Step-By-Step For Sale By Owner Guide
Selling it yourself? Do it right with this end-to-end FSBO roadmap.
Selling your home yourself is a real option, and plenty of homeowners want to give it a try. If that's you, the best thing you can do is go in with a plan, so you're not figuring out each step while a buyer is waiting on you.
This guide is a step-by-step roadmap for selling on your own: getting the house ready, pricing it, marketing and showing it, handling the paperwork, and getting through closing day and the move.
Get the house ready the way a buyer would see it
Walk through your home room by room as if you were a buyer seeing it for the first time, and make a to-do list as you go. The guide includes a full checklist for the kitchen, bathrooms, living and dining areas, bedrooms and exterior.
If you're not sure what needs attention, consider a pre-listing inspection. Buyers will most likely inspect once you're under contract, and a financed buyer's loan and insurance can depend on the home's condition. Put major systems first: heating and air, plumbing, roof, foundation and electrical.
Price it with data
Pricing above market, even by a little, usually backfires. Buyers' agents will recognize an overpriced home, the appraisal may not support the price, and a listing that sits starts to look stale. Start with recent comparable sales, then weigh location, size, age, condition and updates to land on a number you can back up.
Marketing and showings
- Most buyers start their search online, so get your home onto as many home search sites as you can, with professional photos.
- Hand out a flyer at showings with the details, photos and some sample financing numbers so buyers can picture a monthly payment.
- Keep a guest registry and ask every visitor for their contact information.
- Before each showing, clean, declutter, open the blinds, turn on the lights and put valuables away.
Paperwork and closing
The simplest advice in the guide: if you don't understand a form, don't sign it. You can hire a real estate attorney, and some agents offer flat-fee help with paperwork. In Georgia, a closing attorney handles the closing itself. If your home was built before 1978, federal rules also require a lead-based paint disclosure, and an attorney can tell you what else applies to your sale.
As the closing date gets near, the pre-closing checklist keeps you on track. Send any paperwork that's been requested, plan when to stop or transfer utilities and insurance, clean before the buyer's final walk-through, and bring your ID, keys, remotes and appliance manuals to closing. There's also a moving checklist that starts four to six weeks out.
The free guide includes every checklist mentioned here.
Common questions about selling by owner
Should I get a home inspection before selling by owner?
It's worth considering. A pre-listing inspection shows you what a buyer's inspector is likely to find, so you can repair major systems before you list instead of renegotiating later.
How do I handle showings safely when I'm selling on my own?
Put valuables away before every visit and have each visitor sign a guest registry with their contact information. It adds a layer of safety and gives you an easy way to follow up.