How To Effectively Stage Your Home To Sell

Is it time to sell your house? The first thing you'll want to do is to stage it properly. This means that you will do small things to the home in order for it to show the best and appeal to the broadest range of potential buyers. Below are a few tips to help you do this successfully.

1. If you have a bookshelf, try re-arranging it. Place some of them horizontally instead of vertically. Take some out and put in a plant or statue or something. Mix it up a bit.

2. Let's now talk about the furniture. Take note of how the layout is. Make sure everything is orderly and in its proper place. Arrange the furniture in a way that is inviting and makes the rooms appear as large as possible. You don't want to make it appear as a train station either though! If you have a really large room, try pulling the couches off the wall a few feet. Look through magazines to get ideas. Chances are there is a better layout that will look better than what you currently have.

3. Too much or too little furniture are both things to avoid. A crowded room with too many pieces or furniture looks small and cramped. An empty room looks uninviting and uncomfortable. So see if you can move things around a bit. Take some furniture out of the crowded rooms and put them in the less crowded rooms. If that's not possible then just get rid of it temporarily. Put them in storage if you have to. You want your home to be as inviting and open as possible but yet not to have an empty feel to it.

4. If you have curtains or drapery that is heavy in nature, get rid of them and replace them with lighter curtains that are even transparent. The main thing you want is for extra light to come in. Lighted rooms appear to be bigger and inviting.

5. Lighting is a very important component of showing your home. You never want to have a dark room (unless of course it's for film development). The lighter and brighter a room is the better. What can be done to make each room a little brighter? Consider adding some accent lights or even just changing the light bulbs to a higher wattage. It really does make a difference.

6. Bathrooms are the next area you'll want to focus on. Obviously the cleaner a bathroom is the better. Make sure the mirrors are shiny and that there are no water marks on the faucets and sinks. This is a great area for scented candles! And little decorative touches such as baskets or a small plant make all the difference as well. Think "High end hotel". What would you see there? Try to duplicate it.

7. Make a lasting first impression! What is the first thing people see when they look at your home? The front of it obviously! Does your home say "Welcome home, come on in"? or does it say "This place is a dump, keep on driving"? Give your buyers a reason to want to see what's inside. A well groomed yard says a lot about a house. Generally if the yard is nice, the inside will be too. You don't have to be a professional gardener either! Remember, the simple little things win the game. Throw some fertilizer on the lawn, make sure it's cut, plant some extra flowers, clean the oil off the driveway. Look for all the little ways you can make it that much nicer. You'll be glad you did.

8. Time to de-personalize your house. Some family photos and personal items are ok to have on the walls but too many is a very bad idea. You may love Jesus but your buyer may be an atheist. You may love motorcycles but your buyer may hate them. You may love your grand kids, but your buyers just don't care! None of those items of yours are a bad thing, but you'll want to go as generic as possible when decorating the walls. Try visiting some model homes in your area to get ideas. They all hire professional designers that know how to decorate to appeal to the biggest range of buyers. You should do the same.

9. Do you have a cat, dog, or other pet that lives in the house? They may need to take a little hiatus! Many people are allergic to animals and/or just don't like them. Fur on the furniture, odors, or dog poop on the lawn could be really offensive to a prospective buyer. So if it's possible to shack the family pet up with a neighbor or family member while you try to sell your home, all the better. If that's not a possibility then at least keep the place spotless for heavens sake! Make darn sure that there are no bad smells and make sure you clean up after your pet. And if there is any chance that the pet will make a scene when strangers walk through your house, then at least make arrangements to have the pet gone during a walk through. As always, this is a little thing that can make a big difference.

10. The final thing to remember is this: It's mainly the small things that make the difference. You don't have to add an additional wing to your home or finish the basement to make it sell. But you certainly do need to clean it, patch up the holes, touch up the paint, and fix any small items that are broken. The little things go a long way and will give your home that tidy and clean appearance when potential buyers look at it.

Some final things to do right before showing a home that are always a winner are: scented candles, soft classical music in the background, fresh baked cookies or bread that just came out of the oven (sounds corny but it really works!) Leave some on the counter for the buyers! It's all about the ambiance! Do something that the competition didn't think of. Most of the things mentioned here are inexpensive and just take a little bit of your time. But if you do it, you are greatly increasing your chances of getting better offers and selling your home in a timely fashion! GOOD LUCK!