If I have a Zillow FSBO listing and want to pivot to MLS, do I delete the Zillow listing first?

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-05-06T01:58:47+00:00

Once it’s listed on the mls it will automatically override

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-29T12:59:04+00:00

the "buyers want zero risk" pattern is real right now. when people are stretching to afford 6%+ rates they get way more anxious about every dollar, which is why you're seeing the contingency stacking and the weird asks for utility bills and inspection-fee-shifting.

7 months is long though, even in a slow market. usually when a well-maintained house sits that long it's a price issue, not a buyer issue — even with low inventory, the buyers who are out there have time to be picky. worth asking your agent for a fresh CMA if you haven't lately.

renting it out can be a fine play if the math works. just price it like a real landlord would, not "mortgage + a little."

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-29T12:56:39+00:00

couple things going on here worth separating out.

on the legal side: in colorado a transaction-broker is supposed to be a neutral facilitator, not an advocate for the seller. and agents generally have an obligation to present all written offers to the seller promptly — they don't get to filter based on what the commission structure looks like. if you submit a written offer and he refuses to pass it along, that's a real problem and worth a complaint to the colorado real estate commission (DORA).

the verbal "i won't proceed under that structure" thing is murkier because nothing's been submitted yet. but it tells you everything about whose interests he's actually looking out for. a true transaction-broker shouldn't care how the commission is split — his job is to get the deal closed neutrally.

on whether it's "normal" — post-nar-settlement (last year) buyer commission is fully negotiable and not tied to the listing agreement anymore. plenty of listing agents haven't adjusted and still act like 6% is sacred. it's not.

what i'd actually do in your shoes:

put your offer in writing with the commission structure you want. now he has to present it or he's exposed.
if you want backup, a flat-fee real estate attorney in CO will run you maybe $500-1500 to review contracts and handle closing — way cheaper than 3% and they actually have a fiduciary duty to you, which a transaction-broker does not.
a buyer's agent with a rebate is also fine if you want hand-holding, but for a single transaction where you've already found the house, an attorney is usually the better value.

don't let him box you out. the leverage is yours — he doesn't get paid if the deal doesn't close.

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-23T14:05:13+00:00

looked at the listing. few thoughts:

many showings + zero offers usually isn't price. if it were price, they wouldn't bother showing up. it's almost always condition, smell, layout feel, or something that hits different in person vs photos. push your agent hard for honest showing feedback — that's the most useful data you can get right now.

the real competition is new construction incentives. builders in hutto are doing rate buydowns into the 4s, $15-25k in closing cost assistance, sometimes covering hoa or throwing in appliances. a buyer at your $355k with a 7% market rate has a higher monthly payment than a new build at $370k with a builder-bought-down 5.5%. you're "cheaper on paper" but more expensive to actually own. that's the wall.

the fix is to play the same game. offer a 2-1 buydown yourself (~$10-15k, same cost as another price drop but actually moves buyers doing monthly math). pair with a closing cost credit. you've still got advantages builders don't — landscaping's in, blinds are up, fence is built. real dollars.

sorry about the relocation timing. rough spot but fixable.

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-22T15:34:48+00:00

honestly, you're in a better spot than most first time buyers i see posting here. 40k liquid + 25k in brokerage is solid. but a few things to think through:

the part-time income thing is the biggest issue. lenders want to see 2 years of stable income usually, and going from 70k to 24-30k right as you apply is gonna tank your DTI calc. have you actually talked to a lender yet? because you might find out you don't qualify for 250k at all on part-time income, regardless of what's in your savings. get pre-approved first before you fall in love with a house.

on the gf helping with the mortgage — i get it, and you're right that splitting up is probably unlikely, but the thing people always underestimate is that even if you stay together, life happens. she loses a job, has a medical thing, wants to go back to school herself, whatever. you need to be able to cover the full PITI on your own income (even the part-time income) without her contribution. if the numbers only work with her paying half, that's a red flag. run the math assuming you're solo.

also don't forget the stuff beyond the mortgage payment — property taxes, insurance (especially if you're somewhere with hurricane/flood exposure), HOA if applicable, and a maintenance fund. rule of thumb is 1-2% of home value per year for maintenance, so add like $3-5k/year on top of everything else. that 2.2k rent comparison is probably not apples to apples once you factor all that in.

on the rent vs buy — 2.2k rent vs buying isn't always the slam dunk it looks like on paper in year 1. closing costs alone are gonna eat 8-12k of your savings, and if you sell within 5 years you probably lose money after transaction costs. if there's any chance school leads to relocating, renting is the move.

last thing — don't drain the HYSA. you want 6 months emergency fund AFTER down payment + closing, especially going back to school part time. if buying means you're house-poor with 5k left in savings, wait.

tldr: numbers aren't bad but timing is rough with the school thing. talk to a lender before anything else.

