Staging Your Home: Tips on How to Get Your Home to Sell Quicker

Whether you've just put your home up on the market last week or it's been sitting there for over a year, you may want to consider staging your home or even doing some basic updating. Of course, this all comes at a cost but it can make selling your home a quicker process.

Tip 1: Step Back

When you put your home on the market, it's no longer your home but rather a product that you are attempting to sell. Therefore, it's a good idea to stop and remove any personal mementos from your home: family photographs, souvenirs or other items that are "taste-specific," such as a collection of baseball style hats hung on the walls in of your husband's office.

By removing these types of items, you are taking away any unnecessary distractions for the potential buyers. Buyers will be able to visualize themselves in the space, rather than wondering about your personal life and your items in the house.

Tip 2: Mass Appeal

You may enjoy the bright lime green color in your kitchen, but a potential buyer might be turned off by this. Unfortunately, it's true (and if you've ever seen HGTV's house hunters, you know what I'm talking about,) some people won't buy a house if there's a chance that they may have to paint.

So instead, go through your home and tone down the colors so that it appeals to the masses. Choose neutral wall colors or even go white if you're unsure of what would be most appealing. Generally, a tone of beige will work well but you can ask your realtor for suggestions.

Tip 3: Update the Out-of-Date

A basic run-through in your home where you go through and update old fixtures can really make a difference. Consider switching out dated lighting fixtures, cabinet knobs, faucets and the like for newer, modern versions that still fit into the scheme of your home. Just don't overdo it. Buying a new $600 faucet that doesn't really match your bathroom won't impress your buyers.

Tip 4: Clean Up

Before putting your house up on the market and having an open house, clean everything as thoroughly as possible. Wax your floors, vacuum up the carpets, wash your windows on both the inside and out. If necessary, consider renting or buying a pressure washer to spray down your driveway and the exterior of your house. In the end, it's the little things that will really make a difference and set your house apart from the rest.