, GA, IL, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA.

» COMPARE: Discount Real Estate Brokers: Who's the BEST in 2021?

Flat fee MLS companies in Florida

A flat fee MLS service will post your listing on the local MLS, usually for a low, upfront fee. In Florida, this will typically cost you a couple hundred dollars.

Unreal Estate

Learn more

💲 Listing Fee

$99–599

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.3

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Unreal Estate offers service nationwide.

It has some of the best rates to list on the MLS, but listings in some states come with a minimum fee.

Three budget-friendly flat fee options to choose from.
Flexibility to determine the commission for a buyer's agent.
Listings remain active for a minimum of six months.

Only the premium plan fulfills all our criteria for essential service quality.
Concierge service information is challenging to locate.
No packages provide the maximum number of listing photos.

Customers have given Unreal Estate an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 based on over 230 reviews across platforms like Google, Trustpilot, Yelp, and the Better Business Bureau.

Nationwide*

*Locations current as of June 20, 2023

Beycome

beycome

Best For

Tech-savvy sellers who want to manage their listings on an online platform

Price Range

$99-299

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You can upload photos, manage your listings, and receive and negotiate offers all within the online platform. Great for people who don't like to talk on the phone!
If you need help pricing your home, you can check the two home value estimates that come with each package.
Sellers who opt for the $199 Premium version can use the platform to automatically list their homes on popular classified sites like Craigslist, Oodle, and Listanza.

Cons:

You'll get no assistance with paperwork, even as an add-on service.
Beycome's site doesn't make it clear that you may still have to pay a buyer's agent commission.

Houzeo

Best For

Sellers looking for a lot of a-la-carte options

Price Range

$245-399

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You can complete and submit paperwork using the Houzeo app.
You save time creating your listing thanks to Houzeo’s auto-fill feature, which uses publicly available data about your property.
Add-ons like agent showings, contract reviews, and professional showings are available at an additional cost.

Cons:

Pricing assistance costs extra despite several other competitors offering it for free.
Houzeo’s two most popular packages come with only 10 free listing changes for price, status, and description. Other companies offer free unlimited changes.

Jack Keller Inc. Realtors

Jack Keller Inc Realtors

Best For

Sellers who want flexible payment options

Price Range

$75-375

Pros & Cons

Pros:

The company gives you several ways to pay, including monthly payment plans, $0 down, and bitcoin.
The site includes all the forms you'll need, like a contract, addendum, and seller's disclosure.
Jack Keller lets you pick and choose upgrade options such as Realtor.com statistic reports, ShowingTime scheduling software, and open house scheduling.

Cons:

The cheapest package is available only for vacant land, boat docks, and commercial properties.
You have to purchase an upgrade to get Realtor.com leads sent directly to you. If they go to an agent, that agent might direct the buyer elsewhere.

» FIND: 6 Best Florida Flat-Fee MLS Companies

If you'd like some professional guidance with no strings attached, Clever can help. Fill out your info below to connect with a top, local realtor for a no-obligation consultation.

👋 Need a great agent on your side?

Connect with top local agents who can help you get a great deal on a new home. Eligible buyers also earn cash back after closing.

FAQs: How to sell your house without a realtor in Florida

What documents do I need to sell my house in Florida?

To sell your house in Florida, you will need to provide two forms of ID, a copy of the purchase agreement and any addendums, a closing statement, a signed deed, a bill of sale, and an affidavit of title.

Do I need a lawyer to sell a house in Florida?

Florida is not an attorney state, so you're not required to hire a lawyer, but it's strongly recommended that you do. Selling a home is a complex process, and an attorney can help protect you from potential legal problems — especially if you're selling by owner.

What closing costs do sellers pay in Florida?

Seller closing costs typically include title service and closing fees, documentary stamp tax, recording fees, and property taxes. In some parts of Florida, such as Miami, it's standard for the buyer to pay for the owner's title insurance, but in central Florida, the seller often covers this cost.

What is the average timeframe for selling a house by owner in Florida?

In 2022, the average time it takes to sell a home in Florida — from listing through closing — is approximately 79 days. That’s 44 days to get an offer, plus the typical 35-day closing period.

However, those figures are primarily with a real estate agent, since FSBO sales account for fewer than 10% of home sales annually. FSBO sellers should reasonably expect their selling process to take longer than with a real estate agent.

Additional resources for Florida home sellers

The post How to Sell a House By Owner in Florida (2023 Update) appeared first on Semya-Moya.

How to Sell a House By Owner in Arizona (2023 Update)

Greg Isaacson — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:37:21 +0000

Why trust us: To create this guide, we surveyed and interviewed Arizona real estate agents, studied Arizona real estate law, and researched more than 20 FSBO companies and alternatives. Learn more about why you can trust our advice.

If you choose to sell your home in Arizona without a realtor, you won't need to pay the average Arizona listing commission of 2.80% of your home's sale price. That would lead to a savings of around $11,860 based on the average Arizona home price.

But you'll need to earn your savings by doing all of the things a real estate agent would normally do, such as pricing the home, scheduling showings, and negotiating with buyers. Even after you find a buyer, you'll still need to navigate the closing process, which can be tricky even for professionals. All of this extra work explains why only 10% of home sales are for sale by owner, or FSBO for short.

Another thing to consider is you might save money on commission but end up selling for as much as 35% less than you would if you had the help of a real estate agent.

FSBO is only recommended for those with the experience and knowledge necessary to sell a home. This guide will help you decide if selling your home in Arizona without a realtor is right for you.

Who should sell a house by owner?

Before you decide whether to sell your Arizona home on your own, look at the pros and cons of selling FSBO. The selling process will take a lot of time and energy, just like a part-time job.

Selling by owner in Arizona could be right for you if:

You've sold a home before, with or without the help of a realtor. Experience is important for FSBO sellers — learning as you go will likely lead to stress and mistakes.
You can call up a real estate expert for advice. If you have a friend or family member willing to lend an ear and provide advice (for free), you'll have someone to lean on when you're not sure what to do.
You have enough free time in your schedule. Selling a home isn't just a weekend project — you'll need to stay on top of things to schedule showings and answer questions.
You know who you're selling to. If you already have a buyer lined up, much of the work is complete. But you'll still need to be prepared for the closing process.
You want to be in control of your home sale. If you want to be making all of the major decisions without a realtor's help, FSBO gives you that opportunity.

If more than a couple of these criteria don't apply to you, you're likely better off hiring an agent.

If saving money on realtor commission is what you’re after, it’s worth looking into real estate agents who’ll work at a lower-than-typical commission. Semya-Moya matches sellers in Arizona with experienced, local agents who offer traditional service for just 1.5%. You can save money and the headache of doing it all on your own.

💰 Connect with top, local agents in Arizona!

How to sell a house by owner in Arizona

Here are 6 steps to sell a house by owner in Arizona:

Prepare your home for sale
Set a price
List your home
Show your home
Negotiate the best price
Close

Real estate laws vary across the country. For example, some states don't allow sellers to put a FSBO sign in their yard if they list on the multiple listing service (MLS) using a flat-fee company.

Here's an overview of what laws you need to know in Arizona:

Arizona FSBO facts
Real estate attorney required?	No
FSBO yard sign allowed?	Yes
Required state disclosures?	Seller's property disclosure statement Flood zone statement Lead-based paint disclosure

Although selling your home without a realtor may seem like a great way to save on realtor fees, it’s trickier than many people expect. If it becomes overwhelming, you can hire an agent at any time.

👋 Skip the DIY: Get a better agent AND bigger savings

With Clever:

✅ You'll only pay 1.5% to list your home

✅ You'll work with a full-service realtor from a top broker

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Saving on realtor fees doesn't have to mean sacrificing service. Find a top local agent today!

Step 1: Prepare your home for sale

Even in a strong seller's market, making needed repairs can help you receive top dollar for your home. Scottsdale-based realtor Lisa Dixon suggests looking into the following common repairs:

Cosmetic repairs like new light switches, etc.
Repairing the roof on an older home (tiles replaced or resealed, new underlayment, etc.)
Installation of GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) outlets (particularly in homes built before GFCI was mandatory)

» LEARN: Best Paint Colors to Sell a House

Stage and photograph your home

You'll need professional photos for your listing, and you'll want to showcase a clean and furnished home for potential buyers to see. Start by decluttering, deep cleaning, and sprucing up your home's curb appeal.

A well-staged home can help you sell faster and for more money. According to Dixon, professional staging can boost the value of a high-end home by about $65,000 over the asking price.

Companies such as Scottsdale-based Staged with Love offer high-quality professional staging for about $3,500 per month, which is small change compared to the potential increase in your home's value.

Many sellers think they don't need to stage their house because Arizona is such a strong seller's market.

"But staging that home, especially when it's a larger home, really gives people a great idea of how their furniture would look and how they would place it, or what they could actually do to fill that area," notes Dixon.

Professional staging will typically get you 60–90 days of a fully designed living room, kitchen, dining room, master bedroom, and bathrooms. Prices vary from city to city, so be sure to give local companies a call for specific estimates.

Step 2: Set a price

Pricing strategy can make or break the FSBO selling process. List your home for too little, and you leave money on the table. Price it too high, and the listing goes stale, forcing a price drop that could make buyers wary of the home.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Ask a realtor: "I think that you should always price it based on the comps and what works for your community," notes Dixon. "You need to do that research and find out. A lot of times, you'll go in and see those FSBOs that are ridiculously priced. Well, they're probably not going to get the amount of traction they thought they were going to get when they do that."

To get an accurate idea of your home's fair market value, look at comparable listings online in your area. For example, if you think your house is worth about $300,000, search Zillow, Redfin, or other listing sites for properties that are about $50,000 more or less than that target. Analyze details about the homes and how they compare to yours.

A pre-sale appraisal gives you a more accurate sense of your home's fair market value, which is a great starting point for pricing your home. In Arizona, appraisals average $310 to $395 but help you walk away with thousands more once your home is sold.

» LEARN: What is a Comparative Market Analysis?

State of the Arizona real estate market

Knowing where the market is headed is the best way to determine the correct price for your home. Like the rest of the U.S., Arizona's housing market is cooling off. You'll have to do a bit more work to sell your home than you did a year ago, but you'll still be able to sell for a good price (for now) since home prices are down only 2.1% from one year ago.

City	Median home value
Phoenix	$448,225
Tucson	$341,351
Yuma	$
Flagstaff	$
Sierra Vista	$

The number of homes sold went down by 45% from December 2021 to December 2022. The median days on market nearly doubled from 35 to 67.

In one sense, a slower market means less competition because buyers will have fewer options to choose from. But you'll have to be patient and price your home right at the beginning to avoid sitting on the market forever.

As home prices continue to drop, it makes sense to view FSBO as a way to get the most money in your pocket. But keep in mind that having a realtor on your side can lead to bigger profits, even after paying commission.

