They attempted to sell their houses without using a real estate agent. Here's what happened?

When Claude Brunson decided to list her Clarkston, Arizona, home of 25 years for sale last month, He did it without the help of a real estate agent. Seven days later, He had an agreement signed with a buyer and her home was off the market.

Langen’s decision to go it alone isn’t typical among America’s home sellers. Just 6% of home sales last year were for-sale-by-owner (FSBO), an all-time low, according to an annual report by the National Association of Realtors, the trade organization that represents over 1.5 million real estate professionals.

However, some homebuyers and sellers may be looking for alternatives to the traditional real estate agent model after the standard commissions were challenged in a series of lawsuits in 2024 that led to changes in industry practices.

Listing on your own

Langen went into the home-selling process with some background knowledge: She and her husband worked with a Realtor to purchase a new home in the Denver area earlier this year before listing their Michigan home for sale.

“For a year, we worked with a wonderful Realtor as buyers in Colorado,” she said. “We lived through that process, so we learned some things.”

Still, listing a home on your own can be a heavy lift.

Langen prepared for the sale far in advance, taking photos of her home last spring when her yard’s foliage was in full bloom. She then looked at how much comparable homes in her area were selling for and settled on $515,000 as her list price.

Then she printed flyers and put a “For Sale” sign on her lawn. With the help of OpenAI’s artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT, she crafted a description of her home and posted the listing on Zillow.

Then came many, many calls.

Langen said she was fielding 20 calls a day, many from Realtors soliciting their services.

“Some were wonderful and some were unpleasant, which surprised me,” she said.

In the first few days, Langen hosted an open house and had multiple showings. She and her husband spent hours beforehand cleaning their home and clearing out personal items, like dog toys from the living room and shampoo from the shower.

“We wanted it to look welcoming, but not like someone was living there,” Langen said.

Ultimately, Langen said she received multiple competing offers on her home and settled on an unrepresented buyer, meaning she was spared the commission fees for the seller’s agent and the buyer’s agent.

Understand the Current Market Trends

Before diving into the home-selling process, it’s critical to understand the current real estate market. The housing market can fluctuate based on a variety of factors, and understanding the conditions in your area will help you price your property effectively.

Selling your home is one of the biggest financial transactions you’ll ever make. Whether you’re relocating, downsizing, or cashing in on the  real estate market, the ultimate goal is to sell house for the highest possible price. However, getting top dollar for your home involves more than just putting a “For Sale” sign in your yard and hoping for the best. You need a strategy one that includes market research, effective pricing, upgrades, staging, smart marketing, and solid negotiation skills.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the essential steps and smart strategies that can help you sell house for top dollar.

Understand the Current Market Trends

Before diving into the home-selling process, it’s critical to understand the current real estate market. The housing market can fluctuate based on a variety of factors, and understanding the conditions in your area will help you price your property effectively.

Know Your Local  Real Estate Market

Real estate markets are dynamic, and they vary greatly by location. In some areas, it’s a seller’s market, while in others, it may be more favorable to buyers. In a seller’s market, where demand exceeds supply, you may have more leverage in negotiations and can set a higher asking price. In a buyer’s market, on the other hand, you might need to be more competitive with your pricing and offer more attractive terms to lure potential buyers.

The local economy, interest rates, and other factors also play a role in the real estate market’s conditions. A well-priced home in a high-demand area can sell for more than the listing price, but in a slower market, homes may sit on the market longer, and buyers may expect to negotiate a lower price.

Study Comparable Properties in Your Area

Understanding the prices of homes similar to yours is essential for pricing your property effectively. Comparable market analysis (CMA) is a tool real estate agents use to evaluate how much similar homes in your area have recently sold for, based on features like size, location, age, and condition. This research will give you a better idea of how to price your home competitively and help avoid the pitfalls of overpricing, which can lead to your home sitting on the market for an extended period.

