Owners salivating over the huge profits they are about to reap from the sale of their homes are often surprised when they discover their bounty is a lot less than they figured. The old adage, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch," comes to mind.

Most folks realize that a good chunk of their proceeds will be going to the real estate professional who lists their house on the multiple listing service and then, markets the place online and with ads, flyers and other media tools. But there are often many other costs incurred by sellers. Your agent usually doesn't warn you about them, but they are there, and there's little you can do except pay them.

No one can tell you what your exact selling costs will be. But here's a brief rundown of the fees that will inevitably eat away at your bottom line:

-- Commissions. Most agents these days charge 5 to 7 percent of the eventual selling price. But the tariff could be more if your place is difficult to sell, or less if it is a cream puff.

Most houses these days are sold through the MLS, which is where everyone eventually looks to find their next home. And to get your place into the MLS, you'll need an agent.

Of course, you can try to sell on your own. But it might be better to look for a discount broker who will enter the house on the MLS and perform other services for either a flat fee or a smaller percentage of the pie.

Also worth noting: Even the commission paid to full-service agents is completely negotiable.

-- Inspections. Most buyers have the home inspected. But to avoid any surprises that you may have to deal with later, a seller's inspection is also in order. This will allow you to spot any issues and tend to them before the buyer even knows about them.

Figure on spending upwards of $200. It could be well worth it, when you consider that buyers tend to think repairs will be much more expensive then they really are. At worst, it could prevent the deal from being blown out of the water altogether.

-- Repairs. Who knows? But the inspection usually turns up at least a few problems that need to be addressed. Even if it's just things that you've lived with -- a slowly dripping faucet, for example, or an electrical outlet that doesn't work -- the buyer will probably want them fixed.

-- Staging. Most people realize that they must do a certain amount of fix-up to get their homes ready to sell. Painting, for sure, and perhaps washing the windows, and certainly making sure everything works as it should. But to really make their homes stand out, some sellers hire a stager, who is a professional at decluttering, reorganizing and sprucing up homes to look their very best.

-- Utilities. If you move out before you close and leave the house unoccupied, you'll have to keep the heat, water and air conditioning on while the place is empty so it can be shown to prospective buyers.

-- Insurance. You shouldn't cancel your homeowners' policy until the new owner takes over the title. So if you move out early, before the place is sold, you'll still have to keep coverage in force. Beware, though: Some insurers won't cover an unoccupied dwelling, and others will charge a higher premium.

-- Warranty. Once upon a time, a warranty to protect the eventual buyer for a year after the deal is closed -- paid for by the seller -- was one of the best marketing tools going. Now, though, nearly every seller includes a warranty, which is really a year-long service contract that covers repairs to appliances and the home's systems. So you'll stand out like a sore thumb if you don't offer one.

-- Closing costs. These vary from place to place, but it is common for sellers to pay at least 3 percent of the buyer's closing costs.

-- Legal fees. You may or may not hire an attorney to represent you in the transaction.

-- Property taxes. This universal tax is typically collected in two annual installments. You'll owe it from the date of your last payment to the day of the closing. This prorated amount will be larger the closer your closing day gets to the day your next payment is due.

-- Transfer taxes. Real estate transfer taxes are imposed by states, counties and municipalities on the transfer of title of real property within their jurisdictions. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 37 states and the District of Columbia have this levy.

-- Title insurance. Again according to local custom, the seller may be called upon to pay for the buyer's title insurance, which is a guarantee that a house has a clear title when it is transferred from one owner to the next.

-- Exit fees. Many condominium and homeowners' associations levy exit fees similar to transfer taxes. The few that don't collect monthly assessments from their owners hit them with a big fee when a unit within the complex is sold.

According to a 2010 study by the Community Associations Institute, half of all HOAs -- covering roughly 11 million homes -- charge what are sometimes called "transfer fees." Nearly 75 percent charge a fixed amount, ordinarily no more than $500. But it could be more. Almost 10 percent charge a percentage of the sales price, always less than 1 percent. And the remainder charge a multiple of the monthly assessment, typically two or three months' worth.

