A whopping 89 percent of buyers start their home search online. How your house looks online is the modern equivalent of 'curb appeal.' Rent a wide-angle lens and good lighting, get rid of your clutter and post at least eight great photos to win the beauty contest.

Home staging used to be optional. Today, it's a necessity in selling a house.

No loan is free. The costs are in your loan somewhere, maybe rolled into the amount to be refinanced or even coming at a higher interest rate.

My mother's genius was to put her finger on the gifts she saw in each of us, and make every one of us believe that that gift was uniquely ours.

Failure is my specialty.

My husband had a very strong identity and was successful in his life. Thank God for that. There's no way I can control him. I wouldn't stay married to him if I felt I could. I can readily take my business personality into the home. But he forces me to be a partner rather than the boss.

The worst that could happen is I lose my company and go back to being a waitress. I don't think money's a great aspiration for a lot of people that succeed. They they have other motivations that turn them on. And money was not one of mine.