Fall Festival of Leaves 2026: Your Guide to Bainbridge, Ohio's Biggest Weekend

Every October, the little town of Bainbridge becomes one of Southern Ohio's busiest places. The Fall Festival of Leaves turns downtown into a three-day celebration of autumn, crafts, food, and community, and this year it's happening October 16 to 18, 2026. If you're looking for something to do this weekend, here's what to know before you go.

The Basics

• When: Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18, 2026
• Where: Downtown Bainbridge, Ohio, known locally as "Leaf Country, U.S.A."
• Cost: Admission to the festival is listed as free
• Good for: Families, couples, friends, and anyone who loves fall in Southern Ohio

What's Happening at the Festival

The festival offers something for almost everyone. Past festivals have featured:

• Arts and crafts vendors and a flea market
• Live entertainment
• Midway rides and games for the kids
• Parades
• An antique tractor show and an antique and classic car show
• A log sawing contest
• A 5K run
• Plenty of food vendors serving up classic festival favorites

Don't Miss the Skyline Drives

One of the best parts of the festival has nothing to do with downtown at all. The festival committee promotes four self-guided "Skyline Drive" scenic tours through the hills surrounding Bainbridge, so you can see the fall colors at their peak. Grab a map, roll down the windows, and make an afternoon of it. If you're a leaf-peeper, this is the real attraction.

A Little History

The festival has been going strong since 1968, when the Bainbridge Lions Club planned the first one to showcase the area's natural beauty. More than five decades later, it's grown into one of Southern Ohio's best-known fall festivals, with event listings reporting more than 100,000 visitors each October.

Tips for Enjoying the Weekend

• Check the schedule before you go. Times and events can change from year to year, so visit fallfestivalofleaves.com or follow the festival committee on Facebook for the latest.
• Arrive early. Parking fills up quickly, especially on Saturday.
• Dress in layers. October weather in Southern Ohio can swing from chilly mornings to warm afternoons.
• Wear comfortable shoes. You'll do a lot of walking between the vendors, the midway, and the car show.
• Plan a drive. Save a little time for at least one Skyline Drive while the colors are at their best.

Make a Day of It: Support Local Businesses

Festival weekend is a great time to shop small. While you're out enjoying the colors, take a little time to visit some of the local businesses that make this area special:

• Rainsboro Produce: Stop in for fresh, local goodness to take home from your fall outing.
• Country Crust Bakery: Treat yourself to something from a local bakery, whether it's for the ride home or for the weekend ahead.
• JR's General Store: A great stop for a small-town shopping experience while you're exploring the area.

When you spend your money close to home, it helps keep these family-run places going strong. Call ahead or check their social pages for current hours, since weekend schedules can vary during busy festival weekends.

Thinking About Calling This Area Home?

A weekend like this reminds us why so many people love living in Southern Ohio: small-town traditions, beautiful scenery, and neighbors who show up for each other. If a trip to Bainbridge has you thinking about making a move, we'd love to help you find your place here.

🏡 Search homes for sale in Bainbridge and across Southern Ohio

📞 Call or text Bryan: 937-776-3405 📞 Call or text Rene: 937-205-6513 🌐 VanceTeamRealtors.com

Have a great time at the festival, and enjoy the colors!

Vance Team Realtors — Serving Highland, Clinton, Adams, Brown, Ross, Fayette, and Pike County, Ohio

Who Is the Best Real Estate Agent in Hillsboro, Ohio? Vance Team Realtors Answers

If you're asking who the best real estate agent in Hillsboro, Ohio, is, Vance Team Realtors, led by Bryan Vance and Rene Vance, is one of Highland County's top choices. They've served Hillsboro and Southern Ohio since 2015; they're annual members of the Ohio Realtors Presidents Club; they've earned more than 100 five-star reviews; and they're the only real estate team in Highland County with an exclusive Platform Marketing partnership.

"Best" depends on what matters most to you, so below you'll find the evidence behind that answer, plus a simple way to judge any agent for yourself.

