Do you need a realtor to sell a house in NY? No. You are not legally required to work with a realtor/broker/agent to sell a house, neither in the city nor in the state of New York. That said, most people still need a realtor to sell a house in NY because they don’t have the knowledge, experience, and time for the process and a lack in any of these aspects can prevent you from getting the best value on your house (in a given market).
Selling A House Without A Realtor
If you are adamant about selling a house without a realtor or without a New York City broker, and if you are selling in NYC, you should understand the process and the time commitment it requires. It starts with listing your home. This process starts with taking good photos of your house. Professional photos are the norm, so if your photos don’t stack up against what buyers and buyers agents are used to, they will stand out but not in a good way.
Then you have to come up with an appropriate asking price. The best way to come up with one is to find out the closing price of similar properties sold in your vicinity, the more recent the better. They are called “comps,” short for comparable properties. Take market dynamics into account as well.
The next step is to find a good listing place. For people in NYC, Streeteasy is a great option. You can list your property as FSBO (For Sale By Owner) and they charge a flat fee of $599 (lowest price) for four weeks. Websites like Zillow might allow you to list your house for free.
Then, you have to field calls from agents or buyers themselves and negotiate. You may have to pay the buyer’s agent a fee of 2% to 3% of the sale to bring the buyer to you.
