Once you make the decision to sell, you must no longer regard your house as your home, but as a product to market. Don’t leave thousands of dollars on the table by inadequate preparation! Savvy vendors enlist the objectivity and expertise of a trained staging professional to maximize their potential equity, while saving both time and unnecessary stress.

Thanks to the popularity of television shows such as The House Doctor and Sell This House, there is a growing awareness that there is a discernible difference in the way we live in a home and the way to present it as a house for sale. The all-too-common buyers lament of “This house doesn’t do anything for me!” are words no vendor wants to hear.

Clutter translates into undesirable. To redefine your home to appeal to the majority of prospective buyers, evidence of your lifestyle and decorating preferences must be de-emphasized. Remember, you are not trying to sell yourself, but the house!

Home staging creates a spacious look, one that is neutral without being bland, a house that invites buyers to daydream about living there themselves. A professional home stager showcases the selling features of your property with a designer’s flair while minimizing flaws, and presents your house an as ideal, move-in-ready living space The resulting transformation truly makes your house stand out from its market competitors!

Statistics show the benefits to staging. In a study conducted by realtor, Joy Valentine, professionally staged homes typically sold in less than half the time of the average days on market. She concluded, “Staging a house is presenting the dream, showing the way it could be. Actualizing that dream helps sellers get the most value for their properties.”

Before you list, set the stage to help prospective buyers dream of making your house their home!

Thoroughly preparing your home before listing is necessary in order to sell quickly for the most possible money. Removing the clutter is the first step to help maximize your market potential. From a prospective buyer’s viewpoint, clutter translates into undesirable. The excess stimulus can make a room appear smaller and darker, and even suggest the home has not been well maintained. Remember, highlighting your possessions is not your goal but rather the features of the house you are selling; pre-packing is essential to create a sense of spaciousness, cleanliness and order!

Stress is reduced when the task of decluttering is broken into manageable segments over a series of days or weeks. Concentrate on one room at a time and work for no more than one hour before taking a break. Don’t make more of a mess than you can clean up before the end of each session!

Begin by labeling three sturdy boxes as “Throw Away”, “Give Away” and “Pack Away”. Next, examine every item, book, knick-knack and piece of furniture, answering the following questions to determine whether to keep it, pack it up or get rid of it:

• Do I really love it?
• Would I buy it again?
• Do I really need it?
• Have I used it in the last twelve months?
• Do I anticipate using it in the next six months?

Be patient. Avoid putting your house on the market before it is completely ready. To save time and unnecessary stress, enlist the services of a home-staging specialist to help make your home move-in ready.