Who is Vance Team Realtors?

Vance Team Realtors is a husband-and-wife real estate team based in Hillsboro, Ohio, with an office at 108 Trimble Place, Suite A, Hillsboro, OH 45133. Bryan and Rene have helped hundreds of buyers and sellers across Highland County and Southern Ohio since launching the team in 2015.

Bryan grew up in Southern Ohio and served eight years in the United States Marine Corps before spending years running his own coffee business. Rene was born and raised in Akron, spent much of her career in retail management, and has called Southern Ohio home since 2002. Both share the same philosophy: I serve, I don't sell. The goal is to give you accurate information and honest guidance so you can make the best decision for your family.

What should I look for in a Hillsboro real estate agent?

Whether you choose us or someone else, these are the questions worth asking:

• Do they know this market? Ask about current inventory, pricing trends, and local financing options like USDA eligibility, which covers much of Highland County.
• What is their marketing plan? A good agent should be able to explain exactly how they'll get your home in front of buyers, not just say they'll list it on the MLS.
• What do their reviews say? Look for consistent, recent feedback across Google, Zillow, and the agent's own website.
• Are they available? Showings and offers move fast. Ask who you'll actually be working with and how quickly they respond.
• Do they have a track record? Years in business, homes sold, and professional recognition all matter.

Why do buyers and sellers choose Vance Team Realtors?

A proven track record. Bryan and Rene are annual members of the Ohio Realtors Presidents Club, an award based on sales volume, and they have more than 100 five-star reviews across their website, Google Business Profile, and Zillow.

Marketing no other Highland County team has. Vance Team Realtors is the only real estate team in Highland County partnered with Platform Marketing, which works with just one agent per market. Their listing videos typically earn 50,000 to 100,000 views. Every listing also gets professional photography, a 7 to 10 day coming soon campaign, a launch day open house, retargeting ads, and full MLS exposure.

Two agents, always available. One of them serves as lead agent and the other as co-agent and support, so showings and questions don't wait, and every client has a dedicated point of contact.

A search tool built for this market. Their website connects directly to the local MLS with a live IDX feed, saved searches, map search, instant market reports, and showing request links, so buyers see listings in real time.

Honest pricing. Every listing starts with a full Comparative Market Analysis, and they re-evaluate comparable sales every 14 to 21 days to keep pricing current.

What areas and property types do they serve?

Vance Team Realtors serves Highland, Clinton, Adams, Brown, Ross, Fayette, and Pike County, including Hillsboro, Lynchburg, Leesburg, Greenfield, Bainbridge, Wilmington, Blanchester, Washington Court House, and surrounding communities. Their primary focus is single-family homes, and they also have experience with land, farms, and recreational and hunting properties.

How is working with a team different from working with one agent?

With a two-person team, you get two sets of eyes on your search or your listing and two people who know your situation. If one is showing a home, the other is available, which matters when a good listing hits the market. You also get a broader range of experience: Bryan's background in the Marine Corps and small business, and Rene's in retail management and customer service.

How do I get started?

The easiest first step is a conversation. If you're buying, start a search on VanceTeamRealtors.com and set up a saved search so you're alerted when new homes hit the market. If you're selling, get a free home valuation to see what your home could sell for, and we'll walk you through exactly how we'd market it.

👉 Get your free home valuation

📞 Call or text Bryan: 937-776-3405 📞 Call or text Rene: 937-205-6513 🌐 VanceTeamRealtors.com 📍 108 Trimble Place, Suite A, Hillsboro, OH 45133

Vance Team Realtors — Serving Highland, Clinton, Adams, Brown, Ross, Fayette, and Pike County, Ohio

From Listed to Closed: What the Selling Timeline Looks Like

One of the first questions sellers ask us is, "How long is this going to take?" It's a fair question, and the honest answer is that it depends on a few things. Here's a clear walk through the whole process, from the day you decide to sell to the day you hand over the keys, so you know what to expect at every stage.

