Seller Frequently Asked Questions
What is FSBO?
What exactly is FSBOMetroDenver.com?
How much does it cost to list my home?
Are you affiliated with a real estate agency?
Is the fact that a home is For Sale by Owner considered a selling point to many buyers?
I want to list my home on www.FSBOMetroDenver.com. How do I do this?
What information will be visible in my listing and what will be kept private?
How do I pay?
How do I submit pictures of my home?
When will my listing appear?
Can I edit my listing after it has been posted?
How long will my listing remain on the website?
When will my yard sign be delivered?
How does a real estate agent use market data to price a home?
How do I price my home?
What information should I include in my listing?
What information should I include in my sales brochure?
Is it important to conduct open houses?
What do I do when a buyer says they are interested in purchasing my home?
Am I expected to negotiate with a potential buyer?
Will my home be subject to an inspection?
What happens to the yard signs after my home sells?
Can I list property other than a standard home?
Where can I find this New York Times article that you mention?
FSBO stands for For Sale By Owner, and is a commonly used acronym signifying that the owner of the property is selling it independently, without the aid of a real estate agent or agency. In a recent article, the New York Times notes that FSBO sales “have been around as long as property rights.”
When selling a home as FSBO, a homeowner can typically do it for less than $1,000, including a lawyer to handle the final transactions. Please, if you haven’t already, read About Us and Why FSBO? for more information.
What exactly is FSBOMetroDenver.com?
We are an independent, locally owned and operated service aimed at providing the best alternative way for homeowners to sell their home. FSBO allows you to keep the money you deserve from the sale of your house, and FSBOMetroDenver.com provides FSBO sellers with the exposure, resources and information they need. If you haven’t already, please read About Us for much more information about who we are and what we do.
How much does it cost to list my home?
It is free for a limited time, and includes:
- An online listing with up to 5 exterior and interior photos of your property
- Automatic entry into our database, allowing buyers to find your listing using our specialized Search feature
- An attractive, quality metal-frame FSBOMetroDenver.com Yard Sign with brochure box
- Access to the services of our partner law firms if you feel you need legal advice or protection
For more information, see our List Your Home section.
Are you affiliated with a real estate agency?
No, we are not affiliated with any real estate agency or any similar operation of any kind whatsoever. To our dismay, though, we have happened across websites that claim to be FSBO sites, but are actually owned and operated by a real estate agency, and expect buyers to pay one of their agents a commission should they buy any of the houses that are listed. Our service involves no commissions whatsoever.
Is the fact that a home is For Sale by Owner considered a selling point to many buyers?
Absolutely. From a buyer’s standpoint, FSBO means both parties will get a better deal because nobody is forced to absorb the substantial costs associated with more traditional means of buying or selling a home. It also means that they are able to interact directly with the owner, who knows more about their home than anyone else. Many buyers like the idea of conducting the business of buying a home independently for the same reasons sellers do. Remember- the buyer’s agent will charge a commission in addition to the one charged by the seller’s agent. This is why the FSBOMetroDenver.com yard sign that we include advertises that your property is “For Sale By Owner” in bold lettering.
I want to list my home on www.FSBOMetroDenver.com. How do I do this?
No, we are not affiliated with any real estate agency or any similar operation of any kind whatsoever. To our dismay, though, we have happened across websites that claim to be FSBO sites, but are actually owned and operated by a real estate agency, and expect buyers to pay one of their agents a commission should they buy any of the houses that are listed. Our service involves no commissions whatsoever.
What information will be visible in my listing and what will be kept private?That is entirely up to you. You will be asked to provide your email address and physical address at two different points. The first time is when you register. This information will not be viewable to any third parties, and is only provided should we need to contact you regarding your account or listing. It is not displayed in your listing. Please use an address where you can be reached at if different from your property address. The second point at which you will be asked to provide an email and physical address is when filling out your listing. The physical address will be viewable, but the email address will not be, when entered into the box provided specifically for email addresses. We have a system which allows sellers to send you an email using a form on our website which does not display your email address. The only way for it to be visible is if you choose to include it in the "Comments from Seller" box.
You have several payment options. You may pay online with a credit card or bank account through PayPal, which is a secure online payment service. This is the recommended method, because it is the quickest way to make your listing appear, especially if you submit your listing information and photos online. If you do not already have one, you must set up a PayPal account to use their services, however it is a very straightforward process that can be done in a few minutes. See our PayPal Primer for step-by-step information on how to set up an account, as well as more detailed information about PayPal itself and what makes it the most secure method of payment available. Another option is to send us a cashier’s check or a money order, which allows your listing to appear as soon as the payment is received. You may also send us a personal check, however this will result in your listing being delayed until the check clears.
How do I submit pictures of my home?