Sell a Home with Clever and Save Thousands!

Enter your ZIP code to see if Clever has a partner agent in your area.

Step 3: List your Arizona home

Arizona buyer priorities	Advice for FSBO sellers
Energy-efficient home	It's important to have an energy-efficient home in Arizona, where temperatures regularly top 100 degrees throughout the summer. A solar panel system is attractive, particularly if the panels are owned (so the homebuyer won't have to make monthly payments on them). Energy-efficient windows are also a plus.
Extra space	Home offices have been a top buyer priority with the rise of remote work over the past two years. A study by CommercialCafe identified Scottsdale and Gilbert as America's #1 and #2 best cities for remote work, respectively, based on a mix of factors including the high percentage of people that were already working from home before 2020.
Renovations and repairs	Homebuyers in the U.S. are willing to pay a premium for bathroom renovations, including spa-like features such as curbless showers, heated floors, and freestanding bathtubs, according to a report by Zillow Research. Repairing the roof can go a long way in an older home. Make sure the house has ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) for electrical safety.
Listing price	Do your research and make sure the home is priced appropriately based on its features (square footage, amenities, etc.) and the comps in your neighborhood. Arizona may be a red-hot seller's market now, but buyers will be turned off by a home that's significantly overpriced.

Where to list your home

However, agents are the only ones who can list on the MLS. As a FSBO seller, you can work with an agent and still maintain control of your sale by using a flat-fee MLS company that charges a one-time payment to list your home on the MLS.

As a FSBO seller, you also have several free or low-cost options.

Zillow: Listing on Zillow is free and takes just a few simple steps: create a profile, claim your home, navigate to the FSBO page, fill out your listing info, click publish, and wait for verification. Zillow listings also automatically appear on its sister site, Trulia. However, recent changes to Zillow keep FSBO listings separate from agent listings, meaning your home will be a lot less visible to buyers.
ForSaleByOwner.com: This well-established and recognized for-sale-by-owner site caters specifically to people wanting to buy or sell FSBO homes. It's free to advertise, but your home won't show up on the MLS or syndicate to other real estate websites. That means your listing will only be viewable to buyers who go to ForSaleByOwner.com.
For-sale-by-owner yard sign: You can buy a FSBO sign from most hardware stores or online for $20–50. Choose one that allows you to add your phone number so interested buyers can contact you for property information and showings.
Craigslist: Posting your home on Craigslist is free and simple. Just go to the Arizona page, find your city, and create a "real estate — by owner" listing.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Don't forget about social media: Consider marketing your home online, too. "You should take advantage of every social media platform," notes Dixon, citing YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. "Whatever program or platform you're on, you should take advantage of that and put it out there, because you never know where that buyer's going to come from."

» MORE INFO: Learn How to Sell a House on Craigslist

Step 4: Show your home

Keep the home clean and decluttered at all times. The last thing you want is to scramble with a vacuum after a buyer calls for a last-minute showing.

Step 5: Negotiate for the best possible price

Negotiations are about more than the final sale price. You and the buyer (or their agent) will also have to agree upon contract contingencies, how closing costs are divided, the timeline, and more.

Knowing what's important to buyers in your area will help you strengthen your offer. A Clever survey of local real estate professionals found that in Arizona, sellers often cover 1.30% to 2.10% of buyers' closing costs. On a home of median value, that will cost an additional $5,489 to $8,867.

You should also consider offering these popular seller concessions:

Concession	Benefits of offering concession
Home warranty	If your home has major appliances or systems that are on their last leg, a home warranty can give buyers peace of mind. A warranty will cover possible problems and is typically less expensive than paying for the repairs (or accepting a lower offer from a wary buyer).
Property taxes	You often have to share past tax information about the property before closing a sale. By covering some of those costs, you can offer buyers some financial relief and make them more inclined to close the sale.
Repair credits	Repair credits are a win-win for buyers and sellers. You'll credit the buyer a set amount to cover the cost of repairs. Once the deal closes, buyers can oversee the project to their liking, and you don't have to worry about repairs going over budget.

Step 6: Close

Closing is the final step in a real estate transaction. The title of the property is officially transferred from the seller to the buyer, and both parties pay their closing costs.

🤔 Do I need a real estate attorney to sell my house in Arizona?

No, you don't need an attorney to sell your home in Arizona. The vast majority of sellers just use a title company. But if you're selling for sale by owner, a real estate attorney can ensure you comply with local laws and protect you from being sued.
Unlike realtors, attorneys don't know the local market and can't show your home or help you negotiate the price. However, they can help you obtain the best possible terms for your transaction and protect you against a breach of contract.
Real estate attorneys often provide services like reviewing a contract or preparing documents of sale for a flat fee. Find Arizona lawyers near you by searching the state bar association, Avvo, or FindLaw.

» READ: How Much are Closing Costs for Sellers in Arizona?

Paperwork to sell a house by owner in Arizona

Want to save this list for later? Download our FSBO paperwork checklist to help you prepare for your sale.

Required for all Arizona real estate sales

Two forms of ID	In most cases, a valid passport, driver's license, or other form of Arizona-issued ID.
Copy of purchase and sale agreement and addendums	Copy of the original, signed purchase and sale agreement, as well as any agreed-upon changes.
Closing statement	A detailed list of all the costs associated with the sale and who pays them. This is often prepared by your escrow agent or title company.
Signed deed	To legally transfer your property, you'll need the deed that proves you're the rightful owner. At closing, you'll sign the deed over to the buyer.
Bill of sale	This is basically a receipt that includes both your information and the buyer's. It will also list the final price of the home and what was included in the sale.
Affidavit of title	A notarized document that states you own the home, that there are no liens on the property, and that you are not simultaneously selling the home to someone else.

Additional documents

Loan payoff information	If you have a mortgage on your home, you'll need documentation of exactly how much you still owe and any payoff fees. If you've already paid your mortgage in full, you'll need documentation proving that.
HOA forms and guidelines	If your home is part of an HOA, you'll need to give the buyer documentation on the covenants, codes, restrictions, financial history, required fees, and approval process.
Survey results or survey affidavits	A survey or an affidavit verifying a previous survey proves exactly where the property lines are.
Home inspection results	If you had a pre-sale inspection, you'll want the results to compare to the buyer's inspection. If having a buyer's inspection was part of the sales agreement, you should receive a copy of the results before closing.
Proof of repairs or renovations	Documentation proving any major repairs or changes to the house help verify its value. These receipts also provide buyers with information about who to contact if they discover issues with the repairs in the future.
Home warranty information	The home warranty service agreement will explain what is covered, for how long, and costs associated with the policy.
Copies of relevant wills, trusts, or power of attorney letters	If you are selling an inherited property, you'll need copies of all legal documents that passed ownership to you.
Relevant affidavits (name affidavits, non-foreign affidavit under IRC 1445)	You may need additional affidavits like a name affidavit, which lists all of your or the buyer's previous names, or an affidavit proving you are not a foreign citizen and, therefore, exempt from certain property sales taxes.
Closing disclosure	If your buyer is taking out a mortgage and you agreed to certain seller's concessions, you may need a copy of their closing disclosure to verify the lender approved your concessions.
Correction statement and agreement	If forms are lost or errors are discovered in the future, a correction statement and agreement requires you, the buyer, or their lender to replace or fix those documents.

Arizona disclosure forms

Seller's property disclosure statement	The seller disclosure statement details known issues with your home and its major appliances and systems.
Flood zone statement	With some federally backed mortgages, your buyer's lender might require information about the property's flood risk.
Lead-based paint disclosure	If your home was built before 1978, federal law requires that you disclose information about the dangers of lead-based paint.
Arizona radon fact sheet	Arizona law requires the seller to disclose material facts about the property, including the presence of radon gas.

» LEARN: Disclosure Requirements for Selling Arizona Real Estate

Where to find documents

You can find a large number of common real estate forms on the Arizona Realtors website. Documents may be written in other legal formats if you choose to write them yourself or hire an attorney to help with the paperwork.

Here's where to find forms online:

LawDepot — Free
eForms — Free
US Legal — Charges a small monthly subscription

When you're looking for other documents, such as tax records, property surveys, and deeds, check state or local government offices, such as your tax assessor’s office or department of revenue.

💰 Incredible savings, none of the DIY

Selling your home is time-consuming, and fraught with potential legal issues.

There's a better option. Clever pre-negotiates lower listing fees with top agents in your area. You still save on commission, while getting the support of a full-service agent.

Clever partner agents offer full-service support for half the typical cost: a pre-negotiated 1.5% listing fee
Clever sellers save an average of $7,000 on commission AND they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average

Ready to find real estate agents who can help you save thousands on your sale? Enter your zip code below to get started!

FSBO alternatives

If saving money is your main reason for selling FSBO, there are alternatives.

Semya-Moya

Clever is a nationwide real estate service that connects Arizona home sellers with top, local agents. You pay Clever nothing. You'll only pay your full-service agent 1.5% of your home sale price, saving up to 50% on listing fees.

Semya-Moya

Get Started

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% ($3,000 min.)

💰 Buyer Savings

Cash back after closing

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

5/5 (2,735 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Try Clever for free — save thousands on commission!

Clever is a free, nationwide agent matching service that partners with full-service local agents from conventional brokerages like Keller Williams, Century 21, and RE/MAX.
You get multiple agent matches so you can interview several, compare marketing plans, and choose the best fit.
Clever pre-negotiates low rates on your behalf — you get full service for just a 1.5% listing fee ($3,000 minimum).
If you buy with Clever, you can get cash back to help pay for your move.

You may not get matched with an agent from your preferred real estate brokerage.
Agents may not provide premium services like drone photography and professional home staging.

As of 11/6/2023, Clever has a 5.0 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, based on 2,589 reviews.

Read reviews from real Clever customers here.

Clever has pre-negotiated low commission rates with top agents in all 50 states and Washington, DC.

Discount real estate services in Arizona

Redfin

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% (min. fees vary)

💰 Avg. Savings

$5,550

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

2.9/5 (331 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Redfin offers real savings and is a proven brand. But sellers could compromise on service — especially agent experience and availability.

Read the full Redfin review.

If you buy and sell with Redfin, you'll get a 0.5% listing fee discount.
Redfin gives its listings premium placement in its popular home search app.

If finding the right agent is a top priority, you'll have limited options — Redfin only has a few agents in each of its markets.
Redfin agents handle more customers at once than the average realtor, so they may not be able to provide as much personalized service.

Redfin has a 2.9 out of 5 rating (331 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Yelp.

Read reviews from real Redfin customers here.

Redfin is available in 80+ U.S. markets (see all locations).

Homie

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

$3,500

💰 Avg. Savings

$8,500

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.3/5 (1,317 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Homie offers legit flat-fee savings — but may provide less personalized service than a traditional agent.

