I can’t believe The Irreverent Guide to Real Estate says nothing about the House and Garden channel on cable television.  Of course, when I wrote the book, I didn’t have cable.  Now that I do, I’ve become a big fan of "Designed to Sell", and in my next edition, I’ll have to add something about it.

Whenever I go into a house or condo as a possible listing agent for the property, I notice things that don’t work.  The trick is to effectively communicate to the sellers what needs to change - without terminally offending them.  Perhaps they live like wolves, and that won’t give buyers the warm fuzzies.  Or the cat box on the kitchen floor is a less than auspicious placement.  And when I think of their decorating touches as unattractive clutter, things can get a little dicey.

I now give prospective sellers my book, with instructions to read "Fixing the Place Up", "Your Family Calls Him ‘Fido’; Your Agent Calls Him ‘Fang’", and "If They Can Smell It, I Can’t Sell It".  But my idea of real estate heaven is being able to call in the guys from "Designed to Sell" to get the message across for me.

Just watching this program can give sellers a clear idea of what they need to do.  The show’s cast of characters consistently do a great job of convincing people to declutter and to allow them to go in and stage the place to be the most attractive to the largest audience of buyers.  And somehow, having somebody else act as the messenger is the answer to all agents’ dreams.

My only criticism is the budget, which is $2000 and seems to go unrealistically far.  Viewers need to remember that it includes only materials, and not the highly skilled carpenters and decorators who design and build the new bookcases, install crown moulding or change out the kitchen cabinets.  If the sellers are not seriously handy with impeccable taste, that number probably quadruples - although it is still a good investment at a much higher cost.

I’m going to make this program required watching for all of my sellers!  And then, I may try to contact the producers to offer up my listings to their cast of experts!