Frequently Asked Questions

At this time, we are up and running in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

Your REALTOR.ca posting has no time limit! It will last until it sells or is cancelled. (Cancellation is free.) However, MLS^® System listings technically require an expiry date, but with your authorization, we will continue to renew it at no extra charge, should you need to extend it.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

Yes. To see our most recent listings, please visit our Latest Postings on REALTOR.ca page.

You can show 40+ photos of your property on REALTOR.ca, depending on the rules of the local real estate board in your area.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

You have the freedom to cancel at any time without the typical cancellation "processing fees" that many other brokerages charge.

If you change your mind about using our services, you are not locked in or obligated to keep your posting with ForSaleByOwner.ca, or with the brokerage service.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

Please visit our Listing Syndication page to view our syndication network that combines the REALTOR.ca DDF^® service with our own FSBO portals.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

According to an agreement between the Competition Bureau and the Canadian Real Estate Association, a listing agent/brokerage must act as an agent for the seller to post, amend and remove a property listing on a board's MLS^® System. However, the nature of any additional services to be provided by the listing agent/brokerage to the seller is determined by an agreement between the listing agent/brokerage and the seller.

This allows individual sellers to utilize a flat fee mere posting service like the For Sale By Owner Inc. Under a Mere Posting (also unofficially referred to as a "mere listing"), you simply use our service to get your property listed on REALTOR.ca, through our established agreements with select real estate brokers who are members of the Canadian Real Estate Association.

We do not offer any other services that real estate agents would typically provide to a full service client, and we do not represent your interests in dealing with any prospective buyers, agents, or in any transaction(s) that results from your posting on a board's MLS^® System or from your ForSaleByOwner.ca listing.

With the mere posting service, the buyers contact you directly to arrange showings, submit offers, to ask questions, and for all other matters dealing with the sale of your property. If an agent contacts you with a buyer, you control the commissions you are willing to pay, if any, and you remain in control of the sale. For more information on being better prepared for buyers, please visit our Successful Seller's Guide.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

When a mere listing is uploaded on the industry websites, buyers and real estate agents will usually contact the seller directly to book appointments, view the property, present offers, and for all other inquiries. Each seller agrees to respond to appointment requests, and agrees to schedule appointments at their own convenience. Being well prepared will present you with your best option for attracting a qualified buyer.

Any inquiries sent directly from your REALTOR.ca listing will get automatically forwarded to you.

From time to time, an agent or a buyer may contact us directly about a property. In those occasions, the brokerage staff will provide them with the information on how to contact you, the seller, directly.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

Visit the "Get Listed in 12-24 Hours!" page to learn more.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

When Buyers find your FSBO listing on the REALTOR.ca webpage, we link them to a special, user-friendly interactive version of your listing that resides on our servers. Under the Consent Agreement with the Competition Bureau, the current mere posting rules prohibit posting any internet links or email links in the Property Description, or in the Virtual Tour (View Multimedia) of the posting. Instead, we encourage buyers to follow the link on the listing that says "CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION". This link goes directly to your enriched listing on the ForSaleByOwner.ca website - connecting you directly with the buyers.

View detailed screenshots of how this works on the "How FSBO & REALTOR.ca are Linked Together" page.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

As a private seller on REALTOR.ca, your property posting's main purpose is to drive as many buyers to your FSBO listing as possible - and for that reason, we limit the amount of information on your REALTOR.ca listing to encourage buyers to follow the link on the listing that says "CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION". This link goes directly to your enriched listing on the ForSaleByOwner.ca website - connecting you directly with the buyers. View detailed screenshots of how this works on the "How FSBO & REALTOR.ca are Linked Together" page.

Your special FSBO webpage updates information live and you have full control and direct access to unlimited changes and revisions via your profile on our site.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

You bet! Please view our Open Houses on REALTOR.ca info page for more details.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

It depends on the location and property type. In Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, you can post rentals for both residential and commercial properties. In Alberta, residential rentals are only allowed on the Edmonton Real Estate Board, while in BC, they are currently only allowed on the boards in Vancouver, Fraser Valley, and BC Northern.

For other provinces, only commercial leases are currently eligible. However, the MLS^® System will be gradually allowing residential rental properties in other areas over time.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

We sure do!

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

Your listing on ForSaleByOwner.ca will be activated immediately, unless you choose to put your listing on hold, and then we'll require basic identification documents from you and additional property information in order to fill out the required MLS^® System documents, with our help.

The goal of the brokerage is to ensure that your property is posted on the REALTOR.ca website quickly and professionally, so you can focus on the sale of your property.

When your property posting is live on REALTOR.ca, you will receive an email confirmation from the brokerage.

We typically post most properties within 12-24 hours of receiving the completed listing information we require from each seller.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

Your property will appear on the REALTOR.ca website usually within 12-24 hours of receiving the completed listing information.

Once your property is posted, you take over control of the sale of your home. We also recommend that each seller employ other marketing avenues as stated in our Steps for a Successful Sale guide.

