5 Common Mistakes People Make When Selling Their House By Owner

By Robert Urban, FSBO Enthusiast, Recovering Over-Pricer, and Unofficial President of the “Why Are There So Many Forms” Support Group

So, you decided to sell your house FSBO (For Sale By Owner). Congratulations, you brave, commission-dodging trailblazer. You’re marching boldly into the real estate battlefield armed with a “For Sale” sign, a folding table for open houses, and enough hope to power a small city.

And while I’m 100% cheering you on like the world’s least coordinated cheerleader, I’m also here to save you from a few classic blunders that can turn your FSBO dream into a Craigslist horror story.

Here are the 5 most common mistakes people make when selling their house by owner—and more importantly, how not to be one of them.

1. Overpricing the House (aka The “My House Is Special” Syndrome)

Look, I get it. You love your home. You know every creaky floorboard and questionable wallpaper choice has “character.” You raised babies and baked lasagna in that kitchen, dang it.

But here’s the truth: buyers don’t care about your emotional attachment. They care about comps, square footage, and how close your house is to a Starbucks.

Overpricing is the fastest way to scare off serious buyers and attract that one guy who wants to offer you $50,000 under asking while listing all the reasons your house “needs work.”

How to Avoid It:
Get a real, objective valuation. Pay for an independent appraisal or pull comparable sales (comps) from your area. Or better yet, use online tools AND ask for advice from an experienced FSBO consultant (hi again).

Price it right. Price it smart. Price it like you actually want it to sell.

2. Bad Photos (aka “My Thumb is the Main Character”)

Nothing screams “Please lowball me” quite like dark, blurry, weirdly-angled photos.
Buyers are judging your house before they even consider walking through the door. If your photos look like they were taken during a power outage by someone fleeing the scene, you’ve already lost half your market.

Common photo crimes:

• The thumb cameo
• Toilet seats up
• Flash reflection off every surface
• Weird selfies in bathroom mirrors
• Entire listings where every photo is just…the carpet

How to Avoid It:
Use a good smartphone, natural light, and a free photo editing app. Or, spend a few hundred bucks on professional real estate photography. It pays for itself faster than you can say “pending offer.”

Bonus Tip: Turn your phone sideways. Nobody wants to house hunt on a vertical sliver of sadness.

3. Weak Marketing (aka “If I Post It Once, They Will Come”)

“FSBO” does not stand for Forget Selling By Osmosis.

Throwing your listing on Craigslist with the title “Nice House – Must See” and waiting for a bidding war to break out isn’t a strategy—it’s a wish.

You need visibility. Everywhere.

• Zillow
• Realtor.com (yes, they allow FSBO listings with a little work)
• Facebook Marketplace and Local Groups
• Your own FSBO website
• Flyers at the local coffee shop
• Carrier pigeons if necessary

How to Avoid It:
Think like a marketer. Write a great description. Share it socially. Pay a little for boosted posts if you have to.
Your home deserves more than a grainy picture and the description, “Has walls.”

4. Letting Emotions Run the Show (aka “This House Deserves Better Buyers!”)

You’re proud of your home. You should be. But when buyers start picking it apart—
(“Hmmm…we don’t love the backsplash”)—it’s very easy to take it personally.

You must resist the urge to launch into a 30-minute monologue about how you hand-tiled that backsplash while pregnant and juggling two jobs.

Buyers don’t want to hear your life story—they want to envision theirs inside those walls.

How to Avoid It:
Detach. Practice saying, “Thank you for your feedback,” even when you secretly want to tell them their shoes are ugly.
Negotiation is business, not therapy. Keep it light, keep it professional, and always, always have an exit strategy for showings (i.e., go get a coffee or hide at Target).

5. Skipping the Legal Stuff (aka “I Printed a Contract Off the Internet, It’ll Be Fine”)

Real estate transactions involve serious paperwork. You need legal disclosures. You need correct contracts. You need contingency clauses, title searches, and the magical fairy dust that is earnest money.

If you skip the legal steps, you’re basically handing the buyer a “Sue Me” starter kit.

How to Avoid It:
Hire a real estate attorney or a reputable title company to help with contracts and closing. It’s not that expensive, and it’s infinitely cheaper than accidentally signing away your backyard pond to the buyer’s weird uncle.

Protect yourself. You’re running a real transaction now. Not a handshake-and-a-smile lemonade stand.

FSBO Is Freedom, But Freedom Needs a Plan

Selling your house by owner is empowering, profitable, and a little bit wild-in the best way.
But it’s also a serious endeavor, and mistakes can cost you time, money, and your last shred of patience.

So don’t be the guy who priced his house like it was built by Disney, took listing photos that belong in a Bigfoot documentary, and posted “Nice home must sell fast” on page 7 of Craigslist expecting miracles.

Be the smart FSBO seller.
The prepared one.
The one with the steady video tour, the fair price, the killer listing-and the closing date inked in pen, not hope.

You got this.

Need a Little Backup? Meet Your Secret Weapon: HOYOnow.com

If the idea of juggling pricing, marketing, negotiations, and legal paperwork sounds about as fun as doing your own dental work, let me introduce you to HOYOnow.com.
They help FSBO sellers just like you every step of the way-from organizing your documentation to helping you market like a pro, track your showings, manage offers, and stay legally buttoned-up without losing your mind (or your sale).

It’s like having a personal FSBO assistant who doesn’t eat your snacks or “accidentally” delete your files.
Check them out. Trust me-your future, slightly richer self will thank you.

-Robert Urban