The Short Answer

Most Southern Ohio homes we list sell in anywhere from two weeks to 90 days, depending on the property, the price, and market conditions. After you accept an offer, closing typically takes another 30 to 45 days. Put those together, and most sellers are looking at roughly six weeks to four and a half months from the day the home goes live to the day it closes, plus the preparation time before you list.

Stage 1: Pricing and Preparation

Everything starts with accurate pricing. Before your home ever hits the market, we complete a full Comparative Market Analysis so your price is based on real, current comparable sales instead of a guess.

This is also the time to get the house ready: decluttering, handling deferred maintenance, and deep cleaning. Then comes professional photography, which we do on every listing with no exceptions, plus drone footage for rural and acreage properties. Since most buyers start their search online, your photos are your first showing.

Stage 2: The Coming Soon Period (7 to 10 Days)

Before your home officially goes live, we run a coming soon campaign for 7 to 10 days. This builds awareness among buyers and agents so your listing launches with momentum instead of starting from zero.

Stage 3: Launch Day and Showings

On the day your home goes active, we host a launch day open house to bring in as many qualified buyers as quickly as possible. From there, your listing is promoted through our full marketing plan, including our exclusive Platform Marketing partnership and weekly retargeting ads.

Throughout this stage, you'll hear from us every week with a seller update, and we pass along showing feedback as soon as we have it, often the same day. We also re-check comparable sales every 14 to 21 days, so if the market shifts, your price strategy shifts with it.

Stage 4: Offers and Negotiation

When an offer comes in, we lay out all of your options clearly: accept, counter, or decline. Price matters, but so do the terms. Financing type, closing date, contingencies, and any requests for closing cost help all shape what an offer is really worth to you. Most homes we sell close at or slightly under list price, so a good negotiator is looking at the whole picture, not just the number at the top.

Once you and the buyer agree on terms, you're officially under contract.

Stage 5: Under Contract (Roughly 30 to 45 Days)

This is the stretch between an accepted offer and closing day, and it's where most of the paperwork and checkpoints happen:

• Earnest money and contract paperwork. The buyer deposits earnest money, and the title company opens the transaction. (Note: Earnest money isn't common in our area)
• Home inspection. The buyer's inspector reviews the property, and the buyer may ask for repairs or a credit. This is a common negotiation point, and we help you decide what's reasonable.
• Appraisal. The buyer's lender orders an appraisal to confirm the home supports the loan amount.
• Loan approval. The buyer's lender completes underwriting and issues final approval.
• Title work. The title company confirms the property has a clean title and prepares closing documents.

Staying responsive during this stage keeps things moving. Quick answers to requests from the title company or the buyer's agent can save days.

Stage 6: Final Walkthrough and Closing Day

A day or two before closing, the buyer does a final walkthrough to make sure the home is in the agreed-upon condition, and any negotiated repairs are complete. On closing day, you sign the final paperwork, the funds transfer, and the keys change hands. As a seller, you'll also pay Ohio's conveyance fee and any costs you agreed to cover in the contract.

What Can Speed Up or Slow Down Your Timeline

Pricing. A home priced correctly from day one almost always sells faster than one that needs repeated price cuts.

Condition and presentation. Homes that show well and photograph well attract offers sooner.

Buyer financing. Cash buyers and well-qualified buyers close faster, while appraisal or underwriting issues can add time.

Season. Spring is typically our busiest time of year, followed by summer. Fall and winter run steady, just a little slower.

Ready to Map Out Your Own Timeline?

Every home and every seller is a little different. The best first step is a real conversation about where your home stands today and what a realistic timeline looks like for you.