If a buyer's agent (a real estate agent with a buyer) brings you an offer, you negotiate directly with them.

Other individual buyers that come to you from REALTOR.ca and ForSaleByOwner.ca deal directly with you, and there are absolutely no additional fees paid to anyone if your home sells without a buyer's agent involvement.

In the public section of the industry websites, visitors can find more information about your property just like they could if it was posted by a full service real estate agent. They will click on a link that goes to a special listing page on the For Sale By Owner Inc. website, where they can view the full details about your property.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

It's entirely up to you. Please view our Do I Have to Pay Commission? info page for more details.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

No - we do not charge any additional fees for changes or updates to your posting. You can submit changes requests through your online account, some of which require your digital signature such as price changes and time extensions.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

YES! You must be willing to report to the brokerage, all details of the sale of the property by uploading a copy of the contract of purchase and sale and all addendums, otherwise a fine will be issued by the real estate board. The information in the MLS^® System is often used for calculating property values province-wide and it is important that accurate and complete data be fed into the system. If for any reason you are unwilling to provide that information then, at the brokerage, we will not be able to post your property for you.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

Reporting the sale of your property is an important part of the posting and sale process. The brokerage MUST be advised when a sale takes place, otherwise a fine will be issued by the real estate board. The information comes from consumers, real estate agents and other brokerages. If a sale has taken place and there has been no report received by the brokerage, they will make an attempt to obtain the contract and all addendums. If you are unable or unwilling to provide the information about the sale, the brokerage will not be able to post the property for you.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

Property owners have a legal and ethical duty to disclose to potential buyers all material facts affecting the value of the property. The list of these facts is long, and it includes information related to potential environmental hazards such as UFFI, structural defects, unlawful use of the property such as unauthorized basement apartments, building code violations, underground septic systems and oil tanks, and "Stigmatized Properties". Some examples of stigmatized properties include those with history of the manufacture and/or growth of illegal substances (meth labs, etc.), a history of serious or violent crimes or incidents, such as murder, arson, suicide, and reoccurring burglary. As well, stigmatized properties also include those that are believed to be "haunted" even if the seller denies, has not witnessed, or does not support the existence of paranormal activities.

In order to ensure compliance in the provinces where Property Disclosure Statements are mandatory, sellers will be required to complete and sign a PDS, supplied by the brokerage.

Please keep in mind that these rules apply to all listing services and listing agents who are adding listings to a board's MLS^® System.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

Under the rules and under the provincial laws, it is real estate agents who must take responsibility for the accuracy of information that they post on a board's MLS^® System. Agents must make reasonable inquiries to discover and disclose material facts affecting the value of the property. However, this does not mean that they have to provide an iron-clad warranty for the accuracy of the information in all circumstances. The rules do not relieve any seller from their legal and contractual obligations to make true statements and to provide honest disclosures.

To ensure compliance with these provisions, the standard listing agreement which we use, requires all sellers to provide certain documents to support their marketing claims about the property and to personally certify and guarantee the truthfulness of all information and any disclosures. Our company policy is to make reasonable inquiries with each customer to verify the pertinent information on a listing, but we also rely 100% on the seller to make true statements and honest disclosures.

These rules apply to all listing services and listing agents who are adding listings to a board's MLS^® System.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

We do! Please visit our Lawn Signs page for photos and details, and choose "Easy List Realty" as the branding option.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

When your property sells, you don't owe us anything. You've already paid a flat fee for facilitating the posting of your property on REALTOR.ca.

Approximately half of our customers sell directly to the buyer, meaning that the buyer who contacted them was not represented by an agent. The two parties (buyer & seller) completed the deal without any assistance, other than their respective lawyers, who handled the paperwork for closing the sale.

The only time you'd have an additional fee is if an agent brings you a buyer and you've negotiated an amount acceptable to you, as payment for the commission to the agent when the deal closes.

There are NO other fees or gimmicks.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

Yes - we have official sale/purchase contracts for your local real estate board available for download in PDF format. If you're an active seller with us, go to your Account Menu, then find the "Purchase / Sale Forms" button.

You can upload up to 60 photos.

You bet! Please visit our Lawn Signs page for photos and details and choose "For Sale By Owner" as the branding option.

Please visit our Listing Syndication page to view our syndication network, then click on the diagram to open a popup that indicates which ones are FSBO-only versus which comes from our brokerage.

When your property sells, you don't owe us anything. You've already paid a flat fee for the posting of your property on ForSaleByOwner.ca and our syndication network.

Approximately half of our customers sell directly to the buyer, meaning that the buyer who contacted them was not represented by an agent. The two parties (buyer & seller) completed the deal without any assistance, other than their respective lawyers, who handled the paperwork for closing the sale.

The only time you'd have an additional fee is if an agent brings you a buyer and you've negotiated an amount acceptable to you, as payment for the commission to the agent when the deal closes.

There are NO other fees or gimmicks.

Please visit our Flat Fee Pricing page to learn more about what's included in our services.

