FSBO services: pick only the help you need

Help for owners who want to sell themselves

Selling by owner is a reasonable choice. Many owners do it well, especially when the home is easy to price and the market is moving.

The trouble is usually not the whole job. It is two or three specific tasks, such as pricing, MLS exposure or a contract that arrives with blanks you do not understand.

That is what our FSBO services are for. You keep the sale and the decisions, and we help with the parts you choose.

We will not talk you out of selling yourself. If you ask, we will tell you plainly where we think your plan is strong and where it is thin.

Some owners use one service and never call again. Others add help as the sale goes on. Both are fine.

Read next: the full by-owner selling guide · all the ways to sell, side by side

How our FSBO services work

Each service stands on its own. You do not have to buy a package or sign a listing agreement to get pricing help.

Tell us what you need on the form on this page. We will call or email, ask a few questions about the property, and explain what each piece involves.

Before we do any paid work, you get the scope in writing. That includes what we do, what you do, and what it costs.

Anything that makes us part of the transaction, such as entering your listing on the MLS or negotiating on your behalf, comes with a written brokerage agreement. You will know exactly what relationship you are entering.

Where a task needs someone other than a broker, such as a contract review by an attorney, we refer you to independent professionals and you hire them directly.

Pricing help: a free CMA

Pricing is the task FSBO sellers most often find hardest, and it is the one that costs the most when it goes wrong.

A comparative market analysis looks at recent closed sales of similar homes near you, then adjusts for what makes your property different. It is more reliable than an online estimate, which cannot see your roof, your view or your renovation.

We prepare a CMA for owners who are selling themselves, at no cost and with no obligation to list. Tell us up front that you plan to sell by owner. A useful answer should hold up either way.

In South Florida the analysis also accounts for local factors. Flood zone, condo or HOA rules, insurance costs and seasonal demand can all move a price.

If you are unsure whether to sell at all, the CMA gives you a number to plan around before you decide.

Read next: request a free home valuation · what a CMA includes

MLS listing on a flat fee

Only a licensed broker can put a listing on the MLS. That is the one structural limit on a pure FSBO sale, and it matters because most buyers work with agents who search it.

A flat fee MLS entry solves that. A broker enters your home, the listing feeds the major portals, and you handle showings, calls and negotiation.

Our flat fee MLS service runs under a separate brand, where the packages and terms are published and kept current. We do not repeat prices here because they change.

Before you choose any package, from us or anyone else, confirm what is included, how long the listing runs, how changes are made, and how you cancel.

You still decide whether to offer anything toward a buyer's agent. After the 2024 NAR settlement that offer is no longer made through the MLS, and buyers sign written agreements with their own agents.

Read next: how a flat fee MLS entry works

Contract and closing coordination

Most Florida sales use the Florida Realtors and Florida Bar residential contracts, in the standard or AS IS version. A buyer's agent will usually send one of those.

We can walk you through how the forms are organized and which dates and blanks deserve attention. For legal advice about your specific contract, we refer you to a Florida real estate attorney.

We can also refer you to title companies and attorneys who close sales and hold escrow deposits. You choose and hire them yourself.

Once a contract is signed, coordination is where deals slip. Inspection periods, financing deadlines, HOA or condo approvals and estoppel letters all run on dates.

If you want help tracking those dates and following up with the closing agent, that can be part of the scope we agree in writing.

Read next: what goes in an owner sale contract · closing with a title company or attorney · the by-owner paperwork checklist

Showing and negotiation help

Showings take time, and they put strangers in your home. Some owners want help scheduling, screening buyers or hosting an open house.

Negotiation is the other common request. When an offer arrives with repair requests, a closing credit and a buyer-agent compensation request all at once, a second opinion is useful.

We can review offers with you and explain how the terms affect your net, not just the headline price.

If you want us to negotiate on your behalf, that is a brokerage service and it comes with a written agreement. We will explain the relationship and the cost before we start.

Many owners handle showings themselves and ask for help only at the offer stage. That is a perfectly sensible way to use FSBO services.

Read next: running safe, organized showings · how to review an offer

Switching to a full listing later

Sometimes selling by owner stops making sense. The home has sat longer than planned, a job move shortens the timeline, or the work is more than expected.

If that happens, you can move to a full listing. A full-service listing means a listing agent handles pricing strategy, marketing, showings, negotiation and the path to closing.

The fee for a full listing is negotiated with you and depends on what the property needs. Commission in Florida is negotiable and is not set by law or by any association.

Switching is easier when you have planned for it. Pick a review date when you start, and decide in advance what result would make you change course.

If you started with a flat fee entry, check the cancellation terms of that agreement before you switch.

Read next: what a listing agent does · how a lower-fee listing compares

What FSBO services cost

The CMA is free, with no obligation. That part is simple.

For every other service, the cost depends on the scope you choose, and we give it to you in writing before any work starts. We do not publish a single price, because a small condo and a waterfront home do not need the same work.

Flat fee MLS packages are published on that service's own site and change over time, so check the current terms there.

Commission on a full listing is negotiable, and we will discuss it with you directly.

Remember that a by-owner sale still has closing costs. In Florida the seller usually pays documentary stamp tax on the deed, and title insurance custom varies by county.

Read next: how listing commission is negotiated

FSBO services vs for sale by owner companies

Several kinds of for sale by owner companies serve owners, and they work in different ways. It helps to know which model you are looking at.

Listing portals let you post a home, sometimes for free, with paid upgrades for more visibility. They give exposure on that site but do not put you on the MLS by themselves.

Flat-fee MLS brokers enter your listing on the MLS for a set fee, with optional add-ons. Some FSBO websites resell this kind of service through a partner broker.

Instant-offer companies, often called iBuyers, make a cash offer on the home. That trades price for speed and certainty.

A local brokerage offering FSBO services adds something the others usually do not: a person who knows your market and can step in at any stage. Compare current pricing and scope for any option, ours included.

Read next: owner-sale websites compared · selling for cash in Florida

Who FSBO services suit, and who they do not

They suit owners with a straightforward home, some time, and a willingness to handle buyers directly. They also suit owners who already have a buyer and just need the sale done properly.

They suit owners who want to keep costs down but do not want to guess at the price or the paperwork.

They suit some situations less well. Probate, a title defect, open permits, a tenant in place or a tight deadline usually need someone managing the whole sale.

Selling from out of state is harder by owner too, because someone has to show the home and handle problems on site.

If your situation sits in that second group, we will say so. You can still choose to sell yourself, but you should do it knowing the trade.

What we will not promise

We will not promise a sale price, a sale date or that any one service will make your home sell. No honest broker can.

We will not give you legal or tax advice. A Florida real estate attorney or a tax professional answers questions about your specific case.

We will not pressure you to list. Our FSBO services are optional, and you can stop using them at any point the written terms allow.

What we will do is give you accurate information, a clear written scope and a straight answer when you ask whether your plan is working.

That is the standard we hold to on every service, from a free CMA to a full listing.

How to get started

Use the form on this page. Tell us the property address and which FSBO services you are interested in, even if the answer is only a free price check.

We will contact you, ask a few questions, and explain the options that fit. You decide what happens next.

If you are early in the process, the hub guide covers each stage of selling by owner. You can come back here when you know which help you want.

If you are already on the market and something is not working, say so on the form. A fresh look at pricing or exposure is often the fastest fix.

Either way, there is no charge to ask and no obligation to continue.