Sell or rent your property without an agent: a guide for owners

Selling or renting your property directly is legal in Colombia and increasingly common. You save the commission, but you take on the work an agency would do. This guide helps you decide, and do it well.

What you gain and what you take on

• You gain: no commission (on a sale it is usually around 3% of the price in urban areas; on a rental, a monthly percentage of the rent) and direct contact with interested people.
• You take on: setting the price, taking the photos, listing, answering messages, showing the property, screening people, negotiating and coordinating the paperwork.

Going direct makes sense if you have time for viewings, live near the property and the paperwork is in order. If you live in another city, the property is part of an inheritance or has a complicated mortgage, or you don't want the phone calls, an agency is usually worth its fee.

How to list as an owner on LuxuryHomes.com.co

1. Sign up as an owner with your name, email, phone and ID number. You need no licence and no agency.
2. List the property with the form: photos, price, location, area, bedrooms, bathrooms, estrato and description.
3. In your panel, upload a photo of your ID (once) and the property's certificate of title (certificado de tradición y libertad), issued within the last 30 days.
4. Our team checks that the name and ID match the owner named on the certificate. If all is in order, the listing goes live; if something is missing, you get an email saying what.

You can list up to two of your own properties for free. Your listing appears as "Listed by the owner · Verified owner", and the map shows the approximate area, not the exact spot. Your documents are private: they are never shown on the site.

Protecting yourself when you deal direct

• Before a viewing: talk by phone and ask what the person is looking for and how they plan to pay. Show the property in daylight and not alone.
• Don't hand over originals. Documents are shown or sent as copies.
• Be wary of haste: offers made without seeing the property, payments from abroad with an "excess" you are asked to return, or requests for codes and passwords.
• Money through the bank. Take payments by transfer or a bank cheque, and put everything in writing in the promise of sale.
• Signing at a notary. A property sale is only valid by public deed, registered.

The paperwork, in short

To sell you need the certificate of title, the deed, clearances for property tax, betterment levy and building fees, and your ID. The full list is in Documents you need to sell property. For rentals, see How to list a property for rent.

Frequently asked questions

Can I list a property that isn't in my name?

Not as an owner: the certificate must show you as the owner. If you manage other people's properties, register as a realtor or an agency instead.

What if I later want to hand it to an agency?

You can at any time. Disable your listing so it doesn't appear twice. The portal has verified agencies.

Do I need a lawyer?

It isn't mandatory, but for the promise of sale it is worth having one review it, especially if there is a loan, a mortgage or several owners.