How to Sell a House Without a Realtor in Alaska

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  Written by Alex Long

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  Edited by Lindsay Stefan

Should I sell without a realtor? | Cost of selling FSBO | How to sell without a realtor | FSBO paperwork | Best alternative: discount realtors | FAQs

Selling your home without a realtor means you won’t have to pay a listing commission, which in Alaska averages 2.5% of the sale price. Considering a typical Alaska house is worth about $336,000, that’s a savings of $8,534.

However, trying to sell a home For Sale by Owner (FSBO) can be tough. It will cost you a lot of time and energy.

In the end, selling a house without a real estate agent isn’t worth it for most homeowners in Alaska. Especially considering there are low commission real estate companies that offer professional assistance for a lower cost. 

If you’re considering FSBO in Alaska, read on to find out everything you need to know to do it successfully.

Should I sell my house without a realtor?

Selling a house for sale by owner in Alaska comes with many pros and cons. While it’s not recommended for everyone, FSBO can help experienced home sellers save on commission—but only if they know what they’re doing. 

✅Selling your home without a realtor might be right for you if…

• You want to save on commission
• You have plenty of time to take on the responsibilities of a real estate agent
• You already have a buyer lined up 
• You’re in a hot seller’s market and you have a desirable home

🚫 Selling without a realtor might not be right for you if…

• You don’t have a lot of free time
• You’ve never sold a home in Alaska
• You want to sell for market value – or higher

If you’re still not sure, check out our thorough guide to selling FSBO to help you decide. If you’re open to other options, some low-commission real estate companies, like Clever Real Estate, allow you to work with a top local real estate agent at half the typical cost.

Cost of selling a house without a realtor in Alaska

Below, you’ll find a list of prices for common services you might want to consider if you decide to sell without a realtor. However, know that if your home is in need of repairs or is in a buyer’s market, you might need to spend a lot more to prep and market your property.

💸 Common costs for FSBO sellers

Appraisal	$315 to $420	To price your home more accurately
Photography	$121	To compete with homes listed by agents
Staging	$1,529	To stand out to local buyers
Real estate attorney	$275 to $350 per hour	To assist with paperwork, contracts, and legal requirements
Flat fee MLS listing	$300 to $500	To get listed on the MLS
Buyer’s agent commission	2.5% of sale price	To compensate the agent that represents the buyer (it’s customary for the seller to pay)

Overall, on average, it costs 7.5% of the home price to sell by owner and about 10% of the home price to sell with a real estate agent. However, the amount you’ll actually save will depend on repairs you need to make, concessions, and other expenses.

Use our calculator to get an idea of how much you can expect to spend if you sell without a realtor.

If you’re considering selling without a realtor in Alaska, check out our friends at Clever Real Estate. Clever eliminates all the hassles and headaches of FSBO while helping you pay less than you would for a traditional realtor.

In Alaska, sellers pay an average of 2.5% to a listing agent. Considering the median home value in Alaska is $336,000, that amounts to $8,534. But with Clever, you can sell with a top local agent for just 1.5%, letting you keep more of your home’s equity in your pocket.

7 steps to sell a home in Alaska without a realtor

Selling a home without a realtor involves many of the same steps as selling with one, except you’re on your own. To learn more about the basic steps to sell, read our simple, 12-step guide to selling a house. 

For Alaska FSBO sellers, here’s what you need to know.

1. Get your home ready to sell

Prepare your Alaska home before marketing and listing it. This can involve simple tasks like:

• Making small repairs
• Applying a new coat of paint
• Shoveling the sidewalk and driveway
• Cleaning and decluttering the house
• Enhancing the curb appeal and landscaping

Most home prep should be confined to smaller, less expensive tasks. Although, you may want to consider larger tasks, like replacing appliances, if it’s likely to be a dealbreaker for potential buyers. Just be sure you can reasonably expect a good return on your investment for more expensive items.

Make it easy for buyers to imagine the house as their own. This means applying neutral paint colors, removing personal items, and keeping a minimalist aesthetic throughout the home.

Your prep should also include staging and taking photos for marketing your listing. You can do these things yourself or hire a professional.

