Trouble Selling Your Home? Why Not Try a House Swap

Too scared to buy before they sell, some homeowners aim for a trade

Craig Tuttle / Corbis

A recent craigslist ad screamed, "I want to TRADE UP." The author of the post offered a five-bedroom home in an Atlanta suburb for a house worth $100,000 more in either the metro Atlanta area, North Florida or Las Vegas. Another listing, by an 84-year-old widow, offered to trade her three-bedroom home in Scottsdale, Ariz., for one in the San Francisco Bay Area, which was closer to her family. A listing on besthouseswap.com advertised a lakefront condo in Branson, Mo., for property "in any other state."

It's no secret that in a down economy, people don't want to buy...

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