Posted to MediaSyndicate.com (Sep 22, 2008 - 03:03 PM) : fsboTheDistrict.com - D.C.'s Largest Locally-Owned 'For Sale By Owner' Real Estate Website Launches New Features and Removes Listing Fee.

(Washington, D.C.) - fsboTheDistrict.com -- a For Sale by Owner (FSBO) real estate website serving Washington D.C., Northern Virginia and the Maryland suburbs -- announced that it has begun offering free FSBO listings and has added two new features to its extensive on-line real estate service. The free FSBO listing is for 3 months with no further obligation. The new features include the ability to add a virtual tour or other video showcasing to their home to their listing. The second feature allows home sellers to specify upcoming "Open House Showings". The open house feature in particular has been helpful for prospective buyers who may be interested in viewing a property but are reluctant to contact the seller and schedule an appointment.

fsboTheDistrict.com's decision to offer free listings on its web-site has received a very positive response from local home seller's who are trying to sell their home during difficult market conditions.

"As our site continues to grow we are continually looking to add new, and most importantly, useful services to buyers and sellers", said Stephanie Batko, co-founder. "The goal of the FSBO process is to increase market efficiencies in the real estate transaction by eliminating the overhead and cost of the 'middle-man'. Accomplishing this requires web-sites dedicated to the FSBO process, such as ours, with tools and services that remove the complexity of marketing and selling a home."

"Our recent decision to offer free listings was based in part on the difficult market conditions for home sellers and because our advertising revenue from local real estate service providers, such as attorneys, lenders, title companies and inspectors, has continued to grow", she said.

The For Sale by Owner process has become increasingly popular in cities and regions across the country, with nearly one in five homes today sold without a real estate agent. In several cases, locally-operated websites dedicated to assisting buyers and sellers have experienced tremendous success because of their local roots and knowledge of the community. fsboTheDistrict.com is similarly designed as a community-based service, and the creators of fsboTheDistrict.com are local families and homeowners in Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia.

"Unlike national FSBO sites which often have just a few listings in several cities and virtually no local resources for buyers and sellers, locally-operated websites can provide region-specific detail, with links to local services and a one-stop shopping environment for area consumers", said Jocelyn S. Batko, co-founder. "The FSBO markerplace in the D.C. area is fragmented; some sellers are placing ads on national web sites with little local traffic, others are marketing in local newspapers. Finding FSBO properties for sale can be challenging for buyers. Today, we've launched a website dedicated to bringing these buyers and sellers together", she said.

The site offers sellers a free 3-month listing, complete with high resolution photographs, printable flyers, Google Maps, virtual tours, open house showings, and more. "The best method for advertising a home is with an online ad that's visible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for several months. There is a demand for this sort of service in the D.C. metro area," said Batko.

About FSBO The District
FSBO The District (fsboTheDistrict.com) is the largest locally-owned For Sale by Owner (FSBO) website serving Washington D.C., Northern Virginia and the Maryland suburbs. FSBO The District is locally owned and operated and seeks to provide a platform for homeowners and buyers to communicate and to provide information to buyers and sellers about the For Sale by Owner process. FSBO The District has incorporated Google Maps™ to help buyers visually locate FSBO homes in the Washington D.C. metro area and now offers free listings. The site also provides a list of local service providers, including real estate attorneys, title companies, mortgage lenders, and inspectors.
FSBO The District can be found on the web at http://www.fsbothedistrict.com/