What Are The Real Costs Of Selling A Home?

Experts estimate that most people who use a Realtor will pay as much as 10% of your selling price in costs associated with selling. The cost of selling a home yourself can range from 4% to 8% of the selling price of your home. When you're estimating your expected gains, remember that the cost of selling a home can be deducted from that figure for tax purposes.

To give you an idea of what the costs of selling a home in the current market are, take a look at the information below. We've included estimated costs based on a 0,000 home sale, as well as some tips for lowering or eliminating them to lower your overall cost of selling your home.

Selling

Sales commission

What Are The Real Costs Of Selling A Home?

If you list your home with a Realtor, expect to pay 4 to 6% of the sales price, or ,000 to ,000 in real estate commission.
Tip: Shop around. Real estate commissions aren't written in stone. A Realtor may be willing to accept less of a commission in a slow market, or you may be able to save money by contracting with a Realtor for specific services only rather than a contracted listing.
250,000
-12,000
238,000
Closing Costs
Taxes, both transfer taxes and property taxes, and legal fees associated with the closing and finalizing of your home sale will be 2% to 4% of your sales price, or ,000 to ,000.
Tip: Check the laws in your state. If you've prepaid your property taxes for the year, you may get a credit instead of a bill. There may also be other refunds on prepaid escrow costs for home insurance and other costs of selling a home.
238,000
- 8,000
230,000
Paying Off Your Mortgage
Whatever the remaining principal balance is on your current mortgage will have to be paid off upon the sale of your home. Just to keep things simple, let's say that you still owe ,000 on your current mortgage. If there's a prepayment penalty, you'll need to deduct that from your eventual sales price as well.
Tip: Ask your lender to prepare a payoff statement for you to check your figures. If there is a fee charged for the service, you can deduct it as one of the costs of selling a home.
230,000
50,000
180,000
Repairs to Your Home
The cost varies widely depending on the age of your home and how well it's been maintained. At the very least, you should get a home inspection to identify any possible problems to avoid being surprised by them at closing. You should plan on paying about 0 for a home inspection.
180,000
300
179,700
Pre-Sale Facelift
Again, the cost varies with the work that's needed to get the house looking its best. Conservative estimate: 0 for new paint, screws and hardware, carpet for living room floor and landscaping service
179,700
400
179,300
Moving costs
The cost of moving from one home to another are included in the cost of selling a home. It may be as little as 00 to as much as ,000 for a cross country move. Let's be conservative again - ,000
179,300
3,000
176,300
Other relocation costs
You may need to replace appliances, pay off school transfer or gym fees, or pay storage for your furniture. There are many unexpected costs of selling a home which may amount to nothing, or add up to a good chunk of change.
Even without adding in other relocation costs, you can see how the cost of selling a home can reduce your final cash gain. The good news is that most of those costs are deductible on your taxes.
What Are The Real Costs Of Selling A Home?
Learn more at www.House-Selling-Pros.com.

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Mystery Hotels - How to Cheat and Maybe Get a Bargain

We have spent some time looking at lastminute.com's 'Mystery Hotel' range and the new mystery offers from wotif.com. In some cases, LastMinute's descriptions of its mystery hotels make it pretty easy to pinpoint the actual hotel. Wotif's mystery hotels are a little harder to fathom but there are some clues, for instance they might be selling 'Comfort' and 'Grand Comfort' rooms at a mystery hotel so you just go through the list of other Wotif hotels in the same city and see which hotel uses that description for its rooms. The US company Priceline was the originator of the mystery hotel deal and we have always had serious misgivings about using them.

The main objection is that instead of seeing a discounted price (20% off the usual agent's price is fairly normal for both LastMinute and Wotif) at a specific hotel, Priceline gives you no clue as to the actual hotel and you have to bid the price you are prepared to pay. Priceline does give a little help - it breaks cities down into areas and shows the normal retail price of hotels in different star categories and suggests a likely discount you should apply when bidding. Nonetheless, there is a huge danger that you will end up paying more than you need to. Priceline might have set a secret minimum bid of a night but if someone bids the company will happily accept the bid. Also, in recent years, business has been very good for the hotel industry and we suspect that Priceline was selling rooms at some hotels that would otherwise have difficulty in attracting guests. In other words, you could end up paying over the odds for an inferior hotel.

Bargain

However, now the game has changed a little. Quite a few hotels have empty rooms and are willing to sell them at low rates through Priceline, on condition of anonymity to avoid destroying their normal rating. And, we have found a rather handy guide that should help you avoid some of the Priceline pitfalls.

