Things to Watch Out For
For Sale By Owner
Selling on your own can work, but here’s what trips most FSBOs up, and Brian’s honest take before you decide.
Pricing it without the full data
Without access to complete comps and real pricing experience, FSBOs tend to land too high (it sits) or too low (you leave money behind). Price is the biggest lever in the whole sale, and the easiest one to get wrong on your own.
Reaching only a sliver of buyers
Most buyers and their agents shop the MLS. A home that isn't on it, or is on a flat-fee listing with no real marketing behind it, reaches a fraction of the buyer pool. Fewer eyes almost always means a lower final price.
Losing showings you never hear about
Some buyer's agents steer around FSBOs because the commission and process feel uncertain. You can quietly lose showings and offers without ever knowing they were there.
Taking on the paperwork and liability yourself
Contracts, disclosures, deadlines, and contingencies carry real legal weight. One missed disclosure or a botched contract can cost you far more than the commission you were trying to save.
Negotiating against a pro, on your own
You'll likely be across the table from an experienced buyer's agent, on the home you're attached to, with your own money on the line. Inexperience plus emotion is a hard place to negotiate from.
Holding the deal together to the finish
Vetting that a buyer can actually fund, coordinating inspections and the appraisal, and hitting every deadline is a job in itself. FSBO deals fall apart partway through more often than agent-run ones.