2013 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

The National Association of Realtors reveals it's annual profile of home buyers and sellers.  

Here are the highlights: 

• 39% of sellers who used a real estate agent found their agent through a referral.  25% used the agent they worked with before.
• Recent sellers typically sold their homes for 97% of the listing price, an increase of 2% over last year.
• 88% of sellers used the help of a real estate agent when selling their home.
  
• 45% of buyers used a mobile device during their home search and 22% of them found the home they ultimately bought via mobile device.
  
• The use of the internet in the home search rose slightly to 92%.
  
• The typical For-Sale-By-Owner (FSBO) sold for $184,000 compared to the real estate agent assisted sale of $230,000.
  
• The percentage of home sellers who sold their home on their own was 9%, down from 19% in 1991.
  
• 38% of recent home buyers were first-time buyers, not yet back to the historical norm of 40%.