
I'm sure you're tired by now of your phone getting bombarded with the same stuff, and it's NOT qualified home buyers:
1 - Agents saying they have a buyer (maybe, but they probably don't).
2 - Agents running FSBO marketing playbooks to try and get an appointment with you (can I take a look at the house for potential clients?)
3 - Call centers that try to beat you up to list your property (Sold.com is the worst offender).
I want to do something different and give you actionable advice to help you FSBO yourself!
Before you commit to going all the way with FSBO, I'm obligated as a professional who has done this hundreds of times to tell you:
- It's not as easy as you may think it is; the average owner will spend 20-30 hours just on the admin side of their home sale.
- You will likely under-sell the property (we outperform FSBO by 17.5% on average in terms of sales price) and net less than if you hired a great agent.
- There is a 94% chance there will be a buyer's agent involved which reduces your "savings;" true owner to buyer transactions without an agent are truly rare because qualified buyers tend to hire representation.
- Your post-closing legal liability is increased.
- Your contract failure rate is double the average.
- You'll send 2x as long on market as traditionally listed homes.
- And if you do work with a buyer's agent, that agent works for the buyer. Would ask the coach of the other team what plays to run in a competitive game?
The biggest mistaken assumption that I see, by a long shot, is that owners presume they can get the same price for their house as a professional agent.
The fact is, I've been looking for your buyer for 5 years, we have 5,000 in our database, and we KNOW how to market homes that get 2-3x the market penetration of "average" listed properties.
Owners simply don't outperform us. Most agents don't outperform us.
In fact, we have a "sell it yourself while listed & pay nothing" policy we're willing to put into our listing agreements so that it's easy to get our professional expertise and leave the door open for you to generate your own buyer and "save" money.
But if you really want to get the most net money on your own, I'll tell you just how you can get a leg up on the competition and increase your chances of finding your own buyer.
All I want in return?
If you decide to list and you interview agents, please give me a call?
If that sounds fair, here's the good stuff:
Tip 1: Have Pro Photos Done w/ Drone
99% of the shopping and decision-making is done online. Homes with 40+ pictures get 7% more in sales price; the usual FSBO listing averages 12 non-professional photos.
Drone photography is almost expected now and gives a better sense of the surrounding neighborhood and lot layout. The result? 10.7% more on average.
Expect to spend $500 or so for a professional photo shoot with drone flight with a reputable specialist.
Tip 2: Do a Virtual Tour Shoot
Sell 6% faster for 3% more money with virtual tours.
54% of buyers SKIP homes without them.
Attract 10x more traffic that sticks 5x longer on the listing.
For an added bonus? Use 3D virtual staging in your pictures to further increase visibility and sales price.
Sample: Virtual Tour Example
This home sold for 26k over asking price and attracted 30+ showings. See the virtual tour that helped make it happen.
Tip 3: Target Market Your Property
Find a marketing channel that costs money to put you in front of home buyers. You or a friend have a FB business page? Create a post and target home buyers within a 15 mile radius.
Here's a portfolio example of how we launch our listings to generate tens of thousands of views OUTSIDE of the MLS and Zillow.
Tip 4: Make it EASY to Show
I'm blown away by FSBO sellers that make it SO HARD to show a property. "I'm out of town, how about next week?" Have a lock box and a plan for working with buyer agents. No buyers want the seller around when they view a house! Buyers are not interested in homes they can see in days, weeks, or months. Ready buyers want to buy NOW. And with you at the showing, they can't talk candidly. Consider using TidyCal or Calendly to make a booking page. Set it and forget it! Here's a sample.
Tip 5: Don't Price with the #9!
Do you have a 9 in your price? This old-school pricing tactic cuts your search traffic in HALF. Why? Because people search online and set up alerts by round numbers. This 1-min video gives you the info and the fix.
Bonus TIP: Zillow isn't the Answer
Zillow SELLS YOUR CALLS TO PREMIER AGENTS and it hides your listings under the "other" tab
If your home is on Zillow, there is a 94% chance you will pay a buyer agent 2% or more to close the transaction for you.
If Zillow actually helped you sell your house, they'd charge you for it.
NEW: Zillow Showcase
Zillow hides FSBO listings, but their new showcase program actually doubles the views, buyers, showings, and exposure. A select few agents have access to a Showcase contract, and we are one of them! This brand new system gets Zillow to hyper-feature your property for 76% more views, 55% more saves, and 75% more shares
"Yeah but What Do You Charge?" (Hint: 1%)
The #1 question, and usually the ONLY interview question a seller will ask. My answer? Whatever you want. We have a menu of services and we will do a full listing for 1% AND we have a SELL IT YOURSELF AND PAY NO BUYER SIDE guarantee. So you can keep trying to sell while listed :)
Pre-Photo Decluttering & Cleaning Checklist
Is your home truly ready to photograph and sell? As I like to say, it won't sell itself. Need professional cleaning services? We offer that free with some of our listing packages or can organize and arrange it with our crew.
FSBO Facts
Your marketing budget? Probably zero. You've got iPhone pictures, feature pics out of order, a short description that doesn't highlight the emotional impact of the home, no videos, no virtual tours, and zero marketing to the hottest and opportune buyers that are agented, pre-approved, and ready to put in offers. Less eyeballs, less demand, smaller sales price, and 10x more of your own time invested. What's your time worth?
About Fred & Real Broker, LLC
I'm an author, lead broker, marketing expert, father, husband, and x Elite Agent Award Winner.
Certified top 1% partner with Ideal Agent and Real Broker's "Elite Agent" Program.
My team has closed over 150 homes this year alone. I've seen it all and do things no other agent does in this space.
Fred's Client Success Stories
Don't take my word for it - hear it from clients! And if you'd like to discuss how I operate with one of my former seller clients, I'm happy to connect you.
What to Ask Agents
Sellers are interviewing for a job they don't know how to do themselves at a high level, so they ask two questions: what can you get for the house and what do you charge? So they get agents who overpromise and underdeliver. It's no wonder so many people try to sell themselves. They've interviewed to find the CHEAPEST agent instead of the BEST.

If you want to spend 30+ hours showing/selling/closing your house, get 10% less than the active market, pay an agent 2% or more to not represent you, and increase the contract failure rate by 53%, continue with the "zero budget, zero effort" FSBO listings I see 99% of the time. I've given you everything I have to help you increase your sales price and navigate the process with more ease and peace of mind, and to do it on your own and save the cost of a listing agent. But if you want me to spend thousands marketing your property, give you the 30 hours back, and make it simple and easy to sell and close your home, all for way less than the 6% you're expecting? Let's talk. Need help? Call or text me directly: 618-322-9764 or email fred@joinreal.com