Read the full Homie review.

The flat-fee pricing model offers big commission savings on higher-priced homes.
The self-service listing process lets you get your home on the market quickly.

Homie agents provide no in-person services or support.
Agents juggle up to 10 times as many customers at once, which increases the risk you'll have a bad experience.

Homie has a 4.3 out of 5 rating (1,317 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Yelp.

Read reviews from real Homie customers here.

Homie is available in the following areas: AZ, CO, ID, NV, UT.

REX Real Estate

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

2.5% ($9,000 min.)

💰 Avg. Savings

-$325

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.7/5 (1,041 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Read the full REX Real Estate review.

REX's approach is incredibly risky — but if the gamble pays off, you could save about 50% on realtor fees
Like other full-service brokerages, REX agents provide in-person services and support

REX's 2.5% listing fee doesn't save you much — many full-price agents charge similar rates
REX doesn't list your home on the MLS, so up to 90% of buyers may not even know it's for sale
This risky marketing strategy seems likely to fail, so you may not save anything on commission

REX has a 4.7 out of 5 rating (1,041 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real REX customers here.

REX is available in the following areas: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, MD, NV, NJ, OR, PA, TX, WA, DC.

» COMPARE: Discount Real Estate Brokers: Who's the BEST?

Flat fee MLS companies in Arizona

A flat fee MLS company will post your listing on the local MLS, usually for a low, upfront fee. In Arizona, this will typically cost you a couple hundred dollars.

AZ FSBO Pro

Best For

Sellers who are confident their home will sell quickly

Price Range

$89-299

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You can pay less for a shorter listing if you're confident your home will sell within three months.
The cheapest package includes 10 photos. Many other companies include only six.
If you don't know what your listing price should be, you can see how much homes have sold for in your area recently for a small fee.

Cons:

You have to pay extra to add open house dates to your MLS listing — a service that most companies include in their packages.

Congress Realty

Best For

Sellers who want a lot of a-la-carte options

Price Range

$299

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Congress Realty has a phone system that forwards any phone calls about your listing directly to you.
You can request a free Comparative Marketing Analysis if you want a better idea of what homes in your area have sold for recently.

Cons:

Congress Realty costs a lot more than competitors with similar MLS packages.
You have to pay an extra $50 if you want more than four photos in your listing.

Flatlist.com

Best For

Sellers who want to stand out in crowded markets

Price Range

$299

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You can list up to 25 photos without paying extra. Other companies limit you to 10 or fewer on their base packages.
Your listing comes with all the state and federal disclosure forms, plus counter offer forms, HOA addendums, and seller's property disclosures.

Cons:

The service is only available in Oahu, Maui County, Big Island, and Kauai.
Flatlist.com doesn't give you the choice of a smaller, cheaper listing package.

» FIND: 7 Best Arizona Flat-Fee MLS Companies

If you'd like some professional guidance with no strings attached, Clever can help. Fill out your info below to connect with a top, local realtor for a no-obligation consultation.

👋 Need a great agent on your side?

Connect with top local agents who can help you get a great deal on a new home. Eligible buyers also earn cash back after closing.

Additional resources for Arizona home sellers

FAQs: How to sell your house without a realtor in Arizona

Do I need to hire a lawyer in Arizona?

You don't need a lawyer to sell your home in Arizona — the vast majority of sellers use a title company. But hiring a good attorney can give you peace of mind by ensuring you have a well-written contract that protects you from legal problems down the road.

What closing costs do sellers pay in Arizona?

Closing costs in Arizona include title service and closing fees (at an average rate of0.42%), owner's title insurance (0.52%), transfer fees (which vary locally), recording fees (0.07%), and property taxes (which also vary locally).

What are some ways I can market my home in Arizona?

Clean and declutter your home and consider having it professionally staged. A well-staged home can help you sell faster and for more money. Marketing your home on social platforms such as Facebook, Tiktok, and YouTube can expand your reach.

The post How to Sell a House By Owner in Arizona (2023 Update) appeared first on Semya-Moya.

Top Tools for FSBO Sellers

Greg Isaacson — Mon, 22 May 2023 23:55:19 +0000

The vast majority of American homes are sold with the assistance of a real estate agent, but some home sellers choose to go it alone. This approach is known as for sale by owner (FSBO).

Selling your house FSBO can save you money on realtor fees, but you’ll face a slew of challenges. The home selling process is highly complex, involving everything from preparing, listing, and marketing your home, to handling the contacts and closing.

Fortunately, there’s an ever-growing array of services, platforms, and resources to help you manage virtually every step of the transaction. Read on to learn more about the FSBO tools at your disposal!

And if you find this listing of FSBO tools overwhelming, there are other ways to save money on realtor fees without putting in so much effort. Semya-Moya is an agent-matching service that connects you with top full-service agents in your area. But, instead of paying the standard 3% commission, you'll pay just $3,500 or 1.5%.

» SAVE: Sell with a top local realtor for a 1.5% listing fee

Overview of FSBO tools

Step	Tasks
Presale improvements	Make minor repairs to houseFind a trusted local contractor
Pricing your home	Use online tools for home value estimatesReceive a CMA from a realtor Use Federal Housing Financing Agency (FHFA)’s home price index (HPI) calculator
Listing your home	Sign up with a flat fee MLS companyList your home using a free FSBO website Consider a discount brokerage/flat-fee real estate agent
Marketing your home	Make a custom FSBO signTake great photos or hire a professional photographer Use virtual staging software and apps Upload a video walkthrough or a 3D tour Showcase your house with drone photography Use social media to advertise
Contracts & paperwork	Have an attorney review your paperwork
Closing	Find a title insurance company

Tools for presale improvements

Presale improvements will enhance your home’s desirability and boost the price it can command. You can increase your home’s curb appeal with improvements large and small, such as:

Minor repairs (fresh coat of paint, new cabinets, garage door replacement, etc.)
Landscaping improvements
Kitchen remodeling

Tool	How it can help
HomeAdvisor	Find top-rated contractors to bid on your next project
Thumbtack	Search for a local contractor in all 50 states

»MORE: 5 Home Improvements that Add More Value Than They Cost

Tools for pricing your home

Figuring out your home’s value and therefore an appropriate asking price is a crucial step in the FSBO process. Many sellers botch this, asking for a price that’s too high (deterring potential buyers and delaying the sale) or too low (leaving money on the table).

Online valuation tools

As a starting point, you can try using popular online tools to get a rough estimate of your home’s value.

Tool	How it works
Redfin	Shows home estimates in 80+ markets
Zillow Zestimate	Uses a proprietary formula to calculate home values with a median error rate of 1.9%
Trulia Estimate	Available for more than 65 million properties
Realtor.com	Draws on data from 3 valuation providers
Real Estate ABC	Analyzes roughly 60 million records to estimate home value
Eppraisal.com	Uses a proprietary formula and up to 20 properties to calculate a value range
HomeGain.com	Gives an estimate based on local property values, prices, and recent nearby sales
Chase Mortgage Services	Harnesses millions of home records in Chase’s database
RE/MAX	Uses automated computer modeling from public records to generate estimated value
ForSaleByOwner.com	Offers a ballpark estimate of your home’s value
FHFA’s House Price Calculator	Shows current worth of house if it appreciated at average appreciation rate of all homes in area
BiggerPockets forum	Lets you ask the real estate community for help

»MORE: 5 Home Pricing Strategies That Work Wonders for Sellers

Online valuation tools can be very useful, but you shouldn’t rely on them for accurate insight into your home’s value. Websites like Zillow and Realtor.com draw on available data and make assumptions, meaning their estimates aren't always correct.

You can use these sites to research comparable properties and come up with your own estimated home value. But you should work with a professional realtor or appraiser for the most accurate pricing of your home.

Professional valuation tools

One of the most important services a realtor can provide is a comparative market analysis (CMA). A CMA evaluates comparable properties that have sold in your area to estimate your home’s market.

You can also hire a licensed appraiser to provide a pre-sale appraisal, which gives you another starting point for pricing your house. Whereas a CMA represents the price you can reasonably expect to procure for your home, the appraisal value is whatever the appraiser decides your home is worth. Appraisals cost about $350, depending on the property’s location.

»MORE: Appraisal Value vs Market Value: What's the Difference?

Tools for listing your home

Unless you have a specific buyer in mind, you’re going to need to list your home (that is, put it on the market) as a FSBO seller. Your options include using a flat-fee service to list your home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), listing your home using a free FSBO website, or hiring a realtor to manage your listing from start to finish.

MLS listing tools

For the best marketing results, you should create a listing on the local MLS. MLSs are private databases that realtors use to help their clients buy and sell homes. Homes on the MLS are syndicated to all the major real estate websites, such as Redfin and Zillow.

Only licensed realtors can access the MLS, but FSBO sellers can have their listing put on their local MLS by a flat fee MLS company. You can search for a flat fee MLS company in your state, or go with one of the top nationwide flat fee MLS companies.

Nationwide flat fee MLS company	Who it’s best for
Houzeo	Sellers looking for a lot of à-la-carte options
Flat Fee Group	Sellers who want to work with a local broker with a national reputation
Fizber	Sellers who want to attract people looking for a FSBO property
ISoldMyHouse.com	Sellers looking for a listing they can manage entirely online
FSBO.com	Sellers who also want to list on a large FSBO marketplace

FSBO website listing tools

You can also list your home using a free FSBO website. While this approach is cheap and easy, it has serious disadvantages. When you sign up with a flat fee MLS company, your home will be syndicated to every major real estate platform, but if you sign up with a FSBO website, your home will only appear on that site.

Also, remember that you will be competing with many other sellers in your area, most of whom have hired professional agents. Those agents will be aggressively marketing their clients’ homes across hundreds of websites, not just one free FSBO platform.

Tool	How it can help
Zillow FSBO listing	List your home on a popular free FSBO website
ForSaleByOwner.com	Claims to have 7x more traffic than any other FSBO site
FSBO.com	Basic package includes a 6-month listing on FSBO.com and a Redfin.com listing

»MORE: How to List a House on Zillow: An In-Depth Guide

Traditional realtor tools

As an alternative to FSBO, consider a full-service discount brokerage. You’ll get the services of a professional realtor, including having your home listed on the MLS, while saving potentially thousands on commission.

The downside of a discount broker is that you’ll often compromise on some aspect of the transaction, such as reduced services or less dedicated support.

The companies marked with a star (⭐) below deliver the best savings with service and support comparable to that of a traditional realtor charging standard rates.

