These are some essential considerations that require evaluating before deciding to market your home and saving the fee of selling through an agent.

Consulting a Real Estate agent about placing your home For Sale By Owner will probably result in their advising you against it, and they will tell you that it will take you twice as long to sell the home than if they helped you do it.

However, remember when you bought your house. If you're like most home buyers, the Real Estate Agent walked you through the house, had you fill out a few real estate forms, and then you sat in the Escrow office while they did the rest, and the Agent pocketed the 5 to 6 percent commission (or more).

Granted, the Real Estate Agent does not have a job that requires no effort, but if you are willing to work at it, you will have a good chance at succeeding to make a quick sale using the FSBO method.

The first important factor a seller must consider is whether the current real estate market is more conducive to selling or buying. In buyers markets, fewer homes are available to sell, and more buyers are interested in buying those homes. Conversely, in a sellers market, there are more homes available, and the home may sell more slowly, so the cost of an Agent may be less problematic than paying on the mortgage for two or three extra months.

Evaluate the homes listed for sale in your neighborhood. How long is it taking for them to sell? If the other houses are selling slowly, you may decide to remain in your home until you locate a buyer, which allows you to take longer to find a buyer, but provides you with less time to move out.

Second - Be Prepared! There's nothing more frustrating than being asked a bunch of questions you can't answer. Ask a Broker for an "over-the-net" home evaluation (these are usually free), so you'll have proof of the homes value. Hire a Real Estate Attorney to find out what paperwork you will need, the Attorney can also do the closing. To find out what forms you will need, go to the State Real Estate Commission.

Locate a reliable Escrow company that can be recommended to hold the good faith deposit, and initiate negotiations with a Title Company. Although the buyers are responsible for locating a Mortgage Broker, as well as a company that will perform Escrow and closing functions, they may not be familiar with any companies who offer these services. Being able to make these suggestions is a kindness that will further your likelihood of appearing experienced, as well as of closing the sale.

To cut costs, advertise only when Real Estate Ads are most prominent in the newspaper, and if other open houses are going on in the immediate area, show yours concurrently.

If you're doing everything you can and still not finding people interested in your house, consider working with a low cost Real Estate Broker or a Discounted or Medium Service Broker, (who may be Internet based). Through these resources, you may be able to place an ad in a Multiple Listing Service. Be sure to pay the extra cost for a photo of the house. Text only descriptions just will not do.

If none of these suggestions work, the seller may consider developing an agreement with a Buyers Agent. These individuals, who work for home buyers, will most often split their commission with the Sellers Agent. In this situation, because you are the sellers agent, the buyers agent may be helpful in selling the home more quickly for only 2.5 to 3 percent of the sale price.

In summary, consider the cost of paying an agent versus that of taking longer to sell your home. While a Buyers Agent will perceive a 3 percent commission for a $300,000 house as $9,000 in profit, remember that you are saving another $9,000 by not using an Agent to sell your home as well.