Ready, Set, Sell: How to Stage Your Home for Potential Buyers
by Skylar Tate

Selling your house is even more challenging in today's tough housing market. This makes the little things all the more important when it comes to preparing your home for potential buyers. Just telling someone viewing your home to "use your imagination" isn't going to cut it. Realistically, when somebody is looking at your home they are basing their opinion on the way it looks at the time.

Remove Clutter

First impressions tend to stick. If you have a bunch of clutter and furniture crammed into each room, it's hard for a prospective buyer to imagine it looking any better. Go through each room and remove anything that does not absolutely have to be in plain view. Avoid stuffing everything in closets. A potential home buyer will likely check to see what the closet space is like. If they get pummeled by clothes and other clutter when they open a closet door, they aren't likely to see the humor in the moment. Use storage bags or place stuff in the attic or basement. Have the kids put away their toys and make sure the dishes are done and put away.

Light is Your Friend

Assume that most of your potential buyers aren't going to be into the goth scene. Light is preferable to dark or dimly lit spaces. Brighten up rooms as much as possible when preparing to sell your home. Take down heavy curtains and replace them with mini blinds or light shades. The lighter a room is, the more inviting it looks. Emphasize the light by adding a lighter bedspread and modern linens to a room.

Curb Appeal

You can have the most beautiful house on the inside, but if it looks like it is ready for demo on the outside you may as well say goodbye to the buyer. The grass should be cut, leaves should be raked and walkways should be clear of snow. Bushes and hedges should be cut down as much as possible to emphasize the size of the house. Park cars in the garage and make sure trash cans are put back where they belong.

Furniture Arrangement

People tend to like open spaces. For this reason, you want to position the furniture in each room so that there is plenty of room to walk around. This may mean temporarily placing some of your furniture in storage. In the dining room, remove the leaf from the table and reduce the number of chairs as much as possible. You may have to get creative with your furniture arrangement. Remember, when selling your home the emphasis is on creating an appealing space rather than making the room look "lived in."

Accessories

Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference. You do not have to spend a fortune to prepare your home for potential buyers. Adding a few modern accessories to each room helps a prospective home buyer realize the potential of a room. Simple accessories such as brightly colored throw pillows, a set of decorative bath towels or a grouping of boldly-shaped candles can help give character to a room. Consider changing the handles on kitchen and bathroom cabinets to a more current style. Avoid adding paintings or other wall decor to a room as this makes a room look cluttered or smaller. When selling a home, space is your friend. Keep walls as sparse as possible.

If you enjoyed staging your home, you may want to take photos or perhaps even a video tour of your handiwork and market your skills to builders to earn a living decorating and staging model homes.

Skylar Tate, a mother and interior design consultant relies on DVD duplication services for preservation and distribution of her work samples.

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