Karisue Wyson is the Director of Education for Corcoran McEnearney and was previously a Top Producing Realtor in our Alexandria office. If you would like a question answered in our weekly column or to set up an appointment with one of our associates, please email [email protected] or call 703-549-9292.
This week’s column is sponsored and written by Karisue Wyson, Director of Education at Corcoran McEnearney, the leading real estate firm in Alexandria. To learn more about this article and relevant Alexandria market news, contact us at 703-549-9292.
Question: Will selling my home without an agent save me money in this market?
Answer: Every real estate cycle has its classic subplot: “Maybe I’ll sell it myself.” For Sale By Owner listings (FSBOs) tend to spike when headlines make selling look easy, and fade when the market reminds everyone that a home sale is not a lemonade stand.
Right now, FSBOs are fading fast. According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), only 5% of sellers sold without an agent this year– an all-time low. Meanwhile, 91% of sellers used a real estate professional, also a record high.
FSBOs typically sell for less — and the gap is meaningful
NAR’s latest Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows the median FSBO sale price was $360,000, compared with $425,000 for agent-assisted sales, about an 18% difference.
NAR also notes an important nuance: FSBO homes skew more toward rural areas and lower-priced property types, which can inflate headline comparisons. But when researchers compare similar homes sold with and without agents, FSBO sellers still tend to net less – often in the 5–6% range even after adjusting for property differences. In other words, even if we give FSBOs the benefit of the doubt, the data keeps landing in the same neighborhood. Selling solo is usually a discount strategy dressed up as a savings strategy.
