...said Mimi to the camera while sitting in her cluttered, shocking green living room. I nearly fell off my chair. "You've got to be kidding me, right?" was all I could think of.

No, this wasn't a client of mine but rather an episode of "Buy Me" on HGTV. The tag line for the show is "If these walls could talk" (I think I heard Mimi's walls crying from neglect, but anyway!) The show chronicles the history of a home from the perspective of each the owner, real estate agent, including recommendations, home staging and all the stress that goes along with selling a home.

This episode tackled a common problem, selling a home while going through a messy divorce. Mimi stayed in her home while her soon-to-be-ex-husband moved to an apartment.

When the episode begins the home had been on the market with an experienced Realtor, they'd had 4 Open Houses and no offers. Despite their Realtors recommendations, the 20 year old home was still severely cluttered, painted in shocking colours, dated and in need of repair. They had already reduced the price twice.

The homeowners blamed the Realtor, indicating that he simply was not doing his job. They felt that they had hired a reputable Realtor and it was his responsibility to fulfill his contract by selling their home.

This is when I caught myself yelling at the TV "But it is your job to make sure the house is worth selling!"

Their realtor tried desperately to get the homeowners to remove the clutter, clear the garbage from the carport and address basic repairs. Needless to say they felt their home was just right the way it was and anyone moving in would have very little to do.

The story goes from bad to worse with a low-ball offer that was refused, the homeowners threatening to fire the Realtor and an out and out stand-off. In the end, the Realtor releases them from the contract and feels that he had a lucky escape (although he is out-of-pocket for the advertising costs and his time).

So many homeowners feel that the responsibility of selling their home lies solely in the hands of their Realtors with little to no regard as to the overall condition of their home. If your home is your largest investment then why not do whatever is necessary to protect that investment?

The homeowners could have had a much more positive result if they had taken time to de-clutter, dispose of the garbage and spend a few dollars on a fresh coat of paint. How much time, stress and energy would they have saved?

Selling a home takes a team. The agent job is to attract the potential buyers (amongst many other things) and it is the homeowner's job to make sure that the home is top notch.

For more infomration on Buy Me! please visit:

http://www.hgtv.ca/ontv/episodearchive.aspx?titleid=75701