Jill Kushner - Specializing in The Colony Golf & Bay Club, Bonita Springs, Florida FL - Downing-Frye Realty Inc. - Jill Kushner, Realtor: Staging and Working With What You Have

The definition of home staging is preparing a home for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to make a home attractive to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property more swiftly and for more money. Often staging suggestions include lengthy, sometimes expensive alterations to the existing space.

With due respect to the staging techniques used, as a listing agent for Colony Golf and Bay Club homes, I have succinctly listed the best counsel I can provide that applies with every single home preparation. The suitable adage is, "One chance to make a first impression."
#1 priority is to make sure the home is as clean as possible. I am referring to more than just tidying up. Clean the mirrors & windows, vacuum, and dust. Make sure the towels hanging are clean. Remove as much out of the closets as possible so the prospect can actually see the closet for its space. Maybe it's necessary to get some outside storage. Perhaps if you are no longer occupying the property, you want to have a house cleaning contract in place. Often sellers who no longer occupy property think there's no reason to continue cleaning it. That's a mistake. Ultimately we want to convey the message that the property has been well cared for.
#2 Put away 90% of your personal effects-photographs, memorabilia & tokens of faith. "Clean" trumps "cute" every time.
#3 A second pair of eyes to give you an honest opinion on the amount of furniture you have; if your home has too much furniture and/or artwork, it makes it very challenging for the prospect to see the home's spacial feature.
#4 Some people mistakenly believe giving a certain perfume scent to the home via candles, or plug-in air fresheners will improve the smell. I wouldn't recommend that; the best smell is a clean smell from a clean space.
Often sellers want to convey their personality in their home decor. While that makes perfect sense when the home is not being offered for sale, this theory is possibly one of the greatest obstacles showing agents encounter when showing a prospective buyers a property.
Remember: even when selling a furnished home, the condition of a home is almost always the most important factor to a prospect, followed by prospect's ability to envision living in the home. Put away the personality and bring out the clean!