<HTML>In a message dated 9/26/01 7:27:29 AM Central Daylight Time, mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">I got a call yesterday from a young woman who stated that she was a beginner/intermediate piano player. She and her dad looked at a Steinway baby grand piano that was 80 or 90 years old. Now she appears a tad ahead of the game (but only a teeny tiny tad) in that she asked me: "how much is it worth?", which was followed by "it is in fair condition, and I KNOW it needs REFINISHING" - "and how much does refinishing cost, because we want it completely redone". I gave her a very brief lecture about 10,000 little parts, all wood & felt & leather & compaction & cracks & warping, etc. and finished up with "one of the services I offer is to do a thorough pre-purchase inspection of the piano where I remove the action and inspect all the mechanisms and the strings, bridges, and soundboard, etc. - you may wish to consider scheduling an appointment." She responded: "OK, thank you very much" - "click". </BLOCKQUOTE> Terry: What you need to do in the future is answer the question, and not expound on more than that. She asked what the piano is worth, and how much to refinish it. You should have answered just those two questions. "A 90 year old Steinway that needs to be refinished is worth about $3,000, and to refinish it is about $4,000." She probably would have hung up any way, because all she and her dad want to spend is $300 on a piano, and pay $400 to have it refinished. But that is another story. If she is still interested, then approach the subject of having it inspected. Then at the appraisal, talk to her about what needs to be done, and how much it will cost. Wim</HTML>