Skipping the Agent Saved Us $44,000—Here’s the Breakdown – Selling Peacock

What We Spent (and Saved) by Skipping a Real Estate Agent

FSBO vs Agent Cost Comparison | Save Commission FSBO | Real Estate Agent Fees Georgia

When we decided to sell our home at 115 Peacock Way in Alpharetta, Georgia, we knew it was one of the biggest financial decisions we’d ever make. What we didn’t know—until we crunched the numbers—was just how much money we’d save by skipping the traditional route of hiring a real estate agent.

In this post, we’ll walk you through the real numbers behind our For Sale By Owner (FSBO) journey. You’ll see a transparent FSBO vs agent cost comparison, what we spent, what we didn’t, and how much we ultimately saved in commission fees.

By the end of this post, you’ll know whether FSBO might be worth it for your situation—and we’ll even tease an upcoming free calculator download you can use to run your own numbers.

The Traditional Cost of Selling with a Real Estate Agent

Before going FSBO, we did what most people do—we researched the average real estate agent fees in Georgia.

Here’s what we found:

Listing agent commission: ~3%
Buyer’s agent commission: ~3%
Total typical commission: 6% of the sale price
Our home’s listing price: $750,000
Expected total agent commission: $45,000

That’s $45,000 out of our pocket—money that could go toward closing costs, moving expenses, or renovations in our new home.

And we realized: We could do a lot of marketing, signage, and staging for a fraction of that.

Our FSBO Goal: Sell Smart, Save Big

We weren’t trying to cut corners. We wanted to maximize profit and do the job well. So we created a budget and a plan.

Here’s a breakdown of what we actually spent to sell our home ourselves—and how that compares to hiring an agent.

📊 FSBO vs Agent: Cost Comparison Table

Category	FSBO Cost	Agent-Assisted Cost	Notes
Listing on MLS (via Beycome)	$99	Included in commission	Flat fee MLS listing
Professional Photography	$150	Included or additional	Paid photographer on Thumbtack
Yard Sign	$30	Included	Custom double-sided sign
Canva One-Pager (Open House)	Free (DIY)	Agent marketing package	We printed 50 copies at $25
Facebook Ads & Boosts	$50	Agent handles marketing	Boosted local posts
Nextdoor Promotion	Free	Not guaranteed by agent	Manual listing and open house event
Legal Support / Seller Docs	$150	Agent manages this	Used Georgia Association of Realtors (GAR) templates
Open House Snacks & Setup	$40	Agent would handle	Cookies, bottled water, signs
Buyer Agent Commission (2%)	$14,600	$22,500 (3%)	Negotiated with buyer directly
Total Estimated FSBO Cost	$544	$45,000	Includes 2% buyer agent commission
Total Savings	~$44,456		Cha-ching 💰

Where We Saved Most: Commission

The biggest savings by far came from not paying a listing agent. That’s 3% of $730,000, or $21,900.

We did agree to pay a 2% buyer’s agent commission, which is increasingly common in FSBO transactions. But that was still a savings of over $7,000 compared to the typical 3%.

And if your buyer doesn’t have an agent—or is willing to go direct—you could save even more.

Real Estate Agent Fees in Georgia: A Closer Look

If you’re selling in Georgia, especially in metro areas like Alpharetta, Cumming, or Atlanta, you can expect standard commissions of:

2.5% to 3% per agent
5% to 6% total on average
Higher fees for staging, marketing, or premium agents

Our experience confirms that these percentages are the norm, and they can really eat into your equity.

We were fortunate that our buyer didn’t have a realtor and was already looking in our neighborhood. We saved roughly $20,000 to $25,000 just by handling the front end ourselves.

The Hidden Costs You Avoid with FSBO

Real estate agents often encourage spending on extras like:

Paid staging ($1,000+)
Premium photography or video tours ($500+)
Landscaping touch-ups ($1,500+)
Professional cleaning ($300+)

We did most of this ourselves—or skipped it entirely. And guess what? Our house sold within a week.

How We Found Our Buyer Without an Agent

Here’s exactly what we did:

Used Beycome.com to list on the MLS for $99
This gave our home visibility on Realtor.com, Zillow, Redfin, etc.
Posted to local Facebook groups
We shared a Canva-made flyer with open house details.
Created a Nextdoor event
Many of our neighbors (including our eventual buyer!) use Nextdoor regularly.
Held an Open House the following weekend
We had around 20+ parties walk through.
Buyer saw our post on Facebook and came to the open house
She was looking for a single-level home and wanted to stay in the neighborhood.

What Did We Miss by Not Using an Agent?

We want to be honest here. FSBO isn’t all sunshine and dollar signs. Here’s what we didn’t have access to:

Negotiation help: We had to navigate offer, counteroffer, and inspection repairs on our own.
Legal guidance: We did our homework using Georgia templates but had no legal advisor.
Time: It took effort to field calls, schedule showings, and coordinate with our buyer’s mortgage company.

But for us, the $44K in savings made every task worth it.

Download Our FSBO Cost Calculator (Coming Soon!)

Want to know exactly what you could save by going FSBO?

We’re building a simple Excel + Google Sheets calculator that lets you plug in:

Your expected sale price
Agent commission rate
Estimated FSBO costs (MLS, photography, etc.)
Buyer agent commission (if applicable)

It will instantly calculate your net proceeds with an agent vs. FSBO.

👉 Sign up for updates below to get early access as soon as it’s ready!

Final Thoughts: Should You Sell FSBO?

If you’re confident managing showings, contracts, and negotiations—and you want to keep more of your home equity—FSBO is worth exploring.

Here’s when FSBO makes the most sense:

You’re in a hot market or seller’s market
Your home is in great shape and “shows well”
You’re comfortable handling paperwork (or using templates)
You’re motivated to do the legwork in exchange for serious savings

If that sounds like you, the FSBO route could save you tens of thousands of dollars, just like it did for us.

TL;DR: FSBO vs Agent Cost Breakdown

Total spent on FSBO marketing and services: $544
Total saved in commission and agent fees: ~$44,456
Sale price: $730,000 (listed at $750K, accepted $730K)

No one cares about your home as much as you do. If you’re ready to put in the effort, selling without an agent can be one of the smartest financial decisions you’ll ever make.

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