Buying a House for Sale by Owner

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Most home sellers work with real estate agents to list and market their properties and negotiate with buyers. But some sellers skip hiring an agent and list their homes "for sale by owner," or FSBO (pronounced "fizbo").
Buying a home for sale by owner means you, or you and your agent, will deal with the homeowner directly rather than through a listing agent who represents the property owner.
About 6% of homes sold between July 2023 and June 2024 were FSBO sales, according to a National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2024 survey.
Pros and cons of buying FSBO homes
Pros
Including FSBO properties in your search will increase the odds of finding a suitable home, a considerable plus in today's tight market in which buyers far outnumber homes for sale.
You could get a bargain. The median sale price for FSBO homes was $380,000, compared with $435,000 for homes sold with an agent's help, according to the NAR's survey.
Cons
A FSBO seller might be reluctant to pay your agent's commission.
FSBO sellers may not have any real estate expertise, which could put more burden on you and your agent to make sure everything is done correctly.
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