-- Interest. You'll owe interest on the outstanding amount on your mortgage. So don't count on the balance due from your last loan statement as your final payoff. Interest is calculated from the day your last payment is credited to your account until the day of closing. Consequently, the amount changes daily. And of course, the later in the month you close, the greater the amount you'll owe your lender.

-- Moving expenses. Finally, don't forget to subtract the cost of moving out of your old place and into the new one from your bottom line.

Today's homebuyers value services and retail outlets above all other community amenities, according to a new survey from John Burns Real Estate Consulting in Irvine, California.

Even when preferences are broken down by cohort -- Boomers born between 1946 and 1964, Gen Xers born between 1965 and 1979 and Gen Yers born from 1980 to 2000 -- having grocery stores and restaurants nearby are the No. 1 and No. 2 most desired among a list of 25 amenities.

Next on the list for Boomers and Gen Xers is walking trails, then fitness centers -- with the order reversed for Gen Y. A community-wide, high-speed Internet system is also a top choice. If a park is included at a property, prospects would prefer it be a dog park.

Actually, the only major differences among the more than 20,000 new-home shoppers who took part in the study relate to the presence of children in the younger housheholds.

Another finding: Community-wide events and experiences rank above pools, parks and other tangible amenities typically found in new properties. And the good news is that they are usually less expensive for developers.

ADDING SQUARE FOOTAGE

Homebuyers looking for more square footage without increasing the size of the house may want to consider pocket doors, which slide into the wall cavity when open.

According to Johnson Hardware, which makes pocket door hardware and other building materials, traditional swinging doors require 8 to 10 square feet of usable floor space, whereas pocket doors need none. Replacing, say, a dozen swinging doors with pocket doors could yield an extra 120 square feet, or the equivalent of a 10-by-12-foot room.

Pocket doors tend to make rooms appear bigger. And double doors in which one slides one way and the other slides the other way -- converging doors, if you will -- can make for one large room when open or two smaller, more intimate rooms when closed.

Looked at another way, the company says that if a home is initially built with pocket doors, it could be kept to a smaller footprint right from the start. That means less house to build, heat and cool -- which could mean big savings.

RENTAL REVIEWS AND SCORES

Nothing beats an on-site visit, whether you are buying or renting. But prospective renters are placing more and more importance on online reviews, according to a new study.

A second study finds that credit scores improve when on-time rental payments are included. That's good news for renters who want to become owners, whether for the first time or for a second go-round after previous failed attempts at the brass ring.

The analysis by TransUnion found that nearly 8 out of 10 consumers with blemished credit -- the so-called "subprime" gang -- saw an increase in their scores just one month after rent payments were included. More than 4 out of 10 saw an increase of 10 points or more in their scores.

That means these consumers, who are potential borrowers for home loans, may not be as risky as they appear strictly from the standpoint of a traditional credit score, according to Tim Martin, TransUnion's executive vice president.

More proof: On average, renters who became owners in early 2012 experienced a 5 percent boost to their credit scores in 2013 after their rental histories were included.

Meanwhile, the study that found consumers are placing an increased importance on online reviews warned that not just any review will do. Prospects give a thumbs-down to anonymous opinions. Rather, they want authenticated, certified reviews that include real feedback from actual residents who live or have lived in the community.

More than two-thirds of the survey's participants said they can spot a fake review a mile away. Authenticated reviews are those that are vouched for by the apartment developer or management company.

Both studies were released at an apartment industry conference last month.

PUBLICITY HOUNDS

The lengths some outfits will go to, to get their names in the papers or on the news, now border on the ridiculous. We're talking about the proliferation of indices and "best of" lists that seem to come out on an almost daily basis.

We're not questioning the accuracy of the reports, though you have to wonder if their samples are deep enough to label the results meaningful. Rather, you have to suspect whether they are simply veiled attempts at one-upmanship as competing companies look to gain publicity -- and ultimately customers -- for their respective brands.

The latest is RealtyTrac's first Natural Disaster Housing Risk Report, which assigns a natural disaster risk score to more than 3,000 housing markets across the country. In something of an understatement, Daren Blomquist, the data firm's vice president, admitted that the possibility of a natural disaster "may not be the first item" on home buyers' checklists.

