I usually refer to "professional electrician" (secret website) for all installation and repair issues with my ceiling fans. I wish I was more handy but I missed shop class in high school and as far as I can tell there is always one part left over after everything is installed. :-)

Your last paragraph says it all.

Besides your mortgage company will make sure you're not overpaying. Just sayin'

A very nice Lucite trophy, indeed. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more.

So, how many people did you help to get that? 3? 4? (just teasing)

While I think curb appeal and a nice door really add a lot to a house, I don't know that I would put that on the top of my list of things to go out and buy unless the door was in really bad shape, Storm doors or screen doors are another matter. If those are in bad shape, I say, get rid of them or replace them.

The keypad combos on front doors are nice and high tech but, like combination lock boxes, the combination is easily remembered and can present a theft risk. After all, it is hoped that lots and lots of people will be visiting the Seller's home. Which one of them will remember the combination and come back later for the flat screen TV or jewelry?

Finally, more tongue in cheek... I noticed that the graphic for the DoorScope has those nice side windows next to the door. Might not need a peep hole, after all. :-)

The larger point of having a nice and welcoming entry point to the house is spot on!

This post is on the verge of poetic. =)

Again, right on the money. The big challenge with FSBOs is that the O really thinks they need to sell their house like a car salesman sells a car. It's got this. It's got that. Let's Make A Deal.

Homes sales ain't like tat. I had a client once that told me that this house or that house didn't "sing" to him. Well, that what it took. A house that "just feels right" regardless of the shopping or great lawn or whatever. I am constantly surprised by what home buyers focus in on as "the thing" that makes a house special.

It sounds like the O in this case could have used his "negotiation" room to hire a professional Realtor so they could get to settlement and move to their next home.

OMG! This is such a horrible scenario. I occasionally get sellers that want me to do an "exclusive" listing and keep it out of the MLS. I *always" disabuse them of the notion. The MLS is the single best advertising medium to sell your house. Not only do other Realtors (and their buyers) see it but, as you mentioned, Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com and dozens of other websites pick it up complete with interior photos, exterior photos and, sometimes, even the Virtual Tour.

Yeah, it would be great for the agent listing the house to make a somewhat larger commission (and usually a smaller commission paid by the Seller) but it's almost always a loss for the Seller. There's an old saying that people who do this are walking over dollars to pick up a dime.

It's amazing the kind of things people hang onto over the years. I can relate to replacing old carpeting. It can be expensive and I've had lots of Sellers say "a buyer may not like what I replace it with or want their own color." Or, a different version of this is "I'll offer a carpet allowance."

Well, a carpet allowance is just a oblique way of saying "I'll give closing costs help." and if a Seller replaces old 70s style carpet or even beat up 90s or 2000s style carpet with a nice neutral color it will do wonders for the presentation of the house. A newly painted and newly carpeted house can sell pretty darn fast if it is also priced right.

I recently sold a house in the Calverton area of Beltsville where that was all that was done (paint and carpet).. Days on market? Less than a week. The house was in generally good shape but you could tell it would need some updating. All the same, it looked clean and more open and light with a quick and relatively inexpensive "face lift".

Neglecting things like carpet and paint end up costing in the long run either in longer time sitting on the market or a lower sales price or (God forbid!) both.

All I have to say is that I hope you're very nice to Joesph. He did a hell of a lot of work. It's all worth it, of course, but a ton of work.

If there is something major wrong with the house that needs to be addressed, it's better to find out about it at the home inspection and, if the buyers want out, they should get out.

I have a little bit of a different take. Some inspectors go through the house with a fine tooth comb and point out every possibly flaw no matter how minor it might be and attempt to impress the home buyer with their vast knowledge. Only it scares the bejeezus out of the buyers, There's nothing worse than looking at a long laundry list of repairs.

It also seems that buyers tend to have a built-in disconnect between what a repair may actually cost in real life vs what they think it might cost (example: many people think it costs $100 for a plumber/electrician/whatever to just walk through the door. In fact, I know an extremely competent one with a service call fee of $39).

There is also a bit of a disconnect between ongoing home maintenance and something that should really be addressed right away. Your examples are truly things that the home owner needed to address right away. Older water heaters (that work) or older furnaces (that work), circuit breaker boxes (that provide the needed power to the house) are all things that a new home owner will need to address at some point in their life in the house.

it's one thing for a home inspector to point out an appliance or even a roof that is getting old and will need attention within the next couple of years. It's quite another to make it sound like an imminent disaster.

A good inspector will point out things that truly need immediate attention and others that are simply part of the "joys of home ownership".

Matt, your heart is in the right place. I disagree, though, with some of your points.

You write: ""Everyone of us should have been given a basic primer on how to calculate square footage of a home" The operative word there is "should". Appraisers and my old math teacher tell me that square footage is width times length. Are you suggesting adding all the various levels (basement + main level + upper level = square footage)? Most appraisers I know don't count below grade as living space no matter how tricked out it might be. In my view, this is truly a gray are that may be exposure agents don't need. I see your point, though.

Photos. I tend to agree that even if the house looks like hell it should have some photos that indicate it looks like hell so buyers' agents looking for "nice" homes won't waste their time. But, a minimum? I'm not so sure.

BTW, I'd be interested in your take on Virtual Staging which seems to be an up and coming technology. Can this be construed as misrepresentation even if you try your best to indicate it's "virtual" with a "true" photo next to the "virtual" photo?

Descriptors like "motivated seller" are, unfortunately, essential. Listing agents can't very easily add "Seller will take low ball offer. Please submit." In most Sellers' eyes, the listing price is the starting point since they know, especially in this market, that people offer a lower price. Sad but true and the Seller sets the price, no? How about "cozy" or "needs a little TLC" or the "updated bath" that just had a new paint job and, maybe, a new vanity from Home Depot.

I could go on. Suffice it to say that we don't live in a perfect world and I would be thrilled to see some incremental improvements along the lines you suggest. I'm not holding my breath.