For home sellers wanting to try their hand at FSBO, there’s good news: There are no Zillow for sale by owner fees. You can submit and edit your property listing, get it syndicated to Zillow’s sister site, Trulia, and keep the property posted until it sells — all for free.
As the most popular home-buying website, a free Zillow listing seems like a no-brainer for FSBO sellers. However, there are some caveats to be aware of regarding your Zillow listing being free.
No Zillow for sale by owner fees, but some risks
⚠️ Potentially lower sale price
Homes sold FSBO sell for an average of $55,000 less than homes sold with an agent, according to the National Association of Realtors.[1]
FSBO sellers themselves also report earning less. Here are some insights from a Clever Real Estate survey of 650 recent home sellers:
- FSBO sellers reported earning an average of $79,000 less profit than those who used an agent.
- Unrepresented sellers were 64% more likely to say they didn't sell for their desired profit than those who used an agent.
Saving on realtor fees was the top reason for selling FSBO. But if you save 3% on listing agent commission and sell your home for 10% below its true value, you're actually losing a lot of money — especially considering how much time and effort it takes to sell a house yourself.
Even for experienced sellers, there are often better and more profitable alternatives to selling FSBO on Zillow. One of the best options is working with a low-cost agent.
⚠️ No MLS access
Perhaps the biggest drawback to selling without a realtor on Zillow is that your listing won’t automatically appear on the multiple listing service (MLS), which means buyers and their agents will have a harder time finding it.
Only about 6% of homes are sold FSBO, and in 38% of those cases, the seller already knows the buyer.[1]
If you’re selling FSBO and don’t have a buyer yet, consider using a flat fee MLS listing service.
These services charge a fixed fee (usually a few hundred dollars) to have a broker list your home on the MLS, increasing your listing’s visibility to potential buyers. However, apart from the agent providing MLS access, you handle the sale on your own.
⚠️ Zillow nudges buyers into using agents
If your buyer has an agent, you may want to pay the buyer’s agent commission, which averages around 2.5% of the home's sale price.
Recent NAR settlement changes mean buyers now negotiate commissions directly with their agents.[2] But most buyers may still expect sellers to cover the cost of their agent through a seller concession.
While you may want to save money by not paying the buyer's agent commission, this can backfire. The buyer would have to pay their agent. "Most buyers aren’t willing to do this, or they may not be able to afford to, so they pass on most FSBOs," says Colorado agent Sean Gilliam, who's worked with buyers interested in FSBO properties.
You could avoid paying the buyer's agent commission if your buyer doesn't have an agent.
But Zillow encourages buyers to work with agents by prominently featuring a “Contact Agent” button at the top of each listing page. The button stays visible as buyers scroll down.
To find your contact information, buyers must scroll down the page and click “Property Owner.” This link opens a form where the buyer can email you directly, but the link is in smaller text and isn't immediately noticeable.
Zillow's design choices are tied to its revenue model. The company earns a fee every time a potential buyer clicks "Contact Agent" on your listing. However, if a buyer contacts you directly, Zillow doesn't profit.
⚠️ Calls from listing agents and unqualified buyers
Be ready for a high volume of calls — not just from potential buyers, but from real estate agents hoping to convince you to list with them. "Calling those selling without a realtor is one of the most basic things virtually all realtors learn to do," FSBO expert Gregory Schmidt said on Reddit.
You may also get calls from buyers who aren't serious or financially ready to make an offer. Hans Baker, an FSBO seller, shared his experience: "I'd have 14 or 15 people look at the house, but a lot of them weren't qualified. They didn't have a lender or realtor."
This is where working with an agent can make a difference. Realtors typically pre-qualify buyers before showings, ensuring that only those who are financially ready get through the door.
LEARN: Which real estate companies offer the lowest commission?
⚠️ Inaccurate Zestimates
Most buyers know a Zestimate isn't completely accurate, but problems can arise if it differs too much from your listing price. If the listing price is much higher than the Zestimate, they may feel your home is overpriced.
"My main challenge was that Zillow had my house listed at $662,000, and I was asking $725,000, because I had added a basement that was finished and heated," said Baker. "I never updated it on Zillow, and many people had trouble with that."
After six months without a legitimate offer, Baker pulled the home off the market. "Then at the next tax season, when Zillow updated the square footage and value based on the tax base, all of a sudden people wanted it," he explained.
While you can't change your Zestimate directly, you can get it as close to accurate as possible by keeping your home facts up-to-date.
⚠️ Trouble setting the right listing price
A competitive asking price is one of your best marketing tools when selling a house, but getting the number right can be tricky, with 28% of home sellers saying "pricing my home" is the hardest part of selling FSBO.
