Staging Your Home: 10 Things You Can Do

In today's tough real estate market, you must do things to make your home stand out from the crowd. Home Staging has become a popular way to make your home stand out from the crowded listing inventory.

When we hear the word "Staging", we tend to automatically think that means we need someone else to come in and decorate, and add even more costs to the expense column when it comes to selling a property. But this is not the case. You can do some things yourself to improve your chances of selling your home.

1. Set your listing price by utilizing area comparables, not based upon what you need to get for your home.
2. Repair squeaky doors, chipped or smudged paint as well as broken fixtures and fittings that you've neglected.
3. Get rid of worn carpets, and consider refinishing shabby hardwood floors. An inexpensive new area rug is a quick fix and can disguise the look of old floors.
4. Invest in a fresh coat of paint and get 150 percent green back on your investment.
5. Fix all running toilets, or risk flushing profits down the drain.
6. Remember that "outside" is the new "inside." Show off all of your living spaces. It's your first chance to make a good impression, so you've got to make it count.
7. Renew the look of rooms by replacing old or dated light fixtures, door hardware, light switches and outlets.
8. Grind a lemon in the garbage disposal – it smells great and it's cheaper than air freshner.
9. Display the kind of plants that aren't injection-molded and painted in a factory somewhere.
10. Make things sparkle. Remember that people will look in your cupboards, under your sinks and in your closets. Mop, dust, vacuum, wash windows, baseboards, and anything else that a potential buyer may see as a turn-off.

Paying attention to these few things will help you be ahead of the crowd when potential buyers compare your home against others for sale.