How to sell a house by owner in Wisconsin
You don’t need a real estate agent to sell your house in the Badger State. But trying to sell without an agent here might be a bit more challenging than in most states: Wisconsin law does not allow sellers to promote FSBO (for sale by owner) listings directly on sites like Zillow and Redfin. Since so many house-hunters start their searches with these popular platforms, that can make it harder to attract prospective buyers. But it’s not impossible — you’ll just need to get creative to figure out how to spread the word. Read on to learn more about how to sell a house without a Realtor in Wisconsin.
Selling a house without a Realtor in Wisconsin
The good news: When you don’t have a real estate agent on your side, you won’t need to worry about paying their commission fee. The bad news: You’re going have to handle all the duties they would typically perform yourself. Here’s a rundown of the major steps involved in selling your house on your own in Wisconsin.
Determine your price and create a listing
How much is your house worth? One good way to estimate that is to review recently sold properties in your area that are similar to yours, to understand how much buyers have been willing to pay. However, if you live in a rural area, there may not be many comps to consider. If that’s the case, you may want to contact a professional home appraiser to help you pinpoint a fair market value.
Keep in mind that home values can vary widely across the state. For example, according to July 2024 data from the Wisconsin Realtors Association, the median sale price in the state’s Southeast Region (where Milwaukee is located) was $343,000, while in the Central Region, it was just $240,000.
Your asking price is the most important part of your home’s official sale listing, but there are two other crucial components you’ll need to create. One is a thorough written description of the property, which hits on all the basic details (like square footage and number of bedrooms) as well as special features (like a barn or a lake view). Include information about the surrounding area, too, including the school district. The other component is compelling, professional quality photos, which will help catch the eye of online browsers and entice them to click to find out more.
Build a promotional plan
If you’re selling a home in a rural or sparsely populated area, grassroots promotional efforts such as localized advertising and hanging flyers in local stores can work well. Consider social media and popular sites like Craigslist, too. (But for safety’s sake, be careful about how much info you give away on these sites — especially if you’re still living in the home.)
There are ways to reach a wider audience of buyers, though. While Wisconsin sellers can’t list their homes directly on Zillow, they can pay a service to place the listing on the local MLS (multiple listing service) for them. Sites like Homecoin, ForSaleByOwner.com, FSBOMadison.com and SheboyganbyOwner.com will list your home on the local MLS for a flat fee. MLS listings typically get automatically syndicated to large, consumer listing portals, including Zillow and Realtor.com, so once a listing appears there, it will more than likely be aggregated along with other MLS listings and appear on all the big sites.
As you’re working to get the word out about your listing, make sure to keep the home in great shape for showings. Coordinating these can be a lot of scheduling work, but you want to put your best foot forward for buyers who are interested enough to want to see the home in person.
Negotiate the terms and close the deal
When you receive an offer from a buyer, be prepared to volley different terms and prices back and forth before settling on your final contract. And keep in mind that buyers may have an agent doing their negotiating, which can put you at a disadvantage: A skilled and experienced negotiating pro may be better equipped than you to sway things in their favor.
That’s one of the reasons why it’s smart for FSBO sellers to hire a real estate attorney, even though the state of Wisconsin does not require you to do so. A lawyer can review your contract to make sure your interests are adequately covered, and can also oversee the closing, which requires quite a lot of complex paperwork. When there’s this much money on the line, you don’t want to make a rookie mistake.
Required disclosures for Wisconsin home sellers
Regardless of whether you have a real estate agent or not, all Wisconsin home sellers are required to complete the state’s property disclosure form. The form, which must be filled out within 10 days of accepting an offer, covers everything about the property that could be considered a defect. (Think mold, structural defects, problems with the HVAC system, floodplain status, past insurance claims and much more.)
You’ll also need to be transparent about any potential changes that you’re aware of with property taxes or reassessments. And if the house is part of a community managed by a homeowners association, you’ll need to provide information about the HOA’s rules, services and financial status.
Pros and cons of selling a house by owner in Wisconsin
A FSBO sale can produce some big benefits, but it can come with big downsides, too. Here are some things to consider before you decide how to sell your Wisconsin home.
Pros
- No listing agent fee: A home seller’s agent typically earns somewhere between 2.5 and 3 percent of the final sale price as their commission. When you do it yourself, that’s thousands of dollars that stay in your pocket instead of an agent’s. (But keep in mind that you might still have to pay your buyer’s agent’s fee. The details of who pays which commission fee can differ from one deal to the next, so be sure it’s spelled out clearly in your contract.)
- More power: FSBO sales put you in the driver’s seat for selling your home. You do everything exactly as you please, without having to listen to any opinions on what to repair, when to list and how much to ask for.
- Less waiting: Most successful real estate agents work with multiple clients at once. This can mean you are not necessarily their top priority, and they may not respond to inquiries as quickly as you’d like. If you sell without a Realtor, there’s no waiting on anyone else’s schedule.
Cons
- More work: Take the photos, write the listing, market the home, schedule showings, negotiate offers and so much more — all of these responsibilities fall on your shoulders when you sell your house on your own. It’s time consuming and a lot of work.
- Limited reach: Wisconsin law makes it more challenging to put FSBO listings in the places where buyers are most likely to find them, such as Zillow and Redfin. If you don’t want to pay for an MLS listing, it will seriously minimize your reach.
- Lower price: FSBO sellers may struggle to get as much money for the home as they could with with an experienced agent. Data from the National Association of Realtors shows that the typical FSBO listing in 2023 sold for $95,000 less than the typical agent-assisted listing.
Bottom line
It’s legal to sell a house by owner in Wisconsin, but state law makes advertising FSBO listings more challenging than in other states. If you’re planning to sell to someone you already know, as many FSBO sellers do, that’s not a problem and you save a listing agent’s commission. However, if you want to attract a large pool of buyers to tour your property, you’ll need to be mindful of the difficulties. And if you hope to get top dollar for your home, a real estate agent is probably your best path to higher profits.
FAQs
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No. There is no requirement to hire an attorney to sell your home in the state of Wisconsin. However, having a legal professional on your side can be very helpful — especially if you are not using a professional agent — to verify that your interests are covered, your contract is sound and your legal obligations are met. A mistake in a transaction this expensive can be costly.
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Yes. Wisconsin sellers pay the state’s transfer tax, which covers the cost of transferring ownership to the buyer, at a rate of $3 for every $1,000 of value. On a $300,000 home, that comes to $900. Additionally, you will need to pay your property taxes up until the closing date, and if you make significant profit, you may have to pay capital gains taxes on the earnings.