Mystery Hotels - How to Cheat and Maybe Get a Bargain

One community forum for users of Priceline (and HotWire, a division of Expedia, which is designed more for US customers) is http://www.betterbidding.com. The front page is a bit messy, but all you need do is scroll down to find the forum dedicated to the area you want to visit. Pick Boston and the first post will be a list of hotels that forum members have purchased through Priceline. There is no guarantee that this list is completely accurate - hotels will come and go, depending on season and occupancy - but at least you have an idea of the sort of hotel you will get in each star category. Then you go through the most recent posts where members have listed deals they have actually obtained from Priceline. You may see that someone was able to bid for a room at the Omni Parker two days ago and a bid of got a room at the Hyatt Regency a week earlier. You need to take careful note of when the reservations were for (weekdays or weekends) and how far in advance the reservations were made because this is bound to have an effect on the price.

This site works best with Priceline's US hotels. Postings for international reservations are far sparser. If you want to stay in Venice in May, it is of little use to know that someone was able to bid for a room at the Hilton Molino in February.

All prices on Priceline are before the dreaded 'taxes and charges', which can add a sizeable sum to the total and clearly include a generous service charge. We could not see how they came up with charges of £28 on a basic hotel cost of £92. At least you see this figure before your bid is submitted.

Once you are ready to go ahead, you have to submit your payment details. If the bid is accepted, your money is taken immediately and there is no possibility of cancellation or alteration. If the bid is not accepted, no money is taken and you are only allowed to rebid if you alter some of the terms of the original bid. Betterbidding suggests a way around this. Let's say you want to stay in a five-star hotel in one area of Paris. Your initial bid is turned down so you alter your bid to include another area of Paris but an area which you can see from Betterbidding does not have a Priceline five-star hotel. Assuming Priceline has not suddenly added a new hotel (which is a very real possibility) then your increased bid on the hotel you want should be accepted.

Betterbidding also gives the same range of information for HotWire. This is part of the same group that owns Expedia and Hotels.com but it is designed principally for US customers and payment is taken in dollars - effectively adding to the cost for UK customers.

HotWire's system is similar to Priceline with the bidding aspect removed. You know the star rating in advance, the area of the city involved and the full cost (plus taxes and charges). A quick look at Betterbidding should give you an idea of which hotels it is selling in the various categories and cities. The site is not as strong on hotels outside North America as Priceline.

With both these sites, we recommend you attempt to cross-check prices with the hotels direct or hotels of a similar category. Neither Booking.com, nor Expedia/Hotels.com (the companies behind these mystery sites) is noted for selling hotels cheaply. In some cases, a 20% discount off their rates will only equate to a 10% discount off rates available elsewhere. If you think you can get a room at the Luxor in Las Vegas for , you might find it better to take away the guesswork and book direct with the hotel for .

We certainly cannot recommend Priceline and the Betterbidding site to everyone. It can be very time-consuming and dangerous. There is a huge potential for error: you can easily pay quite a lot of money for a hotel you do not want. Another significant danger is that you can get carried away with the whole game and concentrate too much on trying to 'win' rather than on finding a hotel that is suitable for you! However, there are some genuine bargains around, particularly in the US, where Priceline is stronger, and there is plenty of information on Betterbidding. If you are looking for a couple of nights in a hotel in New York, and you have the time and patience, you might just get a good deal.

Will I get the worst room in the hotel if I have booked a mystery deal at a special price?

There is a possibility that a few hotels will use these mystery deals to sell a handful of less desirable rooms they would not normally sell unless the hotel was full. Most hotels will give you a standard room but, as is common for rooms booked at special rates through agents, it is likely to be the lowest-category room available. The better rooms may be on higher floors, have more modern furnishings or better views and these are likely to be allocated to clients who have booked direct with the hotel.

But...

If you have booked a standard room through an agent (whether it be Priceline or not), there is no reason why you cannot upgrade the room when you arrive. Many hotels are more than happy to upgrade agency customers to executive-floor rooms (maybe for an extra £30 a night) or give them a larger room or one with a better view. Hotels are looking for extra revenue at every opportunity and if someone offers them money, and they have a better room available, they are unlikely to turn them down. Interestingly, this method can quite often lead to a free upgrade! A receptionist may find the task of taking the extra payment on the computer system too daunting and just allocate a better room without charge. Offering to pay for an upgrade can be a better way of getting a free upgrade than just asking.

Mystery Hotels - How to Cheat and Maybe Get a Bargain

Jack Rosenbloom is a regular contributor to Inside Traveller (http://www.insidetraveller.co.uk).

