7 Best For Sale By Owner Websites in Illinois

Houzeo offers 4 FSBO MLS listing packages.

• Bronze Package – FREE: This package offers Houzeo listing only for 6 months with maximum photos. You pay a $49 refundable fee for a yard sign and receive your refund after sending a selfie with it.
• Silver Package – $349+: This includes everything that home sellers typically look for.
• Gold Package – $399+: It is Houzeo’s signature MLS package and includes all the technology Houzeo is known for Houzeo Showings, Houzeo Offers, and DigiTransact.
• Platinum – $999+: It includes the assistance of a licensed broker to help you with negotiations, disclosures, and closing.

👉 Our Take: We recommend the GOLD plan. You’ll have access to Houzeo tech, making managing showings and offer negotiations easy!

» Houzeo Reviews: Check out what FSBO sellers have to say about listing with Houzeo.com

Houzeo is America’s best For Sale By Owner MLS listing service because of 4 reasons:

1. Max Exposure: Houzeo MLS packages give you access to the MLS, Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Redfin, and 100s of other websites.
2. 5-star Customer Service: Houzeo has a fully staffed customer service desk available 6 days a week. Chats and emails are open 7 days a week. This is rare in today’s world.
3. 100% Online: Houzeo is high-tech. For you, this means easy listing, fast changes, online showings, and online offers.  Houzeo Mobile App is also very powerful.
4. No Listing Commission: In most states, you’ll be paying just a small flat fee to list on MLS. Houzeo covers 47 states + DC. And remember, all fees are disclosed upfront, so there are no Houzeo hidden fees.

There are no dealbreakers with Houzeo.

» Houzeo Reviews: Check out what FSBO sellers have to say about listing with Houzeo.com

Houzeo is one of the best For Sale By Owner MLS listing services, with a 4.9 out of 5-star rating on Google and Trustpilot.

» Houzeo Reviews: Check out home sellers’ experience listing with Houzeo

FSBO.com has 2 packages for FSBO home sellers.

• Basic Package – $99: Your property is listed on FSBO.com and Redfin for 6 months.
• MLS Package – $399: Your property is listed on the MLS for 6 months. You can upload up to 20 photos.

👉 Our Take: We recommend the $399 MLS package, as it gives you maximum exposure through an MLS listing. Your listing is syndicated to popular real estate websites like Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, and hundreds of others.

Here are some key highlights of listing with FSBO.com:

• Multiple Categories of Listings: You can feature your listing in a special section dedicated to foreclosure, pre-foreclosure, tax lien, or bankruptcy.
• Simple User Interface: FSBO.com is easy to navigate. Due to its basic interface, you can easily create your listing by adding relevant information.

During our research, we identified several disadvantages of listing with FSBO.com. Here’s some of them:

• Limited Automation: FSBO.com provides your information to a local broker who does the listing for you. As there’s zero online automation or downloadable resources, you have to do all the paperwork manually.
• Lack of DIY Resources or Tools: Although FSBO.com is the oldest For Sale By Owner website, it does not provide any resources to make your job easy.
• Unpredictable Broker Quality: You never know which local broker your listing will go to. For sale by owner reviews online are mixed, which indicates good service in some places only.
• Extra Charges for Listing Photos: You have to pay $50 to $60 extra if you want to upload more than 20 photos to your listing.
• Expensive à La Carte Services: Services like e-lockbox rental and showing service are priced at $150 and $75 respectively. These services are quite expensive compared to other FSBO Flat Fee MLS listing competitors.

FSBO.com has no customer reviews on popular review sites like Google or Trustpilot.

» Forsalebyowner.com Reviews: Check out why the oldest FSBO site isn’t the best in 2023’s slow market.

Flat Fee Realty offers a single Flat Fee MLS package, the price of which varies by state.

• Common services included in the Flat Fee package are a listing terms of 6 months with 6 photos. Your listings get syndicated to Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com. The package also includes free listing upgrades and state disclosures.

Listing Photos Upgrades: If you want to make changes to your listing photos, you must purchase upgrades separately. You can add up to 25 photos for $50. 

👉 Our Take: If an affordable plan is your priority, then Flat Fee Realty is a good option. However, they do charge additional fees for optional upgrades like additional photos.

In places where it offers direct services, Flat Fee Realty is a great flat fee MLS alternative.

• Changes Made Simple: With Flat Fee Realty you can make free status and price changes. Changes are important as casual errors can be corrected if present when the listing goes live.
• Easy Cancellation: You can cancel anytime and get a refund within 30 days of purchase. With a change of heart over selling your house, some of the listing fees will get refunded. After the listing process is completed by their broker, there are no refunds.
• Market Exposure: Listing gets syndicated to Realtor.com, Trulia.com, and Zillow.com. All the major websites you would like to use to showcase your home in front of the right buyers are covered. 
• Free Disclosures: Just like taxes, documentation is an important aspect of home selling. Flat Fee Realty offers free disclosures for all states.

In our review of Flat Fee Realty, we identified some major deal-breakers.

• Non-customizable Packages: Flat Fee Realty’s listing package provides no scope for customization. The package is a one size fits all plan, limiting the options you would like to opt for. 
• 0.25% Commission at Closing: Flat Fee Realty charges 0.25% commission at closing. Even though they claim the buyer agent pays this, the entire commission comes out of the seller’s proceeds. Buyer agents will not willingly agree to this deduction.

Flat Fee Realty has no credible reviews.

Circle One Realty offers 4 Flat Fee MLS packages.