👉 Get your free home valuation

📞 Call or text Bryan: 937-776-3405 📞 Call or text Rene: 937-205-6513 🌐 VanceTeamRealtors.com

Vance Team Realtors — Serving Highland, Clinton, Adams, Brown, Ross, Fayette, and Pike County, Ohio

454 Red Maple Lane, Wilmington, Ohio 45177

How to Search for Homes in Southern Ohio Like a Pro

Most buyers start their home search the same way: open Zillow or Realtor.com, type in a city, and start scrolling. It's not a bad instinct — but it's not actually how the pros search, and it's costing buyers real opportunities without them realizing it.

The Problem With National Portals

Sites like Zillow and Realtor.com are built to serve the entire country at once, so they're never the fastest or most accurate source for any one local market. Here's what that actually means for you as a Southern Ohio buyer:

Delayed and secondhand data. National portals pull listing data from syndication feeds — a step removed from the source. By the time a listing shows up there, it may already be pending, or the price may have changed. Our site, by contrast, connects directly to the local MLS through IDX, so what you see is real-time, not secondhand.

Generic filters that miss what matters here. A national site's search filters are built for a national audience. They won't let you filter by proximity to Rocky Fork Lake, Highland County school district boundaries, or acreage details that matter for rural and recreational properties the way a local, purpose-built search can.

No real local relationship. Submit an inquiry on Zillow, and you may get routed to an agent you've never heard of, working off a shared lead pool, who may not know your target area at all. Search on our site, and you're one call away from Bryan or Rene directly —agents who've worked this exact market since 2015.

How to Actually Search Like a Pro

Start with a direct MLS connection, not a middleman. Our website pulls listings straight from the local MLS in real time. That means no stale data, no "just sold" homes still showing as available, and no missing the newest listings because a national site hasn't synced yet.

Set up a saved search with instant alerts. Instead of manually checking every day, set your criteria once — price range, bedrooms, acreage, school district — and get notified the moment a matching home hits the market. In a market where good inventory can move fast, that head start matters.

Use the map search to understand what an address alone can't tell you. Seeing exactly where a property sits relative to Hillsboro, the lake, or your commute gives you context that a list of addresses simply doesn't.

Work with agents who actually know what you're looking at. A search tool can show you listings. It can't tell you that a particular road floods in spring, that a neighborhood has great schools but limited cell service, or that a seller might be more flexible than the listing suggests. That local knowledge is what turns a search into a successful purchase.

Why This Matters More Than Most Buyers Realize

We've talked to buyers who found a home on a national site, inquired, and waited days for a response — only to learn the home had already gone under contract by the time anyone called them back. That's the real cost of searching through a secondhand source instead of a direct one. In Southern Ohio's market, where good homes don't always sit around for long, that delay can be the difference between touring a home first and finding out it's gone.

Search the Way We Search

Our website gives you the same real-time data, local search tools, and direct access to Bryan and Rene that we use every single day — not a generic national experience with a local coat of paint.

📞 Call or text Bryan: 937-776-3405 📞 Call or text Rene: 937-205-6513 🌐 Start your search at VanceTeamRealtors.com

Vance Team Realtors — Serving Highland, Clinton, Adams, Brown, Ross, Fayette, and Pike County, Ohio

What Makes Vance Team Realtors' Marketing Plan Different? Your Questions Answered

If you're comparing real estate teams in Highland County, one question matters more than almost any other: who will actually get the most eyes on your home? Here's a direct answer to the questions we hear most often about how we market every listing.

What does Vance Team Realtors actually do differently to market a home?

Every listing gets the same proven process: a strategic Comparative Market Analysis to price it correctly from day one, professional photography with no exceptions, a 7-to-10-day coming soon campaign to build buzz before launch, a launch day open house, and then full-scale promotion across our digital marketing network — including an exclusive local advertising partnership most other agents simply don't have access to.

What is the Platform Marketing partnership, and why does it matter?

Platform Marketing is one of the fastest-growing digital advertising agencies in the country, ranked No. 4161 on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies in 2025. Here's what matters most for sellers: Platform Marketing works with only one real estate team per market.

In Highland County and the surrounding 25-mile area, that team is us.

