In short, staging your home simply means to get it ready to make as positive an impact on potential buyers as possible. There are ways to accomplish that goal without spending a great deal of money. Here are a few simple tips:

In the bedrooms, always make sure every bed is made, since you never know when buyers may want to visit. Encourage everyone in the house to make their beds before they leave in the morning. That will eliminate the need for a mad rush to make beds when a real estate agent calls to make an appointment to show your home.

In the bathroom, keep all toilet seats in the down position, pick up all dirty clothes, keep the counter free of brushes, toothpaste containers, and the 101 other things that often get put there and not picked up. Make sure there are fresh towel hung neatly on the towel racks, as well.

In the kitchen, keep all surfaces clear of clutter and pristinely clean. don't let dishes pile up in the sink, and keep all garbage receptacles are out of sight. Also make sure there are no smells coming from garbage cans under the sink. Offensive odors are often the very first impression buyers get from a room, so make sure none of your rooms, whether it's the bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room, give buyers a reason to turn up their noses.

When the home is being shown at night, all lights should be on to show off your home to its best advantage. During the day, drapes should be open to give each room a light and sunny feel. The idea is always to give buyers the impression that your home is spacious and homey feeling, and flooding rooms with light, whether real or artificial, is a good step in that direction.

Regardless of which room buyers may be viewing, it's important to remember that you'll only have a few minutes to make an impression on them. And as the old saying goes, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Doing your homework to stage your home to its best advantage can pay big dividends--in both a quicker sale and higher sales price.

Copyright ? 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher