Keys to Selling Your Home Without an Agent

Malkasian said that owners "tend to shoot for the moon and overprice their property." A better approach, he said: "Price a little under market value." That way, you are likely to attract more buyers and "still net more than your neighbor did with an agent."

For pricing help, try visiting such Web sites as http://www.zillow.com and http://www.electronicappraiser.com .

Another option is to ask three or four local real estate agents for a comparative market analysis, which details recent home sales in your neighborhood, said Stephanie Singer, a spokeswoman for the National Association of Realtors.

What if you don't plan to use an agent? "Realtors are happy to help because from their perspective it's a way to make a first contact," she said. "Some Realtors make a living out of converting FSBOs" into clients.

You can also hire an appraiser for about $300.

· Hire a lawyer to handle some of the paperwork. "I recommend that you have a real estate attorney -- not a real estate agent -- prepare and review all the contracts," writes Lori Alden on her site, http://www.fsboprimer.com . Alden calls herself "an economist who has bought and sold several FSBO properties." Legal documents also are sold at most office supply stores and on Web sites, including http://www.uslegalforms.com .

· Market, market, market. Put up yard signs, place classified ads in newspapers, post fliers in your community, and tell everyone you know about your house going on the market.

About 75 percent of buyers use the Internet when searching for a home, according to the Realtors' association, so you also want to be on the Web. It takes "about eight minutes" to place a listing, said Wood of http://www.1-800-byowner.com , one of many sites that handle FSBO listings. Prices on such sites can range from about $30 to several hundred dollars, depending on the services included.

Some companies offer packages that include placing a FSBO listing on local multiple listing services, which are operated for real estate agents, and on Realtor.com, the most widely viewed real estate Web site. Homeowners can't do that directly -- it requires membership, which requires a real estate license.