Most home sellers still use a real estate agent for listing their properties on the MLS. In fact, 91% of sellers worked with an agent or broker according to the NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.
That’s a choice, but at what cost?
For John Sedarat, the answer was easy to calculate.
His home was listed for $339,900. At an estimated 3% listing commission, that would have meant $10,197 going to a listing agent.
John decided to keep it.
He paid $304 for Houzeo’s Silver plan, put his home on the MLS, and eventually sold it for the exact price he had asked for from day one. His estimated savings on the listing commission came to $9,893.
However, the interesting part of John’s story is not just the money. It is what happened when his home sat on the market for months and he still had the final say on his asking price.
48 Hours from Decision to MLS
John purchased his Houzeo Silver plan on September 11, 2021. By September 13, his home was live on the MLS.
Just 48 hours.
There was no long wait to get the listing onto the market. John made his decision, got his home listed, and put his property in front of buyers and agents searching the MLS.
The old image of FSBO might be a handwritten sign in the front yard and a phone number taped to the window.
However, John’s approach was different. His home was on the MLS, where buyers’ agents could find it, while John handled the sale without a traditional listing agent.
The listing was ready. Now he needed a buyer, but that part took longer than expected.
Then Came the Long Wait
September passed.
Then October.
Then November, winter, and eventually spring.
John’s home remained on the market for roughly eight months.
For a seller, that kind of wait can create pressure.
When a home sits for months without a contract, one of the first conversations a traditional listing agent may have with a seller is a familiar one:
“Should we lower the price?”
There is a reason for that conversation. A price reduction can put a property back in front of buyers who may have overlooked it at the original price. It can also make the home more competitive with other properties that entered the market, but it also means less money at closing.
For many sellers, that creates a difficult choice.
Lower the price and potentially attract more buyers, or hold firm and wait.
John Had the Final Say
With Houzeo, John didn’t face that pressure. He had control over his listing. That meant he could decide whether to change his asking price or stay at the number he had chosen.
He chose to stay.
$339,900. Month after month, that number remained on his listing.
That’s one of the less obvious differences between selling on your own and working with a traditional listing agent. John wasn’t locked into a price change simply because his home had been on the market for a long time. He could review his situation, decide what made sense for him, and make the call himself.
Within those eight months, John could have decided to lower the price.
He didn’t.
His home was still listed at the number he believed it was worth.
Then, after months of waiting, the buyer he was looking for finally came along.
Eight Months Later, the Buyer Came
On May 24, 2022, John went under contract.
The offer?
$339,900. Full asking price. The number John chose when he first listed the home in September was the same number on the contract in May.
No price reduction, no last-minute cut to get the deal across the finish line. John held his number, and eventually found a buyer willing to meet it.
Then came the final step.
On June 15, 2022, just 22 days after going under contract, John closed the sale.
The waiting was over, the price had stayed the same, and the savings were still intact.
The Number That Never Changed
John’s sale is interesting because the final price did not depend on a last-minute reduction. The entire story can be summed up in four numbers:
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Listing Price | $339,900 |
| Selling Price | $339,900 |
| Estimated Listing Commission (3%) | $10,197 |
| Houzeo Silver Plan Cost | $304 |
| Estimated Savings | $9,893 |
John didn’t have to cut his asking price to get a buyer. He waited for one who was willing to meet it.
It’s a No-Brainer
After selling his home, John shared his experience in a review:
We used Houzeo to sell our house last year. They were very responsive. I highly recommend selling your home on your own and paying a Buyer’s Agent 2-3% to bring buyers. Saved more than $10,000 doing so. It’s a no-brainer.
Source: Houzeo Reviews
That last sentence sounds simple because, for John, the math was simple. He was comfortable selling the home himself. He was also willing to pay a buyer’s agent 2% to 3% to bring a buyer.
For him, the goal was not to eliminate every cost associated with selling a home. It was to decide which services he wanted to pay for and which part of the sale he could handle himself.
That distinction mattered.
He kept control of his listing while also keeping more of his proceeds.
The Cost He Avoided
John paid $304 instead of an estimated $10,197 for his listing.
The difference was about $9,893.
There is another number worth noting.
$339,900. John didn’t sell for less to get those estimated savings. He eventually sold for the same price he had listed from the start.
Eight months of waiting ended with a full-price offer. For John, patience paid off.
FSBO Sellers’ Common Concern
Saving nearly $10,000 sounds good on paper. However, when homeowners consider selling without a listing agent, there’s often a bigger question:
What happens when you need help?
What happens when you have a question? What happens when you’re dealing with buyers and agents? What happens when the process stretches from weeks into months?
John’s review offers a simple answer: “They were very responsive“.
Selling without a traditional listing agent does not mean having no support. John handled the sale himself, but he had Houzeo available when he needed assistance.
That gave him something important: control without complete isolation.
What Did John Do Differently?
John’s experience comes down to three key decisions.
- He put his home on the MLS while selling it by owner.
- He stayed with his asking price instead of reducing it.
- He chose where to spend his money, and kept the listing commission for himself.
The result?
A home listed for $339,900 sold for $339,900.
The Takeaway From John’s Story
Eight months can test a seller’s patience.
John could have dropped the price. He didn’t.
He could have hired a listing agent halfway through. He didn’t.
He had the tools he got with Houzeo’s Flat Fee MLS listing. He stuck with the number he believed his home was worth and waited until a buyer agreed.
John’s experience shows what can happen when a seller wants to stay in control of the listing.
He chose his price. He chose how to sell. When the buyer finally came along, he didn’t have to change either one.
Helpful Resources
How We Source Customer Stories
This customer feature is based on verified user testimonials and transaction records from sellers who listed through Houzeo. Our team reviews customer feedback alongside actual listing and sales details to present real seller experiences and help homeowners make informed decisions about their home sale.
