Home owners who sold their homes themselves had better results than sellers that listed with an agent in Madison, WI during the period of 1998-2004 according to a study from two Northwestern University economists, New York Times reports.

When the agent's commission was factored in, the FSBO's came out ahead financially. It should be noted that Madison has a high traffic FSBO listing site that is well known in the local community. The authors of the study caution that they are not sure that their findings apply on a national basis. Most communities don't have high traffic FSBO sites.

Anything in the report coming out in favor of the agent? Houses that were listed on the local MLS sold quicker.

The study was adjusted for several factors including timing, house and lot size as well as neighborhoods.

The big question is: Will the data hold up in a slowing home market? The authors are currently crunching data for 2005 and 2006.

I am sure this will be a study that will be debated quite a bit. If you knew what you were doing and had patience to wait a bit for your house to be sold... then going FSBO was a good idea during 1998-2004. At least in Madison, WI....

Best,

Ola