Discount brokerage	Features
⭐ Semya-Moya	Free nationwide agent matching platform with full service and support
⭐ Redfin	Proven nationwide brand with real savings, but falls short on service
⭐ SimpleShowing	Available to home sellers in Florida, Georgia, and Texas
⭐ Houwzer	Operates in select markets on the East Coast
⭐ Reali	Available in select markets throughout California
⭐ Prevu	Operates in select East Coast markets and Los Angeles
Trelora	Available in select markets in 5 U.S. states
Redefy	Operates in select markets across 9 U.S. states
Assist-2-sell	Has about 130 offices nationwide but rates and service quality may vary by location

Tools for marketing your home

In addition to listing your home, you should develop a marketing strategy to boost your home’s appeal and command higher offers. Reaching interested buyers and making your home stand out should be a top priority.

»MORE: 10 Creative Ways to Market Your Home and Attract Buyers

FSBO sign

A "For Sale By Owner" sign is a cheap and easy way to let passersby know your home is for sale. In addition, it can provide information about the property, such as how to schedule a showing and where to find the listing.

On the other hand, the internet has made yard signs less effective. Although a significant percentage of FSBO sellers use yard signs to market their homes, only about 7% of buyers found their home through a yard sign in 2020, according to the National Association of Realtors. Also, your sign may invite annoying calls from real estate agents trying to get you to use their services.

If you decide signage is right for you, avoid DIY signs. Instead, order a custom FSBO sign from a reputable custom sign company.

FSBO sign company	Pricing
eSigns	$16.79 for an 18" x 24" sign
Build A Sign	$19.52 for an 18" x 24" sign
Signs.com	$52.81 for 18" x 24" sign w/ 24" x 47" frame
Vistaprint	$11.86 for an 18" x 24" sign
Fast Real Estate Signs	$24.12 for a typical 18" x 24" FSBO sign
Custom Real Estate Signs	$14.57 for an 18" x 24" sign

Great photography

Posting attractive pictures of your home is one of the most important steps in marketing your property. The best approach is to hire a professional photographer who will know how to take high-quality pictures that make your home look desirable.

If you decide to take photos yourself, use a good camera and other equipment for the best results. Shooting with ambient light is generally ok, so you don’t need external lights, but you’ll want a tripod to stabilize the camera and a wide-angle lens to capture entire rooms in one shot.

Tool	How it can help
Zillow Porch	Hire a good professional photographer in your town
Best Buy Target Amazon Adorama	Buy useful equipment for DIY photography, such as: High-quality DSLR camera Wide-angle lens Tripod
Photoshop Enfuse Lightroom	Use photo editing software to retouch the photos and enhance their aesthetic appeal (crop, adjust the lighting and color balance, etc.)

Virtual staging software and apps

Virtual staging is an increasingly popular real estate technology that enables potential buyers to see what your home could look like with different accessories, decor, and furniture.

The software digitally places these elements in the interior spaces to showcase your home in a variety of ways. Agents usually handle virtual staging, but there are many platforms and apps that allow you to do it yourself.

Virtual staging company	Pricing and features
BoxBrownie	Offers virtual staging for $24/image with 48-hour turnaround and 24/7 customer support
Homestyler	Provides a free basic plan with unlimited 1K renders. Buy 4K renders for $9.99/10 renders and 12K panoramas for $19.99/10 renders
Housecraft	Allows you to place fully rendered 3D furniture in images captured with your iPhone or iPad for free
iStaging	Offers easy virtual staging with a smartphone or 360 camera. Use the company’s capturing app and online editing platform for $5/month
PadStyler	Offers live chat support, unlimited free revisions, and a money-back guarantee. Special offer of $49 for 1 photo and $29/photo for 8+ photos
Real Tour Vision	Offers virtual staging for $15/photo for still photos and $25/photo for 360 photos. Custom style and instructions offered for $5/photo
RoOomy	Offers virtual staging for $69, including 1 round of rework
Spotless Agency	Provides plans ranging from $79 to $199 per image. Turnaround ranges from next day to up to 4 days
Virtual Staging Solutions	Furnishes and remodels your house photos and offers physical prints. Prices range from $300 for 4 photos to $525 for 7 photos
VisualStager	Offers pay-as-you-go pricing from $6.99 to $15 per photo. Geared toward photographers, agents, and brokers
VRX Staging	Adds trendy furniture and home decor for $29/photo with next business day delivery and a money-back guarantee
Virtually Staging Properties	Custom designs virtual staging for $60 per photo
Virtual Staging Lab	Offers vacant room staging for $40 and room remodeling for $60

Video walkthrough

A video walkthrough, unlike a 3D walkthrough or virtual staging, shows potential buyers what your home looks like now. As the name implies, it’s a video shot by someone walking through your house.

Zillow allows you to create and upload video walkthroughs, but you might also consider posting a video walkthrough on YouTube, the world’s largest video-sharing site. A 2018 report by the NAR Research Group found that 37% of home buyers use online video sites to search for a home.

Video walkthrough tool	How it works
Zillow video walkthrough	Create and upload a video walkthrough of your home using any Android or iOS smartphone or tablet
HomeVisit	Company sends a professional videographer to your house
YouTube	Post a video walkthrough to the world’s largest video-sharing site

3D walkthrough / 3D tour

You can also showcase your home to potential buyers with an interactive 3D walkthrough or 3D tour (sometimes called a virtual tour).

3D walkthroughs allow users to navigate a virtual representation of your home. They can also click and rotate the image to view the space from different angles. 3D walkthroughs are often clunky to use, and a video tour may be preferable.

3D walkthrough tool	How it can help
Matterport	Use an iPhone to create your own 3D walkthrough (or have a professional scan your house)
iStaging	Upload panoramas or 3D renders of your home using the company’s smartphone capturing kit or a 360 camera
EyeSpyPLAY	Use any 360 camera or DSLR to create pre-recorded, narrated virtual tour of your house
Zillow 3D Home app	Use an iOS or Android device or 360 camera to capture panoramas and upload a 3D tour to your home listing

Drone photography

Drone photography shows the exterior of your house in all its glory, as well as some of the surrounding neighborhood. You probably want to hire a professional for drone shots unless you're an experienced pilot.

If you buy a drone, you’ll need to register it with the Federal Aviation Authority and abide by all relevant regulations. Also, you’ll probably want insurance to cover any potential damages or injuries caused by the drone.

Drones can be pricey (up to $10,000), but there are some entry-level models you can buy if you choose the DIY option.

Tool	How it can help
DJI Mavic Mini drone	Buy a good entry-level drone for less than $400
Thumbtack Yelp	Hire a drone photographer to capture aerial video of your house

Social media

Apart from the major real estate platforms like Zillow and Trulia, you can also reach a potentially large audience with social media.

While social media is not the standard way to market real estate, you may be able to find interested buyers on the major platforms. All of these sites are completely DIY, so you’ll need to do the marketing legwork yourself.

Platform	What it’s best for
Craigslist	Posting your home on the best-known classified ads site
Facebook Marketplace	Listing your home on a major e-commerce platform
Instagram	Showcasing photos of your home to a millennial-heavy user base
Pinterest	Posting pictures of your home and sparking conversation

These platforms are geared towards different user bases and each has its own quirks.

Craigslist

Craigslist is one of the most visited listing sites on the web, with about 478 million visits each month. Generally, it’s not an ideal place to market your house because of the difficulty of finding qualified buyers and the risk of scams.

But Craigslist attracts lots of investors who are looking for distressed properties to flip, so it can be a good option for houses that are tough to sell to a standard buyer — for instance, those that are condemned or in disrepair. The site has basic features, meaning you need to do all the work of writing a description, pricing the house, uploading photos, and so on.

Read Clever’s how-to guide to selling a house on Craigslist for more.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is a free e-commerce platform with more than 1 billion users each month. Although it’s not the most popular place to hawk real estate, the site allows you to create a home listing, so it may be a good option for boosting exposure to your property.

Similar to Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace is completely DIY and lacks FSBO-specific tools, so you get no help with marketing, photography, closing, etc. On the plus side, the site is easy to use and allows you to target interested buyers with mobile-friendly listings.

Instagram

With about 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is a potentially effective way to get the word out about your home. The giant photo- and video-sharing network is popular with millennials and gives you the chance to feature visually compelling photos.

You can use Instagram ads (which allow you to turn any post into an ad) with location targeting to boost the visibility of your home. HootSuite has some good ideas for how to market your home on Instagram.

Pinterest is an image-sharing site with 454 million monthly active users that allows you to create an account and post pictures of your house. It’s better for posting house images than for listing or open house information.

Realtors are better positioned to get value from Pinterest than individual sellers because they can post lots of houses, create "boards" around specific topics, and drive conversation and engagement. But enterprising sellers can try their hand at Pinterest marketing if they’re up for the challenge.

Tools for contracts and paperwork

The average property sale requires some 180 sheets of contracts, forms, and other documents. Many companies will provide the documents you need as a FSBO seller, but you should still have your paperwork reviewed by a professional.

Legal resources

If you don’t plan on hiring a real estate agent, you should at least have an attorney review your paperwork. Many U.S. states require an attorney to be involved in the home sale process. Even if it’s not legally required in your state, running your documents by a lawyer is always a good idea.

Tool	How it can help
Avvo Thumbtack	Find a real estate attorney to review your paperwork
FindLaw Sold.com	Get information about local real estate laws and required documents in your state
FSBO Documents	Learn how to create a FSBO real estate purchase agreement and contract
Flat fee MLS companies	Some companies offer the required legal documents and disclosures for an additional fee

»MORE: 12 Key Documents Required to Sell a Property

Real estate forms providers

Some companies provide real estate contracts and other legal documents for DIY transactions.

Real estate forms provider	Pricing and features
RealtyPact	Provides complete set of documents for FSBO home sales and other transactions for $129
Standard Legal	Allows you to create legal documents and customize a real estate purchase agreement according to your state laws/specific transaction for $19.95
U.S. Legal Forms	Provides unlimited access to state-specific legal forms for $8/month. Upgrade to document management and e-signatures for $15/month
Find Legal Forms	Has a large library of legal forms but does not offer a specific FSBO sale package

Tools for closing

Ordering a title search and purchasing title insurance is a key component of most closings, when the seller transfers ownership of the house to the buyer.

Most home sellers cover the cost of the buyer’s title insurance policy. Generally, the buyer's agent uses his or her connections to recommend a title company for the buyer (in many cases, the seller isn’t involved in this process at all).

However, a FSBO seller may want to research a title company if the buyer doesn’t have an agent to recommend one. Also, some FSBO sellers prefer to choose their own title company for the buyer to work with, often to ensure that the company is affordable.

Four title companies account for 80.5% of all title transactions nationwide, so going with one of them is probably a safe bet.

Tool

How it can help

Major title insurance firms:

Use a title insurance company to conduct the title search and issue title insurance

American Land Title Association (ATLA)

Search for a title insurance companies nationwide by city and county

»MORE: Real Estate Closing Costs: Find ALL the Fees You'll Pay

Overwhelmed? Hire a realtor instead

FSBO sales represented a significant 8% of all home sales in America in 2020. Going FSBO is a great option to consider if you know the prospective buyer and you’re experienced with real estate deals.

