CNNMoney.com
Companies Economy International Corrections Pre-market Trading After-hours Trading Winners/Losers/Actives Bonds Currencies Commodities World Markets Money Magazine Real Estate Taxes Jobs Ask the Expert Money 101 Autos Mutual Funds The Help Desk Loan Center Best Places to Live Ask the Expert Ultimate Guide to Retirement Retirement Calculators Best Funds Best Places to Retire Fortune Brainstorm Tech Apple 2.0 Blog Big Tech Blog Sectors and Stocks Tech Talk Resource Guide Small Business Makeovers Questions & Answers Small Business Video 100 Best Places to Launch FSB 100 Fortune Small Business Fortune 500 Brainstorm Tech Investing Management C-Suite Rankings Main Create Portfolio Edit Portfolio Create Alerts Edit Alerts

Nail the sale: Britt Skrivanek and Athena Gu

Employing smart listing and design strategies helped this couple sell their home - and get back together full time.

Fix what's missing
Fix what's missing
You have to understand what the competition has that you don't. So visit open houses in the area and do some honest comparisons, advises Vickie Sneed of Hot on Staging.

Skrivanek and Gu fall short on landscaping: Although Gu has planted a few bulbs in the yard, it looks bare compared with their neighbors' lush foliage. For less than $100 they can put mulch on the planting areas, trim shrubs and add colorful annuals to the planters on their front porch.
The problem Better first impression Fix what's missing Make it look like a bargain Get past old expectations Generate more enthusiasm
It's gut-check time in Miami and Las Vegas. Plus: See the few bright spots, the most expensive areas - and the most vulnerable. (more)
The good news: Rocky real estate markets mean home shoppers finally have the upper hand. (more)
© 2009 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2009 BigCharts.com Inc. All rights reserved. Please see our Terms of Use.
MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc.
Intraday data provided by Interactive Data Real-Time Services and subject to the Terms of Use.
Intraday data is at least 20-minutes delayed. All times are ET.
Historical, current end-of-day data, and splits data provided by Interactive Data Pricing and Reference Data.
Fundamental data provided by Morningstar, Inc..
SEC Filings data provided by Edgar Online Inc..
Earnings data provided by FactSet CallStreet, LLC.