Zillow For Sale By Owner Fees: Is It Really Free?

Jump to: How to list on Zillow | Risks to be aware of | Advice from FSBO sellers | Alternatives | Zillow FSBO reviews | FAQ

For home sellers wanting to try their hand at FSBO, there’s good news: Zillow doesn’t charge any listing 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, with 60 million monthly visitors, a free Zillow listing seems like a no-brainer for FSBO sellers. However, there are some caveats to be aware of when it comes to your Zillow listing being free.

It's free to list your home on Zillow, but...

Zillow doesn’t give you MLS access

Perhaps the biggest drawback to selling without a realtor on Zillow is that your listing won’t automatically appear on the MLS, which means buyers and their agents will have a harder time finding it.

Currently, only about 7% of homes are sold FSBO, and in 57% of those cases, the seller already knows the buyer.

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.

Just look out for hidden fees and make sure you understand how interested buyers will be routed to you, since your contact information won't appear publicly — buyers will need to go through either the listing broker (who may not forward leads) or a buyer's agent with MLS access.

» JUMP TO: Top alternatives to selling FSBO on Zillow

Zillow’s search interface disadvantages FSBO sellers

When buyers search for homes on Zillow, the map’s default view only shows properties represented by listing agents. To see FSBO properties, buyers must select the “By owner & other” filter buried in the “More” menu. The button is easy to overlook, and many buyers don’t know it exists.

This reduced visibility can cause your FSBO listing to get less buyer interest. That means your home may spend more time on the market, which could make it harder to get your desired asking price.

Zillow nudges buyers into using agents

When you list for sale by owner (FSBO) on Zillow, you may still need to pay the buyer’s agent commission.

While recent NAR settlement changes mean commissions are now negotiable between buyers and their agents before even listing a property for sale, most buyers will still expect sellers to cover the cost of their agent through a seller concession.[1]

Zillow also encourages buyers to work with agents by prominently featuring a “Contact Agent” button on each listing page.

To find your contact information, buyers must scroll to the bottom of the Overview section and click “Property Owner.” This link opens a form where the buyer can email you directly, but the link isn’t immediately noticeable.

Zillow's design choices are tied to its revenue model. While listing FSBO on Zillow is free for you, Zillow earns money when it connects realtors with customers through the site.

Zillow 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.

How to list FSBO on Zillow

To learn how to list FSBO on Zillow, click “Get Started” for a visual guide or follow the written steps below:

1. Create your Zillow account. You’ll need an email address, password, and smartphone number.

2. Once you’ve signed in and verified your email address, navigate to the “Sell” tab and click on “Post for Sale by Owner” in the dropdown menu.

3. On the next screen, enter your property address and verify your home’s location on the Zillow map. You can adjust it if needed.

4. Once your address is verified, you can 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.

5. 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.

• IMPORTANT: Be sure to answer Zillow’s call to avoid your listing being removed and having to start the process over again.

After verification, your listing will start appearing in the search results and be sent to users who have signed up to receive notifications about new listings in your area.

Why don't I see my Zillow for sale by owner listing? Zillow now separates its listings into two categories within the search results page: Agent Listings and Other Listings. If your home is listed For Sale by Owner, it will appear under the Other Listings results. Unfortunately, Zillow's search results default to Agent Listings, so home buyers will need to filter specifically for "By owner & other listings" to see your property. Currently, there's no way to see combined listings in the search results or move a For Sale by Owner listing to the Agent Listings tab. Other reasons you may not see your property include: You missed the verification callYour listing is still being processed, which can take up to 72 hoursYou answered a question incorrectly during the phone verification You can trouble-shoot 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.

Common risks of selling FSBO on Zillow

Calls that lead nowhere | Inaccurate Zestimates | Stalemates over agent fees | Pricing mistakes | Less revenue

⚠️ Calls that lead nowhere

"Expect to get a ton of calls from agents wanting the listing," FSBO expert Gregory Schmidt said on Reddit. "With today's low inventory, realtors have to search harder and harder for homes to sell. Calling those selling without a realtor is one of the most basic things virtually all realtors learn to do."

Additionally, not everyone who asks to look at your house will be genuinely interested or financially qualified to buy it.

"A lot of people came to look but weren't necessarily interested in buying," explains Hans Baker, who has had both successful and unsuccessful attempts at FSBO. "I was a local trim contractor, and I think some people were just curious to see the work I had done. Not a lot of serious buyers."

"The advantage to having a realtor is that a lot of times they pre-qualify people," continues Baker. "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. A realtor will sort of screen the people who are messing around."

LEARN: Which real estate companies offer the lowest commission?

⚠️ Inaccurate Zestimates

While most buyers know that a Zestimate isn't perfectly accurate, problems can arise if it differs too much from your listing price. Buyers can see your property’s listing price and Zestimate side by side. They may feel your home is overpriced if the listing price is a lot higher than the Zestimate.

"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," says Baker. "I never updated it on Zillow, and a lot of people had trouble with that."

After 6 months without a legitimate offer, Baker ended up pulling 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," the homeowner explains.  

