With typical Massachusetts real estate agent commissions and fees at approximately 6% of a home’s sale price, Boston home sellers are well served to explore how to FSBO their own home.  While a FSBO approach is not for everyone, it opens a home seller up to the possibility of saving thousands of dollars for taking on common tasks handled by a listing broker.

How to Sell Boston For Sale by Owner

Naturally, there’s a process that a home seller needs to follow if they want to sell a home without a Realtor.

• Prepare to FSBO
• Market and Promote your FSBO
• FSBO Massachusetts real estate paperwork
• Closing your FSBO

For a detailed review, see how to FSBO Boston Massachusetts.

Tips for Selling Your Boston Home FSBO

The key to driving exposure for a Boston FSBO is the multiple listing service (MLS). A homeowner trying to sell without a real estate agent must get their home and its photos into the MLS. Once a property is in the MLS, it will be syndicated to thousands of popular websites, and with more than 80% of buyers starting their search online, being in the MLS is a must.

So how do you list your home in the MLS?

In the past, a home seller would need to hire a listing broker that charged full commission to list a home in the local MLS. Today, home sellers can take advantage of a flat fee MLS listing service to get their home in the official local MLS. The one time flat fee is far less than a typical real estate commission.

Once a home is in the MLS, it will be syndicated to thousands of websites, including Realtor.com, and from there, a Boston FSBO takes on many of the common practices of a listing agent in an effort to sell their own home – scheduling and attending showings with buyers, conducting open houses, negotiating offers to purchase, etc.

Hiring a real estate attorney to assist a FSBO is a great idea – a real estate attorney oftentimes charges a flat fee and can assist with many of the tasks associated with a real estate transaction.

Massachusetts Realtor fees are a material part of any sale. As an example, to illustrate the impact of a typical real estate commission of 6% on a sale, a homeowner that sells their house for $679,000 will pay $40,740 in Realtor fees. With Massachusetts real estate agent commissions as a percentage, the amount a homeowner pays out of their pocket in broker fees continue to rise as the sales price of the home rises.

You might be led to ask whether there is a standard MA real estate agent commission, or even perhaps wonder how real estate brokerages establish their broker fee schedule.

You can learn more about Massachusetts real estate commission fees, the mechanics behind the numbers and how they are set and distributed among the parties involved in a real estate transaction, who pays the Massachusetts Realtor fees, whether there are standards or typical real estate agent fees, and the average Massachusetts Realtor commission.

Pick an Experienced Inspector

The first step toward getting the most out of your home inspection is to choose a qualified inspector with years of experience in the industry, and preferably someone who specializes in the neighborhood in which you’re buying. Ideally, your Boston real estate agent will be able to direct you toward a quality inspector. If not, you may have to do a bit of searching on your own. Of course, even if your agent recommends a particular inspector, you may want to do some of your own research as well. After all, you are getting ready to make a significant investment, so you want to be sure the person you hire is someone who can do the job right.

Participate in the Inspection

After you have hired a worthy inspector, you should take the necessary steps to clear your schedule so you can participate in the inspection process. By walking through the inspection process with the inspector, you can learn a great deal about the house you are considering buying. Even if there is nothing wrong with the house, combing through the home and finding all of its systems and other important areas can prove quite valuable to you as a homeowner. Of course, this will also give you the opportunity to talk one-on-one with the inspector about the home and any problems that he might have discovered. By asking questions and getting feedback directly from the inspector, you will be better prepared to make informed decisions about the home.

Negotiate a Better Deal

In addition to helping you learn more about the home you are thinking about buying, your home inspection will also provide you with more negotiating power. Even if the seller conducted a home inspection before listing their property for sale, armed with your inspector’s report, you may be able to negotiate a lower price on the home. Or, if the inspector discovers problems with the home, you can negotiate to have these items repaired before you close on the deal.

About The Author – Kevin Koitz is a Washington DC native and specializes in Northwest DC real estate as a real estate agent with the Koitz Group in Maryland.

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