For everyone else, the process of selling a house is usually too complex, risky, and time-intensive to go it alone — even with access to online resources and cutting-edge tools. FSBO homes also reap about 26% less on average than agented properties, which may negate any savings from forgoing an agent.

If you’re a less experienced seller or a FSBO sale seems like too much risk for too little reward, consider finding a real estate professional to help you out. A free agent matching service is the fastest and easiest way to find a great local agent.

Unlike other agent matching services, Semya-Moya offers a discounted commission of 1% or $3,000 and can match you with top-rated full-service agents at a fraction of the price of a traditional agent.

👋 Next Steps: Talk to an expert!

If you're weighing your options for buying or selling a house, Clever can help!

Our fully licensed concierge team is standing by to answer questions and provide free, objective advice on getting the best outcome with your sale or purchase.

Ready to get started?

Give us a call at 1-833-2-CLEVER or enter your info below. Our concierge team will be in touch shortly to help.

Remember, this service is 100% free and there’s never any obligation.

Can I sell my house without a realtor?

Yes, you can — this is known as for sale by owner (FSBO), and it is legal in all 50 states. While FSBO may make sense for home sellers who already know the buyer and are experienced in real estate sales, the vast majority of Americans (88%) prefer to hire a licensed realtor to assist them with the process. For those willing to take on the complexities of a FSBO sale, there are a number of tools and resources that can help.

Can I use online platforms like Zillow to list my house?

Yes, but make sure you understand what these sites are offering. You can post your house using a free FSBO website such as ForSaleByOwner.com, FSBO.com, or Zillow’s FSBO listing feature, but then your home will only appear on that site. A better approach is usually to pay a flat-fee MLS service to list your home on the local MLS. Your listing will then get posted to every major real estate website, including Zillow, Trulia, and others.

How do I determine my home’s listing price?

As a starting point, consider using an online valuation tool offered by sites such as Eppraisal.com, Realtor.com, Redfin, and Zillow to get a rough estimate of your property’s value. For more accurate insight, a professional realtor can provide a comparative market analysis (CMA) to estimate the price your house will fetch on the market. A professional appraiser can also provide a pre-sale appraisal for another measure of your home’s worth.

Why Isn't My Home Selling? 3 Reasons (and Solutions)

Greg Isaacson — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 20:11:44 +0000

If your home is still sitting on the market after a few weeks of going live, you may be wondering why it isn't selling – and what you can do to move the sale process forward.

Here's the truth: If your home isn't getting any showings or offers, something may be wrong with your listing. Homes stayed on the market for an average of 17 days in March, according to the National Association of Realtors.

We've highlighted three common reasons why your home isn't selling (and possible solutions). For more tailored advice, a local real estate agent can help you pinpoint specific issues with your listing and help you find a buyer.

» Need help? Clever can connect you with top local agents for expert advice

🔍 This guide covers:

3 reasons your home isn't selling (and solutions):

Your home is too aggressively priced
Your home's condition or appearance needs work
Your marketing isn't strong enough

5 possible solutions if you still can't sell your house:

Hire a new agent
Re-list at a different time of the year
Sell to a cash buyer
Sell to an iBuyer
Rent out your home

Why isn't my house selling? 3 possible reasons

1. Your home is too aggressively priced

Pricing your home fairly is crucial, even in a hot seller's market. If you've priced your home way above its fair market value, you might be turning off potential buyers.

Here's why pricing your home too high initially could backfire:

Your listing could go stale if it sits on the market: Buyers can see how long your home has been on the market and may assume there's a problem with the house if it hasn't sold, or conclude that it's overpriced — and turn their attention to other options.
It could cause appraisal issues: Going under contract on an overpriced listing could cause issues if the buyer's home appraisal comes in lower than your sale price.

Buyers might not be expecting a killer deal in a seller's market, but they want to pay a fair price for your home. Also, buyer's agents will likely run the numbers before a showing and tell their clients if they think the home's list price is too high relative to its valuation.

Pricing your home right should give you a better chance to sell it fast, too. Reducing your home's price should lead to more showings, and could potentially result in multiple offers.

"I would price it fairly at market value instead of going over, in the hopes of creating more interest, which could then lead to a bidding war," says Lorraine Weber, a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker American Homes in Long Beach, N.Y.

Possible solutions

Talk to your agent (if you have one) on pricing strategy and adjust the price to better reflect buyer expectations. Your agent should have experience negotiating with buyers' agents and course correcting if your home's asking price is too high.

If you're selling FSBO, get a broker price opinion (BPO) to determine your home's estimated fair market value, or connect with a top local agent through Clever to get a CMA and learn more about your options.

If you're getting showings but no offers, listen to home buyers' feedback on pricing. Sometimes buyers or their agents will communicate that they think the home is overpriced after their showing, and may point out some reasons why.

2. Your home's condition or appearance needs work

A home's poor condition or lack of aesthetic appeal can prevent it from selling, even in a hot market. It could mean your house is outdated, or needs major repairs.

Here's why: A house in poor condition generally has less online marketing appeal and attracts fewer showings than one in good shape, limiting your potential buyer pool.

In particular, you could be missing out on first-time home buyers who often desire a move-in ready home or don't have the money to make repairs. If the home's condition is really poor, your market could be limited to investors and cash buyers.

The following problems may drive away buyers that often expect these items to be in good working condition:

A damaged or leaky roof
Electrical issues
Foundation or structural problems
Plumbing leaks
Termite damage

» LEARN: Most important repairs to make before selling

Possible solutions

If you're targeting first-time buyers, you may want to make those repairs — or at least reflect the issues in your list price, if you haven't yet.

It's a good idea to get a pre-listing inspection to check for any major issues before you list (or re-list) the house. If the inspection reveals any issues, you can hire a contractor to take care of them, or reduce your list price to reflect the cost of the repairs.

If repairs aren't the issue, your home might just need some TLC to attract more buyers, like a fresh coat of paint.

"The house could have nothing wrong with it physically, it just might not appear well — sometimes there's a dog odor, a cat odor, or tons of clutter," says Weber.

Cosmetic improvements also have the highest return on investment of any changes you can make to the property. They're attention-grabbing in online marketing and during showings, signaling to potential buyers they have less work to do when moving in.

More ideas

Consider home staging, particularly if your house is empty.
Avoid over-personalizing your home — for example, painting a large room a nontraditional color such as pink or purple can turn off some buyers. Try neutral colors instead.
Invest in home improvements that add the most bang for your buck and bring more buyers into your home.
Enhance your home's curb appeal — for example, by landscaping, installing a new garage door, or painting your front door.
Think about whether it's worth it for you to make these repairs and improvements, or sell your house as-is and lower its price.

But you should talk to your agent — or find a local agent — to determine the best course of action.

3. Your marketing isn't strong enough

Most buyers find their home online on sites like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor. In fact, 97% of all buyers used the internet in their home search in 2020, according to NAR.

That's why it's so important to nail your home's online marketing.

Good marketing — including photos and your listing description — draws more showings. More showings translates to more offers, increasing the probability of a successful sale.

Possible solutions

Post your home on the multiple listing service (MLS): For more visibility, make sure your listing is posted on the MLS. Most agents send their buyer client's homes through the MLS, and agents might not even know your home is listed if it's not there.

Only licensed real estate brokers can access and list on the MLS, so you will need to either hire an agent or use a flat-fee MLS company.

Post your home on social media: Focus on Instagram in particular, which is popular among homebuyers and agents. Make sure to include high-quality photos with your MLS listing and social media posts.

Dark or foggy photos, or photos that don't show off the home's key features, may turn off potential buyers. Have your agent take new photos, or hire a professional photographer.

Consider adding video: It's even better to display one or more videos of your home. Zillow says its listings with a 3D Home tour (a kind of virtual walkthrough) attract 43% more views and 55% more saves than listings without one.

Craft a strong listing description: If need be, rewrite your current listing description to highlight your home's standout features and amenities. Focus on the positive features rather than the negatives. Lead with a summary and keep the tone conversational.

Host more showings: If you're not making the house available to be shown consistently, you won't get offers.

Hire an agent or make sure you're available to show the house upon request so you don't let interested buyers slip through your fingers.

Still can't sell your house? 5 potential solutions

You may still struggle to sell your home even if the above issues don't apply to you or you've already addressed them. Here are some more ideas for selling a house that has been sitting on the market for a while.

1. Hire a new agent

Sometimes the problem is the agent you've hired — or the lack of an agent. If you're using an agent and your home just isn't selling, consider whether you're getting bad advice.

Is your agent marketing your home to the wrong buyers or underselling your home's key features? Are they lazy or unmotivated? Maybe it's time for a change.

Finding the right realtor is crucial to achieving a satisfactory sale. Try switching up your agent. Hiring a discount real estate brokerage can get the process moving again, allowing you to sell your home and save money.

Discount brokerages charge rates as low as 1% or a flat fee instead of the 2.5–5% listing fee that realtors traditionally charge. Your savings can be significant if you hire a 1% agent compared to a traditional agent.

You may find that you have to lower your home's asking price to achieve a sale, but the savings you get by switching to a discount brokerage can sometimes offset the cost of selling at a lower price.

💰 Compare low commission agents and save thousands

Try our free, no-obligation agent-matching service! Clever will get proposals from the top agents in your area — and negotiate discounted 1.5% listing fees.

2. Re-list at a different time of year

It's possible you've chosen a bad time of year to list your house. Spring and summer are usually the best seasons to sell a home.

Here's why: The onset of spring and warmer weather prompts more people to go out and tour homes. Families are eager to buy a home before school starts in the fall.

If you're struggling to sell your home, try taking it off the market and waiting for a more favorable time of year.

The day of the week that your home is listed can also have an impact:

Thursday and Friday are often considered the best days to list. A Redfin study found that houses listed on Thursday sold the fastest and were the most likely to sell within 90 to 180 days.
Listing on a Thursday or Friday gives buyers and their agents the chance to line up showings for the weekend — and lets your agent prepare an open house, if desired.
Debuting your home late in the work week often results in offers by the following Monday.

Sunday through Wednesday are arguably the worst days to list. If you're having trouble selling, try taking your house off the market and listing it again on a Thursday or Friday.

3. Sell to a cash buyer

If you're really struggling to find a conventional buyer for your home, you might consider selling to a cash buyer. Cash buyer companies will purchase your home quickly and with minimal hassle, putting money in your pocket faster than a traditional sale.

Most cash buyer companies will buy homes in any condition or situation. If you can't find a willing buyer because your home is in poor condition, a cash buyer company could be the right solution.

The catch is that cash buyers will offer a price that's significantly below market value — usually around 70%. But this is a good option to look at if you just can't sell at market value.

