FSBO Sales Have Reached an All-Time Low. Here’s What Sellers Are Realizing.

At first, selling a home without an agent can sound fairly straightforward.

You look at what nearby homes have sold for. You take good photos. You put the property online. Interested buyers schedule showings, someone makes an offer and the transaction moves toward closing.

And with so much real estate information now available online, it is understandable that some homeowners would ask:

Do I really need an agent to sell my home?

It is a reasonable question.

But recent data suggests that after sellers consider everything involved, more of them are deciding that professional representation is worth it.

According to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, only 5% of recent home sales were completed as For Sale By Owner transactions. That is the lowest percentage NAR has ever recorded.

At the same time, 91% of sellers worked with a real estate agent, tying the highest percentage on record.

That is a major shift from 1985, when approximately 21% of home sales were completed without an agent.

So, what changed?

It is not that homeowners have less information. They actually have more.

What many sellers are beginning to understand is that having access to real estate information is not the same as knowing how to use it when a significant amount of money is on the line.

It Usually Starts With the Price

For many homeowners, the first step is opening a real estate website and looking at the estimated value of their property.

Then they look at nearby sales.

One home sold for $700,000. Another sold for $735,000. A third sold for $680,000.

It can feel like there is enough information to choose a price.

But then the questions begin.

Was the home that sold for $735,000 fully renovated?

Did the $680,000 property need major work?

Was one property larger, better located or marketed more effectively?

Did one seller receive multiple offers while another had to reduce the price?

Were seller concessions involved?

Did an appraisal affect the final outcome?

The more closely you look, the harder it becomes to compare properties based only on the numbers shown online.

Pricing is not simply finding three nearby sales and averaging them together. It requires understanding how buyers are behaving right now and how they are likely to view one particular property.

A strong agent is not just giving the seller a number. The agent is helping the seller understand where the home fits within the current market and how it should be positioned against the competition.

That distinction matters because the wrong price can create problems in either direction.

A price that is too low may leave money on the table. A price that is too high can cause a property to sit, lose momentum and eventually require reductions that make buyers question what is wrong with it.

The seller is not only choosing a price. The seller is choosing a strategy.

Then Comes the Question of Marketing

Once a price has been chosen, the next thought is often:

I can put the home online myself.

And technically, that may be true.

But placing a property online is not the same as marketing it.

NAR reported that 40% of FSBO sellers did not actively market their homes. That suggests many private sellers may underestimate how much work happens between deciding to sell and attracting a serious, qualified buyer.

Professional marketing starts before the listing is published.

It includes deciding how the home should be prepared, whether repairs are worth making, which features should be emphasized and what type of buyer is most likely to respond.

It also involves photography, video, written positioning, showing preparation, agent outreach, buyer follow-up and adjustments based on the market’s response.

The goal is not simply to get people through the door.

The goal is to help the right buyers recognize the home’s value and feel enough urgency to make a strong offer.

A property can receive plenty of attention and still fail to produce the right result. Views, likes and showing requests are not the same as a qualified buyer with strong financing and workable contract terms.

An Offer Arrives. Now What?

This is often the point when the transaction becomes more complicated than expected.

A buyer submits an offer, and the price may look good.

But price is only one part of the offer.

The seller also has to consider the buyer’s financing, down payment, deposit, inspection terms, appraisal contingency, requested closing assistance, settlement date and ability to perform.

A higher offer may come with more risk.

A slightly lower offer may have stronger financing, fewer contingencies or a better chance of closing without disruption.

The seller now has to determine not only how much the buyer is offering, but how much of that offer is likely to survive the rest of the transaction.

That is where professional judgment becomes particularly valuable.

An experienced agent can help a seller look beyond the headline number and understand the entire agreement.

The real question is not:

Which buyer offered the most?

It is:

Which offer provides the strongest combination of price, terms and likelihood of closing?

Those are not always the same thing.

Negotiation Does Not End When the Contract Is Signed

Even after the seller accepts an offer, the transaction can change.

The inspection may uncover an issue.

The buyer may request repairs or a credit.

The appraisal may come in below the contract price.

The lender may need additional documents.

A lien, unpaid balance or ownership issue may appear during the title search.

The settlement date may need to change.

At each stage, the seller may be asked to make another decision.

Should the seller make the repair?

Should a credit be offered instead?

Should the seller reduce the price after a low appraisal?

Is the buyer’s request reasonable?

Is the transaction still financially worthwhile?

This is when many homeowners realize that an accepted offer is not the finish line. It is the beginning of another phase of the process.

