A plain-English resource for Shawnee home sellers who want to go it alone and do it right

I’m a REALTOR®. I make my living helping people buy and sell homes in Shawnee and Central Oklahoma. So I want to be upfront about something: I just built a free guide for sellers who don’t want to hire me.

That might sound strange. It isn’t.

FSBO (for sale by owner) works for some sellers in some situations. Plenty of people do it successfully. The ones who do it best go in prepared, priced right, and ready for what the process requires. The FSBO Survival Kit exists to help sellers get there.

What the FSBO Survival Kit is

It’s a free, multi-page guide on soldonshawnee.com that walks through every phase of a FSBO transaction, in plain English, with no sales pitch attached.

Eight pages cover:

• Is FSBO right for you? An honest look at fit, time commitment, and what sellers typically underestimate
• Pricing without guesswork Why online estimates fall short and how to build a comp set you can defend
• Marketing and showings Where buyers look, why photos matter more than most sellers think, and how to manage showings without losing your mind
• Working with a buyer’s agent What happens when a represented buyer contacts you, and how the compensation conversation works
• Offers, contracts, and deadlines The phase where most FSBO deals break down, and how to keep yours on track
• Inspections and repairs The TRR process, what buyers can request, and what you’re required to fix
• Appraisals and financing What each loan type means for you as a seller, and where financed deals fall apart
• When to change course How to recognize when the strategy isn’t working and what your options look like

Each section stands on its own. You don’t have to read it in order. If you’re already under contract and headed into inspections, go straight there.

Why I built it

I’ve been doing this for more than 30 years and talked to a lot of FSBO sellers: some before they listed, some after a deal fell apart, some somewhere in the middle.

Most real estate agents won’t publish something like this. “Commission breath” is real, and a free guide that helps sellers go it alone doesn’t really serve that interest. Most of the rest just aren’t publishing anything anyway. But I gotchu.

Most of this information exists somewhere online, but it’s scattered, generic, or written for a national audience that doesn’t reflect how transactions work in Oklahoma. The FSBO Survival Kit is specific to this market, references Oklahoma Real Estate Commission forms and contract language, and is written by someone who works in it every day.

What it doesn’t do

It doesn’t try to talk you out of selling FSBO. It doesn’t end every page with a “but wouldn’t you rather just call me?” prompt. It’s written to help you make a more informed decision, whichever direction that takes you.

If you work through it and decide FSBO is right for your situation, you’ll be better prepared than most. If you decide the process is more than you want to take on, that’s a legitimate conclusion too.

One thing worth knowing

The last page, When to Change Course, is probably the one most sellers hope they never need. But if you land there, it’s worth reading before you make any decisions. Changing course isn’t failure. It’s navigation.

Explore the FSBO Survival Kit →

Steve Reese is a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and REALTOR® with NextHome Central Real Estate in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He has been serving buyers and sellers in Pottawatomie County and Central Oklahoma for more than 30 years. Questions about your situation? Reach out at steve@soldonshawnee.com or 405-585-6580.