In Alaska, staging costs $1,529 on average, and photography averages $140. If you decide to DIY your staging and photography, make sure you don’t cut corners — make sure to do a high-quality job.

If your home needs too much work to sell to a typical buyer, you might consider selling to a cash buyer. You can quickly compare cash buyer offers against your home’s value on the open market with Clever Offers. Try it for free with no obligation.

2. Price your home accurately

The number one mistake people make when selling their home without an Alaska realtor is mispricing their home. Research suggests that FSBO sellers get 5–26% less for their homes compared to realtor-sold homes. For the average Alaskan home, this could cost you $16,950–$88,000.

If you’re not sure you can accurately price your home, the following options can help you get it right.

Get a comparative market analysis (CMA)

A comparative market analysis is the standard for determining the fair market value of a home. This involves looking at data for similar homes in your area that have sold in the past few months and using them to estimate a fair value for your home.

A realtor in Alaska would likely provide this service for free. However, there are still ways for you to use this tool without one.

You can create your own, but be careful not to let your bias skew the numbers in your favor. 

Another option is getting a CMA from a flat fee MLS company. This allows you to have an objective expert conduct the analysis without the cost of a full-service agent.

Hire an appraiser 

Hiring an appraiser will also help you determine the fair market value of your listing. An appraiser is a real estate professional who will physically examine your property, making note of the square footage, condition, and other relevant factors. 

Then, they factor in the state of the local housing market. All of this information will inform the appraiser as they compile a report explaining what they think your house is worth and why.

The average cost of an appraisal in Alaska is $300 to $435, but it could be worth the money if it saves you thousands when you sell your home.

» LEARN: Should I get an appraisal before selling?

3. List and market your home

Familiarize yourself with ad regulations for real estate in Alaska. Being compliant with these rules will help you avoid unnecessary headaches as you sell your home.

A good place to start with your listing is free online venues, such as:

• Facebook Marketplace
• Zillow or Trulia’s FSBO section
• ForSaleByOwner.com
• Craigslist

Word of mouth and yard signs can also be effective, depending on how much traffic there is around your house and how many people you know.

If you want maximum exposure, think about working with an Alaska flat fee MLS company.

Alaska flat fee MLS companies

Alaska MLS listings are usually the most successful in getting the attention of realtors in your area. However, non-realtors can’t list on the local MLS. This is where a flat fee MLS company comes in handy.

Flat fee MLS companies allow non-realtors to get their listings on the MLS without paying for a full-service realtor.

Flat fee companies generally charge $80 to $1,000 to get your listing on an Alaska real estate MLS, depending on the services included in their package. Our top picks for flat fee MLS companies in Alaska are:

🥇Congress Realty: Best for customizing options
🥈Mr. Alaska Real Estate: Best for local expertise
🥉Houzeo: Best for high-tech sellers

Read our in-depth guide to Alaska’s flat fee MLS companies to decide which one works best for you.

Required Alaska seller disclosures

Alaska law requires you to provide potential buyers with a seller disclosure form, which notifies the buyer of any known defects in the property.

Federal law also requires sellers to provide a lead-based paint disclosure if the house was built before 1978.

Alaska does not legally require you to notify buyers of flood risk, but you may want to provide a flood risk disclosure if flooding is a concern for your home. Intentionally hiding issues like this can discourage buyers from working with you and could ultimately result in a deal falling through.

Make your disclosure documents available to potential buyers by including them on your listing, bringing copies to showings and open houses, or emailing them to interested buyers. The most important thing is to make this information available to buyers before anyone signs a purchase agreement.

4. Manage showings on your own

Keep a calendar dedicated to scheduling showings and have a document where you track all the contact information of interested buyers. This could be a Google Sheet or Doc, or it could just be a notebook. The important thing is you have a system that works for you.

You could also use tools like Doodle to make your showings schedule easier to manage and share.

When scheduling showings, we recommend you schedule them close to each other for convenience, but leave a 10- or 15-minute gap in between to avoid overlap. Show up early to turn on lights, bring the house to a comfortable temperature, and get a little airflow to freshen the place up.

Try not to be physically present during showings – your presence might make buyers uncomfortable. Using a lockbox could be handy so you don’t have to physically arrive for each showing.

