For sale by owner checklist: every step, printable

Print this checklist

1. Before you list

• Get a mortgage payoff statement and list every loan or lien on the home.
• Find your deed, property tax bills and any survey or plat.
• Collect HOA documents, rules and dues details, if you have an HOA.
• Gather permits, warranties, manuals and repair receipts.
• Fix leaks, broken fixtures and safety items; test smoke and CO alarms.
• Clean, declutter and depersonalize every room (Selling 101).
• Decide what help you will buy: flat-fee MLS listing, attorney review, none.

2. Price

• Find three to six recent comparable sales nearby (Selling 102).
• Note how each comp is better or worse than your home.
• Check the homes for sale now: your competition.
• Optional: book a licensed appraiser and check their license.
• Write down your list price and, privately, your lowest acceptable price.

3. Disclosures and paperwork

• Get your state's seller disclosure form and fill it in from what you know (seller disclosure guide).
• Home built before 1978? Prepare the lead disclosure, the Lead Warning Statement and the EPA pamphlet (EPA).
• Choose your state's standard purchase agreement, or an attorney to prepare one.
• Pick a title company, escrow agent or attorney to run the closing.

4. Marketing and showings

• Take bright, level photos of every main room, the front and the yard.
• Write a description of the home, not of the buyer you want (HUD fair housing advertising).
• Check HOA and town rules before you put up a yard sign.
• Put the listing online; consider a flat-fee MLS listing.
• Show by appointment only, and ask serious buyers for a pre-approval letter.
• Lock away valuables, medicines and personal papers before each showing.

5. Offers and contract

• Compare price, earnest money, contingencies and closing date, not just price.
• Check the buyer's pre-approval or proof of funds.
• Agree in writing on any buyer's agent fee and any seller credit.
• Have an attorney review the contract before you sign, if you can.
• Send the signed contract and earnest money to the closing office.

6. Escrow to closing

• Make the home available for the inspection and appraisal.
• Answer repair requests in writing, inside the contract's deadlines (inspection guide).
• Give the title company what it needs to clear the title.
• Review your settlement statement line by line (closing costs).
• Confirm any wiring instructions by phone, using a number you already know.
• Leave keys, codes, manuals and garage remotes for the buyer.

7. After the sale

• Keep copies of the contract, disclosures and closing papers; keep lead disclosures for at least three years (EPA).
• Cancel or transfer utilities and homeowners insurance.
• Check whether you must report the sale on your tax return (IRS Topic 701).

Short checklist for buyers buying from an owner

• Get pre-approved and compare Loan Estimates.
• Ask for the seller's disclosure form (and lead disclosure for pre-1978 homes).
• Use a written contract with inspection, financing and appraisal contingencies.
• Pay earnest money to a neutral escrow, title or attorney account.
• Book your own home inspection and any specialist tests.
• Order a title search and ask about owner's title insurance.
• Compare your Closing Disclosure with your Loan Estimate three business days before closing (CFPB).
• Do a final walk-through, and use the CFPB closing checklist.

Full guide for buyers: Buying a house from the owner.

Sources

• EPA: Real estate disclosures about potential lead hazards
• HUD: Fair housing advertising and marketing
• CFPB: Closing Disclosure explainer
• CFPB: Mortgage closing checklist (PDF)
• IRS: Topic no. 701, Sale of your home

How we write: we check every legal and money statement against the official sources above. Read our process or report a mistake.