For Sale by Owner (FSBO) -- Do you want to sell your Ottawa home without a real estate broker? Doing so can save you a commission but requires that you devote time and energy not only to marketing and showing the house but also to learning and following the legal rules controlling sales of real estate in your area.

FSBO Rationale
In most cases, the seller attempts to sell their property on their own to avoid paying the Ottawa real estate agent commission. This commission is generally six percent of the selling price of the home. Three percent goes to the agent that lists (sells) the home and three percent goes to the agent that represents the buyer.

While this rationale makes a lot of sense to the average person, it can often be difficult to sell one's own Ottawa home. At first glance the statistics below make it seem that one is likely to lose money by not using an agent. However an informed and determined seller can make a fair return by selling their own home.

History of FSBO
Long before the Internet, companies existed that assisted property sellers in selling their homes "by owner". These companies provided free computer matched listings and monthly magazines full of "by owner" listings. Their goal was to use aggressive advertising techniques to attract buyers and provide them with lists of "by owner" properties for sale.

As the Internet market grew, some of these "brick and mortar" companies expanded to the Internet, while other companies took advantage of the Internet by creating Internet Only services.

According to Google, there are over 75 million matches on the phrase "by owner".

Ottawa For Sale By Owner Web Sites
There are a number of real estate web sites in Ottawa that offer homeowners the ability to get more exposure for their homes. Ideally when selling your Ottawa home on your own, you should get all the exposure your can - List on all web sites that allow you the opportunity to do so. Ottawa Realtors have the benefit of Ottawa Multiple Listing system or MLS has greater reach than all For Sale by Owner web sites put together.