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Set the Stage for a Quick Sale
The process of showing and selling your home can go much more smoothly if you get everything ready. Our ideas will help you get the top price for your home.

Preparing your home for sale is a bit like designing a stage for a play. Everything is in just the right place, perfectly arranged, and comfortably set.

There are television shows like Designed to Sell focused exclusively on, not decorating a home, but getting an otherwise drab, cluttered, boring house ready for a quick and profitable sale. Homes that are properly prepared sell faster and at a higher price than similar, unprepared homes.

Get out the cleaning supplies, boxes, and get ready to sell your home fast! You'll love how easy it is to transform a languishing, slow-moving home into a quick sale with just a bit of elbow grease and an eye for beauty.

You may be lucky and just need to do some long-neglected simple home repairs, get rid of clutter and add fresh flowers.

Or you might have to repaint or recarpet your home to give it a fresh look. If you're handy, you'll be able to do most things yourself. But you may need to hire a plumber to install a new faucet in the kitchen or other professional to replace outdated light fixtures or window treatments.

You need to keep in mind that you're not going to make the changes to live in your home. Your only goal is to show your home at its very best to potential buyers. Without being distracted by clutter and dirt, they'll be able to picture themselves in the home you're trying to sell. They will find it hard to resist making an offer.

If you're skeptical about the benefits of going to all this work or doubt that it will make any difference in selling your home, put yourself in the place of a home buyer.

Have you ever toured through a development of model homes? The paint is fresh, appliances are shiny, there is artwork arranged around the house, and fresh flowers stand on the kitchen counter. Mirrors are sparkling, towels fresh, and there are no toys on the floor. The rooms look spacious and the furniture comfortable.

The kitchens and bathrooms are polished, smelling fresh, and clutter is not to be seen. The closets are empty or organized. The garage floor is clean and neat and looks much larger than you'd need for two cars.

Now leave the development of models and go down the street where the homes are several years old. Children's toys are stacked in the family room. So many boxes are piled in the garage that you couldn't park even one car there. Clothes fill the bedroom closets and boots and mittens fill the hall closet. The house isn't dirty, but there are dishes in the kitchen sink and toothpaste stuck on the bathroom vanity. Homework is spread out on the dining room table. The family dog is yapping because of the strangers in the house and the floors are scratched. Dead plants "welcome" you at the front door.

With all other things being equal, which house would be more appealing to you? Of course, the first one! The homes may be the same size, but because of the clear layout, the first home seemed much larger. The house was prepared to show off all the good points and none of the bad.

Look at Things With a Professional's Eye
Lori Matzke, Professional Home Stager and Founder of "Center Stage Home" says, "What most homeowners need to understand, is that the way a home should be presented for resale and the way you live in your home are two completely different things. Most of us don't actually live in our lives like a page torn out of House Beautiful.

"Keep in mind that what you are selling is the house -- not its contents," she adds. If you remove throw or area rugs, eliminate clutter and collections, and cut down on furniture and accessories, the room will appear to be more airy and spacious. "It's all about flow. The eye should move easily from room to room, reflecting on the best features of your home rather than on the possessions inside the home. You really have to completely detach yourself from your possessions and look at your home like you're seeing it for the first time." Look through the eyes of the buyer.

If you just can't see through all your things to the core of your home, consider hiring a professional. Interview two or three home stagers at your home Find out what they will (and won't) do, how long it might take, what the fees are, and how soon they might be able to start. Ask for references from recent customers, see photos of their "before" and "after" homes, and get their opinion on what exactly needs to be done in your home. Also, be sure to clarify what items in the plan that you will be responsible for (perhaps moving clutter to the storage unit) vs. what they will handle for you.

"Often, a Professional Home Stager can advise you about small improvements that will improve your home's re-sale value," says Ms. Matzke. "Often times, things a homeowner may overlook, like adding fresh paint and replacing worn carpeting, can make a huge impact on a buyer's first impression of your home. And likewise, what a seller feels may be a big drawback may not be a factor at all in the overall appeal of the home." Ms. Matzke offers more information and a printable list of home staging tips on her website, Center Stage Home.