Most agents are happy to offer a free comparative market analysis (CMA), which shows a suggested listing price based on comparable home sale data and area market trends. Just be sure to get the opinion of more than one agent, which will help you arrive at an objective figure.
» Get a free CMA from a top local realtor — no unwanted calls or obligation to sign a listing.
If you'd prefer to bypass agents altogether, a few hundred dollars will usually cover the cost of a professional appraisal.
But keep in mind that an appraisal won't always align with a realtor's suggested listing price, since the data it uses to value your home may not reflect the most recent changes in the market. In a fast-moving market, home values can rise and fall faster than comparable sales can keep up with.
❗Don't rely on Zillow's Zestimate
You should never price your home based only on the Zestimate (Zillow’s estimate of what your home is worth). Based on Zillow’s data, Zestimates for off-market homes have a median error rate of over 7%. On a $500,000 home, that’s a difference of more than $35,000!
How to list FSBO on Zillow
- Create your Zillow account. You’ll need an email address, password, and smartphone number.
- Navigate to the "Post a For Sale by Owner Listing" page. Go to the Zillow home page. Hover over the “Sell” tab at the top of the page, and click “Post for Sale by Owner” in the drop-down menu.
- Enter your address and verify your home’s location on the Zillow map. You can adjust it if needed.
- Create your FSBO listing by entering the following information on the submission page.
- Enter your sale price. Set a competitive asking price based on comparable listings or ask a realtor for a more detailed comparative market analysis, which many will provide for free.
- Upload photos and videos. Choose high-quality images that showcase your home’s key features.
- Update your home facts. Make sure any prefilled information about your home is accurate, including the type of home, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, lot size, year built, HOA fees, etc.
- Fill in optional information. In addition to basic home facts, you can choose to:
- Describe what you love about the house
- Check off any additional rooms in your house, apart from bedrooms and bathrooms
- List any noteworthy building or community amenities
- Enter information about your home’s utilities, appliances, architectural style, construction, and flooring
- Note special features, such as a garage, boat dock, or water view
- Provide an open house schedule
- Enter your phone number. Zillow will need a valid phone number to verify your listing.
- Submit your listing. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click “Post for sale by owner” to submit your Zillow listing for review. You’ll first need to agree to Zillow’s service terms and conditions.
- Wait for your verification call from Zillow. Once you submit your listing, Zillow will call you at the number provided during signup to verify your listing information. This may take anywhere from a few minutes up to 72 hours. Make sure you answer Zillow’s verification call to avoid your listing being removed and having to start the process over again.
After verification, your listing will appear in the search results and be sent to users who have signed up to receive notifications about new listings in your area.
Reasons you may not see your property include:
- You missed the verification call
- Your listing is still being processed, which can take up to 72 hours
- You answered a question incorrectly during the phone verification
You can troubleshoot listing issues on Zillow's "Where is my for sale by owner listing?" help page.
Your FSBO listing will remain active on Zillow for 90 days unless you cancel it. If your home doesn’t sell within 90 days, you can extend the listing from your owner dashboard.
To update your Zillow FSBO listing:
- Log in to Zillow, and select your profile icon at the top-right corner of the homepage.
- Select “Your home,” then “Edit listing.”
- Make changes to your listing. You can edit the listing price, photos, videos, number of bedrooms, size, and more. If you want to add a 3D home tour, select “Add 3D home.”
- Save your changes by selecting “Update For Sale By Owner” at the bottom of the page.
When you make changes via your Zillow dashboard, they appear almost immediately. However, if you update the MLS, they can take up to 72 hours to show up on Zillow.
Avoid frequently changing your listing price, since it can deter potential buyers.
Zillow FSBO listings automatically remain active for 90 days. You can extend your listing for free for another 90 days by following these steps.
- Log in to Zillow.
- Click your profile icon at the top-right corner of the homepage.
- Select “Your home.”
- Select “More,” then choose “Extend listing.”
- A prompt appears to confirm that you want to extend your listing. Click “Extend listing.”
You’ll receive a confirmation with a new expiration date. You can extend your listing as many times as you want.
You can cancel your FSBO listing on Zillow anytime by following these steps:
- Log in to Zillow.
- Click your profile icon at the top-right corner of the homepage.
- Select “Your home."
- Select “More,” then choose “Cancel listing."
- A prompt asks if you're canceling the listing because your house has sold or because you no longer wish to sell it. Choose the appropriate response.
- Select “Update Status” to confirm the cancellation of your listing.
