Is FSBO the Right Choice for Florida Home Sellers?

Selling your home without an agent is understandably tempting. No commission fees, complete control over the process, and thousands of dollars saved. What’s not to like? Yet this path clearly proves more challenging than expected. According to the National Association of Realtors, only 7% of homes were sold by owner in 2023.

Here’s the truth: Most owners who try to sell a house alone eventually choose an agent, says Megan Hedrick, the Director of Sales at Mark Spain Real Estate in Orlando. “We see it every single day.”

On a recent day, she had 15 appointments scheduled. Two were with homeowners who had unsuccessfully tried to sell FSBO (for sale by owner). “They’re trying it and then they’re realizing, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m in over my head. I really need help,” she says.

This guide examines what selling a home by owner truly involves in Florida, from complex paperwork to competing in an agent-driven market.

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The true costs of selling a home by owner

So, what does selling a home by owner really cost? It’s more complicated than simply avoiding the typical 5–6% commission split between the seller’s and buyer’s agents. This miscalculation overlooks a few key factors:

• Buyer agent commissions may apply. In Florida, the average buyer’s agent commission is 2.71%. Most buyers have representation, so even FSBO sellers may still need to pay this commission to attract a buyer. For a $400,000 home, this equals about $10,840. Still, all commissions are negotiable. There’s no requirement that sellers have to pay the buyer’s agent commission.
• Lower final sales price. The National Association of Realtors also found that the average FSBO sales price was $310,000 in 2021. Homes listed traditionally sold for an average of $405,000, a difference of about 25%.
• Carrying expenses add up. What does it cost to own the house each month it goes unsold? This might include your mortgage payment, utilities, property taxes, and insurance. FSBO listings are twice as likely to sit unsold for three-plus months, according to Florida Realtors. (In Florida, most homes spend 73 days on the market.)

Let’s look at the math: If you sell a home by owner for $310,000, you’ll save approximately 3% in listing agent commission, or $9,300. You might save on the buyer’s agent commission, too. But your home might have sold for $405,000 with professional representation. That’s a $95,000 difference. You saved the seller’s agent commission, but still lost between $85,700 and $76,400 in the transaction.

The challenges of marketing a home by owner in Florida

Real estate in Florida is “teetering toward a buyer’s market,” says Dina Pizzuto, Director of Sales at Mark Spain Real Estate in Jacksonville. “It’s becoming harder and harder to sell, and sellers need to think about how the property is being marketed.”

Marketing costs add up quickly. First, you need to find buyers, and that’s done through the multiple listing service, or MLS. The MLS feeds major real estate websites, such as Redfin and Zillow, where homebuyers conduct their searches. Without access, FSBO sellers will struggle to connect with the wider buyer pool.

A full-service real estate agency like Mark Spain Real Estate will list your property on the MLS and create a beautiful listing. For FSBO sellers, flat-fee MLS services cost anywhere from $89 to $399, with varying levels of listing assistance. In most cases, sellers will still need to handle:

• Photography that showcases your home’s best features. Professional real estate photos cost from $110 to $300 for a standard single-family home.
• Detailed property descriptions that make your home sound fantastic while also highlighting key features the market expects. ChatGPT can help some here, but it struggles to provide enough local insights to nail your buyer pool’s needs.
• Self-advocacy during showings and negotiations.

Single-family home inventory increased 31.6% between February 2024 and 2025. With this level of competition, simply appearing in search results isn’t enough to attract serious buyers. Hedrick notes that sellers can expect to spend a “bare minimum” of $2,000 for photos, advertising, legal fees, signage, and other marketing.

Legal risks and paperwork requirements

Sellers considering FSBO need to understand Florida’s disclosure requirements to avoid legal liability. Depending on when your home was built, where you live, or whether or not you’re in an HOA, state-mandated disclosures may include:

• Radon gas warnings
• Lead-based paint disclosures
• Property tax disclosures
• HOA disclosures
• Coastal hazard disclosures
• Flood history and insurance claims.

Missing or incomplete disclosures can lead to lawsuits even after closing. Professional agents use standardized forms and are familiar with these requirements; FSBO sellers, on the other hand, must carefully double-check their work to avoid costly oversights.

Contract negotiations

FSBO sellers should understand common contract contingencies. These include:

• **Inspection contingency: Usually, buyers are allowed 7 to 15 days to approve an inspection or cancel the contract. During this period, buyers can request to cancel the contract for any reason.**
• Financing contingency: This allows a buyer time—often 30 days—to secure loan approval. If financing falls through, buyers can exit without penalty.
• Clear title contingency: This ensures the seller provides a marketable title free of liens or encumbrances.

