At its heart, staging is about setting the stage for potential buyers, making it easy for them to imagine themselves living in your home. Here are some ways to do just that:

1. Focus on first impressions: You only get one chance to make a solid first impression, and those initial 10 seconds can make or break your sale. Look at your front entryway: It is the first part of your home to greet your guests and gives them something to study as you amble up to open it, so you don’t want a door that is flawed in any way.
2. Create curb appeal: Part of a buyer’s first impression will be dictated by your landscaping and the outdoor maintenance of your property. Manicure the bushes, mow the lawn, plant pretty flowers. In winter, shovel the driveway and salt down walkways. Work to create an impressive exterior, one that will draw buyers in!
3. Declutter: Get rid of all clutter—anything that you don’t need, put away. Rent a storage space if you have to. Doing this will make the rooms appear larger and full of potential, ideal for helping the buyer imagine living in the home.
4. Clean: Clean your home from top to bottom. Everything should be spotless, like a show home. Get inside the cabinets and drawers, too: potential buyers will open everything.
5. Freshen up smells: A pleasant aroma will invite guests into your home and it might even distract them from any clutter you didn’t have time to clean up. On the day of a showing, try baking a delicious treat, letting the scent waft through the entire house. Check out this post for some ideas on eliminating odors in your house.
6. Paint with neutral colors: If you repaint, choose neutral colors that could accommodate a variety of tastes. Remember, your preferences don’t matter here—this is about appealing to the largest number of potential buyers. Also, avoid stark whites in favor of warm creams and beiges.
7. Fix ups: This should be obvious, but it is worth saying—if anything is broken, fix it or have it fixed! Buyers want homes that are move-in-ready, not homes that need work done. Have you been waiting to replace the broken window in the bathroom, or were you putting off cleaning or replacing the stained carpeting in the living areas? Do it now!
8. Create clusters: Be willing to experiment with your furniture arrangements. Make sure that high-traffic areas are clear of excess furnishings to maximize space, and reposition sofas and chairs into cozy conversational groups. Arrange things to make the path for traffic flow obvious.
9. Details: Essentially, staging is about uniting various elements into one cohesive design. Think about details: An odd number of accessories is preferred, especially threes. Consider scale and placement when arranging knick-knacks, or try grouping them by color, texture or shape.
10. Turn on the lights: To make your home more inviting, increase the wattage in your lamps and fixtures to 100 watts for every 50 square feet.

Stage your home effectively, and you are on your way to a speedy and successful sale. Remember to focus on appealing to the largest pool of buyers and to do everything you can to put your home’s best foot forward!