When it comes time to sell a home, there are typically so many other expenses related to the transaction -- from buying a new home to making the move -- that it's ideal to find the cheapest way to sell the existing house. Not to mention the fact that it's just plain nice to save as many of our hard-earned dollars as possible. If you're in the market to sell your home, check out these money-saving tips and keep some more cash in your pocket!
List your house for sale by owner. If you sell your home through a real estate agent, you can expect to pay roughly 6% of your home's sale price to the agent in the form of a commission. If you sell your home for $200,000, that means you will pay the agent a hefty $12,000 to help sell your home. It's easy to see that one of the cheapest ways to sell your home is to sell it yourself and pocket that 6% commission yourself.
Make your home as attractive as possible to prospective buyers. Another way you can cheaply sell your home is to practice what is known as "home staging," which makes the home more attractive to potential buyers. Simple ways to do this are to remove clutter (knickknacks, etc.) from main areas, make sure the house is spotless before buyers come to visit and add fresh fruit to the kitchen and fresh flowers to other areas of the house.
Spread the word about your for-sale house. Consider placing small advertisements in local newspapers, periodicals such as Thrifty Nickel, online classified sites such as Craigslist.org, or real estate websites such as Cyberhomes.com or Eppraisal.com. You might also ask if you can place fliers in local grocery stores, your church bulletins or in other community centers. You should also place a "for sale" sign in your front yard, and you might want to make homemade signs to be placed strategically around town in busy intersections.