Seller FAQs

SaveOnYourHome is free for sellers because we earn our fees from the vetted professionals in our Local Professionals directory, attorneys, mortgage lenders, inspectors, title companies, and other home-services providers. Our goal is to eliminate real estate commissions and save you money on the sale itself, and our business model is built around that. No hidden fees, no surprises, no commission taken from your sale proceeds. We also don’t take referral fees or commissions from the lenders in our directory, because we don’t want to be biased. We only want to bring forward the best ones for you. You are never required to use any Local Professional, and that choice never affects your listing or any feature on the platform.

Helpful next step: Browse our Local Professionals directory to see the professionals available in your area.

SaveOnYourHome is available to sellers across all 50 states. That said, real estate laws, disclosure requirements, contract formats, and closing procedures vary significantly by state. Our platform gives you the tools to list and manage your sale anywhere in the country, but we always recommend pairing those tools with state-specific guidance. Consult a licensed real estate attorney for legal questions specific to your state, you can find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: Find a licensed real estate attorney in your county through our Local Professionals directory.

Your data is handled in accordance with the policies you can read in full on our Privacy Policy page, our Cookie Policy, our Terms of Use, and our Disclaimer, all linked in the site footer. We do not sell your personal information to third parties without your permission. When you choose to connect with a Local Professionals directory professional, only the information needed to serve your request is shared, and only with your explicit action. You can review, update, or delete your account data at any time from your account settings. For specific data questions, reach out to us at info@saveonyourhome.com.

The fastest way to reach us is email: info@saveonyourhome.com. We typically respond within one business day. You can also call 201-696-0291, though email is often the faster route since we can answer in writing with the specific details of your listing in front of us.

Helpful next step: Email info@saveonyourhome.com or call 201-696-0291.

Yes, you can absolutely accept an offer from a represented buyer, and at SaveOnYourHome.com we want you to know it’s a perfectly good outcome if the math works in your favor. Your goal is to net the most money from the sale. If an agent-represented offer, even with the agent’s commission baked in, still nets you more than any other offer on the table, take it without hesitation. You win, the buyer wins, the agent gets paid, the deal closes. Everyone is happy.

Post-NAR settlement, whether you pay the buyer’s agent commission is a matter of negotiation, not obligation. Under NAR’s settlement-related practice changes, which took effect on August 17, 2024, MLS participants working with buyers must enter into written buyer agreements before touring a home. Many buyers will ask you to cover some or all of their agent’s fee as part of the offer, and you can accept, counter, or decline. Treat it like any other line item in the negotiation, and judge the offer on its net to you. Consult a licensed real estate attorney for guidance on your specific contract, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: See FAQ #14 for a fuller breakdown of post-NAR settlement commission rules.

Early. As early as possible. Engaging competent real estate counsel from the beginning is one of the most important things you can do as an FSBO seller. A good attorney should be involved well before you accept an offer, ideally from the time you list the property. They will review your purchase contract, disclosure documents, and any addenda, and they’ll be ready to step in the moment a question comes up. In some states (New York, for example), attorney involvement is legally required. Even in states where it isn’t, having competent counsel engaged from day one is the single biggest protection you can give yourself in this transaction. Don’t wait until something goes wrong. Find a licensed real estate attorney in our Local Professionals directory and engage them before you need them.

Helpful next step: Find a real estate attorney near you in our Local Professionals directory.

Yes. Our Local Professionals directory lists vetted professionals across the categories FSBO sellers most commonly need: real estate attorneys, title companies, inspectors, photographers, and mortgage lenders for buyers. Every Local Professional has been reviewed before being listed. Using a Local Professional is entirely optional, we list them as a convenience, not a requirement. You’re welcome to use any professional you choose. We do not take referral fees. Advertising from these Local Professionals is what keeps the platform free for sellers, and the advertising relationship never influences which Local Professionals are listed or how your listing performs.

Helpful next step: Browse the Local Professionals directory to find professionals by category and location.

