When you get ready to place your home on the market for sale it becomes a product. Similar to a product on the shelf at your local store, the product has features and benefits as well as pluses and minuses, and competition. To compete with the competition in the marketplace you must be priced right and look better than the other products. Your home is no different, it is one of many homes for sale and you must present it, to the buyers, in the best possible light.

Staging is the process of preparing any home for sale, regardless of price or location. This unique approach has been proven to help sell homes faster and/or for more money. Real estate agents will have a greater confidence in showing your home to their potential buyers because they know it is staged and ready to be sold.

Home Staging Tips for Home Sellers
Get Ready To Move Start Packing
Try looking at your house THROUGH THE BUYERS EYES as though youve never seen it or been there before. Any time or money invested on the following will bring back more money in return, and hopefully a faster sale.
Inside:
 
  1. Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items.
  2. Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops. If it hasnt been used for three months... put it away! Clear refrigerator fronts of messages, pictures, etc. (A sparse kitchen helps the buyer mentally move their own things into your kitchen.)
  3. In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items from countertops, tubs, shower stalls and commode tops. Keep only your most needed cosmetics, brushes, perfumes etc., in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels to one or two colors only.
  4. Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary. As owners, many times we have too much furniture in a room. This is wonderful for our own personal enjoyment, but when it comes to selling we need to thin out as much as possible to make rooms appear larger.
  5. Take down or rearrange certain pictures or objects on walls. Patch and paint if necessary.
  6. Review the inside of the house room by room, and
    a . Paint any room needing paint.
    b . Clean carpets or drapes that need it.
    c . Clean windows.
    d . If you need room to store extra possessions use the garage or rent a storage unit.
    e . Leave on certain lights during the day. During showings turn on all lights and lamps.
    f . Have stereo FM on during the day for all viewings.
Outside:
 
  1. Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc., into the garage.
  2. Check gutters for roof moss and dry rot. Make sure they are swept and cleaned.
  3. Look at all plants... prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows. YOU CANT SELL A HOUSE IF YOU CANT SEE IT. Plants are like children they grow so fast!!
  4. Weed and then mulch all planting areas. Keep lawn freshly cut and fertilized. Remove and dead plants or shrubs.
  5. Clear patios or decks of all small items. such as small planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbecues, toys. etc. (Put them in the garage or a storage unit.)
  6. Check paint condition of the house especially the front door and trim. CURB APPEAL REALLY WORKS!
Other Areas of Importance:

CLEAN: Everything must be spotless, including floors, walls, drapes and windows.

CLUTTER-FREE: Remove a lot of furniture and knickknacks. In some cases, a few new pieces of furniture can be brought in, but not too many because it can create a sterile look. ``America is cluttered to death,'' Schwarz says. ``The way you live in your home and the way we market and sell your home are two different things.''

COLOR: Paint the house and have carpets, countertops and cabinets in the latest styles and colors. If you don't have shutters, consider installing them. One of her favorite touches is placing cone-shaped shrubs around the door. Another trick is to bring some of the outdoors in by putting tree cuttings or dried flowers in vases.

Color Tips
What type of room would you like? To be bright, soft, warm, or neutral feel to the room. First look at your floors, carpets, or a large piece of furniture that you already have, that will be your starting point. Pull out one of the colors that you want to be your primary color.
Then choose one or two of the colors to be your accent colors. When choosing colors bear in mind how color can influence your room.
  Cool and calming and restful
Very popular color for bedrooms
Good for rooms with southern exposures.
Accent colors gold and terra cotta
 
  Stimulating, exciting, good for rooms with northern exposures
  Cool, reflecting on nature
Green complements most colors
Good for rooms with southern exposures
Team up your greens with soft peach and terra cotta
Soft greens mixed with natural colors create a relaxing and restful room.
 
  Bright and cheery.
One of the most popular colors in kitchens.
Bright yellow goes well with blues
Warmer tints go great with the red family.
Accent colors Reds and just a touch of Black.
Good for northern exposures. Keep it light and don't over do it!
Creamy yellows, warm gold's make a room appear brighter and larger
lending a comfortable appearance to the room.
 
  White will always make a room appear larger
Consider using soft tint colors on walls and moldings
which will make the room more appealing and inviting.
White is a good color for making dark hallways brighter looking.
 
NOTE: Your area lighting will change the appearance of the colors you choose. Daylight, florescent, track lighting, and incandescent lighting all give off a different shade of colors. Be sure to check your colors in the lighting you have in your home.