Our current listing packages offer no time limit, so there's no expiry date. You are in full control to deactivate it or put it on hold at any time.

When you add a new listing or edit an existing one, you will see a form to edit the hours and dates of your open house. For the hours, it gives you every day of the week, so you simply select a start and end time by clicking into each field, only for the days that you plan on having the open house on. For the date range, you select a start date and end date. This date range allows you to repeat the same schedule whether it's for 1 weekend or multiple weeks.

Once you add your information, a bright blue "OPEN HOUSE" banner will appear over your listing's thumbnail in search results, as long as your start date is 1 week away or sooner. Your open house schedule is also displayed on your listing brochure page.

Your open house schedule will be deleted automatically on the night of your end date, so you can "set it and forget it"!

Yes - we have generic sale/purchase contracts available for download in PDF format. If you're an active seller with us, go to your Account Menu, then find the "Purchase / Sale Forms" button.

No. We only operate the forsalebyowner.ca and fsbo.ca websites, along with our network of brokerages at easylistrealty.ca and Stratten Gates.

We are not associated with any other FSBO company. We are 100% Canadian owned and operated.

Yes - please see our Dealing With Buyer's Agents page for more information

Yes - you need a lawyer in order to complete any kind of property transaction, whether you are the buyer or the seller. Please refer to our Seller's Guide - Steps for a Successful Sale for more information.

Yes - please refer to our Seller's Guide - Steps for a Successful Sale for helpful tips.

We highly recommend getting started with the Listing/Selling Process page to learn how to list with us.

• 1. Please log in to your account by using the login page.
• 2. You will automatically be taken to your Account Menu.
• 3. You will then be presented with several buttons offering various categories of changes you can make.

By default, the Google Map pointer is positioned according to the street address used in your listing. We have a map editor that allows you to drag the marker position yourself to the exact position it should be in, in case of any inaccuracies. Here's how to change it:

• 1. Please log in to your account by using the login page.
• 2. You will automatically be taken to your Account Menu.
• 3. Click on the "Map Location" link
• 4. A new page will open of the existing map with "drag and drop" functionality.
• 5. Follow the instructions on that page to change the marker position.

Absolutely - in addition to your main property type, you can select up to 4 additional property types in the field called "Additional Property Types" when adding or editing your listing. Not only will your listing show up in search results for the main property type you selected, but you will equally show up in search results for the additional categories. This is very handy when there are crossovers between property types; for instance, a large empty lot may also be considered an acreage as well as land for sale.

After choosing your primary ad type, which is usually "For Sale", there is a section under the price field called "Other Pricing Options" when editing or adding your listing. You can specify pricing for any other combination of ad types, such as for rent, rent-to-own, and for lease. If any prices are specified, they will show up on your listing page in a box called "Other Pricing Options".

Another benefit to having more than 1 pricing option is that your listing will be tailored to the searcher's criteria if they specify an ad type. For example, if someone is searching for rental homes in Toronto, and you've added a rental price in your "Other Pricing Options", your listing will show up as a rental property in the search result. Once they click on your listing, they will then see your sale price along with the rental price.

Yes - both video & virtual tour links can be added to your listing, with a clickable button for each that shows up on your listing page.

If you have a video or virtual tour of your property on another website, you can paste in the direct URL when adding or editing your listing. This is a great way to get buyers more interested in your property, and also shows up as an additional icon on the list view search results page.

• 1. Make sure the direct URL to your video is correct. Did you copy and paste it properly?
• 2. Make sure your video is public to allow sharing and embedding
• 3. If your video is from YouTube, you need to enable embedding in your YouTube video settings. To do this, log in to YouTube and go to your Video Manager. Edit your video and click on the "Advanced Settings" tab. Check off the checkbox next to "Enable Embedding".
• 4. If you haven't already done so, try uploading to YouTube instead of other video sites, since it is widely supported.
• 5. If your video still won't play, please contact us for help.

• 1. Please log in to your account by using the login page.
• 2. You will automatically be taken to your Account Menu.
• 3. Look for a button that says "FSBO LISTING STATUS"
• 4. Click on the "Change Here" link to access the status form.
• 5. Use the form to update your status, and remember to hit the "Save" button when you're done.

You can test that the editor works by manually typing in to it. However, display problems with the text box can be caused from copying the text from elsewhere and then pasting it in, because it retains hidden HTML formatting from the other source. In some cases, the copied formatting can cause your text to display abnormally or not at all. There are a few solutions to fix this:

Additional formatting, if needed, can then be done within the editor itself.

Not at all. Anyone can search properties on our website whether they have an account with us or not. (However, without an account, you cannot add favourites or create a saved search.)

No - you can go right ahead and email sellers without needing to sign up or log in first.

Even though you can search for properties and email sellers without an account, signing up is very handy if you wish to mark certain listings as your "Favorites". You can then review your favorite listings in one area of your account instead of trying to find the listings again that caught your attention.

You can also save your search criteria in order to receive email notifications when new or updated listings match your criteria. This can be done on the Search Properties page.

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