It depends heavily on your local market, pricing accuracy, and how prepared your listing is. In a strong seller’s market, well-priced homes can go under contract in days. In slower markets or if the home is overpriced, it can sit for weeks or months. Research consistently shows that accurate pricing is the single biggest factor in time-to-sale. Use our pricing tool (coming soon) to set a competitive price from the start. A pre-listing inspection and strong photos also reduce the time buyers spend hesitating.

Helpful next step: See how much you could save with our Savings Calculator.

Once you accept, the clock starts on a series of contingencies that the buyer needs to satisfy before the deal can close. First, understand what kind of pre-approval the buyer has. A pre-approval letter is not the same as actual loan approval. A pre-approval means a lender has looked at the buyer’s basic financials and believes they will qualify, but the buyer still has to go through full underwriting after the contract is signed. That’s why financing contingencies exist. Next, inspections. The buyer typically has a set window (often 7 to 14 days) to inspect the property and either accept the condition, request repairs or credits, or walk away. Then there’s the mortgage contingency, the deal is contingent on the buyer’s lender actually approving the loan, and the appraisal contingency, the home must appraise at or above the contract price. All of these contingencies are negotiable. As the seller, you can push for shorter inspection windows, larger earnest money deposits, or even no contingencies at all (more common with cash buyers). You’ll open escrow with a title company or attorney who holds the earnest money. When all contingencies are cleared, the file moves to “clear to close,” you sign closing documents, funds are wired, and title transfers. The whole process usually takes 30–60 days from accepted offer. Consult a licensed real estate attorney, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: Read the full walkthrough in our Seller Guide.

Earnest money (also called a good-faith deposit) is money the buyer puts up after you accept their offer. It’s how a buyer demonstrates they’re serious about closing. The bigger the deposit, the more skin the buyer has in the game, and the more confidence you can have that they intend to follow through. It’s held in escrow and applied toward the buyer’s down payment or closing costs at closing. If the buyer backs out without a valid contractual reason, you may be entitled to keep it. Standard amounts range from 1–3% of the purchase price, though in competitive markets buyers sometimes offer more to stand out. The exact amount is negotiable. As one example, a VA loan buyer might offer to waive the appraisal contingency or post a larger earnest money deposit to make their offer more competitive. Higher earnest money gives you more protection if the deal falls apart and is a strong signal of buyer commitment. Consult a licensed real estate attorney for guidance on your contract, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: See FAQ #20 for what happens when a buyer wants to back out.

Contingencies are conditions that must be met for the sale to proceed. Every contingency in a contract is a way for the buyer to exit the deal or renegotiate. Understand that contingencies shift power to the buyer. Don’t just agree to whatever contingencies are presented in an offer, push back on the ones that don’t make sense, negotiate shorter windows, and remember that fewer contingencies usually means a stronger, faster, more reliable close. The most common ones are:

• Inspection contingency, the buyer has the right to inspect and can negotiate repairs or walk away.
• Financing contingency, the deal is contingent on the buyer securing a mortgage.
• Appraisal contingency, the home must appraise at or above the contract price.
• Title contingency, clear title must be confirmed.
• Sale of buyer’s home contingency, the buyer must sell their current home first.

Each contingency has a deadline; missing one can void it. Treat each contingency as a negotiation point, not a default. Consult a licensed real estate attorney, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: See FAQ #25 for the difference between contingent and non-contingent offers.

First, don’t panic, inspection reports almost always contain a list of issues, and most deals survive them. The buyer will typically submit a repair request (called a repair addendum or “request for repair”). You have three options: agree to make the repairs, offer a credit at closing instead, or decline and let the buyer decide whether to proceed. A credit is often cleaner for both sides. Focus on safety items and major systems, buyers are less likely to push back on cosmetic issues. If the list is extensive, bring in a contractor to get real cost estimates before agreeing to anything. Consult a licensed real estate attorney, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: Find licensed inspectors and contractors in our Local Professionals directory.

