I was out of a job, out of cash, and out of options. This happened four months ago but the memory remains so vivid I can still remember the smell of desperation. Does desperation have a smell? Yes, it does. In my case, it smelled like the kids' unpaid school fees, an empty garage, and quite possibly, empty plates, too. I needed to learn how to sell my house fast. My kids and I were then living in this 4-bedroom house that cost tons to clean and keep. Obviously, the only way out of our predicament was to sell the huge house and move into a smaller one.

Some people told me selling property ultimately boiled down to the agent I choose. So, I did a lot of choosing. Thin, fat, male, female, Catholic, agnostic, gay, aggressive, polite, the pushy, the pleasant and the unpleasant, the young, the old - you name them, I've tried them. And all of them - all - promised they know how to sell my house fast! First, they told me it was the price. I'd pegged it too high, they said, so I knocked off 20% right there and then. Then, they said my home lacked physical appeal so I forked over cash for pretty furnishings here and there and a new coat of paint. Then, they said it was my timing. The market's just too depressed, I was told, so I agreed to sit on the property for three more weeks. By then, my kids and I were living with my parents and had to sleep in a single room together.

You know what happened to all those agents who promised they know just how to sell my house fast? They eventually ran out of reasons why my house was sitting there unkempt, unoccupied, and most importantly, UNSOLD. In time, they didn't just run out of reasons; they ran away, too. Left without any other option, I took over and did some digging. I got my hands on Pete Iannelli's 'How to Sell Your Home in 21 Days or Less' and brushed up on street-smart strategies that got me traffic to my property. I did everything outlined in the resource --- and no, I wasn't asked to bury a statue in the yard. By the 15th day, I closed the first and best deal of my life. I finally sold the house I was heavily losing money to keep. To this day, I toy with the idea of shooting Iannelli mail and telling him how he changed my life. What kept me from doing that? One, I didn't want to sound like a schoolgirl with a crush and two, he might hit me for commissions. I kid about the last part but not about how Iannelli saved my family by showing me how to get rid of my home.