Selling · Realtor vs FSBO
Selling without a broker is perfectly legal in Quebec, and sometimes it makes sense. Here is the honest comparison: what you really save, what you risk, and how to decide with your own numbers.
Selling on your own (FSBO) is legal in Quebec: no law requires a broker, and the transaction simply closes before a notary. Flat-fee listing platforms charge an upfront package that is non-refundable whether or not the property sells, while a broker's commission is paid only on a closed sale. The real trade-offs are elsewhere: pricing without full access to closed comparable sales, reaching the majority of buyers who shop accompanied by a broker, running showings and negotiation yourself, and financing quirks, as some lenders refuse bridge loans when the current home is being sold privately. With the Loaa & Manseur team, the #1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, ranked 6th among RE/MAX teams in Quebec and 15th in Canada (official RE/MAX ranking, August 2026), with over 200 Google reviews, the fee is 5% all-inclusive, success-based. Our offices are at 55 avenue de l'Équinoxe in Brossard, and the team answers in English and French at 438 807 3653. A free evaluation is useful whichever route you choose.
When selling on your own can work
Honesty first: if your buyer is already found, a family transfer, a neighbour, a tenant buying the unit, a broker adds little; a notary frames the deed and a properly written promise to purchase protects both sides. If you have time, steady nerves and a real method for pricing from closed sales, FSBO can succeed.
Two caveats apply even then. Get the price validated against closed comparables rather than asking prices, and check your financing: some lenders, Manulife states it in its published lending conditions, will not issue a bridge loan when the current property is sold privately.
What the flat fee doesn't show
Upfront packages look cheap next to a commission, but they are paid win or lose, while a commission exists only if the sale closes. The bigger invisible cost is the price outcome: pricing from active listings instead of closed sales, thinner exposure to the buyers already working with brokers, and solo negotiation against prepared purchasers each shave the final number.
Buyers on a FSBO also know the seller is saving the commission, and negotiate to capture part of that saving, which is how the advertised economy quietly gets shared away.
What a broker actually changes
Three levers move the final price: positioning based on the closed sales of your immediate sector, marketing that reaches both the public and every buyer's broker in the network at once, and an arbitrated negotiation, especially in multiple-offer situations where sequencing and conditions decide the outcome.
The comparison that matters is net proceeds: expected price with professional marketing minus 5%, versus expected FSBO price minus the package and your time. We will run both scenarios with your real numbers, free, and you keep the decision.
Frequently asked questions
Should I sell my property with a realtor or on my own?
It depends on one comparison: net proceeds. Selling on your own is legal in Quebec and can work when the buyer is already found or the seller has time and a solid pricing method; the saving is the commission. A broker is paid only on success and moves the other side of the equation, the sale price, through pricing from closed sales, full market exposure and negotiation. Run both scenarios with real numbers before choosing; we provide that evaluation free.
Is it legal to sell a house without a realtor in Quebec?
Completely legal. No Quebec law requires a broker to sell a property; the transaction must simply close before a notary like any sale. The practical questions are elsewhere: the accuracy of your price, the legal soundness of your promise to purchase, disclosure obligations that still apply to private sellers, and whether your lender will finance the next purchase, since some refuse bridge loans on private sales.
What are the risks of selling without a broker?
The recurring ones: overpricing or underpricing from lacking closed-sale data, a promise to purchase that poorly protects deposits and conditions, incomplete disclosure that can fuel a hidden-defect claim years later, weaker exposure to broker-accompanied buyers, and a negotiation run against professionals. Each risk is manageable with preparation, and each one is precisely what a success-paid broker is structured to carry for you.
Decide with your real numbers, not slogans.
Free evaluation and both scenarios side by side, in English or French. Answer within 24 hours.
Get your free home evaluation · Tell us about your project
See also
- How much does a realtor cost in Montreal?
- The promise to purchase in Quebec, explained
- Vendre sans courtier au Québec (guide en français)
Published by the Loaa & Manseur team, #1 at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025. Work with us.