The Basics

“A la carte” real estate services have blurred once-clear lines between ‘by owner’ and full-service agent-supported sales.

What does it really mean to sell  a house ‘by owner?’

How ‘by owner’ sellers define themselves is not how the National Association of Realtors defines them – and therein lies a major discrepancy in the NAR’s statistical analysis. 

Who gets the check at closing – you or the agent? Many of today’s sellers bought with little or no money down. They may have taken out home equity loans to further ‘invest’ in their houses…only to find that the unprecedented collapse of the American housing market has nearly wiped out all their equity.  
Here is how to figure out if an agent’s commission would carry away all of your equity. Do the math to pinpoint how much equity you have in your house.