How to Sell Your Home Without an Agent, For-Sale-by-Owner (FSBO)

So, you decide it’s time to sell your home, but without the help of a real estate agent. While this process can be overwhelming, with a little planning and work you can sell your home on your own. Here’s a step-by-step checklist of what you need to do to sell your house.

Ask yourself, If I were buying this house, what about it won’t I like? This is hard to do, since you own the home. But you must be objective. Here are some of the improvements you might want to make:

A. The first impression begins at the curb.

• Keep grass freshly cut
• Remove all yard clutter
• Apply fresh paint to fences
• Paint the front door,
• Clean windows inside and out
• Wash or paint home’s exterior

B. Interior should be bright and inviting

• Clean or add a fresh coat of paint to walls and ceilings
• Clean all bedrooms, bathrooms, windows, light fixtures, baseboard and fans
• Declutter, depersonalize and organize closets and cabinets

C. Make any minor repairs necessary. 

• Leaky faucets
• Loose door handles
• Crack windows
• Electrical switches and lights that don’t work properly
• Touch-up or repaint any rooms in the home that are looking tired. Always favor neutral colors, because buyers do.

Finding the right listing price for your home can be a challenge, but it’s one of the most important factors in a successful home sale. If you price the house too low, you’ll walk away with less cash than you should. And if you price it too high, the house can sit for months without selling. Your best bet here is to hire an appraiser to give you the most accurate estimate of the value of your property. Too often, FSBO let their emotion interfere with what should be an entirely rational exercise. Remember, your love for your home has no bearing on its value.

Next, gather the information you’ll need to create your listing, including:

• Home Data. This includes quantitative information such as year built, finished interior square footage, lot size, and number of bedroom and bathroom, plus details such as heating and cooling configuration and parking arrangements.
• Photos. Your home’s photos can make or break your listing, since it’s the first impression buyers will have to interact with your property. If you’d prefer not to spend a couple hundred dollars for a professional photography, check out these recommendations by HGTV. Remember, you’ll want at least one shot of every room and hallway in the house, plus multiple exterior photos.
• Description. Your description should mix factual information not covered in the standard listing data with sales copy that grabs buyers’ attention. Sit down and brainstorm your home’s selling points (features), through prospective buyers’ eyes. Look at other listings to see how others words their property.

The marketing is all up to you, but you may want to:

• Add a yard sign: “For Sale by Owner”
• List your home on Home 4 Good Belize
• Alert your friends, family and business associates that you’re selling your house.
• Answer questions and show your home to potential buyers.

You’ve received multiple offers. Now what? Once an offer has been submitted, you can accept the offer, reject the offer or revise and resubmit a counteroffer to the buyer. Until both parties agree and sign a contract, the process continues. If you are not familiar with the contract, as with any contract, you should have it reviewed by an attorney.

When you agree on the price and terms with the buyer, you need to hire an escrow or title company or an attorney to take care of the closing process. During this stage, you will be signing documents and transfer ownership of the home to the buyer, surrender your keys, and say congratulations to the new owner!

Selling your house, yourself is more complicated than using a real estate agent. But if you can make it happen, you can save thousands of dollars. And that’s why people try to do it all the time. You can too.