Step 1: Confirm you can sell it yourself
You can, if you own it. R.C. 4735.01(I)(1)(a) excludes owners dealing with their own Ohio real estate from the definition of a broker, so no license is needed to list, show and negotiate. Executors and court-appointed fiduciaries are excluded too, though the probate court may still have to approve the sale.
Before you start, gather your deed, your latest tax bill and a recent mortgage statement, and confirm that everyone on the title agrees to sell. If a co-owner won’t sign, or the owner has died, sort that out first.
Step 2: Price it from real sales
Most FSBO houses that sit too long were priced from hope rather than data. Look at:
- Closed sales of similar houses within about a half mile in the last six months, from the county auditor or fiscal office sales search
- Condition differences: an updated kitchen or a new roof moves value; a wet basement moves it the other way
- Active listings, which show your competition but not what buyers actually paid
A paid appraisal gives you a number you can show buyers. Our guide on how much your house is worth explains the methods.
Step 3: Complete the Ohio disclosure form
Most FSBO sellers must give buyers the Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form. R.C. 5302.30 requires it for sales of homes with one to four units, delivered “as soon as is practicable.” The form asks about the water supply, sewer, roof, foundation, basement water, and hazards such as lead paint and radon, all within your actual knowledge.
Deliver it before you accept an offer. If the buyer receives it after signing a contract, they can rescind within three business days, up to 30 days after acceptance or closing, whichever comes first. Exemptions are listed in our Ohio residential property disclosure form guide. Homes built before 1978 also need a federal lead paint disclosure.
Step 4: Check local inspection rules
Some Northeast Ohio cities require a point-of-sale inspection before a sale closes, and county health rules can apply to septic systems and wells. On a 2025 title-company list, Macedonia required an exterior-only inspection for a $75 fee, while Cuyahoga Falls required sellers to disclose the availability of an optional stormwater dye test. In Summit County, a property with a well or septic system needs an inspection of both.
Call your city’s building department early, because a failed inspection can delay closing. See point-of-sale inspections in Northeast Ohio.
Step 5: Market the house and run showings
FSBO marketing is up to you. Common pieces:
- good daylight photos of every room and the outside
- a yard sign with a phone number you will answer
- online listings on FSBO sites, or paid MLS entry through a limited-service broker
- an information sheet with taxes, utilities, age of roof and furnace, and school district
Show by appointment, ask for the buyer’s name and phone number in advance, and lock away valuables and medications.
Step 6: Deal with buyer agents and offers
Many buyers arrive with an agent. Since August 17, 2024, agents working with buyers through an MLS need a written buyer agreement before touring, and offers of buyer-agent pay can no longer be posted on the MLS. The National Association of Realtors says these fees are “fully negotiable and not set by law.”
So a buyer’s offer may ask you to pay their agent. Treat that request like any other term: compare offers by your net, not the headline price.
Before you accept, check the buyer’s ability to pay. A financed buyer should have a pre-approval letter; FHA loans add an appraisal that can require repairs under HUD Handbook 4000.1. Our FHA appraisal repair guide lists what gets flagged.
Step 7: Sign a written purchase agreement
Put every term in a signed, written purchase agreement. This is the document that decides what happens when something goes wrong. A sound agreement covers the price, earnest money and who holds it, financing and inspection contingencies with deadlines, what stays with the house, the closing date, possession, tax proration and the title company.
Paying an Ohio real estate attorney to draft or review the contract is money well spent. See do I need a lawyer to sell my house in Ohio.
Earnest money is the other key term. Decide who holds it (the title company is the usual neutral choice), how much it is, and when the buyer forfeits it. Without those details in writing, a failed FSBO deal can turn into an argument over a deposit.
Also write down what conveys with the house: appliances, window treatments, a shed, a generator. Buyers and sellers often assume differently.
Set a realistic closing date in the contract, with room for the buyer’s appraisal and loan approval.
Step 8: Close through a title company
Open a file with a title company as soon as the contract is signed. The title company searches the record, orders your payoff, arranges the deed, collects the Ohio conveyance fee, files the 1099-S with the IRS, and wires your proceeds.
Confirm wiring instructions by phone using a number you already have, never one from an email. Our closing wire fraud guide explains why.
If you’d rather skip the marketing and showings altogether, selling directly without a Realtor is the other route.