This is called a “low appraisal” and it’s a common source of deal stress. If the buyer has an appraisal contingency, they can renegotiate or walk away. Your options: lower the price to the appraised value, ask the buyer to cover the gap in cash (an “appraisal gap”), split the difference, or provide a rebuttal to the appraiser with supporting comps. A well-documented rebuttal sometimes results in a revised appraisal. If none of these work and the buyer walks, you can relist, and now you have data about what the market is telling you on price. Consult a licensed real estate attorney, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: Check comparable sales in your area before accepting or countering, our pricing tool (coming soon) will make this even easier.

No. You are not required to pay a buyer’s agent commission, and we recommend you do not pre-commit to one in your listing description.

Here’s how we at SaveOnYourHome.com think about this. Your goal is to net the most money from the sale of your home. That is the only goal that matters. The best outcome is a buyer with no agent who finds your home, makes a strong offer, and you accept it with zero commission owed. That’s the maximum-equity outcome and it happens more often than people expect.

But it’s not the only acceptable outcome. If a buyer’s agent brings you an offer that, even with their commission baked in, still nets you more than any other offer you have received, you are free to accept it. There is nothing wrong with that. You win, the buyer wins, the agent gets paid, the deal closes. That is also a great outcome.

What we recommend against is pre-committing to a 2.5 to 3 percent buyer’s agent commission in your listing description before any offer has arrived. That habit comes from the pre-settlement MLS era, when buyer-agent commissions were published on the MLS and treated as the standard. NAR’s settlement-related practice changes took effect on August 17, 2024. Under those changes, MLS participants working with buyers must enter into written buyer agreements before touring a home. Offers of broker compensation are no longer displayed on an MLS, but compensation can still be negotiated off the MLS. Broker fees and commissions remain negotiable. That means you, the seller, get to evaluate each offer on its net-to-you basis when it actually arrives.

So the answer is: do not pre-commit, evaluate every offer on its net to you, and if a commission-bearing offer wins on net, accept it without guilt. You get the best of all worlds, the chance to sell with zero commission to a direct buyer, and the freedom to accept a commission-bearing offer if it turns out to be the best one on the table. Consult a licensed real estate attorney to handle the contract specifics in your transaction. You can find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: See FAQ #5 for how to handle offers from buyer’s agents in practice.

Start by notifying all buyers that multiple offers exist, you’re not required to, but it’s good practice and often drives better terms. You can take the highest offer outright, counter your top choice, or issue a “best and final” deadline asking all buyers to submit their strongest offer by a specific time. Evaluate offers on more than just price: cash vs. financed, contingencies, closing timeline, and strength of the earnest money all matter. A slightly lower all-cash offer with no contingencies often closes faster and more reliably than a high financed offer. For any financed offer, require a strong pre-approval letter from a reputable lender. Not all pre-approvals are equal. A pre-approval from a small or unfamiliar lender is not the same as one from an established lender who has actually run the buyer through underwriting review. If you have questions about whether a particular lender or pre-approval is solid, reach out to a lender in our Local Professionals directory, they can help you evaluate. Consult a licensed real estate attorney, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: Review our Seller Guide for a multiple-offer checklist.

If the buyer has a financing contingency in their contract, they can exit the deal and get their earnest money back. If the contingency deadline has passed and they back out anyway, you may be entitled to keep the earnest money, but check your contract language carefully. Your best protection on the front end is requiring a solid pre-approval letter (not just a pre-qualification) before accepting an offer, and confirming it’s from a reputable lender. If financing falls through late in the process, you can relist the property, buyers who were previously interested may still be available. Consult a licensed real estate attorney, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: See FAQ #26 for how to screen buyers effectively before accepting an offer.

Yes, this is the standard situation for most sellers. When the sale closes, your mortgage is paid off from the sale proceeds at the closing table, and the remaining equity goes to you. The title company or closing attorney coordinates the payoff directly with your lender. Before listing, contact your mortgage servicer to get a payoff statement so you know exactly how much is owed. Also check whether your loan has a prepayment penalty (rare today, but worth confirming). Use our Savings Calculator to estimate your net proceeds after the payoff.

Helpful next step: Run your numbers with the Savings Calculator to see your estimated net proceeds.