• MLS Entry Package – $145: This package lists ONLY vacant land on the local MLS and is syndicated to Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, and more. You can upload 1 photo for a listing term of 3 months.
• MLS Basic Package – $295: With this package, you can list your home for 6 months with 25 photos. Full-service realtor support and a yard sign.
• MLS Classic Package – $495: This includes everything from the MLS Basic Package with a listing term of 12 months. Also, a lockbox combo and professional photography services are included in this package.
• MLS Elite Package – $495 (Originally $645): This package includes everything from the MLS Classic Package. You can list your home until sold or till you cancel it.

Listing Upgrades: Here is a summary of the Listing Upgrades that Circle One Realty provides.

• Combination Lockbox: $45
• Electronic Lockbox: $200
• Appointment Scheduling and Feedback: $85
• Additional signs: $25
• Professionally Installed Yard Sign: $150
• Professional Photography (25 Photos): $175

👉 Our Take: We recommend the $495 MLS Elite Package. Your MLS listing will stay active until sold or canceled.

Here are some advantages of listing with Circle One Realty.

• Full-Service Realtor Support: In all the packages you get the support of a professional realtor. You can contact them via phone and email.
• Professional Photography Services: In the Classic and Elite packages, a professional photographer will take photos of your home. These photos will be used on the MLS while listing.

The major red flags you will experience with Circle One Realty are:

• Not 100% Online: The tech stack of Circle One Realty is modest. Many procedures, will be manual. No paperwork assistance might delay your listing process.
• Entry Package is ONLY for Listing Vacant Land: There is no entry-only package for listing your home on the MLS. The Flat Fee Entry Package they offer is for Vacant Land only.

Circle One Realty is rated 5 out of 5 stars from 179 reviews on Google.

» Circle One Realty: Check Circle One Realty’s reviews on Google

ForSaleByOwner.com has 2 FSBO packages.

• ‘Do It Yourself’ FSBO Package – $0: Your home gets listed on ForSaleByOwner.com for free.
• ‘Closing Assistance’ Package – $495: You get a licensed real estate advisor to assist you at closing. This includes home inspection, title, closing costs, and more.

👉 Our Take: We recommend listing for free as FSBO on ForSaleByOwner.com to get added exposure.

• High User Traffic: ForSaleByOwner.com claims to have 7 times more traffic than any other FSBO website. This works in favor of sellers who need added exposure for their property.
• You Agree to use Their Partner Title Company: If you find a buyer via ForSaleByOwner.com, you have to use the Rock Homes partnered ‘Amrock Title Company’ for closing.

• No MLS Listing Plan: ForSaleByOwner .com gives you only 2 options, either a free web listing or closing assistance from a Rocket Homes agent. There’s no package for you to list on the MLS at all.
• You are a Lead for Rocket Homes: Your listing information is sold to Rocket Homes agents. They will likely call you and convince you to list on the MLS.
• You have to Provide Your Credit Card Info: Even though the listing on ForSaleByOwner.com is free, many users complained about having to provide payment details.

ForSaleByOwner.com has a rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars on BestCompany.com.

» ForSaleByOwner.com Reviews: Check out what customers experienced listing with ForSaleByOwner.com

Zillow offers the following listing plans for home sellers:

• FSBO Listing on Zillow – $0: You can list your home for free on Zillow’s FSBO platform.
• MLS Listing via Zillow Premier Agent – 3% commission: A Zillow Premier Agent will assist you throughout your home selling process. However, this is the traditional way to sell your home and not the FSBO way.

👉 Our Take: We do not recommend listing on Zillow For Sale By Owner as it limited your exposure. Further, you can also get multiple unsolicited calls from listing agents.

» Does Zillow charge for sale by owner? Check this out to know if is it free or not!!

• It is the Largest Real Estate Website: Traffic-wise, Zillow is the most visited real estate website in the US.
• Your Listing is Updated in Real-Time: On Zillow, you do all the listing changes which reflect immediately, instead of waiting for a listing agent to do it for you.

• Your Listing Will be Hidden: Zillow hides FSBO listings under the “Other Listings” section, which most home buyers aren’t aware of.
• Buyer Leads go to Local Agents: Zillow does not prominently display owner information. Any buyer who tries to contact you will be matched with a Zillow agent instead.
• Your Info Will Become an FSBO Lead for Listing Agents: Agents target Zillow FSBO listings to extract owner info. You will get numerous unsolicited calls from these agents asking you to list with them.
• Poor Customer Reviews: Poor customer reviews and record-breaking debacles, as seen on Trustpilot.

Zillow has a rating of 1.8 out of 5 stars ratings on Trustpilot.

» Zillow For Sale By Owner Reviews: The TRUTH about Zillow’s Free Listing

Facebook Marketplace offers free FSBO real estate listing in its ‘Property for Sale’ section.

• FSBO Listing on Facebook – $0: You can list your property with some photos and basic details.

👉 Out Take: Facebook Marketplace is good for added exposure outside MLS or real estate websites. However, do not rely on it completely to get buyer leads. List on the MLS for credible buyer leads.

• Facebook has Millions of Users: Your property is advertised to millions of Facebook users. This certainly gives you exposure outside of MLS-syndicated websites.
• Facebook Marketplace is Not a Real Estate Website: Although it gives your listing some exposure, you don’t get assistance or FSBO tools. Its only purpose is marketing your property.

• Potential Privacy Attacks: Hackers can steal your personal data online. Make sure you have limited information open to the public while using Facebook Marketplace.
• No FSBO Support: Facebook Marketplace is not a real estate website. That’s why home sellers do not get any selling-related assistance.
• You can get scammed: Scammers and fraudsters target FSBO home sellers on Facebook Marketplace to make phony offers. If you get an offer that is too good to be true, high chances are it is a scam.

Facebook Marketplace has no customer reviews on popular review sites like Google or Trustpilot.