Money-Saving Hints

It's no secret that it's a difficult time to sell a home—so some sellers are getting creative. When Jennifer from Charleston, South Carolina, needed to sell her house, she says no one was biting. After five months and no offers in sight, Jennifer put her house on Craigslist. Two days later, it sold.

Karen from Hancock, Maryland, was having trouble finding a buyer for her farmhouse, so instead of selling, she decided to raffle off her home. She sold tickets for $100 apiece and agreed that any extra money raised beyond the appraised value would go to charity. After selling more than 6,000 tickets, Karen was able to unload her house and give more than $200,000 to a local charity. If this sounds interesting to you, check the laws in your state.

After two and a half years on the market, Mike and Pam from Streamwood, Illinois, needed an unconventional way to sell their home. They searched online to see if anyone wanted to swap houses and found OnlineHouseTrading.com—did they make a match?