Here's a statistic I found pretty interesting.

According to Redfin, 21.1% of active home listings had a price reduction during the four weeks ending September 20. Zillow reported that 25.8% of listings had a price cut in June.

That's roughly one out of every four or five homes, depending on the period and how you measure it.

Now, obviously, not every price reduction means someone made a mistake. Markets change, sellers sometimes insist on unrealistic prices, and there are plenty of legitimate reasons to adjust an asking price.

But it does raise a question I've been thinking about.

One of the biggest arguments I hear for hiring a real estate agent is that they know how to price a home, market it properly, and get the seller the best possible result.

So when a home doesn't sell, and the recommendation is to lower the price, what exactly happened?

Was the home overpriced to begin with? Did the market change? Was it not marketed effectively? Or was lowering the price simply easier than figuring out why buyers weren't responding?

I look at real estate listings and social media constantly, and the number of price reductions I see is remarkable.

And here's where I think this becomes relevant to FSBO.

If homeowners have access to comparable sales, competing listings, market data, professional photography, marketing tools, and the ability to hire experts when needed, what exactly makes them less capable of pricing and marketing their own homes?

I'm not suggesting every homeowner will get it right. Of course they won't. But hiring an agent doesn't guarantee they'll get it right either.

And when we're talking about potentially tens of thousands of dollars in commissions, isn't it reasonable to question that?

I have nothing against agents. Good agents can provide real value. But I think we need to move away from the assumption that a homeowner is taking an enormous risk by doing something professionals don't always get right themselves.

I'd really like to hear from both sides on this.

For homeowners who have sold FSBO, how did you determine your asking price? Did you end up adjusting it?

And for agents, when a listing isn't selling, how do you determine whether the problem is price, marketing, or something else? What do you try before recommending a reduction?

Understanding this distinction would help anyone trying to sell a home, with or without an agent.

A seller can have a great home and still make it difficult for a buyer to take the next step.

If you’re buying, what would help?

Clear pricing? Better photos? Faster replies? Easy showing appointments? More information about the property upfront?

And if you’ve toured a FSBO home, what did the owner do well, or what could they have handled better?

Specific examples would be helpful. “FSBO is bad” doesn’t tell a homeowner what to improve. “I waited three days for a reply and couldn’t schedule a showing” does.

Sellers, this is a chance to hear what buyers actually need.

For a long time, selling a home without an agent was difficult for one very simple reason: agents controlled most of the tools needed to sell a house.

They controlled access to buyers, listing information, market data, advertising and much of the process.

That's simply not as true anymore.

Look at what's happening in the real estate industry right now. Brokerages, MLS organizations, and other industry players are fighting over how listings can be marketed, where they can appear, and who gets access to them. The latest CRMLS/Compass dispute is literally about the rules governing the public marketing of listings outside the MLS. 

Meanwhile, homeowners have more ability than ever to reach buyers directly.

Buyers are online. They're on real estate websites, Google, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, neighborhood groups, and other platforms. A homeowner can take great photos, create a professional-looking listing, put up a yard sign with a QR code, promote an open house, share the property through social media and communicate directly with interested buyers.

Much of that costs little or nothing.

At the same time, the dollar cost of traditional commissions has become enormous.

Even if commission percentages haven't increased, home prices certainly have. A percentage that may have been manageable when a house was $200,000 or $300,000 becomes tens of thousands of dollars when you apply that same percentage to a $500,000, $750,000, or $1 million property.

That doesn't mean agents don't provide value. Good agents absolutely can.

But homeowners should ask a different question:

Which services do I actually need, and what are those services worth to me?

Photography? You can hire a photographer.

Staging? Hire a stager or consultant.

Marketing? There are countless free and inexpensive ways to market a property.

Pricing? There is more market information available to consumers than ever before, along with professionals who can provide valuations when needed.

Legal work and contracts? I would use a real estate attorney whether I had an agent or not. An attorney's job is to protect your legal interests, and their compensation isn't dependent upon the sale closing.

Even some services that sellers may not feel comfortable doing themselves can be purchased à la carte. You don't have to bundle everything together and pay a percentage of your home's value for it all.

And here's the part of FSBO that I think gets overlooked:

Trying FSBO doesn't have to be permanent.

Give yourself 30 days.

Price the home properly. Take good photos. Put together a real marketing plan. Make the property easy to see. Respond quickly to inquiries. Hold an open house. Get the listing in front of as many potential buyers as you reasonably can.

If it works, you may save tens of thousands of dollars.

If after 30 days you decide it's more work than you expected, or you're not getting the results you need, you can still interview agents and hire one.

You haven't given up that option.

I don't think selling by owner is right for every homeowner. Some people don't have the time, interest, or temperament for it, and some will simply prefer to hire someone else.

But I do think we're at a point where homeowners should stop assuming that hiring an agent is automatically Step 1.

Today, Step 1 can be asking: Can I do this myself?

With the technology, information, professional services, and direct access to buyers that homeowners have today, I think there's a stronger case for trying FSBO now than at any other time.

I'm curious what other FSBO sellers think. What part of selling yourself has been easier than you expected, and what part has been harder?

With home prices as high as they are, the potential savings from selling without an agent can be enormous. And with all the tools and resources available today, it's easier than ever to market a home yourself and get professional help with the parts you're not comfortable handling.

Yet most people still assume they need an agent to sell their home.

I'm genuinely curious why. Is it the fear of pricing it wrong? Not knowing how to find buyers? Dealing with showings, negotiations, paperwork? Or is it simply that people don't realize how much of this they can actually do themselves?

And for those who have sold FSBO, I'd really like to hear about your experience. Was it easier than you expected? What surprised you? Would you do it again?

I started this sub because I think homeowners should know they have options. I'm not suggesting agents don't provide value, but I do believe selling on your own is a realistic option for a lot more people than actually try it.

I'd love to see this become a place where people share their experiences, ask questions, and help each other figure things out. The successes are great, but the challenges and mistakes are probably just as valuable.

So whether you've sold FSBO, are in the middle of it, or are just considering it, what's been your biggest concern or biggest surprise?

I'd love to hear the buyer's perspective.

If you found a house you loved that was being sold directly by the homeowner, would the fact that it was FSBO make any difference to you?

Would you be comfortable contacting the seller directly and scheduling a showing?

Would you still want your own buyer's agent?

Would you be comfortable making an offer with the help of an attorney?

Or would seeing “For Sale By Owner” make you less likely to consider the property?

There's plenty of discussion about why homeowners choose FSBO.

I'd like to hear what buyers actually think when they encounter one.