Selling your home? Get more money with these easy (and inexpensive!) design tricks

It is much easier to read the comments when the authors don't capitalize every word. I ended up skipping the "all caps" comments because it was quite annoying.

First, as a Realtor, I can tell you that your Realtor should be able to give you some (FREE) advice on what areas you should declutter or maybe a spot here or there that could use some extra cleaning, etc. There ARE stagers out there who for around $200 will guide you through some basic staging with items you already have. It's a "do it yourself" type staging and it can be very effective.

Removing window screens is optional. If you're inclined to do it, go for it. Model homes don't have window screens. BUT, the most important thing is to remove as much clutter you can and CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!! Spotless homes sell the fastest.

As for those who have animals, be sure to vacuum regularly, leave your pets bed where it is (unless it's in the middle of the floor), and either crate your pet or see if you can have a neighbor watch them during showings. The biggest thing with pets is to make sure there is no odor. Usually a good friend or neighbor will be able to tell you if they can smell your animal as soon as they walk in, etc.

If you have so much stuff that you need to store some of it, ask your agent if they have any discounts with area storage facilities. They can be very inexpensive. Also, consider tossing items instead of storing all of it if that's appropriate.

I personally am not a fan of seeing all white throughout a whole house (maybe a "new construction cream" would be ok) but typically, some mild colors (nothing really bright) would be ok.

Rebecca Saxton
www.SaxtonSells.com

I'M A HOME STAGER AND IT REALLY WORKS. LAST YEAR, EVERY CLIENTS' HOME THAT I STAGED SOLD IN BETWEEN 10 DAYS AND THREE WEEKS!

Please, take the authors advise. All these things are very true and anyone that wants to sell their home for full market value and in minimal time will do all these things and more. I am a realtor and a pet owner but I would follow the advice to a T. Just two days ago I went to a Realtor open house in my area and the home was a priced at $549,000 was beautiful and clean but was a smoker/pet home. I as well as my co-Realtors couldn't get out of the home fast enough. It was truly a nausiating shame.

In New Orleans, our expensive houses do have screens!

Hello,
Gr8 posts!!
I happen not to disagree with any of them....to e4ach his own according to his needs.
My wife and I decided to sell because I had a stroke a few years ago and both sets of our steep stairsbother me. Also we have a huge yard that takes me days to cut,etc,etc.
So we agreed to sell and get another home.Our Realtor asked us ONE point blank question" R U sure you're ready to sell" We said yes. We received many tips on Staging house to sell.CONFLICT Our 2nd floor bedroom is occupied by a large bed that my wife beautifully decorated, in dark colors. I suggested that she lighten up the bed lien and remove a few of the 6-8 pillows.I also suggested that we rempve many of the candles,etc on the dressers.Additionally I hve told my wife who has clothes,clothes clothes that she should store them in the basement because people will have and take the opportunity to LOOK About .She thinks that people will think that her walk in closet is large because she has it filled...Am I correct in saying that people need to see as much space as possible.....LESS IS BETTER? thanking you for your advise

We have three small dogs. During shows, we put them in thier kennel tucked away in the corner of the living room. My realtor told me to hide water dishes, but I always forgot. I sprayed fabreeze every morning before work. We had great traffic and not a single comment mentioned the dogs. It is about minimizing thier presence and making sure the prospective buyers see that the dogs didn't rule the house. Any doggie damage (like stratches at the backdoor) were re-painted, doggie toys in a box on top of the kennel, weekly vaccuming to remove any signs of hair.

We rented a 5X10 storage space and tucked away as much as we could live without (and we got rid of most of it after the sale of our home once we realized we could live without it).

The open blinds and drapes thing was the worst since it was one of the hottest Texas summers on record - my A/C bill was terrible since you have to keep the house cool during the day in case a buyer stopped by.

With a few tweeks my house sold in 3 months this past October. Full price.

As we looked for a new home, we were turned off by houses with renters in them currently since homes less than three years old looked like they had more wear and tear than our 30 year old home. And please don't smoke in a house, ever - it is an immediate turn off to buyers when they walk in. A lot of houses didn't look like they really wanted to sell them with all the clutter, personal items and easy repairs that weren't taken care of. An educator buyer sees the little things and realizes that the big things probably haven't been taken care of either.

