FSBO - St Louis Real Estate News

Real Estate Mythbusters: “I’ll Save Money Without an Agent”…..Why DIY Selling Costs More Than It Saves

By Karen Moeller, on November 9th, 2025

It sounds simple: skip the agent, skip the commission, keep more money. In practice, the For Sale by Owner (FSBO) route often costs sellers time, money, and peace of mind — and usually nets less than they expect.

The Hype

On paper, the math looks tempting. Why pay a percentage when you can put up a sign, post online, and wait for offers? The problem: that commission also covers massive marketing reach, pricing expertise, negotiation, and risk management — the exact places where DIY sellers tend to lose ground.

The Reality

Independent surveys consistently show that FSBO homes sell for Continue Reading →

Percentage of Homeowners that Sold FSBO In Past Year Near Record Low

By Dennis Norman, on November 22nd, 2019

Annually, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) does a massive survey of people that purchased and sold a home in the prior year to gather information about them and their transaction. This is done using a 125 question survey that was sent to nearly 160,000 people, in randomly sampled geographic areas, that purchased or sold a home in the prior year. The results are published by NAR in their “Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers“. From this publication, some great information is obtained (in my humble opinion, the best and most accurate information available) about home buyers and sellers as Continue Reading →

Should I Sell My Home Myself?

By Dennis Norman, on July 9th, 2016

“Should I sell my home myself” is something that some sellers are asking today, particularly those in fast selling neighborhoods and areas where the inventory of homes for sale is low, after all, how hard can it be to sell a home if homes are in such high demand? Continue Reading →

Report Shows FSBO’s Sold For Over Fifteen Percent Less Than Agent-Assisted Home Sales

By Dennis Norman, on November 10th, 2015

The number of homes sold “For Sale By Owner” (FSBO) dropped to a record low of just eight percent of all homes sold, according to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Home Sellers report. A commentary posted on the Economist’s Outlook Blog by Amanda Riggs, Research Survey Analyst for NAR. on the NAR website indicated that homeowners that sell as a FSBO often find it doesn’t turn out as they expected either in the amount of time it will take on their part nor in the price they ultimately receive. Highlights from Rigg’s commentary include: Continue Reading →

Common Mistakes Made By St Louis For Sale By Owners (FSBO’s)

By Dennis Norman, on July 31st, 2013

Over the years I have seen many “St Louis For Sale By Owners” (FSBO’s), you know those people that decide they can sell their house themselves without the help of a professional, make a variety of mistakes in the way they handle the sale of their property. The mistakes range from minor ones that will probably just cost them some heartburn to major mistakes that could lead to serious legal troubles.

What are the most common mistakes made by FSBO’s?

Continue Reading →

New report shows home sales may be worse than reported

By Dennis Norman, on February 16th, 2011

Today, CoreLogic released its “U.S. Housing and Mortgage Trends Report” which stated “their research indicates that the most popular measure of existing home sales is overstated by 15 percent to 20 percent. ”

Continue Reading →

Advice to sellers from a St. Louis REALTOR – final post in the series

By Dennis Norman, on August 13th, 2009

By: Dennis Norman

We’ll pick up where we left off after parts one and two of this series about selling a home in this market:

Question- Now for the $64 question, how should a seller properly price their home in this market?

Answer- In today’s market sellers are in fierce competition with one another for buyers. A seller can do everything right in presenting their home from maintenance and upkeep to staging, but if the price is not appropriate buyers will move on quickly. The simple truth is, there is another seller around the corner ready to set their Continue Reading →

Advice to sellers from a St. Louis REALTOR – part two of a series

By Dennis Norman, on August 12th, 2009

By: Dennis Norman

We’ll pick up where we left off in part one of this series about selling a home in this market:

Question- How should a seller select an agent? What should they look for in an agent and what should a seller avoid?

Answer- Years of experience is not as important as it once was. Certainly, the seller needs an agent with market knowledge, but the fact is today’s market is new territory for all REALTORS(R). I believe a seller in today’s market needs to be certain their REALTOR(R) has a firm grasp of marketing a property to Continue Reading →

Advice to sellers from a St. Louis REALTOR – part one of a series

By Dennis Norman, on August 11th, 2009

By: Dennis Norman

If you are a homeowner looking to sell your home today I don’t think I need to tell you it could be a challenge. In an effort to address some of the questions you may have about selling your home now as well as provide some useful tips and information

Now, lets find out what it takes to sell a home in this market:

Continue Reading →