Place flyers or disclosure documents in a central place like the kitchen countertop. Let the realtor know those documents are available.

If you’re intimidated by handling this whole process yourself, some flat fee MLS companies offer packages that include tools to help with managing showings.

5. Review and negotiate offers

Buyers usually submit offers in the form of a purchase and sale agreement — sometimes called a buy-sell agreement.

Carefully read this over and make sure you understand everything before signing. If you are confused about something, reach out to the buyer’s agent or a real estate lawyer for clarity before signing.

When evaluating an offer, consider price, but also note if it is a cash or traditionally financed offer. One benefit of cash offers is they don’t come with as many requirements or red tape as traditionally financed offers, but they could be a lowball offer. You should also pay attention to any contingencies. 

If you’re not 100% satisfied with the offer, you can reject it or counteroffer to find a compromise for both parties. Sellers often forget that purchase price is only one facet of the offer and they can use other elements of the deal to negotiate a better price, or vice versa.

Hiring a real estate attorney is not required in Alaska, but an attorney can still be a great resource for walking you through the process and protecting you from unforeseen issues.

6. Allow the buyer to conduct due diligence

Once all parties sign the purchase agreement, the buyer enters the due diligence period. This is the timeframe they have to get the property appraised and inspected. They may also conduct additional research.

If a buyer is purchasing with cash, they may waive the right to conduct an appraisal or inspection, but these are usually required for financed purchases. Homes bought with traditional financing usually follow these steps:

• Inspection
• Appraisal
• Mortgage underwriting
• Property title search
• Final walkthrough

If anything unexpected arises during these steps, the buyer may renegotiate or walk away altogether. This is why it’s usually a good idea to disclose any known issues with the property up front — it minimizes wasted time on deals that fall through due to surprises.

If the buyer tries to back out of the deal without something triggering a contingency clause (like a low appraisal), you may be entitled to their earnest money deposit. If you want to back out of the deal without a contingency, you should talk to a real estate attorney first to make sure you’re aware of any repercussions.

7. Close

The purchase agreement states the closing date, but you can push it back if both parties agree. 

Closing appointments are usually managed by a third party like a title company or real estate attorney.

Generally, both the buyer and seller attend the closing in person. You read over a ton of paperwork and sign various documents saying you understand what is taking place and agree to the amounts being transferred for the purchase. You’ll also sign the deed to transfer ownership to the buyer.

You will receive a closing statement that outlines all the expenses and credits that have been applied thus far. It also summarizes the remaining expenses to arrive at a final amount needed to complete the sale. 

In Alaska, you could receive the proceeds of the sale on the day of closing or a few days later. Either way, you’ll be paid via a check or wire transfer.

For sale by owner paperwork in Alaska

Here’s a list of the Alaska paperwork you’ll need to sell your home without a realtor.

• Seller Disclosure Form
• Lead-Based Paint Disclosure
• Flood Risk Disclosure
• Alaska Purchase and Sale Agreement

Not finding what you’re looking for? Check out our comprehensive list of paperwork for selling your house without a realtor.

Best alternative: work with a discount broker

For many people, trying to sell without an agent isn’t worth the hassle. If you think you’ll need some help along the way, a discount broker is a good alternative.

Discount brokers are full-service real estate agents who are willing to work for a reduced commission rate. Sellers can save thousands while still receiving assistance from an expert local agent.

» READ: The Best Discount Real Estate Brokers in Alaska

For discount broker services, we highly recommend our friends at Clever! Clever pre-negotiates with top agents to offer you low commission rates without compromising on service quality.

Related links

If you’d like some more advice about selling your home, here are a few great resources to check out:

How realtor commissions work in Alaska: Even if you decide to sell your house without an agent, it’s still a good idea to offer commission to the buyer’s agent. Learn how much realtors expect to earn and what you can do to make your listing more appealing to agents and their clients.

Top We Buy Houses Companies in Alaska REVEALED: If you need to sell your home in a hurry, a We Buy Houses company may purchase your house as-is for a reduced rate. Find out if this option could be the best option for you here!

How Much Does it Cost to Sell a House? True Costs Revealed: Wondering how much you’ll have to pay to sell your house? Check out this article to calculate your repair budget, closing fees, marketing expenses, and more.