WHEN I WAS LOOKING TO BUY A HOUSE IN THE 70'S I COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW DIRTY THE HOUSES I WOULD GO INTO WERE. PEOPLE DIDN'T CLEAN THEIR BATHROOMS, OR KITCHENS. AND THEN THE WORST PART IS IF THE PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY COOKING WHEN YOU GO. THE THE STINK OF THEIR COOKING WAS A TOTAL TURN OFF. THEN YOU JUST RUN THROUGH THE HOUSE TO GET THE HECK OUT OF THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AND THEN ANIMALS ARE ANOTHER DISGUSTING SMELL THAT TURNS OFF PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE ANIMALS ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU THINK YOUR BUYING A HOUSE THAT SMELLS BAD AND BELIEVE ME NO SPRAY CAN HIDE A DOG OR CAT SMELL. IF PEOPLE WANT TO REALLY SELL THEIR HOMES AND THEY HAVE PETS THEY SHOULD SEND THEM AWAY UNTIL THE HOUSE IS SOLD. WHEN YOU WALK UP TO THE HOUSE AND PEOPLE DON'T SWEEP, OR PAINT A PEELING DOOR OR MAILBOX, TRIM THEIR BUSHES OR CUT THEIR GRASS OR HAVE DEAD PLANTS IN POTS ON THEIR PORCH OR IN THE GROUND. THEN YOU GO INSIDE AND THEY HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF ALL PACKED UP THE WALLS IN EVERY ROOM, YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THE HOUSE WALLS. AND YES YOU SHOULD PACK ALL EVERYTHING UP WHICH IS NOT NECESSARY BECAUSE YOUR HOUSE IS FOR SALE AND WHY NOT PACK IT UP NOW AND NOT HAVE TO WAIT TILL THE END WHEN YOU WILL BE RUSHED. AND YES YOU CAN RENT A SPACE TO PUT IT IN AND THEN YOU CAN GIVE YOUR HOUSE A MORE AIRY FEEL AND PAINT THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE TO GIVE IT A TURN KEY CONDITION. THE NEW OWNERS JUST HAVE TO MOVE IN AND DO NOTHING, THE HOUSE IS READY. UP DATE THOSE KITCHEN APPLIANCES TOO BECAUSE THAT MAKES PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE THOSE THINGS REALLY HAPPY TO BUY YOUR HOME, ONE LESS THING TO HAVE TO PURCHASE FOR THE NEW HOME OWNER. JUST ASK A REALLY GOOD FRIEND WHO WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT THEY THINK THEY WOULD WANT IF THEY WERE GOING TO BUY YOUR HOUSE WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE DONE TO MAKE THEM REALLY WANT IT. DON'T ASK SOMEONE WHO IS POLITICALLY CORRECT, THEY WON'T TELL YOU THE TRUTH. I'M GLAD THEY HAVE THOSE TV SHOWS ON THAT TELL PEOPLE WHAT THEY SHOULD DO BEFORE THEY TRY TO SELL THEIR HOMES BUT MORE PEOPLE SHOULD FOLLOW THEIR ADVICE. YOU SHOULD ALSO HAVE YOUR HOUSE STAGED ( SOMEONE WHO EITHER USES YOUR FURNITURE OR FURNITURE YOU RENT TO MAKE YOUR HOME LOOK MORE APPEALING BY PLACEMENT) IT REALLY HELPS SELL YOUR HOME.

who you you go to for staging a house in North Orange County, Ca.
Thanks for any help

ONE MORE THING, TAKE OFF THE SCREENS!! HAVE YOU EVER DRIVEN THOUGH AN EXPENSIVE NEIGHBORHOOD? THEY DON'T HAVE SCREENS ON THEIR WINDOWS AND ANOTHER HINT IS TO WASH ALL YOUR WINDOWS!!!

You haven't lived until you look for houses in l.A. We saw everything from unflushed toilets to piles of dog poop in the middle of the carpet, and these were homes in the 1 to 2 million $ range!

Who me,.. of COURSE you're supposed to rent a storage locker. Your dog and his/her stuff shouldn't be present during showings if you want to appeal to the maximum amount of viewers. Kennel the dog or have a friend/relative/neighbour care for it during the times buyers are around. It's about selling your home for the best price. Common sense. If you have a "take it or leave it"attitude, your profit will suffer. Up to you I guess.

We just sold our home and the entire house is painted white except for the bathrooms, one which is beige. We received huge compliments on the white theme. Why? Because people know even if it's boring, new homeowners can live with it a few months until they decide what the really want. If you paint it light blue or yellow, that might completely clash with their own furniture/likes. White never clashes with anything. People who say they would run the other way...should be focusing on important features of the house like the roof or the structure of the house.

i am putting my house on the market next week. i have been trying to do all the little repairs and sprucing up of the place. It makes tuns of since to de-clutter the closets especilly when your house is for a family. you've got to show that they can fit... as far as stageing: when i look around at my stuff, i think, how could they not like it..but... i'll just have to wait and see, hopefully not to long. Say a prayer for me. i need this bad

Ok what do ya do with all the staging stuff? And how can you afford to buy it????

I look at those real estate programs that help your buy a home. Don't you see those newbies that can't see past the paint or wall paper on the walls? And they have to say it in every single room. So what do you think having all your excess junk sitting around does for your sale? More complaints from a buyer. So yes you do have to remove clutter. There aren't that many seasoned real estate investors out there compared to all those first time buyers who are all trying to get into their first home. So paint and clean those houses like your life depends upon it. As for staging, you hire someone to stage your home, they take out your stuff and they bring in their furniture and everything else and believe me it really makes a difference it makes your home look like a model home. A place you would really want to live. That's the trick, your trying to sell a life style the person wishes they had. It's worth the five thousand or whatever it costs to stage the house to sell the house that everyone is fighting over to place a bid on. Your paying for their services and the rental on their furniture. If I was selling my house I would use them. But if you can afford to leave your home linger unsold for sometimes over a year then do it your way. I'm just trying to give advice I wish I had known decades ago. Remember the who idea is to SELL the house and not go bankrupt or owing the bank money are your short sale. Follow my ideas and your house will sell faster than the people who just open their doors as is, filth and all.

You made some good points, Charlene, But PLEASE STOP SHOUTING. A post written in all caps is difficult to read. :)

I just bought a home recently and I was aiming towards "move-in" ready. I agree that clutter is a major problem I have seen when touring homes. It is also important to allow the buyers to imagine themselves there-so make rooms very distinct on the function. Paint colors never bothered me much since painting is really not a pricey fix. I DO NOT think that taking down window screens is practical so that is one suggestion I would not do.

Staging is a good thing to do for people who are ultra-anal, but any seasoned real estate investor (not your average first-time buyer) has no problem looking past your personal belongings or anything else...if the house has potential, it will sell to the right buyer. If it just needs dressing up, it will sell to the majorly clueless who buy into fakery...

I loved reading all of the comments. I am going to start packing and then get a storage unit, so that when the house sells all I will have to do is back up the truck and start loading. I wll have a house looking like it has been staged and ready for serious home buyers to move right in.