Joel DyckReal Broker SK Ltd.
Saskatoon · From the topic map

Do I still need a real estate lawyer for FSBO?

Yes. Selling without an agent does not remove the legal work, and Saskatchewan requires a lawyer to close every home sale regardless of who represented the seller. A lawyer transfers title through Information Services Corporation, discharges the mortgage and prepares the statement of adjustments either way.

Without an agent, the seller is also handling everything the lawyer does not, such as pricing, marketing, showings and negotiating the offer, which makes the lawyer's role more important, not less, since it is the only professional check on the paperwork before money and title change hands.

Budget the same $800 to $1,500 in legal fees a represented sale would carry, since the closing work is identical either way; the only real savings from FSBO comes from not paying an agent's commission, not from skipping the lawyer.

A private valuation before setting a list price protects a FSBO seller from the pricing mistakes an agent would normally catch. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.

Still have a question?

Ask Joel directly. No form, no obligation, and a real answer even when the answer is that now is not the time to sell.