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.

⚠️ Stalemates over buyers' agent fees

Understandably, homeowners want to save money — which is the top reason for selling FSBO. However, trying to avoid paying a buyer's agent commission can back fire.

The vast majority of homes (88%) are purchased through an agent, while only 5% of homes are bought directly from the previous owner — most often in cases where the seller already knows the buyer.[2]

With your visibility already limited due to a lack of MLS exposure, refusing to work with a buyer's agent makes it that much harder to sell your home.

"If the homeowner is not willing to negotiate a commission, then the buyer will have to pay their agent," says Colorado real estate agent Sean Gilliam, who's worked with several buyers interested in FSBO properties. "Most buyers aren’t willing to do this, or they may not be able to afford to, so they pass on most FSBOs."

As a result, says Gilliam, "most FSBO’s sit on the market for a while and end up dropping the price, Some end up hiring an agent because the process turned out to be more than they bargained for."

⚠️ Missing the mark on 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 will show 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 land on an objective figure.

» Get expert pricing advice from top local realtors — 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!

⚠️ Less revenue

You may have already seen the NAR report indicating that homes sold FSBO sell for 23% less than homes sold with an agent. But FSBO sellers themselves also report earning less.

• Among more than 650 recent home sellers surveyed by Clever Real Estate, those who sold FSBO reported earning an average of $79,000 less in profit than those who used an agent.[3]
• While saving on realtor fees was the top reason for selling FSBO, unrepresented sellers were 64% more likely to say they didn't sell for their desired profit compared to those who used an agent.

If you “save” 3% on listing agent commission but sell your home for 10% below its true value, you’ll still lose 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.

Advice 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 matches 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 upfront about the buyer's agent commission. If you plan to offer a credit for the buyer's agent commission, specify that in your listing. Otherwise, agents may assume you're not willing to work with them and steer their buyers away from your listing.

• Be thorough with your home facts. To avoid your Zestimate being too far off from your listing price, be sure to 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 put up, 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 buyers' agents directly. "If you are offering a buyers 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 coordinator tours, screen offers, and negotiate contract details is usually a lot less risky than selling on your own.

Free agent-finding services 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 2.5–3%.

» Compare agents, choose the best fit, and sell for just 1.5% – no extra fees or obligation to move forward

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.

Once on the MLS, your listing is included in Zillow’s main search results instead of hidden in the "By owner & other" results page. This makes your property easier for buyers and agents to find.

MLS listings also appear on hundreds of other home search sites, including Realtor.com, Homes.com, Redfin, and others that pull listings directly from MLS data.

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
• Have an inherited home in poor or outdated condition
• 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 so you can compare the cash offers to your home’s market value.

Zillow reviews from FSBO sellers

Generally, FSBO sellers and other customers give Zillow poor reviews. On the review site Consumer Affairs, Zillow has a cumulative average of 1.1 out of 5 stars across 700+ reviews. On Trustpilot, Zillow has a rating of 1.5 out of 5 stars across 300+ reviews.

After analyzing the reviews, we found these themes:

✅ Helpful features on the site: “Zillow presents a logical and statistical approach to posting real estate options. … The market trends, pricing and property descriptions offered by Zillow are superior to any I have reviewed in the past and would be invaluable to anyone looking to buy!” —Thomas, Consumer Affairs

❌ Incorrect information in the listing: “Zillow isn't allowing us to edit the listing, and is showing inaccurate descriptions of our home. … I have tried emailing, calling for weeks now with no response. I even tried deleting our posting and paying for a brand new listing, but instead they just reposted the old, inaccurate details again.” —Laura, Consumer Affairs

❌ Inaccurate Zestimates: “Zillow’s estimate of my property is so far off the mark, it’s absurd. All they will say is ‘our computer does it and we leave it.’ They don’t investigate the hard information to see if their computer is completely wrong.” —Marci R., Trustpilot

❌ Pushy sales tactics: “Upon listing on Zillow, realtors bombarded me with wanting to 'help' me or list the home. After getting over 300 calls, texts, and emails in only 12 days, I de-listed it.” —Sharron R., Trustpilot

❌ Hidden FSBO listings: "Zillow changed their format so the average person cannot find For Sale By Owners. You have to know to click on the 'other listing' box or you never see them. I can't find anyplace easy to inform you of that. If you don't want to list them just do away with the service, don't make people feel like they are using a useful service." —Mike C., Trustpilot

❌ Poor customer service: "Recently listed my home, which was priced by an experienced real estate agent. Zillow's Zesitmate was over 100k less than the listing price, and I contacted them to address the issue. It’s been over two days, and still nobody has gotten back to me. I sent it again today, and still no response." —Don C., Trustpilot

You can expect an easy listing process if you sell FSBO on Zillow. But be prepared for numerous calls and emails from agents trying to steer you toward listing with them instead of selling on your own. This happens because Zillow sells data on FSBO sellers to its agents.

Some customers also complained about customer service and the difficulty potential buyers have finding FSBO listings on Zillow.

FAQ

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