Consider asking your real estate agent to perform a CMA. They can show you homes that are similar to yours and provide detailed information about recent sales. This analysis will give you insight into the best price range for your home.

What are the best strategies to sell home quickly and get the highest cash offer from local buyers?

Don't worry about so called cash offers. A seller gets cash at closing on every transaction unless they choose to seller finance and that is rare.

Deep clean everything including the garage but especially the baths and kitchen. Get rid of as much clutter as you can- especially the stuff that will not be in the new place. Buyers often bring their spouse and kids and maybe a parent to look at a place and they need a lot more room to walk around than just you or me. Leave them wide walkways.

Replace burned out bulbs and make them match the others in the same fixtures. Clean the oven and stove.

Have your agent use professional photographer for marketing in MLS and websites. Make house look great from curb. Price the property very competitively- if multiple buyers want the place, they will pay more than list- but if you over price a house the eventual buyer will often understand they are your only buyer- they will make a lower offer.

How to Sell Your House without a Realtor: A Guide

The house-selling process can be difficult to navigate but not impossible without a realtor. Here is a complete guide on how to sell your house without a realtor. 

When deciding whether or not to move, there will be many things to consider, from where you want to move to what style of home you want. Most people use realtors to sell their homes, but you can also sell your home for sale by owner (FSBO). 

As an FSBO seller, you will have to take on all the responsibilities that a realtor would, and you might need a good amount of knowledge of home selling. Working with realtors may make your life easier, but it definitely not essential. 

The average realtor commission rate in North Carolina is between 5.01% and 6.19%.  In other words, if your home sells for $335,100 - the median home value in Raleigh - then that's $21,954 you will be missing out on. 

Of course, there are pros and cons of FSBO, but if you know you have the time and knowledge, then you should definitely consider selling your home without a realtor.  Most FSBO sellers forego a realtor because they do not want to deal with an agent, are selling to a friend, relative, or neighbor, or do not want to pay a commission fee.

No matter your reason for selling your house without a realtor, the most important thing to do is understand how. Follow our guide to learn the ins and outs of selling your house without a realtor.

Keep reading to learn how to sell your house without a realtor. 

1. FSBO Responsibilities

North Carolina is one of several states that does not require you to use a real estate agent when selling your home. If you sell your house FSBO, you will follow four main steps.

Pricing Your Home

As the first and most important step, pricing your home can be difficult without the help of a real estate agent. Many people prefer to use agents out of fear that they might undersell their home without one. On the other side, homes priced too high may remain on the market longer.

Several real estate valuation sites are available to estimate what your home is worth. It would be best to compare your home's worth to others in the area. The process is extensive, turning many people away from selling as an FSBO. 

Staging Your Home

Staging and repairing your home are the easiest parts to complete without the help of a realtor. You still may need to research how to stage your home, but it is not nearly as difficult as other parts of the home-selling process. 

Home staging includes decluttering, accentuating home features, depersonalizing, preparing, and more. The process can seem daunting and costly, but it all depends on how much work you need and can do on your own. If you have extra time, you can tackle this process independently, but many people hire professional home stagers to help. 

Marketing Your Home

One of the realtors' biggest responsibilities is marketing a house, which will fall on you as an FSBO. This may take some creativity because you might not have the same resources as most realtors. 

Most realtors also have a marketing budget, but you must pay out of your pocket to reach buyers. It would be best if you considered using social media, word of mouth, street signs, flyers, and holding open houses. Consider hosting an event to entice prospective buyers to visit your open house for entertainment. 

To reach the biggest audience of buyers, list your home on the MLS (multiple listing service). Only licensed agents can list a home on the MLS, but many will do it for a flat fee in NC, and your home will still be listed FSBO. All you need to pay is the flat fee as a commission to the agent who assisted you. 

Remember that you are not allowed an FSBO yard sign unless your home is on the MLS, so it might be worth considering. 

