If you are living in the San Fernando Valley of California and are planning to sell your home, you might want to consider one simple question. Should I be keeping up with the Joneses?

We all know that familiar saying. Where it came from, I really don't know. But what I do know is that if you want to sell your home fast and for top dollar not only do you need to keep up with the Joneses but you need to pass them up.

Take a look around and see how many homes in your neighborhood, or even on your street, are for sale. Do any of those homes compare to yours? If so now is the time to out-do your neighbor. When I say out-do your neighbor, I mean get out there and do what it takes to sell your home before they do. Pass up the Joneses.

Because the amount of homes for sale outweighs the amount of buyers, what it takes right now to sell your home in any of the San Fernando Valley real estate areas, is to have it successfully staged. You have to stand out from every other home for sale. You have to appeal to all the senses of the buyer.

Staging your home doesn't just mean doing minor repairs, getting rid of clutter, or remodeling. You have to make your home inviting, appealing, and comfortable. When you stage your home correctly, you can expect great results.

In today's market, staging your home can cost you between a few hundred dollars to several thousands of dollars depending on the location, size, and price of your home. Think of it as a short-term, high-yield investment that will produce an equal or greater return in a matter of months.

Whether you hire someone or find that your real estate professional can handle this unique task, sellers need to understand and accept that staging your home is vital to selling your home.

So... you ask yourself... "What does staging my home mean?" Winnie Davis, the President of SRAR (Southland Regional Association of Realtors) says that once the decision has been made to stage your home, it can be completed in a matter of days.

Some of the techniques used to stage homes can be as simple as:

Removing unnecessary items to create an more open feel

Moving furniture or replacing it to create themes that are comfortable and welcoming

Improve lighting by drawing back curtains, open blinds, adding brighter light bulbs or add lighting where necessary

Playing music while you are away and your home is being shown

Implement minor touch ups like paint, carpet cleaning or the simple task of pruning your bushes or trees

All of these tasks, plus much more are things that are critical to selling your home in a shorter amount of time and for top dollar. So my suggestion and recommendation is not to just keep up with the Joneses but to pass them up and wave as you're passing by.