“Private Selling of Home CT” is how one owner put the question on Reddit’s real estate forum. It can be done. Fewer sellers are doing it.
How common is selling without an agent?
For-sale-by-owner transactions accounted for 5 percent of U.S. home sales from July 2024 through June 2025, an all-time low, according to the National Association of Realtors’ annual profile of buyers and sellers. A record 91 percent of sellers used an agent.
The price gap in those numbers, $360,000 for owner sales against $425,000 with an agent, is not adjusted for location or type of home, so it does not prove that agents raise prices. It does show who sells on their own. Sixty percent of FSBO sellers already knew their buyer.
What still applies in Connecticut?
Going without a listing agent does not remove any legal duty.
- The condition report. You owe the buyer a Residential Property Condition Report before they sign, or a $500 credit at closing.
- Lead paint. For a house built before 1978, federal disclosures apply, including a 10-day inspection window.
- An attorney at closing. Connecticut law reserves real estate closings to Connecticut attorneys. Only an attorney may prepare the documents that transfer title, preside over the signing, explain the documents, supervise disbursement and oversee recording.
- Conveyance tax. The seller pays the state and town conveyance taxes. Our net proceeds guide has the rates.
When does selling without an agent make sense?
An owner selling to a neighbor, a relative or a tenant is the classic FSBO case, and the national data bears that out. In a market as tight as Westport’s, where 59 single-family houses were listed in August, an owner may also hear from buyers directly. Before accepting any direct offer, get an independent read on value, and hire your attorney before you sign anything. If the buyer is an investor or wholesaler, Connecticut’s new wholesaler rules give you three business days to cancel.
Sources
- Reddit, r/RealEstate, Private selling of home CT, accessed Oct. 2026
- National Association of Realtors, 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, Nov. 4, 2025
- National Association of Realtors, Top 10 takeaways from the 2025 profile, Nov. 3, 2025
- Justia, Connecticut General Statutes 51-88a, 2025
- Connecticut Bar Association, Memo on SB 320 and Public Act 19-88, 2019
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Real estate disclosures about potential lead hazards, May 27, 2026
