A Colorado homeowner who went viral for selling his home without an agent has launched Ridley, a new AI-powered platform aimed at helping sellers navigate the home sale process more affordably. Ridley offers tools like MLS access, market reports, vendor recommendations, and AI-generated comps—plus legal and human support for an additional (undisclosed) fee. The platform is designed to give sellers flexibility and reduce costs, while still offering access to professionals when needed.
Here’s the reality though: sellers who list without an agent make, on average, 15% less than those who do. It comes down to three main things:
Pricing errors
Less marketing exposure
Weak negotiation skills
Let’s break it down.
Pricing Errors: We already integrate AI into our daily strategy—leveraging data, trends, and neighborhood analytics to inform pricing and positioning. Most of you are familiar with Fello by now (and if you’re not, you can sign up here). While tools like Fello are great benchmarks, they can’t always read the nuance of micro-neighborhood trends or adjust in real time based on showing feedback, market shifts, or buyer sentiment. That's where local expertise and boots-on-the-ground insight make all the difference.
Marketing Exposure: We’ve built a marketing strategy that’s custom to every home and every client. With a dedicated marketing professional on our team, your listing reaches the right audience—through thoughtful email campaigns, strategic direct mail, targeted digital ads, brokerage-wide networking, and direct reverse prospect outreach. Simply putting your home on the MLS isn't a strategy.
Weak Negotiation Skills: There’s no AI that can sit across the table, read the room, and advocate for your best outcome like a seasoned professional. One of the biggest risks sellers with an agent face is leaving money on the table not just in the sale price, but in inspection concessions, appraisal gaps, post-closing occupancy, and all the little details that make a big difference. Our job isn’t just to get your home under contract, it’s to maximize your outcome while protecting your interests every step of the way. That means asking the right questions, holding firm when it counts, and knowing when to push and when to pivot based on experience.
Ironically, one of the most shared posts from Ridley’s founder was a list of questions sellers should ask their agent before hiring them. We couldn’t agree more:
How did you price my house?
What’s your marketing plan?
How many of your listings sell at or above asking?
What’s your commission, and what exactly am I paying for?
When hiring a realtor or a team, you want someone who can answer these clearly, and back it up with results. Someone who will handle everything from pre-listing prep to closing day so you can focus on living your life, not managing a transaction.
Having a professional team means we’re overseeing vendors, tracking deadlines, staying ahead of fair housing laws, writing and distributing custom marketing, managing agent-to-agent outreach, fielding inquiries, reviewing offers, and negotiating every detail on your behalf. If that’s something you’re excited to take on alone—while juggling work, family, travel, and more—then maybe AI has a role. But for most of our clients, time is their most valuable resource.
At FORM, we believe your time and equity are worth protecting. That’s why we bring a full-service approach that blends smart tools with real expertise, local strategy, and a national network. We’re here for the full picture—to help you navigate the evolving market and walk away with the strongest possible result.
