So you've finally decided to sell your home. What is your next step? Research indicates that a home that has been prepared for a sale, in both inside and outside areas, actually sells quicker and for a better price than homes that haven't been prepared. This process is called staging, and it can be as elaborate as a complete renovation of the home, including installing new flooring, adding or removing walls to create a better space, and updating all appliances and kitchen cabinets. Or your staging plan could be as simple as removing clutter, and bringing in a few plants to enhance the look of your home.



Some buyers might balk at the thought of spending money, which might not be freely available, without any guarantee that there will be a return on that money. In fact, how do you actually quantify something like this? You can't sell your house twice; once with staging and once without staging to see which method yields the better offer. But there have been numerous studies that yield the simple truth that, yes, spending the money to properly stage your home will result both in a faster and higher priced sale.

So let's see what you can do to properly stage your home for that quick and more profitable sale.

A prospective buyer pulls up to your home and, in most cases, has already formed an opinion of the house. That is why you must do your best as a seller to make the buyer see a home that they will want to live in. So we have compiled some staging tips that you can apply to the outside of your home first, because we want the buyer to actually come in and see how beautiful your home is, rather than drive away, thinking of what an eyesore the place is.

First look around the outside of your home, and look at your home with the eyes of a buyer.

1.Is there clutter that takes away from the beauty of the home? Do you have garden tools and hoses scattered around your property? Purchase a shed and use it to store these and other outdoor items.

2.How does your landscaping look? Are your bushes overgrown, or dying? Is there a mix of colors that is pleasing to the eye, or are all your plants green or worse, brown? You would be surprised how far a good landscaping job will go towards making those buyers park their car, eager to see if the inside of your home matches the outside. So if you don't want to hire a professional landscaper, then at the very least, pull out all gangly and dying plants, prune whatever remains, and put in some colorful plants and ground cover like cypress mulch. You can also consider putting in some external low level lighting for the buyers that might decide to see how your property looks in the evening hours.

3.Do you have any broken window shutters? Any unsightly wires such as, cable or telephone wires, hanging from the eaves? Are your front porch steps broken or shaky? All these things need to be addressed for you to get top dollar for your home.

4.Let's not forget that after fixing everything on the outside, you also want to give the home a fresh coat of paint. This by itself can make a big difference to a prospective buyer but you have to remember to use a good conservative color. Otherwise that buyer will only be thinking about how much he hates the color and that he'd have to repaint.

Now look once again with the eyes of a buyer as you enter your home. What do you see?

1. Is there any clutter that takes away from the beauty of the home? Do you have clothes, toys, or books lying around, or even worse, that you have to step over, as you move from room to room? Can you see a big pile of papers on your desk or on the dining room table? Is your kitchen space free or do you have counter space taken up by all your cooking paraphernalia? All these things will give the buyer the impression that there isn't enough space for your things, which is NOT what you want the buyer to think.

2. Pick up EVERYTHING off the floors and put it away.

3. If you don't have the space for these things then get rid of them. You could have a massive yard sale, or donate everything to a charitable organization or if you can't part with anything, then rent some storage space.

4. Any over sized furniture you might have should also be placed into storage. Remember the trick is to make your home seem light, spacious and airy and it won't look that way if you have too much furniture.

5. Painting the inside of your home will also help you improve the odds of selling your home quickly.

6. Make sure all the plumbing and electrical outlets work.

7. You might also want to consider upgrading the kitchen and bathroom areas as these are so important to prospective buyers. Changing the cabinet doors might suffice in a pinch, and can be done for a fraction of the cost of a complete kitchen renovation.

8. Replace any worn or frayed carpet. If you have hardwood floors, then get them refinished and give them a fresh coat of shellac or polyurethane.

9. How does your home smell? Get rid of any unpleasant or musty odors, and when buyers come calling during your open house, consider baking a cake or some cookies, as these aromas have been proven to induce feelings of contentment.

These tips will help to inform the buyer that here is a house that can be the HOME he is looking for. You get a buyer thinking this way and you'll have sold your home!