Buying FSBO

Buying a home directly from the owner can be an advantage if the seller has priced their home competitively by eliminating some or almost all of the real estate commission from their asking price. Homes listed on the MLS include a commission for the buyer’s agent and a commission for the listing agent in the sales price paid by the buyer. If you're interested in making an offer on a for-sale-by-owner home, a Comparative Market Analysis, (CMA), which compares the size and value of the features of the seller’s home with comparable homes that have sold recently in the same area, will help you determine if the for-sale-by-owner home you’re interested in is priced well or not.

If the home is overpriced, you may still want to make an offer on it, but you are going to have to present credible support for a lower priced offer, or you risk the seller rejecting your offer outright. An exclusive buyer's agent will get the negotiating ball rolling by presenting your offer to the seller on your behalf and using a CMA as support for your offer price. Your offer price would include the commission for your exclusive buyer's agent, but since the listing agent’s commission at HomesByOwner.com is discounted, you’ll still save more than you would on a comparably priced home listed on the MLS. Most importantly, you’ll never risk the conflict of interests that exists when the listing agent represents both you and the seller at the same time. To find out more about working with an exclusive buyer's agent on your for-sale-by-owner home purchase, visit Carolina Buyer's Agent .