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The place I currently live was FSBO.

We sold our starter home FSBO in Rockford, IL.

The Rockford market is rarely "hot", and our neighborhood was okay. I did my research, and was confident in our pricing. It helped that the house was on a main road. People saw the sign. Besides all the realtors who called wanting the listing, or an offer of a commission if the y bring a buyer, Iwe had only gotten a couple of tire kickers.

Then, a mother-adult daughter team. Husband was killed in civil strife in Burundi. TRUE refugees. They were concerned because they were new to the country, and didn't have their realtor, but saw the sign.

I asked them if they had a bank, and were cleared for financing. They told me they were. I told them they should go to the bank with our flyer, and let him lead them without the realtor. They came back, counter with $3,000 off, and a one-year guarantee on the furnace. That was exactly what I wanted. A reasonable counter. From there, we got a deposit, and all went smooth. That was in 2006. The paperwork is much worse now.

I’m 71. I’m starting to feel like a man out of my time because of the complications involved in doing anything. That’s why my retirement plan was not to have a lot of money, but to own everything I need, free and clear. And that’s where I am.

We even have four cars that are getting long in the tooth, but I keep them running just fine. But I bring all this up because one of the things that was HUGE for me is to get our taxable income low enough that we pay no income tax. And we did it! Doing my taxes takes about 20 minutes. It’s all about low stress.

I feel as if I’m living in the 19th century, but with all the modern conveniences of the 21st. And living in the sticks now, things like Amazon are huge for us. My life is about as complicated as it was when I was a kid.