I’m a REALTOR®. I make my living helping people buy and sell homes in Shawnee and surrounding Central Oklahoma. So I want to be upfront about something: I just spent a significant amount of time building a free guide for sellers who don’t want to hire me.

That might sound strange. It isn’t.

FSBO — for sale by owner — works for some sellers in some situations. Plenty of people do it successfully. And the ones who do it best go in prepared, priced right, and ready for what the process requires of them. The FSBO Survival Kit exists to help sellers get there.

What the FSBO Survival Kit is

It’s a free, multi-page guide on SoldonShawnee.com that walks through every phase of a FSBO transaction, in plain English, with no sales pitch.

Eight pages cover:

Survival Kit Hub

Start here. Get the lay of the land before you dive into any individual section.

Is FSBO Right for You

An honest look at fit, time commitment, and what sellers typically underestimate

Pricing Without Guesswork

Why online estimates fall short and how to build a comp set you can defend

Marketing and Showings

Where buyers look, why photos matter more than most sellers think, and how to manage showings without losing your mind

Working with a Buyer’s Agent
as an Unrepresented Seller

What happens when a represented buyer contacts you, and how the compensation conversation works

Offers, Contracts, and Deadlines

The phase where most FSBO deals break down, and how to keep yours on track

Inspections and Repairs

The TRR process, what buyers can request, and what you’re obligated to fix

Appraisals and Financing

What each loan type means for you as a seller, and where financed deals can fall apart

When to Change Course

How to recognize when the strategy isn’t working and what your options look like

Each section stands on its own. You don’t have to read it in order. If you’re already under contract and headed into inspections, go straight there.

Why I built it

I’ve been doing this for more than 30 years. In that time, I’ve talked to so many FSBO sellers, some before they listed, some after a deal fell apart, and some who were successful.

Most real estate agents won’t publish something like this. “Commission breath” is real, and a free guide that helps sellers go it alone doesn’t serve that interest. Most of the rest just aren’t publishing anything anyway. But I gotchu.

Most of this information exists somewhere online, but it’s scattered, generic, or written for a national audience that doesn’t reflect how transactions work in Oklahoma. The FSBO Survival Kit is specific to this market, references Oklahoma Real Estate Commission forms and contract language, and is written by someone who works in it every day.

What it doesn’t do

It doesn’t try to talk you out of selling FSBO. No page ends with a “but wouldn’t you rather just call me?” prompt. It’s written to help you make a more informed decision, whichever direction that takes you.

If you work through it and decide FSBO is right for your situation, you’ll be better prepared than most. If you decide the process is more than you want to take on, that’s a legitimate conclusion too.

One thing worth knowing

The last page — When to Change Course — is probably the one most sellers hope they never need. But if you land there, it’s worth reading before you make any decisions. Changing course isn’t failure. It’s navigation.

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