ByTheOwner is a Quebec-based For Sale By Owner advertising company that lets consumers buy and sell properties without using a real estate agent. Established in 1997 in Quebec City, the company began operation under the French website directduproprio.com. The French website was changed to Duproprio.com in 2005. The English website, ByTheOwner.com was registered in 2001. However, it was not until 2003 that the company expanded to Ontario in 2003, British Columbia in 2006, and Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island in 2007. The company claims to have sold more than 5,000 properties in 2007, which is approximately 1% of all the homes in Canada. In 2007 the company ranked #90 on Profit Magazines top 100 fastest growing Canadian companies , 2008 ByTheOwner.com ranked number 111 on Profit Magazines Fastest Growing .

The website – which charges a seller $300-$650 to list a home for six months – has 5,000 listings across Canada and boasts of six million page views a month.

The Canadian Real Estate Association, 75% to 80% of homes in Canada were sold through brokers. Conversely, it would appear that "Sale by Owner" accounts for some 20% or 25% of the remainder..

More owners selling their own property are using online marketing companies to advertise their properties. Large commissions charged by real estate agents are a main reason that owners choose to sell their home without a real estate agent