This dynamic duo knows a thing or two about big buck sales

Reporter: I just read a good book.

Editor: Yes, I know. I assigned it to you. But why are you writing it this way?

Reporter: It’s a test. If this doesn’t annoy you, then you might really enjoy “Seven Steps to Sold.”

Truly, Donna and Shannon Freemans’ new real estate book on getting your home sold has some decent advice. But why choose it from among the multiple tomes on this same subject? Well, you gotta like these gals.

This dynamic duo have inserted personality throughout their book, which promises “secrets” for selling for “big bucks.” They’re mom-daughter best pals who sell together, replace the tile together and are there for each other: Donna consoles her daughter when she’s racked with nerves over buying her own home. Shannon ribs Mom about her housekeeping.

There’s plenty of goofy repartee: “Shannon: I know a certain woman who shall remain nameless who needs to eventually sell her home for a lot of money so her daughter can retire to Hawaii. Donna: I doubt the daughter will end up in Hawaii, but she can visit her mother on Grand Cayman whenever she wants to.”

Nothing too secretive pops out in this book, but the authors’ insights are valuable. Add a humorous twist, and you’ve got a worthwhile read.

Donna and Shannon don’t just tell you that fixing up your house to look its very best is essential for a top-dollar sale in the current market. They go into detail on the details, describing ways to accomplish the feat. They tell how to use a walnut -- yes, a walnut -- to cover scratches in wood, how to fix nail holes, repair leaky faucets and get windows really clean.

They’re big on “brutal honesty” here, saying, for example, “You may not want to admit it, but your house stinks.” They propose putting half a lemon down the garbage disposal to cut the stench. No state secret there, but then they tell how to make a whiskey sour with the other half.

Their perspective is grown-up, and although they haven’t written the book in pink ink, there’s no mistaking its feminine outlook. Excellent advice on decluttering urges sellers to empty their closets of unneeded items. “If you’re ever that skinny again, you’ll have earned yourself an entire new wardrobe.”

Interviews with other experts help beef up the book. Question-and-answer sessions include those with an inspector, a mover, an interior designer and “the feng shui lady.”

These two (and coauthor Craig Boreth, who has a few other books under his belt) don’t mince words. They’re open to FSBOs (for sale by owners) but are staunchly pro-agent (well, duh), and there are numerous warnings of peril for those who attempt to sell by themselves.

Also, a chapter on finding an agent could have been subtitled “Building a Better Client,” with advice that seemed intended for sellers set in their ways. The “Home Seller’s Oath” says: “I will not throw a tantrum, hold my breath and stomp my feet or TP my agent’s house if s/he does any of the following: Suggests that my paint colors look like something out of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Forces me to pack away my priceless collection of Richard Nixon memorabilia

Suggests anything else that her experience dictates I should do to improve my house for sale.”

You go, girls.

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