FSBO statistics: how many owners sell themselves and how it turns out

Where FSBO statistics come from

There is no national registry that records whether a home sold with or without an agent. Deeds and county records show the price and the parties, not who helped.

So most FSBO statistics come from surveys. The best known is the National Association of Realtors' Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, published annually.

As NAR describes its method, the survey goes to people who recently bought a home as a primary residence. The seller findings come from respondents who also sold a home.

Other numbers float around too, from listing sites, flat-fee brokers and investor blogs. Many of those restate NAR figures, and some use their own data with their own biases.

When you see a FSBO statistic, ask two questions. Who collected it, and who has a reason to want the number to look a certain way?

Read next: the complete guide to selling by owner

How many homes sell FSBO

In recent editions of NAR's Profile, for sale by owner sales make up a small, single-digit share of sales. Most sellers in the survey used an agent.

That share has trended down over the decades. Earlier editions showed a noticeably larger FSBO slice than recent ones do.

Why the decline? Observers point to several things, including the growth of the MLS feeding every major portal, more complex contracts and disclosures, and the rise of flat-fee and discount brokerage models that sit between FSBO and a full listing.

The share also moves with the market. When homes sell quickly, more owners feel confident trying it themselves.

For the exact share in the latest year, go to the current edition. The direction of travel is more useful to you than any single year's figure.

Read next: every route to selling compared

Many FSBO sales are to someone the seller knows

One of the most useful for sale by owner statistics is about who the buyer was. In NAR's survey, a meaningful part of FSBO sales go to someone the seller already knew, such as a friend, relative, neighbor or tenant.

That matters more than it first appears. A sale to a known buyer skips the hardest part of selling, which is finding a buyer at all.

It also changes the price picture. Sales between people who know each other are sometimes priced below market on purpose, as a favor or a family arrangement.

So when FSBO homes are compared with agent-assisted homes, part of the FSBO group was never on the open market. That is not the same experience as putting up a sign and waiting.

If you already have a buyer in mind, the data suggests you are in the group where selling by owner works most naturally. If you do not, your experience is closer to an open-market sale.

FSBO sale prices vs agent-assisted sales

NAR's Profile has reported that FSBO homes sell for less, at the median, than agent-assisted homes. This is the most quoted of all FSBO statistics.

It is often presented as proof that an agent adds a fixed amount to any sale. The survey does not show that, and NAR itself is reporting medians rather than a controlled comparison.

A median compares two different groups of homes. If the FSBO group contains more lower-priced homes, more rural homes or more sales to relatives, its median will be lower whatever the agent did.

That is why the gap is disputed. Critics argue the homes differ so much that the comparison says little about what an agent would add to the same house.

The fair reading sits in the middle. The data does not prove an agent always earns their fee, and it does not prove the gap is an illusion either.

Read next: the pros and cons of selling without a realtor

Why the FSBO statistics on price are argued over

Economists who study FSBO sales try to compare similar homes, in the same area, at the same time. Results from those studies vary, and some find a much smaller gap than a simple median does.

Selection is the core problem. Owners who choose FSBO are not a random sample. They may have easier homes, hotter markets, a ready buyer or more experience.

Self-reporting adds noise. Respondents report their own price and their own method, and memory is not perfect.

Industry interest adds heat. Agent groups have a reason to stress the gap, and FSBO platforms have a reason to dismiss it, so both sides quote the data selectively.

For an owner, the takeaway is simple. Do not decide based on a national price gap. Decide based on what comparable homes near you actually sold for and what your sale will cost.

Read next: pricing your home from real sales

Why owners choose FSBO

Saving the listing commission is the reason most people give, and it is a real saving. Commissions are negotiable, but the listing side is still a large line on most closing statements.

Control is the second reason. Some owners want to set the price, run the showings and talk to buyers directly.

A known buyer is the third. When a tenant, neighbor or relative already wants the house, paying for marketing can feel unnecessary.

Past experience plays a part too. Owners who have sold before, or who work in a related field, are more comfortable with the paperwork.

None of these reasons is wrong. The question is whether the saving survives once price, time on market and closing costs are counted together.