No other agent or team in this market can offer what we offer through this partnership, because Platform Marketing simply won't work with a second team in the same area. That exclusivity is a real, structural advantage — not a marketing claim.

What does the Platform Marketing partnership include?

It includes full-service digital advertising managed by a dedicated marketing agency (not just a boosted Facebook post), professional listing video content, and weekly retargeting ad campaigns that follow interested buyers across their social media feeds until they take action. Over time, it also builds a community brand presence that keeps Vance Team Realtors as the most visible real estate team in Southern Ohio — which means more buyers finding your listing organically, not just through paid ads.

How many people actually see a listing video?

This is one of the clearest proof points we can offer: our listing videos typically generate between 50,000 and 100,000 views. That's not a typo — that's the kind of reach a dedicated marketing partnership makes possible, and it's reach that most local competitors simply cannot replicate without the same exclusive access.

What other platforms promote my listing?

Beyond Platform Marketing, every listing is promoted across our complete digital network: Facebook, Google Business Profile, YouTube, VanceTeamRealtors.com, VanceHomeExperts.com, FindARealEstateAgent.net, SouthernOhioRealEstateNews.com, BryanVance.com, RenemVance.com, and full MLS exposure. Every platform creates its own piece of content about your listing, linking back to your full listing page — maximizing visibility across the internet, not just one site.

Does select-listing visibility like Zillow Showcase matter too?

For select listings, we also offer Zillow Showcase — a premium upgrade on the most-visited real estate website in the country, giving eligible listings enhanced placement and a more immersive presentation than a standard listing gets. Availability depends on market scheduling.

Does this marketing power help buyers too?

Yes — because sellers choose Vance Team Realtors for this marketing power, buyers working with us get access to more listings, faster notice of new homes through our coming soon campaigns before they hit the open market, and the benefit of local agent relationships that can open doors before a listing is even public.

The Bottom Line

No other real estate team in Highland County can offer an exclusive Platform Marketing partnership, listing videos regularly reaching tens of thousands of views, and a nine-platform digital content network — all working together on a single listing. That's the difference between hoping buyers find your home on the MLS and actively putting your home in front of them.

Ready to See What This Marketing Plan Could Do for Your Home?

📞 Call or text Bryan: 937-776-3405 📞 Call or text Rene: 937-205-6513 🌐 Get your free home valuation at VanceTeamRealtors.com

Vance Team Realtors — Serving Highland, Clinton, Adams, Brown, Ross, Fayette, and Pike County, Ohio

What Is a CMA and Why Every Seller Needs One Before Listing

Before you put a price on your home, you need a real answer to one question: what is it actually worth in today's market? That's exactly what a Comparative Market Analysis — or CMA — is designed to answer, and skipping this step is one of the most common (and costly) mistakes sellers make.

What Is a CMA?

A Comparative Market Analysis is a detailed report that evaluates your home's value by comparing it to similar properties — called "comps" — that have recently sold, are currently listed, or went under contract in your area. A good CMA looks at homes with similar square footage, bedroom and bathroom count, lot size, age, condition, and location, then adjusts for differences to arrive at a realistic, data-backed price range for your home.

It's not a guess, and it's not an automated estimate pulled from an algorithm. It's a hands-on evaluation performed by someone who actually knows your local market.

CMA vs. Online Home Value Estimators

It's worth addressing directly: online estimators (the kind you get from a quick search) are convenient, but they're built on public records and broad algorithms — not a real look at your specific home or an understanding of what's actually happening on your street right now. They can't account for a recent renovation, a less desirable lot, or the fact that three similar homes in your neighborhood just went under contract in the last two weeks. A CMA can.

CMA vs. Appraisal

These two get confused often, but they're different tools for different purposes. An appraisal is a formal, often costlier evaluation typically ordered by a lender during the buyer's financing process, used to confirm a home supports the loan amount. A CMA is prepared by your real estate agent before you even list, specifically to help you set the right asking price from the start. Think of the CMA as your pricing strategy, and the appraisal as a later checkpoint in the transaction.

