7 Steps to Selling Your House Without a Real Estate Agent

When you’re getting ready to sell your home, it’s tempting to go the “for sale by owner” route. With real estate agent commissions typically hovering around 6%, who doesn’t want to pocket that money? However, managing the home sale process yourself has its challenges. Even listing a home for sale by owner can be tricky.

If you’re thinking of doing “for sale by owner,” read these seven tips on how to sell your home without a realtor. And as you prepare to sell your home, reach out to Farm Bureau to discuss what kind of coverage is best for your next place to live.

Tip 1: Set a Realistic Price

In some ways, selling your house is like selling anything. The first step is to pick the right listing price! But you’d be surprised how tricky this can be.

A mistake that sellers commonly make is listing their homes at a higher price than they should, which can deter potential buyers and slow the selling process. (Of course, you don’t want to set the price too low, either.)

There’s a way to figure out a good price: Use the internet to gauge selling prices for comparable homes in your neighborhood, then set your own price accordingly. And if you’re struggling to decide on a list price, consider hiring an appraiser to give you an estimate.

Tip 2: Give a Detailed Description of Your Home

In a lot of ways, listing a house is all about making a first impression. Your listing is where potential buyers will first “meet” your house and decide if they want to check it out in person.

The main goal of your listing is to provide an accurate description of your home in a way that’s clear, concise, accurate, appealing and easy to read. The listing description is an opportunity to highlight the selling points of your home and important details that may not be evident in photos.

For example, did you replace the air conditioner recently? If you live in a hot climate, this is something that potential buyers will want to know! 

Here are the basics your listing should include: 

• Price of the house
• Location of the house (and anything that’s great about that location)
• Age of the home
• Number of rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms
• Improvements you’ve made to the home, like a new roof, updated floors or a new water heater

Tip 3: Take Good Photos

Remember, buyers want to see the home in detail before they take the next step. So, when you list your home, include pictures of the exterior and interior. These photos should help potential buyers understand the layout and size of the home.

You’ll want to stage the home — clean it up, add decorative elements and set it up so that your potential buyers can imagine themselves living there. Staging your home before you take pictures is a great way to showcase the features of the home by capturing its open layout, expansive countertops or large bedrooms, for example. You could even consider hiring a professional so that your photos showcase your home’s best features and potential.

Tip 4: Advertise Online

Sure, you could just slap down a “For Sale” sign in your yard. But that’s not nearly enough.

Over half of home buyers find their homes online, rather than by a sign in the yard. People love to search websites for real estate — especially if they’re relocating from further away — and so it’s more important than ever to get the word out online on sites like FSBO.com, Zillow, Trulia and others.

Don’t forget to share your listing on social media, too. Your network of friends can help you get the word out.

Tip 5: Prepare to Show Your House

Start cleaning! When you have showings and open house events, your house will need to be spotless. Scrub the kitchen counters and appliances. Shampoo your carpets and clean the floors. Get the cobwebs out of the corners and make sure everything looks shipshape.

Do your best to declutter your house by stashing keepsakes and other valuables, too; people want to imagine themselves living there. (Check out our helpful checklist for showing your home!)

If you have a lot of clutter, you might want to consider holding a garage sale before listing your house on the market or putting things in storage.

Tip 6: Hold an Open House

An open house is a great way to get as many interested buyers to come to your home as possible at one time. But don’t just assume that if you hold an open house, people will come. As with anything, you have to advertise!

Post about it on social media and put up signs in your neighborhood and in community spaces. Be sure to have some light refreshments and brochures about your home available for potential buyers.

Tip 7: Be Patient!

With selling a house, the hardest part is almost always being patient. Try not to be disappointed if your first open house doesn’t result in any offers. Take a look at your asking price, keep updating your marketing materials and make sure your home is widely listed.

Protect Your Home

Selling your home by yourself might not be for you. The process can take a lot of time and patience. But, for some, the potential savings might be worth the time and effort. Whatever the case, be sure to reach out to Farm Bureau. We can help you protect one of your biggest investments.