FSBOs Reach All-Time Low

FSBOs Reach All-Time Low, More Sellers Rely on Agents

REALTOR® Magazine, article by Melissa Dittmann Tracey | November 11, 2025

Fewer homeowners are completing a For Sale By Owner transaction and heavily turning to real estate agents for guidance.

The number of homeowners trying to sell their home by themselves hit another record low this year—following last year’s previous low. That may be because sellers who go it alone often express regrets, while those who work with a real estate agent are reporting higher sales prices and a far less stressful experience.

For Sale By Owner transactions—better known as FSBOs—comprised just 5% of home sales during the past few years, beating out last year’s lowest on record of 7%, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. Meanwhile, a record high of 91% of home sellers sold their home with the assistance of a real estate agent.

“Real estate agents remain indispensable in today’s complex housing market,” says Jessica Lautz, NAR’s deputy chief economist. “Beyond guiding buyers and sellers through what is often the largest financial decision of their lives, agents provide critical expertise, negotiation skills and emotional support during an increasingly challenging process.”

The FSBO market share has been gradually shrinking over the last four decades, even as technological advances have entered more aspects of a real estate transaction. In 1985, FSBO sales comprised up to 21% of home sales. The FSBO share has stayed mostly in the single digits since 2010.

FSBOs Struggle to Sell Solo

Homeowners who sell on their own often fall short on the final sales price compared to those who work with a real estate agent. Over the past year, the median price for a FSBO sale was $360,000, versus $425,000 for agent-assisted sales, according to NAR’s data—an 18% gap in favor of agent-listed homes. The lower price point may reflect that FSBO homes tend to be more frequently lower-cost mobile homes or those located in rural areas.

Still, navigating the sales process on one’s own proves challenging. FSBO sellers most often said they struggled with pricing their home, preparing it for sale and selling within their desired timeframe, according to NAR’s home buyer and seller survey. Notably, 40% of FSBO sellers didn’t actively market their homes.

The most common motivations for homeowners to sell by owner include selling to a friend or relative or looking to avoid paying agent commission fees. Yet, a separate survey of FSBOs conducted by Clever Real Estate found most FSBO sellers still end up paying a buyer’s agent commission, often as a seller concession. Plus, about one in five eventually hire an agent to get their home sold.

More than half of FSBOs describe the selling process as stressful—and 47% even admit it brought them to tears, Clever’s survey finds. Forty-three percent admitted to making legal mistakes, and nearly 30% struggled with pricing their home, often relying on online estimators instead of professional comparative market analyses. Ultimately, 64% of FSBOs concede they did not achieve their desired sales price.

Why More Sellers Are Turning to Agents

Home sellers responding to NAR’s 2025 Profile said they decided to use a real estate agent because they wanted to be able to market their home to a wider pool of buyers and price the home more competitively. Eighty-six percent of sellers said their real estate agent provided a “broad range of services” and managed most aspects of their home sale. What’s more, 87% of sellers said they’d likely recommend their agent for future services.