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Find Repo Cars For Sale - Bargain Hunting For Autos

Everybody wants a bargain when they are searching for a car, especially when they are trying to buy a used car. We've all been there, searching the local car lots, looking for that one precious gem of a car that was left behind and forgotten. The car that they are just trying to get off the lot, at any price. Well, there is a better way. You can always be looking for repo cars for sale and save yourself a bundle of money. Here are some reasons why it is a good idea to by repossessed cars.

1. Low Prices - It isn't always the case that the repo cars for sale will be sold at a discount, but sometimes they are willing to sell the car for the payoff. This can really work in your favor. Just remember that a bank is not in business to sell cars, they just want to get the money back that they lent for the car in the first place.

Bargain

2. Frequently Rotating Stock - If you don't find the repossessed car that you want right away don't worry, repossessed cars are always showing up for sale. Don't rush your purchase, sit back and wait for the perfect car to come in and on sale.

Find Repo Cars For Sale - Bargain Hunting For Autos

By keeping your eye on the repossessed cars in your area, and perhaps even having a way of checking cars in other areas you will be sure to find the car that is just right for you. The buying and selling of repossessed cars is also a big business and you might just find that it is something that you would want to do to make a little money on the side.

Find Repo Cars For Sale - Bargain Hunting For Autos

Seized Vehicle Auctions and repossessed items on auctions are now listed on our website at http://www.carbuyingfacts.info/

A Guide to Los Angeles Public Car Auctions

If you want to live or work in Los Angeles, it is essential that you have a car. Sure, there is public transportation, but unless you are going around downtown, it is just too slow and inconvenient for getting about the huge metropolis. Pretty much everybody in LA owns a car. That makes Los Angeles a great place to find public car auctions.

There are numerous public car auctions in Los Angeles, and it is fairly easy to find out about them. One of the best places to start is with the official police garages or OPGs. These are city garages that have official responsibility over the towing and holding of impounded cars in LA. Several hundred thousand vehicles are impounded by the LAPD every year. Of these, around two-thirds are redeemed by the owners, but the rest of the cars become city property and are divested through public car auctions. The OPGs hold these auctions, known officially as lien sale vehicle auctions, once a week. You may contact your nearest OPG to find out when the public auctions take place. The auctions help the city of Los Angeles to recoup unpaid fees while offering an opportunity to the public to bid on and purchase cars at low prices.

Bargain

There are also a number of firms in Los Angeles and its outlying areas that hold public car auctions. A search for "auto auctions" on an online search engine turned up 26 firms around LA that hold regular auctions. A few of these firms specialize in certain types of vehicles. For example, Spectrum Auction Co. in North Hollywood and Palm Springs Exotic Car Auctions specialize in auctions of classic and luxury vehicles. Other firms hold auctions specifically for towed or repossessed cars.

A Guide to Los Angeles Public Car Auctions

Public car auctions are open to everyone, but it is important that you register beforehand. To register for a public auction, you need to provide proper personal identification. You may also need to pay some nominal registration fee. When you have registered, you will be assigned a bidding number, which must be presented to the auctioneer when you make a bid. Only people with bidding numbers are allowed to participate in the auction.

The cars at public auctions are sold "as is" and therefore a potential bidder must possess a "let the buyer beware" mindset. However, there is usually an inspection period prior to the auction, that make take place a day or two or even a few hours beforehand. You should take advantage of the inspection period to see what is being offered and get an idea of the vehicle's quality.

A Guide to Los Angeles Public Car Auctions

Did you find my tips for Los Angeles public car auctions [http://www.deal-finders.com/car-auctions/] helpful? You can get more information about public car auctions at [http://www.deal-finders.com/car-auctions/]

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Inspirational Selling

I am going to talk about inspiration. Have you ever felt it? Do you know what it is? Well for years I have been a motivated individual and have had a burning desire to improve myself and to take it to the next level. In many books that I have read there have been countless times they have mentioned "inspired action". I never really knew what that was until now. Inspiration is when a part of you inside is driving you to go to the next level.

This feeling feels almost uncontrollable like an unfulfilled need that will not go left unnoticed. It is a feeling that when you feel tired, inspiration takes over and gives you the energy to keep going. It's when times feel tough and it seems like there is no way and this "inspiration" finds the intelligence and mental toughness to get you through. As salespeople we have all felt it. A goal that you wanted to achieve for more than just financial being or material wants, but an inner desire to feel that success. To feel that feeling of accomplishment is irreplaceable, every man and woman that has ever felt that will go to great lengths to get this feeling.

Selling

Only "inspiration" can do this, when you get this feeling inside don't ignore it, use it to your advantage.