Tips for selling FSBO on Zillow
Take quality photos. Your house is one of many that will appear in local search results, so be sure your photo quality and quantity match that of other nearby listings.
Screen your calls. Consider using a separate Google Voice number to screen calls related to your Zillow listing. You can also have a pre-recorded voicemail or text message with instructions for scheduling a showing, including any information you require, such as a legal name, phone number, and preferred showing times.
Ask for proof of funds. Let prospective buyers (and their agents) know you require a pre-approval letter or other proof of funds before accessing your property. This will help you weed out casual lookers and ensure you're dealing with serious buyers.
Be thorough with your home facts. To avoid your Zestimate being too far off from your listing price, provide complete home facts — including any upgrades or renovations you've made since purchasing the property. You should also include photos of your home's current state.
Market your home elsewhere. Once your listing is live, hit the share link and post it to your Facebook page and local community groups with as many photos as you can, suggests Schmidt. "It takes a week or so, but after that, you will get traction." Schmidt also suggests including a short (15-second) video to grab more attention when trying to sell on Facebook.
Consider contacting buyer's agents directly. "If you are offering a buyer's agent commission, and you are not getting any traffic, then you can reach out to local agents and tell them your home is for sale," suggests Schmidt. "If inventory is low in your area, then agents have a backlog of buyers they can't find homes for. Letting them know about your listing and offering compensation may be helpful."
Alternatives to selling FSBO on Zillow
List with a discount broker
If you want to save on realtor fees, but wouldn't mind having an agent do the work, consider selling with a low-commission realtor instead.
These agents typically offer the same services as traditional realtors but at a significantly lower commission rate. They list your home on the MLS and provide comprehensive support throughout the selling process. Having a licensed and insured agent to coordinate tours, screen offers, and negotiate contract details is usually a lot less risky than selling on your own.
Discount brokers like Clever Real Estate match you with quality agents from well-known brands like Keller Williams and RE/MAX. If you move forward with an agent, you'll pay a low 1.5% listing fee instead of the standard 3%.
Use a flat fee MLS company
Using a flat fee MLS service is the only way to list your home on the MLS without a real estate agent.
MLS listings also appear on hundreds of home search sites, including Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, and Redfin.
Flat fee MLS companies vary in cost and level of service. Some post your listing for as little as $100, while others charge a higher fee for add-ons like lockboxes and agent consultations.
One catch is that your contact information won’t appear publicly. Instead, inquiries go to the listing broker. Before hiring a flat fee MLS company, ask how the broker will forward buyer inquiries to you. This detail can significantly impact your listing success.
Sell to a cash buyer
Cash buyers can make instant offers and close within 7–14 days. They have readily available funds, eliminating the need for financing. Many cash investors also cover seller closing costs. However, cash buyers typically only pay about 60–80% of a home's potential value, with 70% being the norm.
Selling to a "we buy houses" company is typically best when:
- You have a home that requires extensive repairs
- You have an inherited home in poor or outdated condition
- You care more about selling quickly than getting the highest price
To get a fair offer, try a free cash offer marketplace like Clever Offers. You’ll get cash offers to compare from local and national investors, and a dedicated point of contact to help you understand other options like seller financing. You’ll also get a professional home valuation to compare the cash offers to your home’s market value.
FAQ about Zillow for sale by owner fees
Yes, FSBO sellers can list on Zillow. However, if you don't have a realtor, your listing won't be displayed with agent listings. Instead, it'll be in a section of Zillow that's harder to find. You'll likely get far fewer potential buyers than if you list with an agent.
If you use a flat fee MLS listing service, your house appears on Zillow automatically.
Zillow primarily earns money by charging property management companies, realtors, and brokerages for ads on listings. It also makes money when buyers connect with Zillow-affiliated agents. This setup makes direct connections between FSBO sellers and buyers challenging.
Many agents also pay to be in Zillow's Premier Network to gain more visibility and leads. These agents receive user data from Zillow, then approach FSBO sellers to encourage them to use an agent. While FSBO sellers don't pay Zillow directly, their listings still contribute to Zillow's revenue.
It's beneficial to advertise your home on Zillow whether you're selling FSBO or with an agent. Zillow exposes your listing to many potential buyers. However, selling a house involves more than just a Zillow listing. If you decide FSBO isn't right for you, consider working with a real estate agent who offers discounted listing fees.
When you create a FSBO listing manually, it takes Zillow up to 72 hours to verify that you're the property owner and post it. If you list your house on the MLS, it should appear on Zillow quickly (24–48 hours max). Find other websites that let you list your house for sale by owner.
