It’s house hunting time again for us, and I noticed something about myself that worries me. I plan to sell my current place FSBO to save half the realtor fees, by listing the property on a FSBO website and paying around $400 I can get the listing added to the MLS, the database that all Realtors use to find new properties on the market. I plan to offer the buyers agent their cut of the commission in order to bring business to me, but save on the sellers side.
That’s because I am a DIYer, a value chaser, a ‘get it doner’. Today I fixed the trunk on the car, last week I fixed some crazy code on this website, going back a bit I repaired the faucet in my bathroom when the water stopped running, in doing so I may be the first person I know that used a pipe cleaner for cleaning a pipe rather than a crafting experiment….
The problem is, I am cheap, and I fix things myself, the FSBO listing is a massive example of a person who thinks like this this, and therefore when I look at a listing FSBO I see me, I just don’t know if the me I see did things the right way or the wrong way. Did they fix a pipe using chewing gum rather than call out a plumber? Did they research their own liens on the property rather than employ a good lawyer and later find out it has back taxes?
Truth be told I hate spending money on things, especially when most things can be fixed after watching a short YouTube video, it is the same mindset that buys things on sale, or likes to buy a pint at happy hour and clears off when the regular pricing kicks in…
I highly encourage everyone to be savvy with their money, and not spend wastefully, but when it comes to selling a home I think that is on the more extreme end of frugality and it might be indicative of cost savings on other parts of the home you are acquiring, being mindful that you are buying from a spendthrift is an important consideration when buying FSBO and makes it even more important to not skimp on the home inspection and make sure that everything is in order before you make an offer. Things like electrical work, heating and plumbing should be done by a Pro, or at least inspected and approved to code after being done by a DIYer. A FSBO home is a home of someone who likes to save money, let’s hope they didn’t cut too many corners that make your new house a lemon.
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