4. Sell to an iBuyer

iBuyer companies are large, tech-driven real estate companies that buy and resell homes quickly. Most iBuyers can make an offer on your home in 24–48 hours and close in two weeks or less.

An iBuyer may snap up a home that you can't sell to traditional buyers, making it a good option if you're stuck. The tradeoff here is that iBuyers offer a slightly reduced sale price and charge a service fee of 5% of more.

5. Rent out your home

If you're having trouble selling your home, another solution is to take it off the market and rent it out. Turning your home into an investment property is a great way to safeguard capital and generate income.

Make sure you hire a property manager, set an appropriate rental price, and screen tenants before offering a lease. Also, don't forget about reporting rental income on your taxes. You should consult with a tax professional if you go this route.

FAQs about why you're home isn't selling

How long do most houses take to sell?

In a hot market with strong demand and low inventory, homes change hands quickly. The average house took 17 days to land a buyer in March, according to the National Association of Realtors, though this varies according to local market conditions.

If your home is sitting on the market for more than a month, you might have a problem: More than half of the sellers polled by Semya-Moya expect to accept an offer on their home within a month of listing, and nearly two-thirds expect it will take 10 or fewer showings to accept an offer.

Consider whether your house is priced right, if it's in good enough condition to sell, if you need a new marketing strategy, or if you need to fire your agent and hire a new one.

Why isn't my house selling in a hot market?

The most common reasons for a house failing to sell in a hot market involve the home's price, its condition, or the way it's being marketed.

You may be pricing your home too aggressively, turning off potential buyers and causing the listing to go stale. Talk to your agent to discuss pricing strategy and adjust the price to better reflect buyer expectations — or find a realtor if you don't have one yet.

Also, consider whether the price accurately reflects your home's condition. Some homes fail to sell because they need repairs or improvements, from cosmetic changes to major overhauls.

Finally, evaluate your online marketing strategy. Not using the MLS to list your house is a big reason why some homes never find buyers.

Are older homes harder to sell?

Depending on the market, older homes can be more challenging to sell. The older the home, the more likely it is to have electrical issues, foundation or structural problems, pests such as termites, and hazardous materials such as lead paint or asbestos.

To get your old home sold, consider getting a pre-listing inspection to determine potential issues, and make repairs the property might need. You can also hire a 1% commission realtor to help you save on commission and offset some of your repair costs.

Determine if your marketing strategy needs work, and if necessary, consider lowering the price to match buyer expectations.

The post Why Isn't My Home Selling? 3 Reasons (and Solutions) appeared first on Semya-Moya.

How to Sell a House By Owner in Maryland

Greg Isaacson — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 03:20:25 +0000

Maryland real estate commissions | How to list FSBO in Maryland | Maryland FSBO paperwork | FSBO pros and cons | FSBO alternatives

In Maryland, selling your house without a real estate agent is possible, and it could save you a lot of money in agent commission fees. The average realtor commission rate in Maryland is 4.32% to 5.90%. If you sell a house worth $402,600 — the median home value in Maryland — you'd pay more than $17,500 to real estate agents. That's a huge chunk out of your potential profits.

Without a listing agent, you can cut commission expenses in half, and you'll have more control over the sale. But because of added responsibilities, such as setting a listing price and negotiating with buyer's agents, selling without an agent is often only a viable option for experienced home sellers willing to put in the time and effort.

Plus, selling for sale by owner (FSBO) has risks. Research shows that FSBO homes typically sell for about 6% less than those listed with agents. You'll also still have to offer a competitive buyer's agent commission — usually 2.51% of the sale price in Maryland. You'll be responsible for all the work of a trained realtor, so if you have other obligations, such as a job or a family, selling FSBO might not be for you.

You may save time and pocket more profit by working with a low-commission realtor who can sell your home for top dollar. Semya-Moya pre-negotiates 1.5% listing fees ($3,000 minimum) with top-rated local agents. You'll get the support of a full-service agent for a fraction of the typical price, so you can walk away from your sale with the most cash possible.

» SAVE: Sell with a top local agent for just 1.5% listing fees

Keep reading to learn how to successfully sell your house without an agent in Maryland. We'll explain the ins and outs of costs, pricing strategies, paperwork, and more.

🔑 Key takeaways

Selling FSBO gives you direct control over how your home is sold, including the pricing strategy, showing schedule, and negotiation process.
Selling FSBO means you won't pay a listing commission, which could save you 2.60% based on the Maryland average.
FSBO sellers who find a buyer who's also not using an agent save an additional 2.51%, the average buyer's agent commission rate in Maryland.

How realtor commissions work in Maryland

When you sell your home, there are four common commission scenarios.

1. List with an agent and sell to a represented buyer. Pay for both agents' commission fees.

This is the traditional model. When sellers work with a realtor, they negotiate commission as part of the listing agreement.

Based on average commission rates in Maryland, this typically ranges from 2.20% to 2.99% of the sale price.

The seller also agrees to a commission rate for the realtor who brings the buyer to the table, which runs between 2.12% to 2.91%.

2. List FSBO and sell to a represented buyer. Pay the buyer's agent commission.

As a FSBO seller, you automatically avoid paying a listing commission. However, there is a solid argument for offering a buyer's agent commission. It's an incentive for realtors to show your house to their clients. If you don't offer a competitive commission, agents may prioritize taking buyers to homes with a commission.

3. List FSBO and sell to a buyer without an agent. Pay no commission.

The best way to avoid paying any commission fees is to sell to an unrepresented buyer. However, nearly 87% of buyers work with a realtor. If you decide not to offer a buyer's agent commission, you may severely restrict your pool of buyers.

4. List with a discount agent and sell to a represented buyer. Pay the buyer's agent commission but save on the listing commission.

You'll typically find the best overall value with a traditional, full-service agent who offers discounted listing fees. For example, Clever Partner Agents work for trusted brands like RE/MAX and Keller Williams and offer a range of full-service benefits for a fraction of the cost. Use Clever's free, no-obligation service to connect with a top-performing agent near you.

The table below shows how this could break down in Maryland:

How Maryland realtor commissions work

	Represented seller and buyer	Sell with Clever agent, represented buyer	FSBO seller, represented buyer	FSBO seller, unrepresented buyer
Listing commission	$12,100 (2.60%)	$4,000 (1%)	$0	$0
Buyer commission	$10,100 (2.51%)	$10,100 (2.51%)	$10,100 (2.51%)	$0
Total commission	$20,700	$14,200	$10,100	$0
Based on the median home sale price in Maryland (Zillow.com) and the average commission rates from a 2024 Clever survey of 630 real estate agents

» LEARN: What is Realtor Commission?

How to sell a house by owner in Maryland

Real estate laws vary across the country. For example, some states don't allow sellers to put a FSBO sign in their yard if they list on the multiple listing service (MLS) using a flat-fee company.

Here's an overview of what laws you need to know in Maryland:

MarylandFSBO facts
Real estate attorney required?	No
FSBO yard sign allowed?	Yes
Required state disclosures?	Residential property disclosure and disclaimer statement Flood zone statement Lead-based paint disclosure

Although selling your home without an agent may seem like a great way to save on realtor fees, it’s trickier than many people expect. If it becomes overwhelming, you can hire an agent at any time.

👋 Skip the DIY: Get a better agent AND bigger savings

With Clever:

✅ You'll only pay 1.5% to list your home

✅ You'll work with a full-service realtor from a top broker

✅ It's free, with zero obligation — you can walk away at any time

Saving on realtor fees doesn't have to mean sacrificing service. Find a top local agent today!

Step 1: Prepare your home for sale

Small repairs and upgrades can make a big difference in boosting your home's appeal and swaying potential buyers. The key is knowing how to spend your money wisely to get higher offers.

Simple DIY projects like a fresh coat of paint or new cabinet pulls have a high return on investment. When it comes to interior paint, stick to neutral colors. Neutral colors make your house look bigger and cleaner. If the walls are painted a dark or loud color, consider switching to white.

» LEARN: Best Paint Colors to Sell a House

However, pricier improvements, like building a new bedroom or doing a high-end kitchen remodel, may not be worth the extra cost. You'll often spend more on these projects than you'll get back from the sale price. Whatever projects you take on, make sure you're meeting Maryland buyers' expectations.

» DISCOVER: The Best (and Worst) Home Improvements for Resale Value

Roof and HVAC repairs are two of the biggest concerns that home buyers have in Maryland, according to Nik Namdar, director of marketing and growth at The Fine Living Group (part of eXp Realty).

The presence of a stain on the ceiling could trigger anxious questions from a buyer about whether the roof needs to be replaced. Home inspectors also love to point out problems with the HVAC system, so if your system seems too old, consider switching it out for a new one.

Roof and HVAC repairs can be very costly, but for that reason, they're among the top fixes that can boost the value of your home.

Stage and photograph your home

You'll need professional photos for your listing, and you'll want to showcase a clean and furnished home for potential buyers to see.

A well-staged home can help you sell faster and for more money. Start by decluttering, deep cleaning, and sprucing up your home's curb appeal.

"A house that's home staged will sell faster and likely at a higher price, and will bring more demand, than just an empty home. We've had great success with home staging," says Namdar.

"Virtual staging is great for the eye on the internet, but when people walk through the house they don't get that same feeling."

Bonus tip: Hire a professional stager who knows your local market and can ensure your home is ready to impress, giving you one less thing to worry about. In Maryland, expect to pay $891 on average in staging costs. This will get you 60–90 days of a fully designed living room, kitchen, dining room, master bedroom, and bathrooms. Prices vary from city to city, so be sure to give local companies a call for specific estimates.

Step 2: Set a price

🙋🏻‍♀️ Ask a realtor: According to Namdar, if you price your house under the market value, you'll attract more buyers than if you list higher. "You're creating a feeding frenzy because now everybody thinks, 'oh, this is a great deal.' So you actually end up getting more people through the house. And then ultimately the market decides."

Look at closed comparable sales (comps) in your neighborhood to get a sense of what your house is worth. Consider the sale prices for all homes that are similar to yours in size and features that have sold in your ZIP code in the last six months.

Then, analyze details about the homes and how they compare to yours. Ask yourself:

Is the school district better or worse?
Does it have the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms?
Has the house been renovated more recently than yours?
How do the neighborhoods and nearby amenities compare?

Answering these questions honestly will help you see if your price is in the right ballpark.

A pre-sale appraisal gives you a more accurate starting point for pricing your home. In Maryland, appraisals average $295 to $380 but help you walk away with thousands more once your home is sold.

» LEARN: What is a Comparative Market Analysis?

State of the Maryland real estate market

In 2021, Maryland had a seller's market driven by fierce demand for a limited supply of homes. The lack of homes sent prices soaring. The median home price in Maryland is $361,092, a 12% increase from the year before.

