FSBO Jargon – The Language of the FSBO Seller

Selling your home on your own makes a lot of sense from a financial perspective. Even though the real estate market has cooled off considerably, home prices are still pumped up compared to historical references. At 6 percent, the commission of a real estate agent can add up to a lot of money. On a $500,000 home, we are talking about a whopping $30,000, which can really eat into the equity you have built up over the years.

If you make the decision to go FSBO, you need to understand a few things. You are essentially taking the oars of the boat and doing all the rowing yourself. This means you need to understand both the concepts involved and the language used during the real estate process. Here are some tips.

FSBO – This term is short for “For Sale By Owner”. It is important to understand that it is used as a noun in the real estate industry. Simply put, you are a FSBO. Agents helping buyers will refer to you and your property by this term. Selling agents will also contact you frequently to try to convert you from a FSBO to a listing client, to wit, they want you to hire them.

FFMLS – This term refers to Flat Fee Multiple Listing Service. Many people that consider selling their home with an agent worry that they will not be able to list their property in the multiple listing service for the area. In the past, the “MLS” was a list controlled solely by agents and realtors. These days, there are ways to access it without using a real estate agent. You can pay a Flat Fee for your listing, thus the name.

CMA – This term refers to a Comparable Market Analysis. It is essentially a breakdown of homes in your neighborhood. Information includes things such as the listing prices of homes, valuations and so on. As a FSBO seller, you can obtain a CMA by just contacting a real estate agent. They use these reports as lead generators and give them out for free. Tell them you are a FSBO and they will still give you one. The eternal hope of the agent, of course, is that you will fail as a FSBO and hire them.

Obviously, there are many terms that arise in the real estate world. Most apply whether or not you are using an agent to promote your property. The above represent a couple you need to know as a FSBO.

Raynor James is with FSBO America - save money when selling and buying with FSBO (www.fsboamerica.org) homes for sale by owner.

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