Listing A Property For Sale By OwnerThere’s a reason why the very founder of the nation’s largest ‘For Sale Buy Owner’ website, Colby Sambrotto, used a real estate agent to sell his own home in 2011. The home was a Manhattan apartment purchased for $2 million after he sold the FSBO website. The founder of FSBO.com insisted on pricing the condo at what he thought was a reasonable price for the market.

But after some conversations with his agent, they agreed on increasing the listing price… and snagged a buyer. It sounds counter-intuitive, doesn’t it?

Should You List For Sale By Owner?

But time and time again, research demonstrates that using a real estate agent nets you more money than you would get listing as a FSBO, to the tune of 12 to 25%. That more than covers the cost of a commission; and since 88% of buyers are using an agent, there’s a high likelihood that even as an FSBO, you’ll still be paying an agent some money. Only that agent will be working hard for their client, leveraging their knowledge on laws, codes, and procedure to negotiate your FSBO price down, and for ever-more concessions.

Even worse? 89% of FSBO home sellers will eventually use a real estate agent. But before you decide listing your Nashville home as a FSBO isn’t for you, there’s even more. Using an agent can protect you emotionally, physically, and legally. In early 2016, a local buyer working with an FSBO home seller when neither of them had an agent finalized a home sale.

Only, after the sale, the seller refused to move out. And the home buyer had to go through an exhausting an expensive eviction process, spending even more on the home she rightfully owned. The truth is, much like a lawyer is used to protect you in court, real estate agents are there to protect their clients and advise them through the contract-writing and sensitive legal issues related to everything from codes and inspections to titles.

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