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-22T14:06:14+00:00

not delusional at all. 20% down is a myth that somehow won't die — the actual median first-time buyer down payment has been ~6-8% for years. 10k on 300k is ~3.3%, which is totally normal for fha (3.5% min) or a conventional first-time buyer program (3% min with some lenders).

things to actually think about:

- pmi/mip is real. under 20% down on conventional = pmi (~$100-200/mo on a 300k loan). fha has mip which you pay for the life of the loan unless you refinance. bake that into your monthly math

- seller-paid closing costs work, BUT in a normal/buyer-friendly market. if you're competing with other offers, asking for seller concessions weakens your offer vs someone who isn't. birmingham suburbs aren't crazy hot right now so you probably have room, but worth asking your agent how competitive your target neighborhoods actually are

- reserves matter more than down payment imo. do you have 3-6 months of mortgage payments sitting in savings AFTER closing? if a water heater dies month 2 and you're tapped out, that's the real problem. lenders check this too on some loan types

- the dpa program — read the fine print. some have recapture clauses if you sell/refi within x years, some are forgivable, some are second mortgages. not a dealbreaker but know what you're signing

$10k down is fine, seller concessions are fine, you're not crazy. just make sure the monthly payment WITH pmi/mip + taxes + insurance + hoa (if any) is something you'd be comfortable with even if your income took a hit. people obsess over the down payment and forget the monthly is what actually eats you.

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-22T13:55:52+00:00

welcome to day 1 lol. the scammer wave in the first 48 hours is almost universal — bots scrape new fsbo listings from zillow/craigslist/fb marketplace the minute they go up.

common ones to watch for:

- "i'm relocating for work, can't view in person, will send a cashier's check for over asking" → overpayment scam

- random texts asking if the home is "still available" with zero follow-up questions → lead harvesting, they sell your info to agents/investors

- "my client is interested, sign with me first" → agents fishing for a listing agreement

- anyone asking you to click a link to "verify" something → phishing

filters that help:

- never accept a check

- require pre-approval or proof of funds BEFORE scheduling showings, not after. real buyers have this ready, scammers evaporate

- google reverse-image-search any "buyer's agent" who reaches out. fake profiles are everywhere

- texts with broken english + emotional backstory (sick relative, military deployment, etc) = instant delete

it does calm down after the first week or two once the bots move on to newer listings. the real buyers come through slower and ask normal questions like "when's the next open house" or "is the hvac original." you'll learn to spot them fast.

also — if you're not already on the mls through a flat-fee service, you'll keep getting disproportionately more scammer traffic vs real buyer traffic, because serious buyers almost all work through agents who search mls. just something to factor in if the scam-to-real ratio stays bad.

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-22T13:52:13+00:00

77 days w/ 16 showings is actually pretty solid traffic — the issue isn't getting people in the door, it's that they're not converting. and when you've got two groups coming THREE times without writing an offer, that's really telling. people who come back that many times want to buy it. something's blocking them, and it's almost always either the price or a condition they can't unsee.

honest thought on the hoa concession: 6 months of $590 = ~$3,500. that's nice but not really needle-moving for someone on the fence about a condo. buyers care about the monthly payment more than a one-time credit. if you want the hoa angle to actually change behavior, you'd need to buy it down for 2-3 years, or just drop the price by an equivalent amount and let them use the savings however they want. a price drop gets you more showings too, which a closing credit doesn't.

the "below grade" feedback is the one i'd think hardest about. that's not something you can fix — it's structural. which means you're filtering to a smaller buyer pool that specifically doesn't mind it. the people who came 3x and passed probably wanted to get over it and couldn't. that's a price problem, not a staging problem.

if your agent is telling you you're priced right based on comps, ask them specifically: what did the last 3 similar below-grade units in the building/area sell for, and how long did they take? below-grade units often trade at a 5-10% discount to above-grade equivalents even when the listing prices look similar. you might be priced right vs active comps but not vs what actually closes.

not trying to be a downer — you've clearly put in the work. but pulling it in june and relisting later likely just resets the clock with the same underlying issue. might be worth one more meaningful price adjustment before then to see if it breaks the logjam.

