How to Find For Sale By Owner (FSBO) Properties

Learn how to use Zillow and Redfin to filter for For Sale By Owner (FSBO) listings, identify distressed properties, and locate seller contact information.

May 14, 2026 By Elam King

Finding For Sale By Owner (FSBO) listings is an effective way to uncover off-market deals and negotiate directly with sellers. This guide will show you how to leverage Zillow and Redfin to filter for FSBOs and distressed properties, and how to track down the owner's contact info for your outreach.

Searching for FSBOs on Zillow

Start your search by targeting a specific market on Zillow, then use detailed filtering to strip out agent-listed properties.

Step #1: Search for your target location (e.g., York, PA) in the search bar and select the suggested region. — Search for your target location (e.g., York, PA) in the search bar and select the suggested region.

Step #2: Click the Property type dropdown menu. — Click the **Property type** dropdown menu.

Step #3: Select Multi-family or any other property types you are looking for. — Select **Multi-family** or any other property types you are looking for.

Step #4: Select Lots/Land to include vacant properties. — Select **Lots/Land** to include vacant properties.

Step #5: Click Apply to save the property type filters. — Click **Apply** to save the property type filters.

Now, refine the listing type to only show properties posted by owners.

Step #6: Click on Filters to open the advanced search menu. — Click on **Filters** to open the advanced search menu.

Step #7: Uncheck Agent listed. — Uncheck **Agent listed**.

Step #8: Uncheck New construction. — Uncheck **New construction**.

Step #9: Ensure that Owner posted (or By owner) is checked so that FSBO listings remain. — Ensure that **Owner posted** (or By owner) is checked so that FSBO listings remain.

Step #10: If you are looking for distressed deals, check Foreclosures. — If you are looking for distressed deals, check **Foreclosures**.

Step #11: Check Auctions. — Check **Auctions**.

Step #12: Optionally, broaden your search by including statuses like Coming soon or Accepting backup offers. — Optionally, broaden your search by including statuses like **Coming soon** or **Accepting backup offers**.

Step #13: Click Apply. — Click **Apply**.

Review your filtered search results. Once you find a property that catches your eye, look for the contact information.

Step #14: Click on a property card to view its full details. — Click on a property card to view its full details.

Step #15: Scroll down to the description and click Show more. — Scroll down to the description and click **Show more**.

Step #16: Look for the Listed by: Property Owner section to find their direct phone number. — Look for the **Listed by: Property Owner** section to find their direct phone number.

Searching for FSBOs on Redfin

Redfin is another excellent tool for scraping FSBO leads. The filtering process is similar to Zillow.

Step #17: Enter your target market in Redfin and select the correct region from the dropdown. — Enter your target market in Redfin and select the correct region from the dropdown.

Step #18: Select House from the quick filters. — Select **House** from the quick filters.

Step #19: Select Townhouse. — Select **Townhouse**.

Step #20: Select Condo. — Select **Condo**.

Step #21: Select Mobile. — Select **Mobile**.

Step #22: Click Filters to open the advanced sidebar. — Click **Filters** to open the advanced sidebar.

Step #23: Scroll to the Listing Type section and uncheck By agent. — Scroll to the Listing Type section and uncheck **By agent**.

Step #24: Check By owner (FSBO). — Check **By owner (FSBO)**.

Step #25: Check Foreclosures to spot distressed opportunities. — Check **Foreclosures** to spot distressed opportunities.

Redfin often hides direct contact information for FSBO listings. If you find a promising property on Redfin but cannot find a phone number, copy the address and search for it on Zillow to see if the owner posted their contact info there.

Next Steps: Evaluating the Property

Once you have found an interesting FSBO property and secured the contact number, run the address through your preferred real estate analysis software (such as Privy) to determine if there's room to negotiate.

Step #26: Open the Privy.pro web application. — Open the **Privy.pro** web application.

Step #27: Click Continue to log in to your dashboard. — Click **Continue** to log in to your dashboard.

Use your software to pull comparables (comps), calculate the After Repair Value (ARV), and decide whether to call the seller to negotiate on price or terms.