Selling a tenant-occupied home is more complex and varies significantly by state. Generally, you must honor the lease terms, you cannot force a tenant to leave before their lease ends just because you’re selling. Month-to-month tenants may require 30–60 days notice depending on your state. You’ll also need to coordinate showing access, which requires advance notice (typically 24–48 hours). Some buyers will want the property vacant; others are fine with inheriting a tenant. Disclose the tenancy clearly in your listing and to buyers. Consult a licensed real estate attorney, this area varies by state, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: Find a licensed real estate attorney in your county through our Local Professionals directory for tenant notice rules in your state.

What they are and why they exist. A title search is a review of public records to confirm you legally own the property and that there are no liens, judgments, easements, or other claims against it that could interfere with the sale. It exists because real estate is one of the few assets where ownership can be challenged years after a sale, by a missed heir, an unpaid contractor, a forgotten lien, or a clerical error in the public record. The title search surfaces those risks before closing. Title insurance is the protection against anything the search missed. It exists because public records aren’t perfect, and even a thorough search can miss something. If a claim surfaces after closing, title insurance protects the policyholder against the loss.

How to handle them. The title search is done by a title company or real estate attorney, not by you. Title insurance comes in two forms: a lender’s policy (required by the buyer’s lender to protect the loan) and an owner’s policy (which protects the buyer’s ownership). As the seller, you typically pay for the owner’s title insurance policy in most states, though this is negotiable. The title company coordinates the whole process as part of closing. Costs vary by state and property value. Consult a licensed real estate attorney, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: Find a title company or closing attorney in our Local Professionals directory.

It depends on when they back out and what contingencies are in the contract. During an active contingency period (inspection, financing, appraisal), the buyer can typically exit and recover their earnest money. Once all contingencies are waived or expired, backing out becomes much harder, you may be entitled to keep the earnest money, and in some cases could pursue the buyer for additional damages (called “specific performance”), though that’s rare. Your contract’s default and remedies clause governs this. The practical outcome in most failed deals is simply keeping the earnest money. Consult a licensed real estate attorney, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: See FAQ #10 for how earnest money works and how much to require.

Seller closing costs typically run 1 to 3 percent of the sale price (not counting any agent commission). Common items include: title insurance (if customary in your state), transfer taxes or documentary stamps, prorated property taxes and HOA fees, recording fees, attorney fees if you hire one, and any negotiated seller concessions. Some costs vary by state, transfer taxes especially. The much bigger savings story is on commissions. By listing on your own with SaveOnYourHome.com, you’re already eliminating the listing-side commission of roughly 2.5 to 3 percent. On top of that, the buyer’s-side commission, also typically 2.5 to 3 percent, is now negotiable post-NAR settlement. If you sell directly to an unrepresented buyer, you can eliminate that fee entirely. If the buyer is represented, that fee is something you can negotiate rather than something automatically built into the sale. Between the two, that’s potentially 5 to 6 percent of your sale price back in your pocket. Run your numbers with our Savings Calculator to see a full estimate. Consult a licensed real estate attorney, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: Use the Savings Calculator to estimate your net proceeds with all costs factored in.

When comparable sales are scarce, you need to build your price from multiple angles. Start with the closest comps available, even if they’re slightly different in size, age, or location, and make manual adjustments. But comps alone won’t get you there on an unusual property. You also have to look at what else is on the market right now (the competition), who the likely buyer is for a home like yours, and what that specific buyer needs and is willing to pay for. A unique home isn’t priced wrong just because it doesn’t fit the typical comp model, unusual properties get sold every day, they just need to be analyzed through that lens. Unique features (a guest house, acreage, waterfront access, custom construction, an in-law suite) add value that standard comps won’t capture. Our pricing tool (coming soon) will incorporate non-traditional data signals that help with unusual properties, but for a home that’s truly outside the box, a licensed appraiser is probably worth the fee here. An appraiser looks at the property through the lens of the actual market, comps plus competition plus likely buyer, and gives you a defensible number you can stand behind.

Helpful next step: Consider a professional appraisal from our Local Professionals directory, and watch for our pricing tool (coming soon).