Really? We suspect that the potential for disaster is not even on most buyers' lists. Nor should it be. Almost every state in the union is susceptible to one calamity or another, so why even bother?

Besides, as Blomquist says in the report, disaster data is available online from Uncle Sam and other sources. If it is that important to a buyer, he will find a way to dig it up.

But wait: If these lists are simply attempts to gain publicity, then it worked in this instance. 'Cause there it is.

As the time-share industry continues to grapple with a business model that offers no easy way out for owners who want to sell their weeks, trade-in programs are emerging -- a great option for those who still enjoy the benefits of time-sharing, but whose current units no longer fit their needs.

With a trade-in, you simply turn over your time in your particular resort to a third party, or perhaps even the property's developer, and you purchase another interval in your current location or a newer one that better suits you.

This isn't an exit strategy for people who can no longer afford to share in the ownership of an apartment or townhouse at a particular resort. Maybe you no longer travel, or perhaps you find you're unable to pay the annual maintenance fee. Or perhaps you're among the minority of owners who decided you really don't like time-sharing after all.

But if you still like the concept, and just find you no longer enjoy the property where you are an owner -- maybe you're getting a little too long in the tooth for downhill skiing, and long for a week or two on the coast were you can chill to the roar of waves crashing instead -- a growing number of trade-in companies will try to find you something new.

These time-share matchmakers will sit down with you to find out why you are dissatisfied with your current resort, figure out what your needs or desires are now, and link you up with a more fitting property. If you find a new one you like, you turn your current time over to the trade-in company and buy time in the new one.

You won't get back what you paid for the original time-share. That won't happen no matter how you try to sell it. But you should receive a decent price, and at least you'll be rid of it. Better yet, because of the trade-in company's affiliation with the new property, you should receive a nice discount on your new shares.

There are a number of vacation ownership companies and travel clubs that have trade-in programs, according to Heather Guffin, president of the Association of Timeshare Recyclers (ATR).

What kind of trade-in price you get, or how much of a discount you receive, depends on any number of variables. Each deal is different, she says, but you alone determine if the compensation is fair.

Another benefit is that once the transfer is completed, you are no longer responsible for the old unit. In other words, you won't have to continue paying those pesky maintenance fees on the old place while it is on the market. After the final transfer, you are only on the hook for the fees on the new property, whether the old has been resold or not.

Trade-in programs are one of only a few exit options for time-share owners Guffin discussed in a recent telephone interview. And therein lies one of the main drawbacks that continue to plague a business that, despite its shortcomings, continues to enjoy surprisingly strong popularity.

That most of the sales recorded over the last few years were to owners who were either upgrading their weeks or purchasing additional ones is proof enough that the concept works. For further evidence, consider recent studies that show that more than four out of five owners are satisfied with their memberships and would recommend time-sharing to friends and relatives.

"Time-share is great when it is being used and enjoyed," says Guffin.

At the same time, it can become a real burden when you find yourself in situations where you are no longer using it, but have to pay for it anyway.

Guffin says her association is committed to finding viable time-share exit strategies that work for the entire industry, but especially for the consumer. "We believe that time-share owners have the right to gracefully exit their time-shares," she says. "The value proposition cannot include it being a life sentence -- that once purchased, a time-share is owned forever."

ATR members are working within the business to solve the resale problem. "Resale is not an enemy of time-share, it is an inevitability," the group's president says. "It is not going to just go away."

One way developers can help is to shine the light on trustworthy resellers. Or perhaps more importantly, help consumers identify the many scam artists who fish in the resale waters.

Toward that end, here are some tips from ATR for identifying resale scammers.

-- First blood. If you did not initiate contact, beware.

-- Rush to judgment. Don't be pushed into making a quick decision.

-- Mystery buyer. No matter what they say, they don't already have a buyer.

-- Upfront fees. A minimal upfront fee of no more than $1,000 may be justified, says Guffin. But anything more is probably a rip-off.

-- Inflated value. Guffin says wise resellers will take 15 minutes to research what their shares are worth. If the reseller says it can get more, hang up.

-- Wire transfers. Wire payments are basically cash payments, and anyone with a bank account can receive a payment by wire. Legit outfits, on the other hand, have merchant accounts with credible banks.