A good agent remains involved after the contract is signed. The agent communicates with the buyer’s representative, lender, inspectors, attorneys when applicable and the settlement company to help keep the transaction moving.

That coordination is not always visible when everything goes smoothly.

But when a problem appears, it can make the difference between a transaction that closes and one that falls apart.

What About the Cost of Hiring an Agent?

This is usually the central concern for someone considering selling privately.

If a homeowner can avoid paying for professional representation, it may seem like the seller will automatically walk away with more money.

But the real calculation is more complicated.

NAR reported that the median FSBO property sold for $360,000, compared with $425,000 for an agent-assisted sale.

That does not mean hiring an agent automatically increases every home’s price by $65,000. FSBO sales can include different types of properties and transactions between people who already know one another.

Still, the gap raises an important question:

Is the seller measuring the money saved upfront, or the final financial result?

The most important number in a transaction is not the commission avoided.

It is the amount the seller actually receives after the price, concessions, repairs, credits, closing expenses and other negotiated terms have been considered.

A private seller may save in one area and unknowingly give up more in another.

That does not mean every homeowner who sells privately will have a bad result. It means the decision should be evaluated based on the entire transaction, not one visible expense.

What Sellers Are Really Hiring an Agent to Do

Most homeowners are not hiring an agent because they are unable to post a property online.

They are hiring an agent because they want someone to take responsibility for the strategy and help them navigate the decisions.

They want someone to explain the market rather than simply provide data.

They want help preparing and positioning the home.

They want broader access to buyers.

They want someone who can evaluate offers, negotiate under pressure and recognize risks they may not see.

They want a professional who can keep the transaction moving while they continue managing their work, family and relocation plans.

Selling a home is not only a financial event. It is often connected to another major life change.

The seller may be purchasing another property, moving for work, settling an estate, downsizing, relocating a family or ending a chapter that has lasted for many years.

That emotional and practical pressure can make it harder to evaluate decisions objectively.

An experienced agent gives the seller something that a website cannot provide: perspective.

The Closing Team Matters Too

A successful transaction is rarely the work of one person.

Once a property is under contract, the process requires communication among the agents, lender, inspectors, attorneys where applicable, title professionals and settlement company.

At SMART Settlements, we work alongside real estate agents, buyers and sellers to help manage the title and settlement portion of the transaction throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Florida.

That work may include reviewing title, coordinating lien and payoff information, preparing settlement documents and helping the parties move from contract to closing.

Our role is different from the agent’s role, but the goal is connected.

The agent helps the seller navigate the market and negotiate the agreement. The settlement team helps ensure the ownership and closing details are addressed so the transaction can be completed.

When those professionals communicate early and clearly, the seller is less likely to be surprised at the end.

A Better Question for Homeowners

Instead of asking only:

Can I sell my home without an agent?

A more useful question may be:

Do I want to manage every part of this transaction without professional representation?

That includes:

• Determining the right price
• Preparing and marketing the property
• Managing showings and buyer questions
• Evaluating financing and contract terms
• Negotiating inspections and appraisals
• Monitoring deadlines
• Coordinating with the lender and settlement company
• Responding when something changes
• Keeping the transaction together through closing

For some sellers, particularly those selling to someone they know, a private sale may still make sense.

But even then, the homeowner should have appropriate legal and settlement guidance and a clear understanding of the property’s market value.

For everyone else, the record-low FSBO rate may reflect a simple realization:

Selling a home is possible without an agent. Selling it well, protecting the seller’s interests and managing the transaction from beginning to end is another matter.

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The Bottom Line

The internet has made real estate information easier to access.

It has not made real estate transactions simple.

Sellers still need to determine value, attract the right buyers, evaluate offers, negotiate changing circumstances and coordinate a complex process through settlement.

The fact that FSBO sales have fallen to an all-time low does not mean homeowners cannot sell properties themselves.

It suggests that more homeowners are recognizing the difference between having information and having experienced guidance.

At SMART Settlements, we believe strong closings begin with informed clients, prepared agents and professionals who work together from contract through settlement.

Real estate professionals may send ratified contracts to orders@smartsettlements.com.

We Don’t Just Close, We Open Doors.®

Sources

National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

National Association of REALTORS®, “FSBOs Reach All-Time Low, More Sellers Rely on Agents,” November 11, 2025

National Association of REALTORS®, Existing-Home Sales Data

SMART Settlements service and settlement resources

This version could be strengthened further by adding a brief real-world seller scenario at the opening, but it already reads substantially more naturally and follows the homeowner’s thought process from pricing through settlement.

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