Sowing the Seeds of Profit

The Designed to Sell team helps a couple get their yard cleaned up before their open house.

The curb appeal, or lack thereof, could prevent people from coming anywhere near this house.

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Before: An Overgrown Mess
Ame Eichmann and Blair Korbel are getting married and need to sell his house — the layout and rooms are just too small for two.

The house is in pretty good shape on the inside, but the outside is an overgrown mess. They enlist the help of the Designed to Sell team of experts to get top dollar from the sale. Armed with a $2,000 budget and a lot of motivation, everyone is ready to get started.

Real estate expert Donna Freeman says they certainly have their work cut out for them after she sees that front yard. The curb appeal is the worst she's ever seen — so bad that she doesn't even see any offers being made. She is pleasantly surprised after going inside, though, and begins to change her mind about the selling potential.

Resident designer Lisa LaPorta agrees with Freeman's newfound optimism and lays out a plan packed with selling power:

Step 1: Weed through the wild. Buyers have to find the front door before they can go in and make offers.

Step 2: Spice it up. The outdated features need some new flavor.

Step 3: Polish it off! Taking care of all the little things could add up to big returns.

Contractor Jim Collins and carpenters Nick Ralbovsky and Brad Haviland are up for the challenge and start by clearing off land in front of the house. Clearly the exterior will take up the largest part of the budget, but the interior work is important, too. The biggest problem areas are in the family room and kitchen.

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Resources

Products
- Fountain from Sig's Pottery
Guests
- Donna Freeman
  Real Estate Expert
  Website: www.donna-shannon.com
- Lisa LaPorta
  Interior Designer, Lisa LaPorta Design
  E-mail: dts@pietown.tv
- Jim Collins
  Contractor
  Information Not Available
- Brad Haviland
  Carpenter
  E-mail: haviandro@aol.com