Nearly everyone who sells their house goes out and gets a realtor right away. But this isn't always the most economical way to get your house sold. Realtors charge an average of 6% commissions on the total price your home sells for. With the average price of homes well over $250,000, that can be as much as $15,000! And it only goes up with the price of your home.

In many cases, the commissions you pay a realtor can be as much as you've paid toward your house so far. Or it could also be as much as your house has appreciated in value. That means you can live in your house for a few years, sell it, and come out no further ahead than you were to start. You may as well rent for that matter!

Most people choose to use a realtor because they are afraid to sell their own home. But knowledge is power. If you learn even just a little about selling your home, you can do most of the selling on your own and come out ahead. For this reason, more and more houses are coming out on the market with the "For Sale by Owner" signs now than ever before.

Any money you can save on selling your home can be used for the down payment on your next home. Since you'd probably like to retire someday and own your home outright, this will only benefit you.

In addition to saving the money, choosing the route of "For Sale by Owner" can empower you with the option of lowering the price to make a quick sale. Even if you lower your price by 2%, you'll still come out ahead. Remember, a realtor will take about 6% in commissions. So you can still save 4% of the purchase price of your home... that's $10,000 on a $250,000 home.

Plus you'll get the added benefit of selling your home much quicker. If it's a buyers market, this can make the difference between selling your home in 30-days or waiting 10 months or more!

Please note that the phrase, "For Sale by Owner" is a little misleading. You'll actually still need a few key players to get the job done. It won't just be you and you alone. Unless you can pay cash for your next home (don't we all wish), you'll need a lender. And you'll also need a title company or in some locations, what's called a real estate attorney. In reality, you would need these two players even if you choose to use a realtor.