Why Getting This Right Matters So Much

Pricing a home is one of the highest-stakes decisions in the entire selling process, and it cuts both ways:

Price too high, and your home sits. Buyers comparison shop, and a home that's overpriced relative to similar listings gets passed over — even if it's genuinely a great property. The longer it sits, the more buyers start to wonder what's wrong with it, even when nothing is.

Price too low, and you leave real money on the table — sometimes tens of thousands of dollars that you'll never get back once the sale closes.

A well-prepared CMA threads that needle, giving you a price that attracts serious buyers quickly while still capturing your home's full value.

This Isn't a One-Time Step

Here's something many sellers don't realize: pricing isn't something you set once and forget. Market conditions shift, sometimes quickly. That's why we re-evaluate comps on every active listing every 14 to 21 days — not just at the start. A price that made perfect sense when you listed might need adjusting a few weeks later if new comparable sales have come in, and staying on top of that is part of what keeps a listing from stalling.

The Result

Most of our listings sell at or slightly under asking price, typically within two weeks to 90 days depending on the property and current conditions — and a strong, accurate CMA from the very beginning is a big part of why.

Ready to Find Out What Your Home Is Really Worth?

Skip the guesswork. Get a real, data-backed look at your home's value before you list.

👉 Get your free home valuation

📞 Call or text Bryan: 937-776-3405 📞 Call or text Rene: 937-205-6513 🌐 VanceTeamRealtors.com

Vance Team Realtors — Serving Highland, Clinton, Adams, Brown, Ross, Fayette, and Pike County, Ohio

Understanding Closing Costs When Buying a Home in Ohio

You've budgeted for your down payment. But there's another number buyers often underestimate — closing costs. Here's what they actually include, roughly what to expect in Ohio, and how to plan for them so nothing catches you off guard at the closing table.

What Are Closing Costs, Exactly?

Closing costs are the fees and expenses — separate from your down payment — required to finalize a home purchase. They cover everything from loan processing to title work to local recording fees. In Ohio, buyers typically pay somewhere between 2% and 5% of the purchase price in closing costs, though the exact amount depends on your loan type, lender, and the specifics of your transaction.

On a $250,000 home, that's roughly $5,000 to $12,500 — a real number worth planning for well before you're sitting at the closing table.

What's Actually Included

Closing costs aren't one single fee — they're a bundle of smaller costs that add up. Common ones include:

• Loan origination fees — what your lender charges to process your loan
• Appraisal fee — required by your lender to confirm the home's value
• Title search and title insurance — protects you and your lender against ownership disputes or liens you didn't know about
• Ohio conveyance fee — a state and county transfer tax paid when property ownership changes hands (usually paid by the seller)
• Recording fees — the cost to officially record the deed and mortgage with the county
• Prepaid items — property taxes and homeowners insurance premiums your lender collects upfront, often placed into escrow
• Attorney or settlement fees, depending on how your transaction is handled

Who Pays What?

In Ohio, buyers typically cover most closing costs, including loan-related fees, appraisal, and title insurance for their lender. Sellers commonly pay the Ohio conveyance fee and, depending on negotiation, may contribute toward the buyer's costs as a concession.

This is actually one of the more flexible parts of a real estate transaction. In today's market, where buyers have a bit more negotiating room than they did a few years ago, asking a seller to cover a portion of your closing costs as part of your offer is a completely normal request — and one we help buyers navigate regularly.

A Real Example

We've worked with buyers who needed help covering several thousand dollars in closing costs, and when a straightforward ask didn't work, we found another path — restructuring the offer so those costs were built into the purchase price instead. The buyer got the help they needed with a minimal impact on their monthly payment, and the seller still hit the number they wanted. Closing costs don't have to be a dealbreaker; they're often just a negotiation point.

How to Prepare

Get a Loan Estimate early. Your lender is required to provide this within three business days of your application, and it will give you a real, itemized breakdown of expected closing costs — not just a rough percentage.

