Tips for Staging and Selling Your Home

Attract buyers from the street by increasing your home's curb appeal. Keep the lawn manicured and weeded, shrubs and trees trimmed, and add color with flowers in beds, baskets and pots, leading buyers to your front door. If needed, consider power washing your driveway, walks, porch, and deck to give them a new appearance. Set out a new doormat and polish or replace front door hardware, house numbers and mailbox.

Bring the outdoors in with tree, shrub or flower cuttings, from your own yard, placed in vases throughout your home.

Depersonalize your home by removing family photos, mementos, posters, and religious items. Remove excess furniture and accessories to maximize feeling of space. Have a garage sale and start packing before putting your house on the market.

Place uplights in dark corners, behind furniture and plants for dramatic effect and to contribute to a more spacious feeling. Open curtains and blinds and wash windows to maximize natural light during day showings. Turn on interior and exterior lights during evening showings.

Highlight key features in each room such as a picture window or fireplace, and make sure they are not hidden by plants or furnishings.

Fifty-three per cent of buyers said pet, cigarette, and other strong odors had a bigger impact on their impression of a home than overall cleanliness. Try baking a batch of cookies or have cinnamon sticks simmering in a pot of water on the stove to create a pleasant and homey scent. While your house is on the market, clean out the litter box daily and use a rug/carpet freshener.

Neutralize bright or bold wall colors or patterned wallpaper with tones that are more appealing to the general public. Think warm beiges. Too much white can be cold and certainly won't leave a memorable impression on a buyer who is looking at several properties.

If you're considering renovating your home before selling, kitchens and bathrooms have the highest return on your dollar. If a complete overhaul isn't in the budget, consider new appliances, painting cabinets, and replacing hardware and faucets to give a fresh and updated look. Be sure to clear off counter tops, storing away extra appliances, gadgets, containers, etc. Remove magnets from your refrigerator doors.

Walk through your home with a critical eye and make a list of home repairs needed such as leaky faucets, cracks, creaky stairs, burned out bulbs, drawers that stick, furnace and water filters that need replaced, windows and doors that need weatherproofing, and baseboards and floors that need repaired. Be sure to address everything on the list before marketing your home.

Scrub your home from top to bottom, starting with ceiling fans and light fixtures and working your way down to floors and floor coverings.

Re-purpose rooms. The placement of an armchair, a small table, and a lamp in a stairwell nook or other unused space will transform it into a cozy reading spot. Adorn basement walls with fabric, lay inexpensive rubber padding or a carpet remnant on the floor, and toss in a few pillows for an exercise or meditation room.

These often simple and inexpensive improvements can make all the difference when marketing your home for top dollar.