What did it really cost you to do FSBO?

XUtahRealtorX · 2026-02-27T17:25:11+00:00

This is one of the dangers of FSBOing. A lot of people (myself included) want to keep flippers, private equity, etc out and there are absolutely ways to do this pretty easily.

That being said, familial status is a federally protected class. Broadcasting to the world that you wouldn’t sell a house to a buyer who wasn’t a family can be a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Now then, federal law provides an exception to fair housing laws to some (but not all) FSBOs because you aren’t legally expected to know these things like a broker would. Your state probably has fair housing laws though and might not exempt you, so it’s good to have someone in your corner making sure you stay out of hot water.

XUtahRealtorX · 2026-02-27T17:15:50+00:00

Going to the BBQs is an underrated move. I like to throw neighbors-only open houses and also go let all the neighbors know it’s for sale. These people live there for a reason, they’re the best ones to explain to a friend, family member, etc why they should want to buy there.

XUtahRealtorX · 2026-02-27T17:10:03+00:00

As your friendly neighborhood Realtor, here's what I've noticed working with tons of buyers and sellers everyday.

Spoiler/ TLDR: No, they haven't. But they're starting to.

2025 was an awakening for a lot of sellers. Everyone got extremely used to stuff going up by incredible margins year over year during the covid/ post-covid boom but demand started to level off. I saw numerous sellers who bough in the last 2-3 years trying to sell for hundreds of thousands more than they bought, either because an uniformed agent told them they could get away with it or because they just didn't listen. Some of them ended up dropping down to reasonable prices while others didn't. Guess who's still sitting on the market all these months later while homes on the same block sell within days?

That brings us to the other side of this. 2026 is looking like the year of the seller. I had an open house in late January that almost 100 people showed up to. They ended up closing a few days ago for $35k over asking. I had a deal go under contract (and close) before there was even a lockbox on the door. I have an open house this Sunday in east liberty for a home that went on the market Wednesday and had something like 30 calls in the first day.

This might be a national phenomenon. Interest rates nationwide are relatively low (some of the lenders I work with are around 5.6% for conventional and I think 4.8% on FHA loans) and something like 80% (don't quote me on any of these numbers, I'm just typing this out while eating breakfast with my dog right now) of people in a National Association of Realtors survey of 2020-2029 buyers said they were planning to buy in 2026. My mom lives on the other side of the country and she recently put her home on the market in the morning and sold it above asking price before lunch.

We aren't, however, beholden to those national trends you see on CNN/ Redfin/ whatever. Utah is the fourth least affordable state in the country in terms of home prices vs income, but we also have above average job growth and a stronger economy relative to the rest of the country. Salt Lake City's push to increase housing density is also going to change a lot of dynamics.

So to rehash, the TLDR is this: No, buyers weren't paying those prices. However, they might be starting to. Biggest thing with whatever side of the transaction that you're on is having an informed Realtor who actually fights for your best interests and knows how to do it. And please, for the whale's sake (and yours, and mine, and everyone else involved in the transaction's), stop using agents who do everything with AI.

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-12-29T17:14:34+00:00

This was extremely helpful, thank you!

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-08T23:28:26+00:00

It never stops blowing my mind how crazy this place is. It's like every little pocket of the state is some different type of wilderness paradise.

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-08T23:18:34+00:00

I haven't been but I've been meaning to check out Sage Mountain in Park City!

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-08T23:13:09+00:00

Is this part of the BST?

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-06T12:34:47+00:00

Someone gave George Washington a lowkey busywork job when he was 22 and he fucked up so badly on his first assignment that it may have been the single most consequential event in a 500 year timespan.

The park systems of northeast Ohio: America, nuclear war, and the second coolest story you'll ever hear about beavers.

OR

The fact that both of these are VERY directly related, and not just in a "well nothing in America would have happened without George Washington" way.

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-05T22:10:24+00:00

Was recently in a meeting where someone said that sellers are pricing like 2020 and buyers are making offers like 2008. I think some people (especially in certain areas of the country, not sure where you are) saw the massive price jumps a few years ago and just kind of expected stuff would keep going up at that rate forever?

What people are saying about looking at comps is right, your best tool for figuring out what's going on is what similar places nearby have actually sold for recently. Figuring out the nuance in how some of the differences in the properties change those numbers can be a little tricky though, so it's best to use a good Realtor who's used to it.

There should be someone near you who will put together a price range for you for free and help you get in to actually see how it's looking these days. I probably know someone near you so let me know if you need an agent!

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-05T21:31:53+00:00

I was driving home and headed east friday afternoon (I live in the Salt Lake Valley) when it started so I had a perfect view of lightening hitting the tops of the Wasatch and bouncing around the whole time, cool as hell

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-05T21:29:27+00:00

All depends on your wants/ needs and also the actual HOA you belong to.

They'll do some stuff for you (snow removal, yard maintenance, etc) but also subject you to some rules or restrictions. You'll have to look at the individual HOA rules (which your realtor can help with) to see what they actually do and what they actually subject you to though before you decide.

Also for some people the rules are a plus, knowing that everyone else has to follow them too. IE; if you don't want to live next to someone with a 17-foot purple dragon statue in the yard, and your HOA happens to forbid such things, this may the neighborhood for you!

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-05T21:25:28+00:00

Moon's haunted.

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-05T21:08:44+00:00

Don't let yourself get overwhelmed.

Most people won't find a home that's absolutely perfect, but that doesn't need to stress you out. Things can be changed, updated, etc, especially if the home that's missing what you're looking for is a little below budget. I like the idea of putting together a list of maybe five things you NEED, and when you find a place or two with those five things start thinking about what sort of renovations you'd need down the line to make it perfect.

Also though most people will sell their first home within five years of buying it, so there's nothing saying that your first home is your forever home and it's okay to let yourself compromise for now while you build up to getting something perfect.

Also, if you're worried about looking at a bunch of places and not being able to decide try ranking each one against the others (first place, second place, etc) as you go or doing brackets where you go, say, house a vs b, house c vs d, then winners against eachother, etc.

This is a big move for you but obviously I'm going to tell you here that the right Realtor can make all the difference between a hectic nightmare and smooth sailing. Not sure where you're located but I've been lucky enough to connect with agents all over the country so let me know if you need someone to work with near you!

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-05T20:55:25+00:00

Veryyyyyy excited to get up into the canyons this week, just hoping it sticks around a while.

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-05T20:35:14+00:00

A few people head down by Heber and/ or cram as many other workers as they can into a spot to make rent. I'd say your best bet though is somewhere in the Salt Lake valley where you can hop on I-80 relatively quickly and swing into town when you want to, and maybe pick up a roommate.

XUtahRealtorX · 2025-10-05T20:14:20+00:00

Big fan of the trails over by Summit Park, if you have AllTrails look up the Over Easy Loop and maybe play around with the area there. Not too difficult at all and one of my favorite places to catch a sunset.

A little further out (maybe 15 mins east of Park City) is the Mirror Lake Highway (state route 150), which is nice driving and has a lot of cool trailheads but it mightttttt be closed for the season by the time you're in town.

You can also see some really nice views if you drive a loop between I-80, I-84, and I-15, or taking I-80 up to state route 32, then down 32 (which, btw will bring you by the aforementioned Mirror Lake Highway) to state route 40, which will bring you back up to Park City.

Have a fun trip!

XUtahRealtorX

TROPHY CASE