City	Median home value
Baltimore	$370,023
Hagerstown	$
Salisbury	$
Cumberland	$
California	$

Maryland remains a strong seller's market, with many homebuyers struggling to find available homes. Median prices are significantly up compared to last year, while the amount of inventory on the market is down.

As of February 2022, there were just 0.6 months of inventory on the market across the state. Higher mortgage rates should rein in price growth somewhat, but the seller's market is expected to continue in 2022.

Selling your home by owner in this type of market might not require much legwork. Paying full price for an agent may feel like a waste of money if you can easily find an interested buyer on your own.

Still, there are many reasons not to forgo an agent. It's possible you may get multiple offers on your home. A realtor can advise you which ones are worth accepting so you can make even more when selling your home.

An agent can also help you with negotiating. In our recent survey of 1,000 home buyers, 73% said they thought they could out-negotiate a FSBO seller. Having an agent on your side can make sure that doesn't happen.

Sell a Home with Clever and Save Thousands!

Enter your ZIP code to see if Clever has a partner agent in your area.

Step 3: List your Maryland home

Maryland buyer priorities	Advice for FSBO sellers
Backyards	A backyard is practically a must for single-family homes. In an era when people are spending more time at home, people also like having a deck or patio. Some townhouses and other homes lack this feature, so it can help your home stand out and attract higher offers.
Walk-out basement	A walk-out basement (featuring at least 1 wall that's completely above grade) is a huge plus. Some buyers figure that in an era of rampant inflation, they can cover half or a third of their mortgage by renting out part of the house, so a walk-out basement may be an important feature on their wishlist. Fully finished basements are also popular with buyers.
Garage	A garage can be important for some buyers, but it depends on the individual. Generally, homebuyers prefer 2-car garages over garages for 1 or 3 cars. A 2018 study by Redfin found that 70.3% of homes that sold in the Baltimore area had a garage, and homes with garages sold for a 10.4% premium over those without.
Pricing	Homes are selling quickly in Maryland's hot market, but setting the right price will help you get the best possible offers. Do your research and look at recent sales data in your area for an accurate price point for homes of comparable size and condition. Be careful not to overprice your home, because if it sits on the market for a while, potential buyers may think there's a problem.

Where to list your home

However, agents are the only ones who can list on the MLS. You can work with an agent and still maintain control of your sale by using a flat-fee company that charges a one-time payment to list your home on the MLS.

As a FSBO seller, you also have several free or low-cost options.

Zillow: Listing on Zillow is free and takes just a few simple steps: create a profile, claim your home, navigate to the FSBO page, fill out your listing info, click publish, and wait for verification. Zillow listings also automatically appear on its sister site, Trulia. However, recent changes to Zillow keep FSBO listings separate from agent listings, meaning your home will be a lot less visible to buyers.
ForSaleByOwner.com: This well-established and recognized for-sale-by-owner site caters specifically to people wanting to buy or sell FSBO homes. It's free to advertise, but your home won't show up on the MLS or syndicate to other real estate websites. That means your listing will only be viewable to buyers who go to ForSaleByOwner.com.
For-sale-by-owner yard sign: You can buy a FSBO sign from most hardware stores or online for $20–50. Choose one that allows you to add your phone number so interested buyers can contact you for property information and showings.
Craigslist: Posting your home on Craigslist is free and simple. Just go to the Maryland page, find your city, and create a "real estate — by owner" listing.

» MORE INFO: Learn How to Sell a House on Craigslist

Step 4: Show your home

Keep the home clean and decluttered at all times. The last thing you want is to scramble with a vacuum after a buyer calls for a last-minute showing.

Focus on creating a homey atmosphere for buyers. You want to make a great first impression, so add little touches that speak to most people. Bake cookies or light scented candles before a showing. Smell plays a huge part in how buyers perceive and remember your house. Use comforting scents to your advantage so they feel at home the moment they walk through the door.

Step 5: Negotiate for the best possible price

Negotiations are about more than the final sale price. You and the buyer (or their agent) will also have to agree upon contract contingencies, how closing costs are divided, the timeline, and more.

Knowing what's important to buyers in your area will help you strengthen your offer. A Clever survey of local real estate professionals found that in Maryland, sellers often cover 0.30% to 0.60% of buyers' closing costs. On a home of median value, that will cost an additional $1,208 to $2,416.

You should also consider offering these popular seller concessions:

Concession	Benefits of offering concession
Home warranty	If your home has major appliances or systems that are on their last leg, a home warranty can give buyers peace of mind. A warranty will cover possible problems and is typically less expensive than paying for the repairs (or accepting a lower offer from a wary buyer).
Property taxes	You often have to share past tax information about the property before closing a sale. By covering some of those costs, you can offer buyers some financial relief and make them more inclined to close the sale.
Repair credits	Repair credits are a win-win for buyers and sellers. You'll credit the buyer a set amount to cover the cost of repairs. Once the deal closes, buyers can oversee the project to their liking, and you don't have to worry about repairs going over budget.

Step 6: Close

Closing is the final step in a real estate transaction. The title of the property is officially transferred from the seller to the buyer, and both parties pay their closing costs.

🤔 Do I need a real estate attorney to sell my house in Maryland?

No, you don't need to hire an attorney to sell your house in Maryland. Home sellers typically use title companies, which have attorneys on site that are available to answer your questions or concerns. However, you may want to hire an attorney for additional peace of mind and to ensure you comply with local laws.

» READ: How Much are Closing Costs for Sellers in Maryland?

Paperwork to sell a house by owner in Maryland

Want to save this list for later? Download our FSBO paperwork checklist to help you prepare for your sale.

Required for all Maryland real estate sales

Two forms of ID	In most cases, a valid passport, driver's license, or other form of Maryland-issued ID.
Copy of purchase agreement and addendums	Copy of the original, signed sales agreement, as well as any agreed upon changes.
Closing statement	A detailed list of all the costs associated with the sale and who pays them. This is often prepared by your escrow agent or title company.
Signed deed	To legally transfer your property, you'll need the deed that proves you're the rightful owner. At closing, you'll sign the deed over to the buyer.
Bill of sale	This is basically a receipt that includes both your information and the buyer's. It will also list the final price of the home and what was included in the sale.
Affidavit of title	A notarized document that states you own the home, that there are no liens on the property, and that you are not simultaneously selling the home to someone else.

Additional documents

Loan payoff information	If you have a mortgage on your home, you'll need documentation of exactly how much you still owe and any payoff fees. If you've already paid your mortgage in full, you'll need documentation proving that.
HOA forms and guidelines	If your home is part of an HOA, you'll need to give the buyer documentation on the covenants, codes, restrictions, financial history, required fees, and approval process.
Survey results or survey affidavits	A survey or an affidavit verifying a previous survey proves exactly where the property lines are.
Home inspection results	If you had a pre-sale inspection, you'll want the results to compare to the buyer's inspection. If having a buyer's inspection was part of the sales agreement, you should receive a copy of the results before closing.
Proof of repairs or renovations	Documentation proving any major repairs or changes to the house help verify its value. These receipts also provide buyers with information about who to contact if they discover issues with the repairs in the future.
Home warranty information	The home warranty service agreement will explain what is covered, for how long, and costs associated with the policy.
Copies of relevant wills, trusts, or power of attorney letters	If you are selling an inherited property, you'll need copies of all legal documents that passed ownership to you.
Relevant affidavits (name affidavits, non-foreign affidavit under IRC 1445)	You may need additional affidavits like a name affidavit, which lists all of your or the buyer's previous names, or an affidavit proving you are not a foreign citizen and, therefore, exempt from certain property sales taxes.
Closing disclosure	If your buyer is taking out a mortgage and you agreed to certain seller's concessions, you may need a copy of their closing disclosure to verify the lender approved your concessions.
Correction statement and agreement	If forms are lost or errors are discovered in the future, a correction statement and agreement requires you, the buyer, or their lender to replace or fix those documents.

Maryland disclosure forms

Residential property disclosure and disclaimer statement	The seller disclosure statement details known issues with your home and its major appliances and systems.
Flood zone statement	With some federally backed mortgages, your buyer's lender might require information about the property's flood risk.
Lead-based paint disclosure	If your home was built before 1978, federal law requires that you disclose information about the dangers of lead-based paint.

» LEARN: Disclosure Requirements for Selling Maryland Real Estate

Where to find documents

Need a document that's not on the list? The Maryland Realtors website has a library of standard real estate forms, but they're intended for real estate agents, and you must log in to access them.

However, real estate forms can be written in a variety of formats, and you can find downloadable forms online:

LawDepot — Free
eForms — Free
US Legal — Charges a small monthly subscription

When you're looking for other documents, such as tax records, property surveys, and deeds, check state or local government offices, such as your tax assessor’s office or department of revenue.

💰 Incredible savings, none of the DIY

Selling your home is time-consuming, and fraught with potential legal issues.

There's a better option. Clever pre-negotiates lower listing fees with top agents in your area. You still save on commission, while getting the support of a full-service agent.

Clever partner agents offer full-service support for half the typical cost: a pre-negotiated 1.5% listing fee
Clever sellers save an average of $7,000 on commission AND they get offers 2.8x faster than the national average

Ready to find real estate agents who can help you save thousands on your sale? Enter your zip code below to get started!

Pros and cons of selling FSBO

Before deciding to sell your home by owner, weigh all the pros and cons to make the right choice for your situation.

Pros	Cons
✅ Lower commission: Even if your buyer has an agent, you'll still avoid paying 2–3% in listing agent commission.	❌ Less visibility with buyers: Unless you pay a flat fee MLS company, your home won't be on the local MLS, meaning fewer buyers will see your listing.
✅ More control: You can decide the price, showing schedule, marketing strategy, negotiation tactics, and more.	❌ Risks of inaccurate pricing: If you overprice your home, you won't attract buyers. You could be forced to accept a low offer or take your home off the market and relist with an agent.
✅ No competition with other clients: Some agents take on more clients than they can handle, which means you may not get the attention you need.	❌ Safety issues: You're responsible for showing your home to prospective buyers. Not everyone is comfortable being alone with strangers because theft or harassment can occur.
✅ You may sell faster: If you're selling to a family member or friend, FSBO streamlines the process.	❌ More work and stress: Trying to cram all the FSBO responsibilities into your schedule is a hassle many FSBO sellers aren't prepared for.

FSBO alternatives

If saving money is your main reason for selling FSBO, there are alternatives.

Semya-Moya

Clever is a nationwide real estate service that connects sellers with top, local agents. You pay Clever nothing. You'll only pay your full-service agent 1.5% ($3,000 minimum) if your home sells.

Semya-Moya

Get Started

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% ($3,000 min.)

💰 Buyer Savings

Cash back after closing

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

5/5 (2,735 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Try Clever for free — save thousands on commission!

