Help Your Neighbors Improve Their House to Sell Yours

Lori Davis was concerned when a promotion meant she had to relocate to another state. While her Charlotte, N.C., home was in pristine condition, she was afraid that, without her help, her neighbors' distressed property was going to affect her ability to sell.

Her neighbors seemed nice enough. But they did not do regular maintenance on their home, and it had become an eyesore. New York City real estate queenBarbara Corcoran, now an expert for NBC's Today Show, recently outraged television viewers when she advised a person in a similar situation to simply shoot the neighbor.

Corcoran went a little overboard, but home sellers have good reason to be frustrated.