Inspirational Selling

Salespeople out there remember one thing, know what your true inner goal and driving is and go get that magical feeling of accomplishment! I AM PROUD TO BE A SALESPERSON

Inspirational Selling

[http://www.Abcclosers.com]

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Used Triathlon Bikes Are a Bargain

Getting into any triathlon transition program may require buying a triathlon bike, or for those bargain shoppers, a used triathlon bike, or bikes.

Used triathlon bikes, like most other fitness training equipment, can probably be found at huge discounts, up to 50 percent off the original suggested retail price, at used bike stores who offer used triathlon bikes.

Bargain

First off, it is important to defining a triathlon bike. A triathlon bike is not unlike any other road bike in that it is suitable for all long distance riding.

Used Triathlon Bikes Are a Bargain

A triathlon bike is all about comfort and efficiency, and even looks like many ten-speed road bikes found in bike shops.

The key to finding the best in used triathlon bikes is research.

There are a number of outfits on the Internet that sell used triathlon bikes. But it may be helpful for you to try out a few at your local bike shop first.

Getting a handle on the best used triathlon bikes for you first, before buying one on the Internet at a good price is a good way to go.

Knowing what you want and what you can afford are the keys to shopping for used triathlon bikes.

Used triathlon bikes can be completely refurbished and become a great tool for anyone making their triathlon transition.

On the other hand, there are some used triathlon bikes that may not be refurbished and could cause serious problems for the triathlon trainer.

Do your homework.

Talk to some who have purchased used triathlon bikes, try them out and look on line as well.

Used Triathlon Bikes Are a Bargain

Find more at Used Triathlon Bikes. Do you have what you need to improve your workouts and your races and click over to Mike Herman's site Gear4Triathlons.com

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10 Kid Friendly Places to Go in Atlanta at a Bargain Or Free

1. Imagine it Children's Museum: Every second Tuesday of the month, the admission is free. It's the Target Free 2nd Tuesdays. This is a great interactive children's museum, where your little ones will stay busy, one activity after another. The range of activities include, painting on the paint wall, loading balls in a kid sized crane and moving it through a ball machine, building sculptures on a kid sized crane, putting on a raincoat and using little fish poles to "fish" the ducks, filling up boxes with produce in a conveyor belt to send it for delivery etc.

2. Atlanta Botanical Garden: If you are a Bank of America (BOA) customer, and have a BOA ATM, Debit or Credit Card, you can get free admissions here on the first weekend of every month. There is even a 2 acre children's garden with a host of interactive activities, Tree house, Dinosaur garden, Vegetable garden, sunflower fountain etc. Kids will love running around anywhere in the open space!

Bargain

3. Atlanta Fern Bank Museum: This venue also offers the same free admissions program for BOA customers on first weekend of every month. As soon as you enter the museum, at its main hall, the kids will be amazed to see the Giants of the Mesozoic exhibit. This Exhibit recreates the setting of when the largest Dinosaurs lived, and how it got its preys. At the time of this writing, The Ends of Earth: Polar Bear to Penguins Exhibit is going on. For toddlers to preschoolers there is a Children's Discovery Room, where they can learn about basic concepts of nature through playful activities. For Children 6-9, A walk through Time in Georgia Exhibit, lets them discover the different Geography of Georgia, form Jekyll Island Pier to wildlife in the mountains.

10 Kid Friendly Places to Go in Atlanta at a Bargain Or Free

4. Atlanta History Center: This is also free on first weekend of every month with BOA card. Don't be fooled by the name! Even if the kids are not too much into history, there's plenty to do. The kids can enjoy the interactive museum, tour 2 houses including the Swan House, visit Victorian Playhouse, walk in the nature trail, and visit the gardens.

5. Stone Mountain Park: This is one of the most popular and visited places in Atlanta. You can pay an all day pass - for all ages, except for kids 3-11. However you can still have plenty of fun without spending the money on the pass. All you do need to pay is parking permit fee per vehicle and pack a picnic bag and you will find number of things to enjoy for free. You can hike up the Stone mountain, sit by the picnic area overlooking the carving on the mountain or many other picnic areas, play at the children's playground, walk around The Crossroads, where you can see the 1870's southern town living, visit the Stone Mountain Museum, go to one of its beaches, or just walk anywhere in its 15 miles of nature trail. During summer, you can enjoy free laser show in the evenings.

6. City Pass: For (value: 8.93) for adults and (value: .53), you can visit any of the following 6 Atlanta Attractions within a 9 day period.

