Sell my house without a realtor
Short answer
Three real routes: sell it yourself, pay a flat fee to get on the MLS, or sell direct to a buyer. They are not interchangeable. Which one suits you depends almost entirely on the condition of the house and whether you have time, not on which one sounds cheapest.
People who want to sell my house without a realtor are usually reacting to the commission, and the commission is worth reacting to. What gets missed is that an agent is doing several separate jobs, and skipping them means either doing them yourself or choosing a route where they are not needed. Those are different decisions with different outcomes.
What the commission is actually buying
Access to the MLS, which is what feeds Zillow, Redfin and the rest. Pricing judgement based on having seen what actually sold nearby. Marketing and photography. Fielding and screening enquiries. Managing the negotiation, the inspection response, and the appraisal if one comes in low. And chasing the transaction through to closing.
Some of those you can do perfectly well. Others are where unrepresented sellers lose more than the commission they saved, usually in the pricing and in the response to an inspection report. Knowing which jobs you are taking on is the whole decision.
Route one: for sale by owner
You handle everything and pay no listing commission. In practice you will usually still offer something to a buyer's agent, because most buyers come with one, so the saving is typically the listing side rather than the whole thing.
This works best where the house is in genuinely good condition, the local market is moving, and you have the time and temperament for showings, phone calls and negotiation. It works badly under time pressure, because a slow FSBO listing has the same carrying costs as a slow agented one and fewer people working to end it.
Route two: flat-fee MLS
You pay a few hundred dollars to a broker who lists the property on the MLS, and you handle everything else yourself. It buys the one thing that is genuinely hard to replicate alone, which is distribution, without buying the rest.
It is a sensible middle option for a presentable house. It does not solve condition problems: a house that a buyer's lender will not fund is not helped by being more visible, because the buyer pool is still limited to people paying cash.
Route three: selling direct to a buyer
No commission, because there is no agent involved on either side, and no repairs or showings. In exchange the price is below what the house would fetch listed in good condition. That trade is real and it is the whole proposition; anyone presenting it as free money is not being straight.
Where it makes sense is precisely where the other two routes struggle: major repairs you are not going to fund, a tenant in place, an inherited property full of belongings, a deadline that a 30-to-60-day mortgage approval cannot meet. Where it makes less sense is a tidy house in a fast market with no time pressure, and we say so on every page of this site.
What you still need regardless of route
None of these disappear because there is no agent involved.
A title company or closing attorney
Somebody has to run the title search, handle the funds, and record the deed. Some states require an attorney; elsewhere a title company does it. This is not the part to economise on.
Your state's disclosure form
Most states require sellers to disclose known material defects, and that obligation does not depend on whether an agent is involved. Getting it wrong is one of the few ways a closed sale can come back at you.
A real price, from real comparables
Sold prices, recent, nearby, similar condition. Not asking prices and not an automated estimate. Mispricing is the most expensive mistake unrepresented sellers make, and it usually costs more than the commission.
A plan for the inspection response
A buyer will come back with a list. Decide in advance what you will fix, what you will credit, and what you will refuse, before you are under pressure to answer quickly.
Common questions
- How much do you save selling without a realtor?
- Commission is typically around 5 to 6 percent split between both sides and is negotiable. Selling without a listing agent usually saves the listing side; you may still offer something to a buyer's agent. Against that, weigh whether an unrepresented sale prices and negotiates as well.
- Can I sell my house myself with a mortgage on it?
- Yes. The loan is paid off from the proceeds at closing by the title company, and anything left over goes to you. This is true of every route, and true even if you are behind on payments.
- Do I need a lawyer to sell without a realtor?
- In some states an attorney is required at closing. Elsewhere it is optional and a title company handles it. For anything unusual, particularly probate, tenants, liens, or a co-owner who disagrees, having your own is worth the cost.
- Is for sale by owner worth it?
- It can be, for a house in good condition in a market that is moving, if you have the time. Under time pressure or with a house needing real work it tends to combine the disadvantages of both routes: full carrying costs and a limited buyer pool.
Point this checklist at us
Everything above is written so you can apply it here. We are the buyer, not a lead broker, so your details are not sold on. We will tell you the comparables and the repair figure behind any number we give you. And if listing would net you more, we will say so rather than take the deal.
Ask us what we would pay, then check us against this page
It takes about two minutes, there is no obligation, and there is never a fee. If we are not the right answer for your situation, we will tell you that too.