All of us know that real estate commissions can work out to quite a bit of money ? anything from a few thousand dollars with discount brokers to 6% in commissions with full-service agents. That's a substantial sum of money to be paying for something you could very well do on your own.

Real estate agents are important and most home sales are still done through them. However, with the growing use of the Internet among home seekers, home selling has become a lot easier. These days when one has to look for a home, the first thing they do is connect to the internet and try searching online. The internet has made the task of searching for a home easy and convenient. In contrast to newspaper classifieds, online home listings provide more details (and also pictures) which help the buyer make an informed decision on whether to see the home. This saves the time of both home buyers and home sellers.

So how does one go about selling their home without paying any commissions? As is evident, you need to have an online home listing ? your home details need to be easily accessible online. The key words out here are 'easily accessible'. It's no use having an online home listing if no one's going to find it. If you're going to sell your home without an agent, you're going to need a lot of buyers enquiring about your home and coming to see your home. So it's important to list your home on websites which are popular and are frequently visited by home buyers.

Listing your home details online is the first step. However, you cannot only depend on that to find a buyer. Other basic things you'll need to do:

- Place a 'For Sale' yard sign.

- Print single-page flyers (brochures) about your home and have them put up in a box along with your 'For Sale' sign. You may also try distributing them.

- At least one newspaper classified ad. It could be used to supplement your online home listing, e.g. Details at ***.com ? Listing Id ***.

You must note though that selling your home on your own may take a little time and you may also need to take time out of your schedule to show your home to buyers at their convenience. If you're willing to put in a little effort, selling your home without an agent is very much a possibility and your efforts will be paid off by savings from the commissions.

Best of luck with your home sale!

Sameer S Panjwani - Sell Your Home On Your Own With ChoiceOfHomes.com.