Remember when we all thought we could cut our own hair during the pandemic? Some of us pulled it off. Most of us ended up wearing hats for three months. Selling your home For Sale By Owner (FSBO) can feel a lot like that – it seems simple enough until you're halfway through and realize you're in way over your head.

The idea of pocketing the commission money sounds pretty tempting. And sure, there are homeowners out there who've successfully sold FSBO. But here's what the numbers actually tell us: FSBO sales have been dropping like a rock for the past quarter-century, and there's a good reason why.

The FSBO Reality Check

Back in the late 1990s, roughly 15-20% of home sales were FSBO transactions. Fast forward to today, and that number has plummeted to just 7-8% of all home sales, according to the National Association of Realtors. Think about that for a second. In an era where we can do everything ourselves online – book our own travel, manage our own investments, even diagnose our own mysterious rashes – fewer people are choosing to sell their homes without professional help.

Why? Because selling a home isn't like booking a flight. It's one of the biggest financial transactions most of us will ever make, and the learning curve is steep.

"What we see time and again is that homeowners who go the FSBO route think they're saving money, but they often end up leaving far more than a commission on the table," says Mike Oddo, CEO of HouseJet. "Beyond the financial cost, there's the emotional toll of dealing with difficult buyers, the stress of handling negotiations alone, and the very real risk of legal complications that can haunt you long after closing. Sometimes the most expensive decision is the one that looks cheapest on paper."

The Three Big Reasons FSBO Homes Take Longer and Sell for Less

1. Limited Market Exposure

Here's the thing about selling your home yourself – you're essentially trying to shout into a void and hoping the right buyer hears you. Professional agents have access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which feeds into virtually every major real estate website. They've got networks built over years, relationships with other agents, and marketing resources you probably don't have sitting in your garage.

FSBO sellers typically rely on yard signs, Craigslist, and maybe a Facebook post. That's like trying to fill a stadium by standing on the corner handing out flyers. Your potential buyer pool shrinks dramatically, and fewer interested buyers means longer time on market and less competitive offers. The numbers back this up – FSBO homes sit on the market an average of 3-4 weeks longer than agent-listed homes.

2. Pricing Problems

Pricing a home isn't about pulling a number out of thin air or seeing what your neighbor's house sold for three years ago. It requires a deep understanding of current market conditions, recent comparable sales, and how various factors affect value in your specific neighborhood.

Most FSBO sellers either overprice their homes (because emotion gets involved – your house is special, after all) or underprice them (because you're not sure what it's really worth). Overpricing means your home sits and sits, eventually forcing you to drop the price anyway. Underpricing means you leave money on the table right out of the gate. According to NAR data, FSBO homes typically sell for about 30% less than agent-assisted sales. Even accounting for commission savings, that's a significant gap.

3. The Negotiation Nightmare

Let's say you've found a buyer. Great! Now comes the part where things get really tricky. You're negotiating directly with someone who wants to pay as little as possible for your home. There's no buffer. No one advocating for your interests. No one who's done this dance a hundred times before.

Then there's the inspection. The appraisal. The repair negotiations. The financing contingencies. Each step is a potential minefield, and one wrong move can blow up the deal or cost you thousands. Professional agents know how to navigate these waters because they've been through them countless times. You're learning on the fly with your biggest asset at stake.

The HouseJet Recommendation

At HouseJet, we get it. The commission seems like a big number. But here's what we always tell homeowners considering FSBO: talk to us first. Get a professional market analysis. Understand what your home is really worth and what a full-service agent brings to the table. Then make an informed decision.

More often than not, homeowners realize that the expertise, market access, negotiation skills, and peace of mind that come with professional representation are worth far more than the commission cost. You wouldn't represent yourself in court or perform your own root canal – selling your home is complex enough that it deserves the same professional approach.

The bottom line? There's a reason FSBO sales keep declining year after year. Homeowners are figuring out that sometimes the DIY approach costs more than hiring a pro. Your home deserves better than a yard sign and a prayer.