Rent Out Extra Home Space

Empty nesters, take note: You can make your spare space pay by renting out storage area in your garage, attic, backyard or basement—even that room vacated by a grown child.

At the online storage marketplace SpareFoot.com, you can list your space for free, along with the dates it’s available and the asking price (an extra bedroom can fetch $150 or more per month). When it’s booked, SpareFoot gets a one-time transaction fee equal to half the first month’s paid rent. A legally vetted lease agreement costs $19.

A similar service, StoreAtMyHouse.com, charges no fees (but has fewer listings). Says founder Daniel Hand: “I started it as a public service.”

Sid Kirchheimer writes about health and consumer issues.