Sellers must pay careful attention to detail and proper documentation in order to manage these contingencies alone. Mark Spain Real Estate agents know the pros and cons of every possible contingency, and will help sellers understand what’s reasonable versus what’s over the line.

Closing requirements

Florida doesn’t require attorneys for real estate closings, but the process still requires extensive documentation and financial obligations. Title companies handle most closings, but sellers must provide a clear title and pay fees. Seller's closing costs include the documentary stamp tax, which is required to transfer a deed in Florida and costs $0.70 per $100 of the total price. (Excluding Miami-Dade County, where the rate is $0.60 per $100 for single-family homes.)

Does selling your home by owner put you at a disadvantage?

If you’re selling your home alone, keep an eye out for bad actors.

“Florida is the land of ‘knock-knock, ’” Hedrick warns. She’s referring to the prevalence of wholesalers who go door-to-door seeking properties to buy below market value. They often target FSBO sellers, knowing they may lack the market knowledge necessary to fully evaluate offers.

“Unless you understand contract and contractual law well, in most cases you’ll be taken advantage of,” Hedrick says.

Taken advantage of, or have emotional reactions that kill the deal.

Let’s say you’ve lived in your home for two decades, raised your children there, and hand-picked every detail in your recent kitchen remodel. When a buyer offers $20,000 below asking and criticizes the backsplash, it feels personal.

A seller’s emotional response could lead to heated negotiations that a neutral third party might navigate more efficiently. Professional agents present offers objectively and help sellers focus on the financial outcome, not perceived slights.

They also help sort the worthwhile offers from the dreck. Is a $10,000 repair credit reasonable? Should you accept an offer 5% below asking? Professional agents analyze comparable sales (or “comps”) and deeply understand market conditions and buyer motivations to determine the best response.

Common negotiation pitfalls

In Miami, 19.2% of properties sold with a seller concession in early 2023. That’s an increase from the white-hot market of 2021, when only 12.4% of sellers offered concessions, according to Miami Realtors.

It’s important that sellers aren’t offended by post-inspection requests; otherwise, they may appear inflexible or uninformed.

For example, a buyer might request a new roof on a 13-year-old home. The roof might appear to have years of life remaining, but “insurance companies won’t insure it,” says Pizzuto. “That’s a big issue right now.”

Thus, a FSBO seller might reject what appears, on the surface, to be an unreasonable request, but is actually the standard buyer expectation.

The Mark Spain Real Estate advantage

Certainly, selling your house yourself can be tempting; however, understanding the benefits of hiring a full-service real estate agent helps sellers make an informed decision.

Local expertise in Florida’s major markets

Mark Spain Real Estate serves homeowners in Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa. Our agents understand the specific conditions of each market, and that deep knowledge directly affects your bottom line. Agents can:

• Price strategically based on real-time data, not guesswork or outdated comparables
• Position homes to attract multiple buyers by understanding exactly what buyers in your neighborhood want
• Identify unnecessary repairs, advising on which updates might provide a return on investment and which ones can be skipped based on local market conditions.

Three ways to sell

1. Guaranteed offer program. Skip the hassles of selling by owner entirely. Mark Spain Real Estate works with a network of pre-vetted investors to provide easy-close cash offers. A trusted agent will work with you to evaluate your options, some of which may offer flexible closing or leaseback options. While this option still requires paying a seller’s agent commission, you won’t need to pay a buyer’s agent.
2. Traditional listing with agent support. List your home on the market with full-service representation. Mark Spain Real Estate provides professional photography, develops informed pricing strategies, and handles all marketing, showings, and negotiations.
3. The best of both worlds. Start with a guaranteed cash offer as your safety net, then test the traditional market to see if you can secure a higher amount. You’ll have the certainty of a backup offer while still pursuing the highest possible price.

FSBO vs. Realtor: Make an informed decision

Selling your Florida home requires far more than a “For Sale” sign in the yard. For FSBO sellers, the combination of limited marketing reach, complex legal requirements, and negotiating challenges may result in lower net proceeds, despite attempts to save on commissions.

The stats tell a clear story: FSBO homes sell for less and take longer to close. Agent commissions seem like an added expense, but sellers who use agents typically end up with higher net proceeds. As Florida shifts toward a buyer’s market, with growing inventory and changing buyer expectations, professional guidance is increasingly valuable.

Ready to explore your options? Contact Mark Spain Real Estate for a free, no-obligation market analysis. Learn your home’s worth in today’s market, and understand how professional representation helps you achieve the best possible outcome: maximum profits, minimal stress.

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