Read next: what selling by owner really costs

What FSBO sellers say is hardest

NAR's survey has also asked FSBO sellers which tasks were most difficult. Across editions, answers have commonly included getting the price right, preparing the home for sale, and understanding and handling the paperwork.

Those answers line up with what brokers see. Pricing without good comparables is hard, and the contract and disclosure stage is where small mistakes get expensive.

Time is a quieter cost. Showings, calls and follow-up land on the owner's schedule, often for weeks.

These answers are useful because they come from people who finished the job. They are a checklist of where to get help if you need it.

You can solve most of them a la carte. A free comparative market analysis handles pricing, and an attorney review handles the contract.

Read next: help for the hardest parts of an owner sale · a comparative market analysis

How many FSBO sellers end up hiring an agent

This is the statistic everyone wants and nobody has a solid national number for. NAR's Profile only captures sellers who completed a sale, and it records the method they finished with.

So an owner who tried FSBO for two months, then listed with an agent and sold, shows up as an agent-assisted sale. The FSBO attempt disappears from the data.

Claims online that a specific share of FSBO sellers give up are usually estimates or marketing. Treat them with care unless the source explains its method.

What brokers can say is that switching is common enough to plan for. Many owners start by owner, learn from the first weeks, and then choose a flat fee MLS entry or a full listing.

If you try it yourself, set a decision date in advance. Drifting for months builds days on market, which buyers read as a reason to offer less.

Read next: a middle option between FSBO and a full listing

Methodology and sources

The main source on this page is the National Association of Realtors' Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, which NAR publishes each year. Look up the latest edition for current figures, and note the edition year whenever you quote it.

The survey is self-reported. Respondents describe their own purchase and sale, so the results reflect what people recall and how they classify their own transaction.

It covers people who bought a primary residence. Investors, second-home buyers and some cash sales may be underrepresented, and those groups matter in parts of Florida.

Its comparisons are of medians across a mix of homes. They are not controlled for location, condition, size or relationship between buyer and seller.

We have not quoted exact percentages or dollar figures on purpose. They change each year, and a figure copied from an old edition is worse than no figure at all.

What FSBO statistics can and cannot tell you

The data can tell you that FSBO is a minority choice, that it has become less common over time, and that a good share of owner sales involve a buyer the seller already knew.

It can tell you which tasks owners found hardest, which is a practical guide to where you might need help.

It cannot tell you what your home would sell for with or without an agent. No national survey can, because it does not know your street, your house or your buyer.

It cannot tell you how many owners tried FSBO and switched, because the survey only sees the finished sale.

Use the statistics as context, not as a verdict. The decision comes down to local comparables, your time, your buyer pool and your total cost.

Read next: how to price a home on evidence

What this means for a Florida owner

The NAR Profile is national. It does not describe a condo in Broward, a waterfront home in Palm Beach or acreage in Okeechobee in any detail.

South Florida adds factors the national figures do not capture. Condo and HOA approvals, flood zones, insurance costs and seasonal buyers all affect how a sale goes.

Local sales data is the better guide for your price. Closed sales near you show what buyers actually paid, even if they do not say who helped.

The buyer side changed after the 2024 NAR settlement as well. Buyer-agent compensation is no longer offered through the MLS, and buyers sign written agreements with their agents, so expect that question in any FSBO negotiation.

Older editions of the survey describe a market from before those changes. Keep that in mind when you compare years.

Read next: recently sold homes in South Florida · the buyer agent commission question

Using FSBO statistics to make your own decision

Start with your situation, not the national averages. Do you have a buyer already? Is the home easy to price? Do you have time for showings?

Then get a real price. A comparative market analysis built on nearby closed sales tells you more than any survey median.

Next, run the costs. Compare what you would net by owner, with a flat fee MLS entry, and with a full listing, using the same sale price for each.

Finally, set a review point. If the home has not drawn serious interest by a date you choose, change the plan rather than waiting.

Owners who follow those steps tend to make a sound choice either way, which matters more than which side of the FSBO statistics they land on.

Read next: the step-by-step owner sale guide · a free home valuation