A pre-listing inspection is one of the smartest moves a FSBO seller can make. It lets you find and fix problems before buyers discover them, on your timeline and with contractors you choose, not under deadline pressure. It also signals transparency to buyers, which builds trust and can shorten the negotiation process after the buyer’s inspection. If you find something significant, you have three choices: fix it, disclose it and price accordingly, or disclose it and offer a credit. Surprises after contract tend to kill deals. Paying $300–$500 for a pre-listing inspection upfront can save thousands in renegotiation. Find an inspector in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: Find a licensed home inspector in our Local Professionals directory.

A seller concession is money you agree to contribute toward the buyer’s closing costs, often written as a dollar amount or percentage of the sale price. They can be a real tool in getting a deal across the finish line, but there are a few things you have to understand before agreeing to one.

Why concessions can help. Sometimes a deal is close on price but the buyer is short on cash to close. A concession lets you bridge that gap without dropping your sale price. They also have a real advantage over agreeing to fix something in advance: a pre-closing repair can drag on, the buyer can complain it wasn’t done to their satisfaction, and you’re stuck managing contractors right when you’re trying to move out. A concession ties the credit directly to closing, no repair drama, no “I’m not happy with how it was done” disputes.

The critical warning: appraisal. When you agree to a concession, you and the buyer sometimes bump up the sale price to cover it. For example, if you agreed to $390,000 net, you might write the contract at $400,000 with a $10,000 seller concession. The risk: the home still has to appraise at that higher contract price for the mortgage to go through. If the appraisal comes in below the contract price, you’ve traded one problem for another and the deal can stall. Be careful that whatever final number you write, it’s a price the appraisal will actually support.

The mechanics. Concessions have to fall within the lender’s allowed limits, FHA, VA, and conventional loans each have caps on how much a seller can contribute. The concession needs to be written clearly in the purchase contract or as a contract addendum. This is one of those things you absolutely want your attorney to draft, not something to handle informally. Find a licensed real estate attorney in our Local Professionals directory for exact contract language.

Helpful next step: Read more on structuring offers in our Seller Guide.

This is one of the most important things to understand as a seller. The practical difference between a contingent and a non-contingent offer is huge, and it should weigh heavily on which offer you accept.

The technical definition. A contingent offer includes one or more conditions that must be met for the sale to close, inspection, financing, appraisal, or the sale of the buyer’s current home. If the condition isn’t met, the buyer can exit, typically with their earnest money back. A non-contingent offer has no such conditions, the buyer is committing to buy regardless.

The practical reality. The moment you sign a contract with contingencies in it, the leverage in the deal shifts almost entirely to the buyer. They now have a series of windows in which they can renegotiate, ask for credits, or walk away, and you’re locked in. A non-contingent offer keeps the leverage with you. That’s why a clean offer at a slightly lower price is often more valuable than a higher offer loaded with contingencies, the higher offer carries real risk of falling apart or being renegotiated down to (or below) the lower offer anyway.

Watch for contingencies used as a negotiating tool. Most contingencies are included for legitimate reasons, buyers really do need financing, really do want an inspection. But contingencies can also be used strategically. A common pattern: a buyer comes in with a full-price offer (which feels great), but with a 30-day inspection contingency. On day 30, they come back with a long list of “issues” and ask for thousands in credits or repairs. The issues don’t have to be legitimate, they can ask for anything. You can say no, but by that point you’ve mentally committed to the deal, you may have already turned down other offers, you may be packing boxes, and the pressure to give in is real.

What this means for evaluating offers. Don’t focus only on purchase price when comparing offers. Look at the full picture: how many contingencies, how long the windows are, how strong the buyer’s financing is, how much earnest money they’re putting down. A non-contingent offer (or one with fewer, shorter contingencies) is a much stronger offer than the headline price alone suggests. And before you accept any offer with contingencies in it, talk to your attorney about what each contingency means in practice and how to protect yourself. Find a licensed real estate attorney in our Local Professionals directory.

Helpful next step: See FAQ #11 for a full breakdown of common contingency types.

Require a current mortgage pre-approval letter (not just pre-qualification) from any financed buyer before accepting an offer, or even before letting them tour, if you prefer. For cash buyers, request proof of funds (see FAQ #27).

