Corbett, Michael 1956-

PERSONAL:

Born June 20, 1956, in Philadelphia, PA; son of Victor (an IRS official). Education: Attended University of Pennsylvania and Boston Conservatory.

CAREER:

Actor and author. Host and producer of the syndicated television program Mansions and Millionaires. Appeared on television in soap operas Ryan's Hope, American Broadcasting Companies (ABC), Search for Tomorrow, National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and The Young and the Restless, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). Guest star, Zoey 101, Nickelodeon. Actor in films, including The Whole Wide World, Romeo and Juliet, Sioux City, Secrets of the Pyramid, Maternally Yours, Voyeur, and Reasonable Doubt. Actor on Broadway, with stage roles in productions of Come Back Little Sheba, Grease, and Nefertiti. Founder, Highland Properties (real estate firm).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Named "Daytime's Most Lovable Cad" by People magazine; "Hot Titles to Watch" citation, Publishers Weekly, 2006, for Find It, Fix It, Flip It!

WRITINGS:

Find It, Fix It, Flip It! Make Millions in Real Estate—One House at a Time, Plume Book (New York, NY), 2006.

Ready, Set, Sold! Make $10,000 to $100,000 More When You Sell Your Home!, Plume (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Actor Michael Corbett began his career working in daytime soap operas like Ryan's Hope, Search for Tomorrow, and The Young and the Restless.

He was, according to a biographical blurb on his home page, "voted ‘Daytime's Most Lovable Cad’ by People magazine, for his red hot starring roles." Originally, however, his interests ran in a different direction. "When I went to college, I went to the University of Pennsylvania to become an International Relations major. That's political science," he told Patricia Kearney in an interview posted on Ryan's Bar Online. "I wanted to be an ambassador or diplomat, because I thought that would be a way to help mold the direction of society. Realizing that was pretty useless—I was getting frustrated because I'm the kind of person who really likes to accomplish things and see things accomplished—I left it and went to a theater school."

Corbett exercises both his acting talents and his real-estate abilities as the host of the television program Mansions and Millionaires and as author of the two real-estate how-to books Find It, Fix It, Flip It! Make Millions in Real Estate—One House at a Time, and Ready, Set, Sold! Make $10,000 to $100,000 More When You Sell Your Home! He has a long history of working independently in real estate; according to Phoebe Chongchua, who interviewed the actor for Realty Times, "Corbett bought his first investment home at the age of nineteen after his acting career in daytime soaps provided him with a little extra cash. ‘I had a $10,000 check from my first soap opera when I was on Ryan's Hope and I thought what better a place to invest it than in buying a house. So I bought it and I fixed it up and then I put it back on the market and I made a lot of money,’ says Corbett." Find It, Fix It, Flip It!, according to a writer for LandLadies.net, is designed for readers who want to follow Corbett's example and see themselves as potential "flippers." But the book also appeals to "first-time home buyers, or any homeowner who wants to create big profits and own their ultimate dream home."

Corbett's technique is based on the idea, said Chongchua, that most people buy a house not as the result of a thinking decision, but as the result of an emotional reaction they have to the property. "If sellers comprehend that it takes more than a financial analysis to lead to a sale," Chongchua stated, "they can begin to focus on creating a lifestyle that entices buyers." The result, according to Robert J. Bruss in the San Diego Union-Tribune, is that "not only are the ordinary houses improved, but they also appeal to an upscale buyer who will pay top dollar after renovation." Ready, Set, Sold!, Corbett's second book, also stresses the importance of preparing a house for sale by inducing an emotional reaction in a potential buyer. The book, according to Booklist contributor Barbara Jacobs, gives "lots of tips … [that] add an even higher value to Corbett's counsel."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2007, Barbara Jacobs, review of Ready, Set, Sold! Make $10,000 to $100,000 More When You Sell Your Home!, p. 38.

Realty Times, March 26, 2007, Phoebe Chongchua, "Sell Your Home for More Money."

San Diego Union-Tribune, April 23, 2006, Robert J. Bruss, review of Find It, Fix It, Flip It! Make Millions in Real Estate—One House at a Time.

ONLINE

Internet Movie Database,http://www.imdb.com/ (January 29, 2008), "Michael Corbett."

LandLadies.net,http://www.landladies.net/ (January 29, 2008), review of Find It, Fix It, Flip It!

Michael Corbett Home Page,http://www.michaelcorbett.com (January 29, 2008), author biography.

Ryan's Bar Online,http://ryansbaronline.tripod.com/ (January 29, 2008), Patricia Kearney, "Michael Corbett."