- Coca Cola

- Georgia Aquarium

- Atlanta Botanical Garden or The Fern Bank Museum

- Atlanta History Center or The High Museum of Art

- Zoo Atlanta

- Inside CNN Tour

7. Centennial Olympic Park: This Park is located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, and is in the vicinity of other popular attractions, such as the Coca Cola, Georgia Aquarium, CNN etc. This is where a lot of festivities and concerts took place during the 1996 Olympic Games. No matter what the season is, there is always something the kids can enjoy for free!

- Music at Noon: Every Tuesday and Thursday from April - October from Noon to 1pm you can enjoy the local musicians playing R&B, Jazz, Pop etc.

- Every Wednesday from April - September, there are free concerts from 5:30 - 8 pm

- Fourth Saturday Family Fun Days: Every fourth Saturday from April - September, noon to 4pm there is a free family fun movie. The kids can also enjoy other interactive activities.

- Fountain of Rings: This fountain in the middle of the park is the world's largest interactive fountain, symbolizing the 5 rings of the Olympics. There's a spectacular show with light and music, every day throughout the year, at 12:30, 3:30: 6:30, and 9:00pm

- Ice Skating: This is the only outdoors skating rink in Atlanta.

8. Chattahoochee Nature Reserve: Just located about 15 miles North of Atlanta. Tickets are Adults, children, and children under 2 are free. All activities with the general admissions ticket are free. This nature reserve allows children to learn about the ecology of Chattahoochee area and its habitat. Here are some of the things the kids can enjoy

- Star Lab: This is a portable planetarium, where the kids can gaze at the galaxy and the solar system. They can also see how the sky looked, through the eyes of ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Native Americans etc.

- Animal Encounter: Every Thursdays and Fridays at 10am and 4pm, kids can see a resident animal from the nature center up close, and learn about its habitat from the Center's Naturalist.

- Guided Hikes: Every Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 and 3:00pm there are guided Hikes through the trails of the nature center.

9. Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel / Hard rock Cafe: It's a Hotel in the heart of Downtown, a cylindrical glass of tower. You can go to the 72nd floor observation deck, and see the entire city. Going up and down in the glass enclosed elevator is part of the fun. Tickets are for adults and for kids 12 and under. After you've gotten good view of the city you can walk up to Hard rock Cafe Restaurant. From 11-2pm you can enjoy lunch at the Hard Rock Café for .99, kid's meals are .50 with a drink, which is quite a bargain for downtown. The 4 page kids menu -Lil' Rocker menu, teaches them about, how to rock, reuse and recycle, and even comes with a packet of tree seeds.

10. Story time: In, and around Atlanta, almost all libraries, and Barnes and Noble bookstores have 30 minute-1 hour Story times for different children age groups, 1- 2 times a week. This is a great activity for the kids and some downtime for you, for free. In addition to stories, the activities may include sing -along, dancing, arts and crafts etc.

Also read my post on: 10 Kid friendly places to visit in NYC @ a Bargain or FREE, at http://www.travelbargainmama.com

Which one of these or any other kid friendly places in Atlanta is your kids favorite to visit?

10 Kid Friendly Places to Go in Atlanta at a Bargain Or Free

I'm Shreejana Hickman, and I began the blog, Travel Bargain Mama to assist moms, families, and any travel enthusiasts, find the ultimate travel bargains available, family and or kid friendly activities throughout the US, around the world, or in your local area. Despite these tough economic times, we can still enjoy traveling to new and exciting places, or to a favorite city. Travel Bargain Mama was started on the premises of value, hard-to-find bargains, and getting more with less.

I currently live in Atlanta with my husband Scott, and our 2 year old son Seth. All of us love traveling, and take every opportunity to do so. Before having Seth, I worked in consumer and small business banking for 6 years, and I have a degree in finance from Kennesaw State University. Throughout college projects, and my career in banking, I've always been focused on saving money for my clients and businesses. Now I intend to do the same for my readers through this blog.

I was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, which is in Southeast Asia. Nepal is the beautiful land of Himalayas, and where Mt. Everest stands, the tallest mountain in the world. We take a 25 plus hour flight, with 3 connections, to Nepal, once every 2 to 3 years. This blog includes writing about this and other trips, New York City, San Francisco, Orlando, Miami, Montreal, Los Angeles, India, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Bahamas, Chicago, Washington, D.C., London, Bangkok, Tibet, and many more domestic and international destinations. We live in Atlanta, but New York City is almost a second home to us as we visit family and friends about 4 to 6 times per year. Please visit http://www.travelbargainmama.com, and post comments, get email updates, enter contests etc.

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