Most important: verify the pre-approval, don’t just collect it. A pre-approval letter on its own isn’t enough. The quality of pre-approvals varies enormously. Some lenders issue letters based on a five-minute phone conversation and self-reported numbers; others run actual credit, verify income, verify assets, and stand behind the letter. You need to know which one you’re holding.

The fastest way to find out is to call the lender on the letter directly. It’s a one-minute conversation. Ask: Did you pull the buyer’s credit? Did you verify their income? Did you verify their assets and employment? Have you reviewed their tax returns or W-2s? If the answers are all yes, you have a real pre-approval. If the lender hedges or admits they just wrote a letter based on what the buyer told them, you have a boilerplate letter, and you should treat that offer with appropriate caution.

During showings, ask a few qualifying questions: their timeline, whether they’ve seen the neighborhood before, whether they’re working with an agent, what stage of pre-approval they’re at. Serious buyers come prepared and give direct answers. Use the built-in showing scheduler in your seller dashboard to manage showing requests, which naturally filters out low-intent inquiries. It’s okay to be politely direct about your requirements.

Helpful next step: Manage showing requests from your seller dashboard to keep the process organized.

Yes, absolutely. Requiring proof of funds from any buyer claiming to pay cash is standard practice and entirely reasonable. Acceptable forms include a recent bank statement, brokerage account statement, or a letter from a financial institution confirming available funds. The statement should be dated within the last 30–60 days and show enough liquid funds to cover the full purchase price plus reasonable closing costs. You can redact account numbers while still showing the balance. Don’t accept a letter that merely says “the buyer has sufficient funds” without documentation. A real buyer will have no problem providing this, hesitation is a red flag.

Helpful next step: See FAQ #26 for additional buyer screening tips before and during showings.

These terms mark different stages of a sale, and understanding them practically matters more than the labels themselves.

Under contract means an offer has been accepted and a contract has been signed. The buyer is typically in the contingency period, working through inspection, financing, appraisal, and any other conditions. The deal could still fall apart, but the most important thing to understand is that the moment you sign that contract, your options as the seller narrow dramatically. You can’t accept a better offer that comes in. You can’t easily move the timetable. The buyer, on the other hand, still has flexibility because of those contingencies. Whether your state has an attorney-review period or not, assume the contract is locked in from your side the moment it’s signed, and assume it stays locked in until the loan actually closes.

Pending typically means all contingencies have been satisfied and the sale is moving toward closing. Much less likely to fall through at this point, but until the loan funds and the deed is recorded, it isn’t done.

Sold means title has transferred, the deed has been recorded, and the transaction is complete.

One thing to be aware of: you’ll sometimes see “Under Contract” displayed on yard signs or listing pages, especially with agent-listed homes. That’s a marketing label, not an official status, it just means an offer has been accepted and the parties are negotiating or in contingency. It doesn’t carry any legal weight on its own. What matters is what’s in the signed contract and where you are in the contingency timeline. When you update your listing status on SaveOnYourHome, we’ll walk you through which stage applies.

Helpful next step: Update your listing status directly in your seller dashboard when your status changes.

Closing day is when the legal transfer of ownership happens. As the seller, you’ll sign the deed, settlement statement (HUD-1 or ALTA), and a handful of other documents. You typically sign before or on the same day as the buyer, sometimes at the title company’s office, sometimes with a mobile notary. You’ll need a valid government-issued ID. Your mortgage payoff is sent electronically to your lender, closing costs are deducted, and your net proceeds are wired to your bank account (or issued as a check). Whether or not your attorney attends closing depends on your state and your own preference. Consult a licensed real estate attorney, find one in our Local Professionals directory.

Proration means you and the buyer split periodic expenses based on how many days each of you owns the property during the billing period, calculated right down to the day of closing. It applies to property taxes, HOA dues, and sometimes utilities, fuel oil left in the tank, anything that was paid for one billing period and crosses the closing date.

