Quick Guide for FSBO Home Sellers

FSBO (For Sale By Owner) means you’re handling the sale without a real estate agent.

There are 7 basic steps to make your FSBO happen:

  1. Prepare Your Home
  2. Set the Price
  3. Market
  4. Handle Inquiries
  5. Negotiate
  6. Paperwork
  7. Close

1. Prepare Your Home for Sale

  • Clean and declutter thoroughly; make repairs and consider minor updates to improve appeal.

  • Stage (Optional) your home to showcase its best features.

  • Gather key documents such as the deed, utility bills, warranties, and recent tax information.

2. Set the Price

  • Research comparable homes (“comps”) in your area to determine a realistic market value.

  • Consider ordering a professional appraisal or Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) for accuracy.

3. Market Your Property

  • Take high-quality photos and write a clear, appealing property description.

  • List your home on major real estate websites (such as Zillow, Realtor.com, and FSBO-specific sites).

  • Use yard signs, social media, and local classifieds to attract attention.

  • Offer virtual tours or open houses to reach more buyers.

4. Handle Inquiries and Showings

  • Be responsive to calls, texts, and emails from potential buyers or agents.

  • Schedule private showings or open houses at convenient times.

  • Have a property information sheet ready for visitors.

5. Negotiate Offers

  • Review each offer carefully, looking at price, contingencies, proof of funds and closing timeline.

  • You can negotiate directly with the buyer or through an online portal.

  • Once you accept an offer, both parties sign a purchase agreement.

  • NOTE: this step can be dramatically made easier by thinking in terms of The Optimal scenario.

6. Manage the Paperwork

  • Coordinate the home inspection, appraisal, and title search.

  • Hire a real estate attorney or title company to help with contracts, disclosures, and closing documents.

  • Stay in touch with the buyer’s lender to keep the process on track.

7. Close the Sale

  • Review the final settlement statement before signing.

  • Transfer the deed and keys to the new owner once funds are received.

  • Celebrate your successful sale—and your saved commission!

Tip: FSBO can save you thousands in agent fees, but it requires time, organization, and attention to details.

Note: if you are still doing research regarding the ‘bigger picture’ issues, here are some tidbits of pre-analysis to consider. Though, one word of advice, try not to get the ‘paralysis of analysis’ and end up losing too much time or momentum. If that happens, you will almost surely end up doing the easy thing and call an agent. So try to keep it simple and take one step at a time, and with each step you will be that much smarter.