A friend of mine recently listed his home as a FSBO. I was devastated.

I realize that this is happening more and more. 

My name is Chris Jones and I am a licensed real estate agent (NC and SC) with Fathom Realty. 

The real estate industry is changing and evolving and it is doing so, primarily, on the listing/selling side. 

Sellers are smarter, more informed and savvier than ever. Sellers don’t consider real estate agents to be the gatekeepers that they once were. 

Sellers know they have options and the most important thing to sellers is to sell their home with the least amount of hassle and inconvenience and for the most amount of money. 

And that looks different for each seller whether it’s listing with an agent, listing it as a FSBO on Zillow or exploring newer options such as Knock, Offerpad and Open Door.

I began to understand my friend’s decision when I realized he would have paid more than $9,000 on the listing commission and he revealed that, in fact, he needed every penny of that money to pay off debts and unexpected life expenses. 

I realized that it wasn’t the figurative slap in the face that I thought it was. It was him, making the decision that he thought was best for his family in their current situation. 

With that new perspective, I respected his decision and now, I respect everyone’s decision in regards to how they want to sell their home. 

When his house sold, he thanked me for my help. He stated that his talks with me gave him the confidence he needed to get the home sold. And that’s when the idea for FSBO Mate was born.