Seller tool · For sale by owner
Selling your Louisiana home yourself: the FSBO toolkit
You can sell your own home in Louisiana. To do it well you need four things: a price backed by recent nearby sales, a safe showing plan, the required paperwork (the state property disclosure, a written purchase agreement, and a lead-based paint disclosure if the home was built before 1978), and a title company or attorney to handle closing. This page walks through each one. Use what helps. Call us only if and when you want to.
Reviewed by the Nicole Spellman Group team
Updated September 27, 2026
Step 1
Price it from comparable sales
Buyers and appraisers price your home against recent sales nearby. Start where they will.
How to pick comps
- Closed sales, not asking prices
- As recent as possible, ideally the last few months
- Close by, in the same subdivision or area when you can
- Similar square footage, age, bedrooms, baths and lot
- Similar condition and flood zone
Common pricing mistakes
- Using an online estimate as the price
- Using the parish assessed value, which is for taxes
- Adding the full cost of upgrades to the price
- Pricing high "to leave room" and then sitting
- Ignoring what the buyer's appraiser will see
Want real comps? We will send a free price opinion from recent closed sales near you, even if you plan to sell yourself. Ask for your home value. To see what you would net, use the net sheet.
Step 2
Showings and safety
You will be opening your home to strangers. A few habits keep you and your belongings safe.
Before the showing
- Get the visitor's full name and phone number, and call back to confirm it
- Ask whether they have a lender pre-approval or proof of funds
- Schedule showings by appointment, during daylight when you can
- Have another adult home with you
- Tell someone who is coming and when
During and after
- Lock up medications, jewelry, keys, mail and papers with personal information
- Put away guns and anything valuable
- Walk behind visitors, not ahead of them
- Keep your phone charged and in hand
- Recheck doors and windows afterward
Use the 15-minute showing-ready checklist before every visit.
Step 3
Paperwork a Louisiana FSBO seller typically needs
Not legal advice. A Louisiana real estate attorney or title company can tell you exactly what your sale needs.
| Document | When it applies | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Property Disclosure Document | Most sales of homes with 1 to 4 units, with or without an agent. Due no later than when the buyer makes an offer. You complete it yourself, from your own knowledge | Louisiana Real Estate Commission |
| Written purchase agreement | Every sale. It sets price, deposit, inspection period, financing and the closing date | Have a Louisiana real estate attorney prepare or review it. LREC publishes its 2026 residential agreement |
| Lead-based paint disclosure | Homes built before 1978 | EPA pamphlet and disclosure; LREC posts a lead warning form |
| Act of Sale | At closing. A transfer of immovable property is made by authentic act or act under private signature, and it affects third parties only once filed in the parish where the property sits | Title company, closing attorney or notary |
Pre-1978 homes: what the EPA requires of sellers
- Give the buyer the pamphlet "Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home"
- Disclose any known lead-based paint or hazards, and give any records or reports you have
- Include the Lead Warning Statement in the sales contract
- Give the buyer a 10-day period to inspect for lead, unless both sides agree in writing to change it
- Keep a signed copy of the disclosures for three years
On the property disclosure
- It is your statement, from your own knowledge
- No one else should fill it in for you
- If you are unsure how to answer, ask a Louisiana real estate attorney
- Read our plain-English walkthrough
Sources: La. R.S. 9:3197; La. R.S. 9:3198; La. Civil Code art. 1839; Louisiana Real Estate Commission forms; EPA, Real Estate Disclosures about Potential Lead Hazards.
Step 4
Marketing your home
Describe the house, not the people you hope will buy it.
What works
- Bright, clear photos of every room and the outside (see photo prep)
- Accurate facts: beds, baths, square footage, lot, year built, flood zone
- A yard sign with a phone number you answer
- Listings on the major FSBO and social sites
- An open house, with a sign-in and a second adult present
Fair housing applies to you too
- Federal law bars any ad that shows a preference or limitation based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin
- That advertising rule applies even to owners selling their own single-family home
- Describe features: "fenced yard," "two blocks to the park"
- Avoid describing ideal buyers or who lives nearby
Sources: 42 U.S.C. §3604(c); 42 U.S.C. §3603(b)(1).
Honest answer
When it makes sense to call an agent
Plenty of owners sell on their own. Here is where an agent tends to help most, and where you may not need one.
You may be fine on your own if
- You already have a buyer, like a neighbor or relative
- Your comps are clear and recent
- You have time for calls and showings
- You have an attorney or title company lined up
Consider calling if
- Showings are not turning into offers
- You have more than one offer and cannot compare them
- The inspection or appraisal comes back with problems
- You need to sell and buy at the same time
- Your deadline is tight, or you are moving out of the area
If a buyer brings their own agent, any payment to that agent is negotiable and should be agreed in writing. Want a second opinion on an offer? Call us. No pressure, no obligation.
Straight answers
FSBO questions
Not legal advice.
Can I sell my house without an agent in Louisiana?
Yes. You still need the required disclosures, a written purchase agreement, and someone to handle the closing, usually a title company or attorney.
Do FSBO sellers have to give a property disclosure?
Yes, for most homes with one to four units. The law applies with or without an agent, and the form is due no later than when the buyer makes an offer.
La. R.S. 9:3197(A), 9:3198
Who writes the purchase agreement in a FSBO sale?
The buyer and seller agree to it in writing. Have a Louisiana real estate attorney prepare or review it. The Louisiana Real Estate Commission publishes its 2026 residential agreement on its website.
Louisiana Real Estate Commission
Do I need a lead paint disclosure?
If the home was built before 1978, yes. You give the EPA pamphlet, disclose what you know, add the lead warning statement to the contract and allow a 10-day inspection period unless waived in writing.
EPA
How do I price my house without an agent?
Use recent closed sales of similar homes nearby, not asking prices or online estimates. We will send you a free price opinion from local sales if you ask.
Do I have to pay a buyer's agent?
Only if you agree to. Any compensation is negotiable and should be in writing.
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General information, current as of September 27, 2026. Not legal or tax advice. Nicole Spellman Group agents are licensed Louisiana real estate salespersons, not attorneys, inspectors or appraisers. For contracts and disclosures, consult a Louisiana real estate attorney.