Home staging is more than decorating your home it is about illusions that a buyer will have when they see your home for the first time.  It's about making the buyer want to buy!  Staging makes your home look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, more inviting.  Staging is what you do after you've cleaned, uncluttered, painted, made minor repairs; it's all about dressing the house for sale, adding the small details.
Finding the right real estate agent can make all the difference in your home buying process, especially if you're a first time home buyer new to the whole process.  A good Buyer's Agent can steer you through the buying process and help you avoid costly mistakes.
Professional stagers are highly skilled artists.  The home stager possesses the skills of a top-level designer and they create a scene that appeals to all types of buyers.  Here are some of their secrets:
•Display unusual knickknacks.
•Drape window coverings with simple lines.
•Add unique elements to shelving, bookcases and fireplace mantels.
•Mirrors
•Plants
•Silk Flowers
•Floor & Table Lamps
•Area or throw rugs
•Small Love Seats
•Ottomans
•Afghans
•Pillows
•Inflatable Queen-Size Beds
•Baskets
•Small tables & Chairs

Stagers bring in a vast array of items to spruce up the house or dress up a room.  How they are utilized is limited only by the creativity and vision of the stager.•Clear kitchen counters of all clutter.
•Apply orange oil to cabinets that appear dry, which will renew their original luster.
•Put out large bowls of fruit such as polished apples, bright oranges, luscious grapes.
•Arrange colorful and fun cookbooks on the counters.
•Use lots of greenery and plants; creating clean, crisp spaces.
•Arranging furniture with plenty of room to walk around.
•Bathrooms should look open, airy and delightful.  Adding baskets filled with spa supplies or towels tied with ribbons is a nice touch.  

Tackle clean up and repair chores, put some time into projects that make the grounds more attractive.

•Kill mold and mildew on the house, sidewalks, roof, or driveway.
•Stow away unnecessary garden implements and tools.
•Clean windows and gutters.
•Pressure wash dirty siding and dingy decks.
•Edge sidewalks and remove vegetation growing between concrete or bricks.
•Mow the lawn. Get rid of weeds.
•Rake and dispose of leaves, even if your lot is wooded.
•Trim tree limbs that are near or touching the home's roof.

 

Don't Forget the Rear View - Buyers doing a drive by will try their best to see your back yard.  If it's visible from another street or from someone's driveway, include it in your curb appeal efforts.

 

How Much Does it Cost?  - Prices vary depending on where you live and the local demand for professional home staging.  Coastal areas and large metropolitan cities where home staging has been prevalent for years command higher prices.  Some real estate agents help sellers Stage® the home themselves.  Most listing agents agree, however, that vacant homes show better with staging and will encourage sellers to hire a professional stager.  Fees range from $500 to $5,000 or more, depending on square footage and the number of rooms staged.  A staged home will look better than competing homes for sale in your local market, allowing you to sell faster and/or for more money.  Staged homes are recognized by other real estate agents as properties ready to sell.  They will be more likely to show your home to their potential buyers.  Staged homes photograph better allowing it to show better online.  Additionally, for Realtors, this improves their portfolio image of listed homes.