Selling your home for the highest price in the shortest amount of time is dependent upon pricing it right, as well as showcasing your house with the right strategy. Staging a home is the technique of transforming your home into a property with wide appeal that attracts multiple buyers. By minimizing flaws and emphasizing your home’s best features, staging can increase the value of your home and shorten the amount of time it’s on the market.

The first step of staging is to ensure that the exterior and interior of your home are clean and in prime condition. For example, you may need to repaint walls and power-wash your driveway. Floors, carpets and windows may need to be cleaned or replaced. You also may consider updating outdated appliances, worn countertops, old kitchen and bathroom faucets, and dated lighting fixtures.

Beyond ensuring that your home is clean and presentable, staging takes it to the next level. For the exterior, staging ensures that the home has “curb appeal,” meaning that potential home buyers are immediately attracted to your house from the street. Creating curb appeal often involves landscaping, planting fresh flowers, trimming trees and bushes, and ensuring that your yard is free of weeds.

Once you attract prospective buyers to the front door, staging helps to ensure that prospective buyers can picture themselves living in your house. This step involves eliminating all clutter and depersonalizing your home with the removal of photos, knickknacks and other personal items. Countertops, dressers and desks must be cleared. All toys must be put away. Frequently, people put some of their furniture and belongings into storage so rooms appear more spacious. Of course, staging isn’t just about removing your stuff. In some cases, furniture, lighting, paint and other interior décor touches are added to flatter your home’s best features.

While most people can do many of these steps themselves, true home staging requires an experienced professional. Staging is really a combination of understanding the marketplace (i.e. what sells) and expertise in interior design, color and lighting. Coldwell Banker Realty 2000 agents are quite knowledgeable about home staging and can offer suggestions. If you desire additional guidance, we have licensed home staging professionals on staff. In today’s “buyer’s market,” the small investment in a staging professional often pays for itself because you’re able to sell your home faster and for more money.

To learn more about our staging services, ask your agent or call one of our three convenient locations. For more tips on preparing your home for sale, click here.