Least expensive agency for Russian adoption

Always be sure you are comparing apples to apples when you figure out the costs of an adoption. Some agencies roll many of the costs into a single adoption fee, while others break them out separately. Make a spreadsheet with all of the costs listed, and then fill it in for each agency. You may have to call them to say, "Is the guide service included in that fee, or is that an additional cost?" or "Are the U.S. Embassy fees and the Russian government fees included in that, or are they separate?" Once you complete the spreadsheet, you'll probably see that the actual agency fee is about the same, and not that big a component of costs. The largest component of costs will be the travel fees, since the regions have started requiring two to four trips. That can really add up, when you consider airfare, hotels, meals, etc. Sharon