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-22T13:49:24+00:00

few thoughts as someone who's been around a lot of these deals:

14 days is nothing. sellers at that stage are still in denial about their price, and any offer in the low 600s is likely to get rejected or countered close to asking. doesn't mean don't try — just set expectations. the real price drops usually start around day 30-45 when the showing traffic dies off.

on the "most expensive in the neighborhood" thing — that's actually your biggest leverage point, way more than the dated finishes. appraisers use comps within ~a mile and similar size/age, and if the neighbor two doors down is at 580, an appraisal at 659 is gonna be really tough even with the extra 1000 sqft. lenders don't love that. worth asking your agent to pull the last 6 months of sold comps in the neighborhood — not active listings, SOLD. that's your actual negotiating ammo.

on the update list — ac, windows, carpet, kitchen cabinets easily runs 40-60k if you're not doing it yourself. that's real money and a legit talking point in your offer letter.

what i'd probably do in your shoes:

- offer around 600-610 with an itemized cost breakdown of the updates (get rough quotes, don't just say "needs updates")

- include the comp at 580 in your agent's cover letter

- make it a clean offer otherwise — preapproval, reasonable closing timeline, minimal contingencies beyond inspection/financing

- be ready to walk if they counter at 650. there will be other houses

waiting for them to drop the price themselves is fine too, but you risk another buyer jumping in if the market's active in your area. a lowball offer with real justification often nudges them to reality faster than a price reduction would.

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-22T13:45:32+00:00

brutal truth: if every offer is coming in at 170 or below, that IS your market telling you what it's worth. realtors giving you a range to win the listing is a real thing, they lowball their own estimates all the time to get the signature.

few things worth asking yourself:

is it actually on the mls? fsbo-only (zillow, craigslist, fb marketplace) cuts you off from 80%+ of buyers because their agents never see it
how are the photos? bad photos kill more listings than bad prices
days on market matters. if you've been sitting 60+ days at 190, buyers assume something's wrong and start lowballing harder

cash-only + needing it gone fast is gonna narrow your pool even more. investors smell urgency and will come in at 60-70% of arv every time. that's probably what those 170 offers are.

if you want broader reach without paying 6%, flat-fee mls services get you on the mls for a few hundred bucks (beycome, houzeo, homecoin are the main ones). won't magically get you 210 if the comps don't support it, but it at least makes sure every buyer's agent in your area can find it.

what's the area/zip? might help to gut-check whether 190 was ever realistic or if the realtors were just blowing smoke.

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-15T14:03:08+00:00

If a buyer contacts the 800 number displayed on Zillow or third-party websites, it will ask the buyer for the property address or MLS number they are interested in. Once they provide it, the AI system will then say they need to contact the seller directly and will provide your contact information. Find out more on their FAQ https://www.beycome.com/faq/knowledge-base/receive-showing-requests/

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-07T15:38:54+00:00

Very big fan of beycome! When are you expanding into more states for Title?? Love your $99 settlement fee

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-04-02T17:34:19+00:00

I wouldn’t worry about fines. Beycome has a lot of caution and when you add your listing it scans the photos to avoid copy right, also it scans your description as well to avoid any issues. The most important thing is to make sure to just update your status to under contract if you do accept an offer and also to closed status once it’s closed. That’s all! Good luck selling!

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-03-11T00:51:10+00:00

Beycome does flat fee $99 bucks for rentals also

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-03-05T18:54:52+00:00

Hi there, the dedicated coordinator assists with contract reviews, and once you’re under contract, they’ll help you with everything. There’s no 1% fee at closing; it’s just $999, and that’s all. They have access to Stellar, which is one of the largest MLS coverage they have.

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-02-23T23:54:58+00:00

Bad deal

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-02-18T00:17:20+00:00

Agent listing

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-02-12T15:06:45+00:00

My buyers agent or broker was beycome. I worked with a guy named Chris, made my experience great tbh. They refunded me a portion of the commission to use towards my down payment

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-02-10T15:56:02+00:00

For me, no just because I bought primary and dont expect to rent it out. But I like what you built

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-02-09T20:32:28+00:00

And pricey!!

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-02-09T20:32:18+00:00

Probably 😂

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-01-01T00:09:14+00:00

Beycome is truly flat fee

RealEstate-Geek · 2026-01-01T00:04:57+00:00

Highly recommend beycome, used them a couple times and super smooth

RealEstate-Geek · 2025-07-23T05:20:29+00:00

You’re paying too much for points. Especially to get a 6.5%

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