Banish the clutter!...     Trim the trees!...
  Send your pets to stay with family or friends.
Hide the O. U. Football collection! ....

Ask me, Carol Lindley, about staging your home to sale at a higher price.

What things can you do to prepare a house for sale?  Here are tips, hints, thoughts and ideas for sprucing up, cleaning out, decorating, staging, creating a great first impression and making a house appealing to buy. Staging can be anything from de-cluttering to rearranging the existing furnishings to completely refurnishing the entire home.  Whatever degree of staging you do can make a significant difference in how quickly and for how much a home sells.

Mark Nash author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home has seen the best and worst in home staging as a real estate broker in Chicago and he shares some do's and don'ts for home sellers that want to try to stage their home.

Do's  

• Check out recent home decorating magazines, television shows and books.  If you're not up to speed on current decorating trends it will help familiarize yourself with how interior design is being marketed. Cut out or copy down ideas for low-cost ideas that which will make your home say today.
  
  
• Invite a friend over for a review to look at your home with a buyer's eye.  Ask for them to pretend they are walking in the house for the very first time.  A second or third pair of eyes will help you accent the best and edit the worst in your home. Be prepared for some constructive criticism.  You may not like what you hear, but better from your friend than a lost buyer. You want to hear it before you put your home on market.  You want real estate agents to react positively to the home so they will want to show it to prospective buyers.  Go room-by-room with a worksheet so you can take notes. Depending on how much time you have available for an update or a makeover, you will need to prioritize and figure out what will give you the biggest return. Your real estate professional can help you show your property at it's best.
  
  
• Stage a home office if you don't have one. They're not a trend; they're often a requirement for homebuyers in 2006. Many homebuyers today work from home part or full-time or want a space where they can organize their life and park a computer. Find an extra bedroom, walk-in closet or an unused corner and convert into a home office. Make sure there is a convenient electric, telephone and cable supply.
  
  
• Focus on living spaces. These areas are where the majority of homebuyers will spend their time. Place a side table and a floor lamp next to a comfortable chair as a reading corner. Float sofas and coffee tables away from walls for a designer look. Use area rugs to anchor furniture groupings on bare tile and wood floors. Living spaces may require matching lamps. Streamline or remove family photos and place green plants in room. Fireplaces should always be operable and on in season. Place groupings of candles and clear glass bowls filled with natural potpourri on side and coffee tables. Substantial wicker baskets can organize magazines, remote controls and toys. Limit knick-knacks to make room for staging materials. The less clutter, the larger the home looks. 
  
  
• Pay  attention to  the Kitchen. Put away in a handy drawer all dish towels and rags. Reduce recipe boxes, barrels of cooking utensils, excess-cooking machines, and cookbooks by two-thirds to open up counter spaces.  Clean, clutter free kitchens look larger and more inviting. For a quick update put new handles on cabinets. Clean off everything on the refrigerator door. Omit throw rugs scattered around the kitchen. Clean off windowsills to open up exterior views. Organize cabinets with clear containers. If you can't see the back wall of a cabinet, buyers will think you don't have enough storage space. Ditto closets. Budget to keep a variety of fresh fruit in a glass bowl on the counter. Edit family bulletin boards. Remove old curtains and install new wood blinds on windows if not cost prohibitive. 
  
  
• Spend time on sleeping and bathing spaces. Often over looked in the frenzy to get a home on market, these spaces can make or break a home. Put out a set that consists of a matching bed skirt, bed spread, pillow covers and blinds that coordinate. Buy a new shower curtain and separate liner if necessary.  These are relatively low cost items.  Wash the liner often if mold develops. Add complete sets of towels that coordinate with your new shower curtain. Clear all cosmetics off vanity. If you have an over-the-toilet cabinet consider removing and place a piece of artwork in its place. Remember to keep items in the "too much information" category, out of view. If you have a king-size bed in a small room, you'll pay to have buyers over come this negative, so get rid of it now. Clear off dresser and nightstands of excess. Make sure the bedroom receives the maximum natural light. Install closet organizers in closets. Eliminate wall and door hooks for clothes. People might look under your bed, no surprises please.
  
  
• Remember first impressions in entries. A simple consol table with mirror over makes a nice entranceway. Make sure this space is well lit day or night. Place adhesive under rugs so buyers don't trip or slide.
  
  Things Not to Do!
  
  
• Use inexpensive silk flowers. Nothing distracts buyers more that silk flowers that are past their time, inappropriate for the season or thrown together. Throw them out, now.
  
  
• Forget to upgrade Fido's food bowl.  Keep pet bowls and litter boxes discreet as possible.   We know we  love our pets, but homebuyers may not. 
  
  
• Overlook window coverings. Buyers today think less is more in window fashion. They want the most light and the least embellishment on windows. And no layered treatments with sheer panels please.
  
  
• Use low wattage light bulbs. Dark, dim rooms are unappealing to homebuyers. They want to see what they might buy. Replace bulbs with manufacture recommended wattages and especially the burned out ones. The newer low-energy bulbs don't cast home or people in flattering light.
  
  
• Think that everyone loves wallpaper. No two people have the same taste in this instant decorator finishes. If it's more than three years old, take it down and paint in a neutral color. And wallpaper boarders are out.
  
  
• Paint with commitment colors. If you've determined that you need to paint, stay away from bold or as I call them commitment colors. Commitment colors are those buyers either love or hate. It can be difficult for buyers to overlay their style on them. As one client said to me "I don't live in a magazine."
  
  
• Think cleaning is a part of staging. Cleaning is what you do before staging. Everything should shimmer and shine. Don't forget the windows.

Use these do-it-yourself tips to place your home on the stage of your local home sale theater.