Clever is a free, nationwide agent matching service that partners with full-service local agents from conventional brokerages like Keller Williams, Century 21, and RE/MAX.
You get multiple agent matches so you can interview several, compare marketing plans, and choose the best fit.
Clever pre-negotiates low rates on your behalf — you get full service for just a 1.5% listing fee ($3,000 minimum).
If you buy with Clever, you can get cash back to help pay for your move.

You may not get matched with an agent from your preferred real estate brokerage.
Agents may not provide premium services like drone photography and professional home staging.

As of 11/6/2023, Clever has a 5.0 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot, based on 2,589 reviews.

Read reviews from real Clever customers here.

Clever has pre-negotiated low commission rates with top agents in all 50 states and Washington, DC.

Discount real estate services in Maryland

Redfin

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1.5% (min. fees vary)

💰 Avg. Savings

$5,550

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

2.9/5 (331 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Redfin offers real savings and is a proven brand. But sellers could compromise on service — especially agent experience and availability.

Read the full Redfin review.

If you buy and sell with Redfin, you'll get a 0.5% listing fee discount.
Redfin gives its listings premium placement in its popular home search app.

If finding the right agent is a top priority, you'll have limited options — Redfin only has a few agents in each of its markets.
Redfin agents handle more customers at once than the average realtor, so they may not be able to provide as much personalized service.

Redfin has a 2.9 out of 5 rating (331 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Yelp.

Read reviews from real Redfin customers here.

Redfin is available in 80+ U.S. markets (see all locations).

Houwzer

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

1% (min. $2,500)

💰 Avg. Savings

$7,625

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.9/5 (1,463 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Houwzer has very low listing fees, but you may be frustrated working with a team instead of just your realtor.

Read the full Houwzer review.

You’ll pay a 1% listing fee, which is one of the lowest rates in the industry.
Houwzer’s maximum listing fee of $10,000 makes it a great deal for homes over $1 million.

Houwzer has a small team, which limits your options if you don't hit it off with the first agent it sends you.
The company uses a team-based approach, which increases the chances of miscommunication and mistakes.

Houwzer has a 4.9 out of 5 rating (1,463 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real Houwzer customers here.

Houwzer is available in the following locations: FL, MD, NJ, PA, VA, DC.

REX Real Estate

Full Review

💲 Listing Fee

2.5% ($9,000 min.)

💰 Avg. Savings

-$325

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

4.7/5 (1,041 reviews)

✍️ Editor's Take

Pros

Cons

Reviews

Locations

Read the full REX Real Estate review.

REX's approach is incredibly risky — but if the gamble pays off, you could save about 50% on realtor fees
Like other full-service brokerages, REX agents provide in-person services and support

REX's 2.5% listing fee doesn't save you much — many full-price agents charge similar rates
REX doesn't list your home on the MLS, so up to 90% of buyers may not even know it's for sale
This risky marketing strategy seems likely to fail, so you may not save anything on commission

REX has a 4.7 out of 5 rating (1,041 reviews) across popular review sites like Google and Zillow.

Read reviews from real REX customers here.

REX is available in the following areas: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, MD, NV, NJ, OR, PA, TX, WA, DC.

» COMPARE: Discount Real Estate Brokers: Who's the BEST?

Flat fee MLS companies in Maryland

A flat fee MLS service will post your listing on the local MLS, usually for a low, upfront fee. In Maryland, this will typically cost you a couple hundred dollars.

Cottage Street Realty

Best For

Inexperienced sellers who want extra guidance from their listing broker

Price Range

$299-999

Pros & Cons

Pros:

The basic package includes the maximum number of photos allowed by your local MLS while many flat fee MLS companies limit you to six or fewer photos.
The premium and supreme packages get the broker more involved in your listing with things like contract reviews and market analysis.

Cons:

You have to sign up for the Premium package ($799) before you can e-sign contracts.
The basic listing doesn't include any kind of pricing assistance.

DNK Real Estate

Best For

Sellers who want to customize their listing plan with a la carte options

Price Range

$249-799

Pros & Cons

Pros:

You can choose from a lot of a la carte add-ons like virtual tours, extra photos, and premium yard signs that you can purchase to customize your listing.

Cons:

The basic listing only includes one photo.
Listing changes (include price and status) cost $25 each.
Other flat-fee MLS companies charge less and provide more with their basic listings.

Mr. Lister Realty

Best For

Sellers looking for a long listing term

Price Range

$450-650

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Both packages include a 12-month listing term.
The base package allows for up to 20 photos. Many similar listing packages limit you to 10 or fewer.

Cons:

The Quick List package doesn't allow any free changes and the Seller's Choice package ($650) only comes with two free changes.
You have to pay extra to add an open house to your MLS listing.

» FIND: 6 Best Maryland Flat-Fee MLS Companies

Conclusion: Is FSBO right for you?

FSBO isn't a right for everyone. But if you're feeling confident about the steps and knowledgeable about the challenges, you might be ready to sell without a realtor in Maryland. To succeed, you'll need to:

Make a plan: From taking photos of your property to filling out the correct paperwork, there will be a lot on your FSBO to-do list. Set completion goals and work out a schedule so you can find a buyer and close in a timeframe that works for you.
Get ready to hustle: Attracting qualified buyers is hard work. You'll need a great listing description and a killer marketing strategy to generate interest. Also, prepare to spend a considerable amount of time fielding calls from prospective buyers, scheduling showings, hosting open houses, and more.
Make smart investments: Even though saving money is your main goal as a FSBO seller, spending money on small upgrades or repairs can lead to higher offers and a faster sale. Also, consider paying a flat fee company to list your home on the local MLS to reach more buyers.
Seek some professional advice: You don't have to sign a listing contract to talk to a realtor. Professional agents understand that smart sellers weigh their options. They'll be willing to meet for a free consultation. After seeing your home and looking at comps, they might notice problems or advantages you overlooked. Once you've heard their advice, if you still want to sell by owner, you can do so confidently because you thoroughly explored your choices.

If you'd like some professional guidance with no strings attached, Clever can help. Fill out your info below to connect with a top, local realtor for a no-obligation consultation.

👋 Need a great agent on your side?

Connect with top local agents who can help you get a great deal on a new home. Eligible buyers also earn cash back after closing.

Additional resources for Maryland home sellers

FAQs: How to sell your house without a realtor in Maryland

Can I sell my house without a realtor in Maryland?

Yes, you can sell your house without a realtor in Maryland. But selling a home is a complicated, high-stakes transaction, so if you're new to the process, hiring an agent is probably the best way to go. An agent can help you price your home competitively and find a buyer that will pay what your property is actually worth.

How do I write a for sale by owner contract in Maryland?

The easiest way is to download a standard purchase and sale agreement from an online form provider, such as eForms.com, LawDepot, or USLegalForms.com. You'll also have to provide a stack of other paperwork for the transaction, such as a closing statement, signed deed, disclosures, and more.

Do I need a lawyer to sell my house by owner in Maryland?

No, a lawyer is not required to sell your house by owner in Maryland, as sellers typically use a title company that has lawyers on staff. But you may want to hire a real estate attorney to handle any complex legal issues with your transaction and protect you from being sued.

What are the costs of selling my house by owner?

Selling costs typically include a pre-sale appraisal (around $500–800), staging costs ($1,500–2,000), title fees ($1,000–1,200), and transferring and recording fees (1-1.25%, depending on the county). Property taxes vary, and owner's title insurance is generally covered by the buyer.

The post How to Sell a House By Owner in Maryland appeared first on Semya-Moya.

Median home value*	$566,052
Median listing price+	$612,995
Listing price per square foot+	$312
Percent of homes with price reduction+	14.1%
Based on data from Zillow (November 2023)⁺Based on data from Realtor.com (November 2023)*

Median home value*	$372,801
Median listing price+	$418,475
Listing price per square foot+	$208
Percent of homes with price reduction+	12.4%
Based on data from Zillow (November 2023)⁺Based on data from Realtor.com (November 2023)*

Median home value*	$495,469
Median listing price+	$479,725
Listing price per square foot+	$263
Percent of homes with price reduction+	9.3%
Based on data from Zillow (November 2023)⁺Based on data from Realtor.com (November 2023)*

Median home value*	$228,879
Median listing price+	$277,949
Listing price per square foot+	$145
Percent of homes with price reduction+	22.4%
Based on data from Zillow (November 2023)⁺Based on data from Realtor.com (November 2023)*

Median home value^*	$249,224
Median listing price⁺	$281,950
Listing price per square foot⁺	$167
Percent of homes with price reduction⁺	12.3%
Based on data from Zillow (November 2023) ⁺Based on data from Realtor.com (November 2023)*

Greg Isaacson, Author at Semya-Moya

How to Sell a House By Owner in Washington State (2023 Update)

Who should sell a house by owner?

How to sell a house by owner in Washington

Step 1: Prepare your home for sale

Stage and photograph your home

Step 2: Set a price

State of the Washington real estate market

Sell a Home with Clever and Save Thousands!

Step 3: List your Washington home

Where to list your home

Step 4: Show your home

Step 5: Negotiate for the best possible price

Step 6: Close

Paperwork to sell a house by owner in Washington

Required for all Washington real estate sales

Additional documents

Washington disclosure forms

Where to find documents

FSBO alternatives

Semya-Moya

Semya-Moya

💲 Listing Fee

💰 Buyer Savings

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

Discount real estate services in Washington

Redfin

💲 Listing Fee

💰 Avg. Savings

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

REX Real Estate

💲 Listing Fee

💰 Avg. Savings

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

Trelora

💲 Listing Fee

💰 Avg. Savings

⭐ Avg. Customer Rating

Flat fee MLS companies in Washington

MLS4owners.com

Best For

Price Range

Flat Fee Realty

Best For

Price Range

Houzeo

Best For

Price Range

Additional resources for Washington home sellers

How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House in Washington State?

Washington State Real Estate Transfer Taxes: An In-Depth Guide

Average Time to Sell a House in Washington

Everything You Need to Know About Moving to Washington State

FAQs: How to sell your house without a realtor in Washington

Do I need a lawyer to sell a home in Washington?

What documents do I need to sell my house in Washington?

What closing costs am I responsible for as a FSBO seller?

How to Sell a House By Owner in Virginia (2023 Update)

Who should sell a house by owner?

How to sell a house by owner in Virginia

Step 1: Prepare your home for sale

Stage and photograph your home

Step 2: Set a price

State of the Virginia real estate market

Sell a Home with Clever and Save Thousands!

Step 3: List your Virginia home

Where to list your home

Step 4: Show your home

Step 5: Negotiate for the best possible price

Step 6: Close

Paperwork to sell a house by owner in Virginia

Required for all Virginia real estate sales

Additional documents

Virginia disclosure forms

Where to find documents

FSBO alternatives

Semya-Moya

Semya-Moya

💲 Listing Fee

💰 Buyer Savings