There are three ways you can do this. You may either upload digital photos or you may scan prints and upload those. If you do not own a digital camera or a scanner, you can mail us your prints and we will scan and upload them for you. If neither of these options work for you, we can come to your house and photograph it for you, for a $25 fee to cover time and transportation costs. Also, follow the steps to preparing your home for showings outlined in our Tips for Conducting a Successful Open House to prepare your home for attractive pictures.
This depends on how you submit your listing and how you pay. The quickest way is to submit your listing information and photos online, and pay through PayPal. Your listing will appear as soon as we receive your information and payment, generally within a couple of hours. If you choose to send us your listing information, photos and/or payment through the mail, your listing will appear within a day of receiving everything in the mail. Again, if you pay with a personal check, the funds will have to clear before your listing appears, even if the listing information and photos are submitted online.
Can I edit my listing after it has been posted?
Yes, you will be able to edit your listing using the password you supply when you register. You can do this anytime, regardless of how long your listing has been posted.
How long will my listing remain on the website?
Your listing will remain on FSBOMetroDenver.com for 6 months.
When will my yard sign be delivered?
Your Yard Sign will be delivered within three days of receiving your payment. We will install it for you, or if you prefer, give it to you to install yourself. If we install it for you, we recommend marking your preferred location in the grass in a sufficiently visible manner that we know where you would like to have it installed when we arrive.
How does a real estate agent use market data to price a home?
Typically, the “market data” used by an agent is little more than a list of selling prices of recently sold homes in your particular neighborhood and how long they were on the market before selling. They use this (often short) list of homes to come up with a price they think will fit yours. In reality, this guesswork requires little expertise as all the data is fairly straightforward and publicly available. For more information on how to price your home, as well as why you can do it just as accurately as anyone else, read our Pricing Guide in our Resources for Sellers section.
See our Pricing Guide for information on various ways to do this and what to take into consideration.
What information should I include in my listing?
Once you have registered with us, we provide information concerning what is helpful to include in your listing. A link to this can be found on the listing page that you can access when you are logged in.
What information should I include in my sales brochure?
In short, what you want a potential buyer to remember once they have gone home to consider your home or discuss it with family. For more detailed information on creating a sales brochure, as well as some sample brochures, read our Tips for Designing a Clear and Effective Sales Brochure.
Is it important to conduct open houses?
Yes. The principle behind showing your home is the same one at work when a car salesman encourages a buyer to take a test drive in a model that interests them. It allows buyers to visualize living in your home and allows them to see things they like. It gives buyers a much better idea of what your home is really like than even the best description can provide. Whether it is an open house for the general public, or a private showing to a particularly interested buyer, showing your home is crucial to selling it quickly. Be sure to read our Tips for Conducting a Successful Open House to help you prepare.
What do I do when a buyer says they are interested in purchasing my home?
That is when you begin the process of reaching a deal with the buyer (either at the advertised price or a negotiated price, depending on what you decide to do) and entering into a contract with them. You con do this by yourself or you can choose to have a lawyer assist you. Read our Basics of Negotiation and Contract page in the Resources for Sellers section for more information.
Am I expected to negotiate with a potential buyer?
That is entirely up to you. If you know what you house is worth, you can stick to your asking price, or if you need to sell more quickly than average, you might want to be open to negotiation. For more information, read our Pricing Guide as well as our Basics of Negotiation and Contract page.
Will my home be subject to an inspection?
Yes, but only once you sign a contract with your buyer. A buyer entered into a contract has the right to a home inspection, and often the contract is contingent upon the results. Most of the time the buyer’s lender arranges for the inspection. These inspections focus on major issues, however, so it is not something to worry about.
What happens to the yard signs after my home sells?
We will pick it up from you after the official closing. Re-using our signs allows us to continue providing them to our customers as a standard part of our service.
Can I list property other than a standard home?
Yes, you can list any type of property as long as it is For Sale By Owner.
Where can I find this New York Times article that you mention?
If you wish to read it, there is a good chance that your local library will have a copy. The article we quote is from the January 3, 2006 edition and is titled “Owners’ Web Gives Realtors Run for Money.”
Click on the Jefferson County Public Library website
Select "Research Tools"
Select ""Subscription Databases, A-Z"
At this point, you must type in your name and your Jeffco library card number.
Then, click on the letter "N" in the alphabet.
Click on "NewsBank Public Library Collection."
Once you are at the NewsBank Public Library Collection site, select the New York Times in the box at the right.
Then, fill in the boxes at the top of your screen.
In the "Search" box, select "all categories."
In the "for:" box, type in "fsbo and madison" (omit the quote marks)
In the "Return" box, select "best matches first" and in the "from" box, select "the past 12 months."
Under "limit to:" check the box next to Newspapers
Then, click on "search" and the article should appear.
Didn’t find the answer you were looking for? Please Contact Us with any questions or concerns.