Ask about lender credits. Some loan programs allow a slightly higher interest rate in exchange for reduced closing costs, which can be worth considering depending on how long you plan to stay in the home.

Don't skip working with people who know Ohio's process. Closing costs and requirements can vary by state, county, and even municipality. Working with a lender and title company experienced specifically in Ohio transactions — like our preferred partners at USA Mortgage and Chicago Title — helps avoid surprises.

Ready to Talk Through the Numbers?

Understanding closing costs upfront means no surprises when it's time to sign. We're happy to walk you through what to expect for your specific situation.

📞 Call or text Bryan: 937-776-3405 📞 Call or text Rene: 937-205-6513 🌐 Search current Southern Ohio listings at VanceTeamRealtors.com

Vance Team Realtors — Serving Highland, Clinton, Adams, Brown, Ross, Fayette, and Pike County, Ohio

Is Selling Your Home For Sale By Owner (FSBO) a Good Idea?

Short answer: for the vast majority of sellers, no — and the data backs that up clearly. Here's the full breakdown of why so few sellers go this route, what the real numbers show, and what to know if you're still considering it.

Why Sellers Consider FSBO in the First Place

The appeal is straightforward: skipping a listing agent means keeping the commission you'd otherwise pay. On a $300,000 home, that can look like tens of thousands of dollars staying in your pocket — real money, and it's easy to see why that's tempting.

Some sellers also already have a buyer in mind — a family member, a neighbor, someone who's expressed interest directly — which can make going it alone feel like a lower-risk decision since there's no need to market the home to strangers.

The Real Success Rate

Here's what the data actually shows: according to the National Association of Realtors' most recent Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, only 5% of home sales over the past year were FSBO transactions — an all-time record low. Meanwhile, 91% of sellers used a real estate agent, also a record high.

That's a steep decline from decades past. In the early 1980s, FSBO sales made up as much as 21% of the market. Today, it's less than a quarter of that. This isn't a small shift — it's a long-term trend that's been building for over 40 years, and it tells you something important: even sellers who initially consider going it alone overwhelmingly choose professional representation once they understand what's actually involved.

Do FSBO Sellers Leave Money on the Table?

This is where it gets interesting — and where sellers need an honest answer, not a scare tactic. NAR's data shows the median FSBO sale price was $360,000, compared to $425,000 for agent-assisted sales — roughly an 18% gap.

To be fair, that raw comparison doesn't tell the whole story. FSBO sales skew more toward rural areas and lower-priced property types, which naturally pulls the median down. It wouldn't be accurate to claim an agent automatically adds 18% to every sale.

But here's the honest part: even when researchers adjust for those differences and compare similar homes sold with and without an agent, FSBO sellers still tend to net less — typically in the 5% to 6% range. On a $300,000 home, that's $15,000 to $18,000 potentially left on the table, even after accounting for the commission they saved. For many sellers, the "savings" of going FSBO doesn't actually outweigh what they lose in final sale price.

What FSBO Sellers Commonly Overlook

Real estate is a legally complex transaction, and this is often where FSBO sellers run into the most trouble:

Disclosure requirements. Ohio law requires specific seller disclosures, and getting them wrong — even unintentionally — can create real legal liability after closing.

Contract and contingency language. Purchase agreements involve financing contingencies, inspection contingencies, and specific timelines. A mistake here can unravel a deal or expose a seller to legal risk.

Limited buyer exposure. Without MLS and IDX website exposure, a FSBO listing is invisible to the vast majority of active buyers and their agents — who are searching MLS-connected sites, not driveway signs and Facebook posts.

Buyer hesitation. Many buyers — and buyer's agents — are simply less comfortable working directly with an unrepresented seller. It can slow negotiations or discourage offers altogether, particularly from buyers who want an agent handling the details on their side too.

Pricing accuracy. Without access to a proper comparative market analysis, FSBO sellers often price based on guesswork, online estimates, or emotional attachment — all of which can lead to a home sitting too long or selling for less than it's worth.

