NAR's latest Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, covering sales from July 2024 through June 2025, put For Sale By Owner (FSBO) at just 5% of all U.S. home sales, an all-time low. Just as important, 60% of those FSBO sellers already knew their buyer before they listed. If you plan to sell your home without an agent to a stranger, you are attempting a harder version of the process than most of that 5% did, and the same data shows exactly where unrepresented sellers lose ground.
The record low, and the part most people miss
The same NAR 2025 Profile found a record 91% of sellers used an agent, and the most common reason FSBO sellers gave for selling on their own was that they sold to a friend, relative, or neighbor, cited by 30% of them. That should change how you read FSBO success stories: they are mostly hand-offs between people who already trusted each other, not cold listings competing for exposure against agent-backed homes.
The price gap is real, and pricing is where sellers bleed
FSBO homes sold for a median of $360,000 versus $425,000 for agent-assisted sales in that same survey, a $65,000 gap. NAR notes FSBO homes skew lower-priced and more rural, so the comparison is not purely cause and effect, but it runs the same direction as the seller surveys: a 2025 Clever Real Estate study found 64% of FSBO sellers did not reach their desired sale price, versus 31% of sellers who used an agent. With the 30-year fixed mortgage averaging 7.32% for the week ending October 22, 2026, per Freddie Mac, buyers negotiate hard, and an opening price just a few percent too high can cost you the first weeks of showings and your strongest offers. Price from closed comparables you can defend, not from online estimates or what you owe. The full method is in our FSBO pricing guide.
Paperwork is where unrepresented sellers admit the most errors
About 43% of FSBO sellers in the Clever survey admitted to making a legal or paperwork mistake. Purchase agreements, disclosure forms, and closing documents are state-specific, and a missed disclosure can cost you long after the keys change hands. If you are going for sale by owner in Connecticut, Washington, D.C., or Maryland, review the rules before you list: Connecticut requires an attorney at closing, while D.C. and Maryland carry their own disclosure and closing requirements. Work through the full FSBO seller checklist line by line, and do not sign a contract you cannot explain to a buyer.
The honest takeaway
The 5% figure is not a reason to avoid selling your home without an agent; it is a reason to know what the successful minority had that you may not: a known buyer, a defensible price, and clean paperwork. If you do not have a buyer lined up, you need to be exceptional at the other two. That is where a second opinion earns its keep. The Notable Pay at Close program, available through Coldwell Banker Realty, can fund the staging, repairs, and listing preparation up front, repaid from your proceeds at closing, which removes the most common budget excuse for going to market under-prepared.
If you want someone to stress-test your price and your plan before you go live, email Robert Clarke at robert.clarke@cbrealty.com or schedule a free consultation, and keep exploring the FSBO Guide library for the full playbook on selling your home without an agent.