How to Sell a House by Owner: Paperwork Checklist (2026)

Updated October 2026. Checked against federal rules and the state statutes linked below, read October 31, 2026.

To sell a house by owner, you need about 15 documents as of October 2026, in five stages: before you list, listing, offer, under contract and closing. For the tasks that go with them, follow our step-by-step FSBO checklist. You prepare four to six yourself: proof you own the home, your state’s seller disclosure, a lead paint form if the home was built before 1978, and the signed contract. The title company or closing attorney drafts most of the rest.

Want the forms without the hunt? Every Beycome package includes your state’s legal forms and disclosures, with e-signature. They sit in your dashboard under Legal Forms, so you’ll need to sign in first. Packages start at $99 with $0 due to Beycome at closing on our flat fee MLS page.

Jump to: 📋 Checklist · 📍 By state · 🆓 Free forms · 🤝 Contract · 🏠 Closing · ❓ FAQ

For the whole sale, from pricing to closing, see our guide on how to sell a house by owner, step by step.

What paperwork do you need to sell a house by owner, stage by stage?

Here’s the full FSBO paperwork set, in order. The “who prepares it” column is what most owners get wrong: you don’t draft a deed or a settlement statement. You check them and sign.

Keep a folder with one section per stage. When the lender or title company asks for something, you’ll have it the same day.

Which documents should you get before you list?

Five things, and they take a week at most. Then you can say yes the day a good offer comes in.

Your deed and old closing file

Find the deed from when you bought. It’s a public record, so your county recorder usually has a copy. Check that the names match how you’ll sign. If an owner has died, divorced or moved the home into a trust, sort that out now. Our guides on selling a house held in a trust and selling a parent’s house after a death cover the extra papers.

A payoff estimate

Ask your lender for a payoff estimate, so your price clears the loan. The closing agent orders the final one later.

Your seller disclosure

Most states have a standard form. Answer every question with what you know. Leaving a known problem off the form is the mistake that leads to lawsuits. “As is” doesn’t erase a duty to disclose.

The lead paint packet, if the home is older

For homes built before 1978, federal rules say you must give the buyer the EPA pamphlet “Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home.” You also share any lead reports you have, add a lead warning statement to the contract and give the buyer 10 days to test. The buyer can waive the test in writing. Keep the signed copy for 3 years after closing.

HOA documents

If there’s an HOA, ask what its resale packet costs and how long it takes. Some need a week or more.

What seller paperwork does each state require?

Disclosure rules change the most by state. Here’s the main seller form, the catch and who usually closes, in each place where Beycome lists, as of October 31, 2026.

Florida has no single disclosure statute for resales. Its Supreme Court ruled in 1985 that a seller who knows of facts that materially affect value, and that a buyer can’t readily see, must disclose them. In South Carolina, the state Supreme Court requires a lawyer to supervise the closing, the deed and the recording.

Our state guides add taxes and local rules, like selling by owner in Florida and selling by owner in Texas.

Where can you get free forms for selling a house by owner?

Start with your state. Several real estate commissions post their seller disclosure forms free online, including Texas (TREC), South Carolina, Ohio, Maryland and Virginia; our guide to selling a house in Maryland without a realtor shows when that state’s form is due. The EPA’s lead pamphlet and sample lead disclosure forms are free too.

The contract is the tricky one. In some states the standard form belongs to the Realtor association, so ask your title company which form local buyers use. Wondering whether you need a broker to sell your house at all? It’s your choice. A generic web contract often misses state deadlines.

With Beycome, you don’t buy forms one by one. Your state’s legal forms and disclosures come with every package, starting with Basic. Sign in to your dashboard and open Legal Forms to fill them out and send them for e-signature. If you agree to pay a buyer’s agent, there’s also a free “Compensation Agreement – Seller to Buyer’s Broker” template there.

What contract do you use to sell a house by owner?

Use your state’s standard residential purchase contract when there is one. Buyers’ agents and lenders know these forms, so a deal moves faster on them. To see where each one fits in the sale, follow our 7-step checklist for doing for sale by owner.

In Texas, for example, the Real Estate Commission publishes the One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale), form 20-19, effective July 1, 2026. Your job is to read every blank: price, earnest money, financing, inspection period, closing date, what stays and who pays which costs. Carrying the loan yourself? See how seller carry-back financing works.

Watch buyer’s agent pay. Since August 17, 2024, offers of pay to a buyer’s agent can’t appear on the MLS. If you agree to pay it, or to give the buyer a credit, put it in the contract or a signed side agreement. Agent pay isn’t set by law and is fully negotiable. You choose whether to offer any.

We have state guides for drafting the contract yourself:

• Florida FSBO contract, Texas, California and Georgia.
• North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama.
• Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Connecticut.

What paperwork happens at closing, and who does it?

Once you sign the contract, the closing agent takes over most of the drafting. That’s a title company in most states, or an attorney where the law or local custom calls for one. You’ll do four things.

1. Send the signed contract, your ID and lender details to the title company.
2. Review your settlement statement a few days before. Check the price, payoff, prorated taxes and any credit you agreed to.
3. Sign the deed in front of a notary, plus the non-foreign (FIRPTA) certification. If you’re not a US person for tax purposes, the buyer generally must withhold 15% of the amount realized, with some exceptions.
4. Sign the tax certification. The settlement agent files Form 1099-S unless you certify the home was your main home and the whole gain is excludable: up to $250,000, or $500,000 if married.

The buyer’s lender must give the buyer a Closing Disclosure at least 3 business days before closing. Yours is the seller statement, and you should see it before signing day too.

After closing, the deed gets recorded. Keep your contract, disclosures, settlement statement and proof of payoff. The IRS says to keep property records until the limitation period runs out for the year you sell, which for most people is 3 years after filing.

Beycome Title can handle the closing in Florida, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Its settlement fee is $99 in Florida when prepaid on beycome.com, and $299 in Texas. For what else gets paid at the table, see who pays closing costs when selling a home.

Do you need a lawyer to sell your house without a realtor?

Not in most states. You do need a licensed party to close the deal and record the deed, which is usually a title company. A few states, like South Carolina and Georgia, need an attorney for the closing.

A lawyer’s contract review is still smart if your sale has a twist, like a trust, an estate, a divorce or seller financing. Ask for a flat fee.

How does Beycome handle the paperwork with you?

Every package includes your state’s legal forms, e-signature, unlimited listing changes and the Artur AI assistant, which helps you read and answer offers on Basic and Enhanced. You accept, counter or reject in your dashboard.

Basic is $99 and Enhanced is $399. Concierge is $1,399. It adds an expert who works with you on negotiation, always on your side, plus a closing coordinator and help with documents. Every decision stays yours. All three have $0 due to Beycome at closing, and you can cancel at no charge.* Compare them on our flat-fee MLS listing page, or see Concierge with full support.

See how long it takes to list a house and which listing agreement you sign.

Frequently asked questions

Reviewed by Beycome Brokerage Realty LLC, a licensed real estate brokerage. Licenses are listed at beycome.com/faq/how-to/are-you-a-licensed-broker/.