How it works. If your property taxes cover January through December and you close on October 1, you owe roughly nine months’ worth; the buyer owes the rest. If you’ve already prepaid the full year, the buyer reimburses you at closing for their portion. If taxes are due later and you’ve used the home through closing, you pay your portion at closing and the buyer takes over from there. The same logic applies to HOA dues and any utility or service that was prepaid.

Where it gets handled. All of this should be captured on the closing documents (the settlement statement or Closing Disclosure), with a clear line for every prorated item showing who owes what to whom. The title company or closing attorney does the math, you don’t have to. What you do need to do is provide your most recent tax bill, HOA statement, and any prepaid utility receipts so the closing team has accurate numbers.

The point of all this is to make sure no one is overpaying or underpaying for their actual time owning the home. Review the prorations line by line on your settlement statement before signing, mistakes happen, and once funds are disbursed they’re much harder to fix. Find a licensed real estate attorney in our Local Professionals directory if anything looks off.

Helpful next step: Estimate your total closing costs including prorations with our Savings Calculator.

We do a quick review of every new listing before it goes live to buyers. The review is fast, we’re checking that the basics look right (photos load, address is real, price is filled in, no obvious mistakes). Most listings are approved within a few hours during business hours. You’ll get an email the moment yours goes live with the public URL, your QR code, and the link to order your free yard sign. If we need anything corrected before approval, we’ll email you with specifics. We’re not gatekeepers, we’re just trying to keep the platform clean for the buyers searching it.

As soon as you get the email confirming your listing is live, order your free yard sign from your seller dashboard.

Every seller gets the option of a free yard sign with a custom QR code printed on it. The QR code is the whole point: when a prospective buyer drives by your home and scans it, they go directly to your listing on SaveOnYourHome.com, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They see all your photos, your full description, your pricing, and everything you’re offering, without you having to put your personal cell phone number on a sign and field calls from strangers all day. Only after they’ve reviewed your listing and decided they’re interested do they reach out, either through the privacy-protected messaging system on SaveOnYourHome, or by phone if you’ve chosen to display one.

How to order. Once your listing is approved, click the “Order Sign” button in your dashboard on saveonyourhome.com. Your sign includes a QR code that directs anyone who scans it to your live listing, and the code keeps working even if your listing URL changes (we redirect automatically). Signs are printed and shipped free within 5-7 business days, one sign per listing, US addresses only. When your home sells, you don’t need to return the sign, keep it or recycle it. There’s no charge, no shipping fee, and no upsell.

Here’s what your sign looks like:

Helpful next step: Order your free yard sign from your seller dashboard the moment your listing is approved.

Yes. SaveOnYourHome supports For Rent By Owner listings alongside For Sale By Owner. The listing wizard has a “For Rent” option in Step 1 (Property Basics). Rental listings show up in our buyer search with a clear For Rent tag, and renters can contact you through the same privacy-protected messaging system that protects sellers. The Honor Pledge and Local Professional vetting apply equally to rental landlords.

Helpful next step: From your dashboard, click “Create Listing” and choose “For Rent” in Step 1.

In-listing messaging gives buyers a way to reach out directly through the site without needing to call or email you first. When a buyer sends a message from your listing page, we forward it to the email address on your account, and you reply directly, on your own schedule. It’s designed to let interested buyers connect with you quickly, and conversations may move off-platform once you and the buyer connect directly. If a message ever feels off, harassment, spam, anything sketchy, ignore it and don’t respond.

Every 30 days we send you a quick email asking whether your listing is still active. It’s a one-click confirmation, yes, still for sale; marked it sold; or take it down. We do this because nothing makes a buyer trust the platform less than calling about a home that sold three months ago. If you don’t respond to the first email, we send a reminder. If we still don’t hear back, we’ll pause your listing (it stops showing in buyer search until you confirm). It’s never deleted, just paused, and you can go back into your dashboard at any time and re-engage it. One click and you’re back live.

Important: please update your listing status yourself the moment your home sells. The fastest way for us to keep the platform accurate is for sellers to mark their own homes sold in the dashboard as soon as the deal closes, that way buyers searching the site aren’t wasting their time on a home that’s no longer available.

Helpful next step: When the email arrives, just hit the button. It takes five seconds.