Negotiating the Sale

You will be responsible for all negotiations after receiving an offer from the buyer. You must understand the contingencies, which are certain conditions that buyers usually request the sellers meet to complete the sale. You can also impose contingencies on the buyer, like obtaining a document stating the buyer has been approved for a mortgage. 

After negotiating and accepting the buyer's offer, you will need an attorney to conduct the closing. Typically, real estate agents know of attorneys who can help you through the closing process, but as an FSBO, you will need to attain one on your own. 

2. How to Price Your Home

Pricing a home is often when working with a realtor comes in handy. If you list for too little, you miss out on money; if you list for too much, you risk not selling your home. In order to avoid both of these problems, you will need an accurate idea of your home's fair market value.

To understand your home's fair market value, you must view comparable listings in your area. Comparable listings are similar homes in your neighborhood or area. Typically, you will look for homes worth approximately $50,000 more or less than your home's value. 

Analyze comparable listings by evaluating the school districts, number of beds and bathrooms, renovations, amenities, and neighborhood quality. 

In Raleigh, NC, the median home value is about $335,100, 13.5% higher than the national average. The average mortgage payment is close to the national average of $1,609. 

Researching comparable listings can be harder than it sounds; many realtors have several tools and are trained to do this specialized research. Hiring a licensed appraiser to accurately assess your home's worth may be worth it. 

3. How to List Your Home FSBO

After pricing your home, you must write a listing description to local buyers. This will be based on your understanding of their priorities and identify the main features of your property. 

Be completely honest about your listing price, and consider looking at recent sales data of comparable homes in your area. As stated previously, you can pay a flat fee to post your home on MLS sites, but this may cost more than using a discount brokerage. 

Several FSBO listing websites to check out that are free or at a small price. It all depends on how many photos you use, how long the house is on the market, and any changes you make.

The cheapest way to list your home FSBO is through free websites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. This is a simple and free way to market your home, but you may need more marketing strategies to reach the most buyers. You can even use Zillow to sell your home because it doesn't charge homeowners to list their homes FSBO. 

4. What is Required to Sell a House FSBO

The amount of required paperwork will vary greatly from state to state. When selling for sale by the owner, you will need a Final Purchase and Sale agreement contract. This should be signed by both the buyer and seller. A real estate attorney can draft this contract for you in NC, or your buyer's agent can draw up the contract.

Be sure your real estate contract includes all legal stipulations for both the buyer and seller, or the transaction can be negatively impacted.

If you are selling your home by owner for cash, you must verify that the buyer has the funds available in their bank account after signing the Final Purchase and Sale agreement. You can do this by asking for an earnest money deposit of 1-2% of the sales price. You may also request bank or investment statements to verify the funds. 

In North Carolina, sellers typically need the following paperwork to sell their home. 

• North Carolina Sales Contract
• North Carolina Residential Property Disclosure Form
• North Carolina Mineral and Oil Rights Form
• North Carolina Occupancy Agreement
• Lead-Based Paint Disclosure (required for homes built prior to 1978)
• Two forms of ID

5. What to Keep in Mind

The first thing to remember when selling FSBO is that this process will take up much of your time and energy. There is a reason why most homeowners opt for a realtor rather than selling FSBO. That said, it is absolutely possible to sell without a realtor. Don't underestimate how much extra time you will need during the process. 

You will avoid paying a listing commission, but you might not be able to avoid paying a buyer agent's commission. This is paid to realtors to incentivize them to show your house to their clients. In order to avoid any commission fees, you have to sell to an unrepresented buyer. 

If you already have a buyer lined up, FSBO might be the best and cheapest way to sell your home. Many people search for homes online through websites or social media, meaning you must utilize online platforms to reach the largest number of buyers. 

Remember that the best season to sell a home is in the spring. If you are considering selling FSBO or with an agent, try comparing how much you will spend on research, marketing, and staging versus how much you would spend on an agent.