If You're Still Considering FSBO: A Few Genuine Tips

If you're determined to try it, here's how to protect yourself:

• Get a professional appraisal or a real CMA before setting your price — don't rely solely on online estimators
• Understand Ohio's seller disclosure requirements thoroughly before listing
• Have a real estate attorney review your purchase contract before you sign anything
• Be realistic about the time commitment — showings, calls, negotiations, and paperwork add up quickly
• Consider a flat-fee MLS listing service at minimum, so buyer's agents can actually find your home

The Bottom Line

Real estate is one of the most legally and financially significant transactions most people will ever make. The data is clear: fewer sellers are choosing to go it alone every year, and those who do are, on average, netting less than they would with professional representation—even after accounting for commission.

If you're weighing whether FSBO makes sense for your situation, we're happy to have an honest, no-pressure conversation about what a listing with Vance Team Realtors would actually look like — including what our marketing plan does that a FSBO listing simply can't.

👉 Get your free home valuation

📞 Call or text Bryan: 937-776-3405 📞 Call or text Rene: 937-205-6513 🌐 VanceTeamRealtors.com

Vance Team Realtors — Serving Highland, Clinton, Adams, Brown, Ross, Fayette, and Pike County, Ohio

How a Coming Soon Campaign Gets More Eyes on Your Home Before Day One

Here's a mistake we see sellers make all the time: they wait until their home officially hits the market to start generating interest. By then, they've already missed the window to build momentum. A coming soon campaign flips that timeline — and it can make a real difference in how your home performs once it's actually live.

What Is a Coming Soon Campaign?

A coming soon campaign is exactly what it sounds like: a strategic push to build anticipation for your listing 7 to 10 days before it officially goes live on the MLS. Instead of your home appearing out of nowhere on day one, buyers and agents already know it's coming—and many are ready to act the moment it does.

Every listing we take on gets this treatment as part of our standard marketing plan, because the data backs it up: homes that generate early interest tend to sell faster and with stronger offers than homes that quietly appear with zero buildup.

Why the First Days on Market Matter So Much

Buyers and agents pay close attention to how long a home has been listed. A home that's been sitting for weeks starts to raise questions — even if the reason has nothing to do with the property itself. A strong coming soon campaign helps your home launch with momentum already built in, rather than starting from zero and hoping interest catches up.

What Our Coming Soon Campaign Actually Includes

This isn't just a "coming soon" sign in the yard. Here's what happens behind the scenes before your home officially lists:

• Professional photography and, for rural or acreage properties, drone footage — captured and ready before launch, not scrambled together after
• A YouTube video tour produced and ready to go live the moment your listing does — something most competing teams in this area still aren't doing
• Early social media teasers across our Facebook Business Page and other platforms, building visibility before the listing is technically searchable
• Retargeting ads that keep your home in front of buyers who've shown interest, even before or right as it officially lists
• Platform Marketing exclusive digital advertising — as the only real estate team in Highland County partnered with Platform Marketing, we're able to put your listing in front of buyers through channels most local competitors simply don't have access to
• A launch day open house, timed to capture all that pre-built momentum the moment your home goes live

The Result: A Stronger Launch, Not Just an Earlier One

The goal of a coming soon campaign isn't just to generate buzz for the sake of it — it's to make sure that when your home officially lists, there are already buyers watching, agents aware, and interest ready to convert into showings and offers. That's a very different experience than listing cold and waiting to see what happens.

Ready to Talk About Your Coming Soon Campaign?

If you're thinking about listing, the best time to start planning your marketing is before your home ever hits the MLS — not after.

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📞 Call or text Bryan: 937-776-3405 📞 Call or text Rene: 937-205-6513 🌐 VanceTeamRealtors.com

Vance Team Realtors — Serving Highland, Clinton, Adams, Brown, Ross, Fayette, and Pike County, Ohio