Arrive at the door and state right away that you have had something very urgent come up, and you can only stay 15 minutes. And then get in and get out.

That's a good idea, thanks!

My only advise is consider a FSBO as a scam. They are so CHEAP they don't want to pay a Realtor a commission, and they are so SHADY, they will hide things. Watch your back. Step away.

She said she was going to try it on her own for 2 weeks and if it doesn't work out, she'll go with an agent. She's definitely not shady and has been the VP of a well-respected local non-profit. Pretty sure this is her first home and I do believe she's a bit naive in thinking she should get reimbursed for all the improvements she has made that aren't necessarily things we would have done.

In her defense, I'd suggest that she really didn't care about letting your husband "explain our situation to her." I don't believe your situation matters to her.

All that matters to her is that you want to buy a house in her neighborhood, and she'd like you to buy hers.

dukes up salti! I am NOT a real estate agent, but I know the sad FSBO stories out there. If the OP really wants the house, she needs to bring the FSBO seller to their knees. Repairs that THEY pay for. And verified comps that justify the price.

I've bought only once FSBO. And I sold only once FSBO.

In both cases there was no "scam" involved and in each case obviously both the seller and the buyer thought they got good or at least decent value. If you believe that bringing a realtor into the mix guarantees an ethical and open transaction, you would be very sadly mistaken.

To paint a FSBO seller a scammer when you know nada, zip, zero about the situation says a lot about your knowledge and experience.

i don't duel with unarmed people. lol

Just to follow up. It went just fine. She wasn't overwhelming and while we went in not wanting to like the place or her, we liked both. If a house like hers had been available when we were looking 8 years ago, we probably would have bought it on the spot. But now we'd have to do some major downsizing and will still probably take a loss in the sale of our home.

C J -

I don't want this to sound rude and it is a bit presumptive, but it sounds like you are making a very common financial "mistake" when you are considering the loss you are going to take on your current home.

I am not trying to be critical of you, and it is something that I have done many times myself. But the amount of money you paid for your current home shouldn't be a factor in whether or not you buy a new home. While it does certainly factor into whether or not you can afford the new home, it is a sunk cost (you can Google it, if you don't remember the term). All that matters, for the financial side of the decision, are the avoidable costs. The only thing you should consider is, will you be better off in the future if you buy the new house.

I know people hate it when I go all math - but here I go. Suppose you paid $200,000 for your house, that is now only worth $150,000. You know if you wait 5 years the price will rise to break even and you can sell then, but you are considering purchasing a different house for $165,000. So all that really matters is what do you think the $165,000 will be worth in 5 years. If the $165,000 house will be worth more than $215,000, then financially you should buy it. Because the house will appreciate more than yours.

This may not be what you are doing, you may be referring to affordability, and if so, I am just putting this in here for future readers.

We've been discussing this and while her house is very nice and in a nice subdivision, we came home to our house and saw all the things we liked better about it. It's just that hers is all shiny and new while ours is about 10 years old now with some things (like Formica countertops) that we've meant to update since we moved in. My husband thinks he'd rather spend the money updating ours rather than struggling to afford hers.

And while we like the subdivision she's in, the town itself is pretty dumpy with empty stores everywhere. It's adjacent to a big city and one of the most exclusive areas of that city, but friends who live there tell us crime is increasing in the area. We're further out and in a nice town that's nicer overall. Crime is much lower. We've also got better and closer shopping. It's just a bit of a drive for friends to come see us.

Suzi,

I believe you are not a real estate agent, since a successful real estate agent would not make the type of comments regarding FSBO as you did.

CJ Mac,

on a related note: After we got our previous home ready to be sold, we noticed how much nicer it looked, asking why we were considering moving :)

It sounds like the most important factor, location, is superior with your current home. So, yes, I'd spend some time and money to update your home. In addition, simply selling and buying a new house will already cost you thousands, which you could invest in your current home. Best of luck to you!

My only advice regarding this comment "My only advise is consider a FSBO as a scam. They are so CHEAP they don't want to pay a Realtor a commission, and they are so SHADY, they will hide things. Watch your back. Step away." is avoid listening to anyone who makes such generalizations and bases their opinions on anecdotal evidence. Give me a break, there are plenty of realtors who hide things and will be shady and work you over to make themselves a commission.

Someone selling their home FSBO may want to avoid a realtors commission because they can do everything a realtor can do for a fraction of the cost. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and it's usually realtors who have the biggest problem with that concept. Paying a realtor 3% (or 6% depending on which end of the transaction you are on) doesn't protect you from squat. There have been plenty of stories on these pages regarding terrible realtors and problems so don't delude yourself into thinking a realtor means you won't buy a home that sucks or that you will get a deal. Of course you would do your due diligence like most people would.

Additionally, there should be nothing wrong with someone wanting to make as much profit on their home. It's the buyers decision whether they want to pay that price or not. Maybe silly that she would put all her cards on the table but in my honest opinion, that is better for you. Most of the time people who divulge too much information do the other party a favor in the end.

Glad to hear you are staying put CJ. I think from what you have described of the other location, you are better off. Make yourselves happy with the remodel of your home. When we have remodeled we did things that we really liked. Not what may have been good for resale. As far as what Suzi said, we will be doing a FSBO on this home we own when we downsize. I am not shady or a scammer. We have not had good experiences with any of the Realtors we have used, and I'll let it go at that. Perhaps Suzi was having a bad day and didn't think before she posted. NancyLouise

The biggest scammer I have ever encountered was a real estate agent.

I imagine there might be some FSBOs who are ignorant and naive, but scammers? I bet there are very few people who are willing to use their home as a scam.

Go FSBO whenever possible. Work the situation out with the Seller. Use a real estate attorney to review your documents for a few hundred. Much better deal all around. Make sure you follow local requirements. Not rocket science. Find out what needs to be done in terms of disclosures and make sure the Seller provides all the necessary forms. Make sure you are preapproved quickly and provide a letter to the Seller, and keep the Seller updated on the transaction.

Piece of cake.