Ever watched one of the shows on HGTV where they paint a room, removed a piece of furniture, and add one new element and everyone now loves the house? If not, tune in and watch any night what a week-end of work can do to your home. From these shows a whole new facet of real estate has been created – staging a home for sale. Staging 
is done for two reasons: first to make your home appealing to a larger cross-section of homebuyers and second to get better photos for marketing. A professional can be called in to stage your home for a fee, or the homeowner and/or the real estate agent can do the staging.
The most cost-effective tool in staging is painting…buyers are looking for neutral colors. For the cost of a gallon of paint and several hours of your time, you can make home-buyers viewing your house want your home. The best feature of the room should be made to stand out with thoughtful furniture placement. Put away over-sized pieces of furniture. You may 
have to adapt your lifestyle while your home is on the market for sale. Use staging to create harmony so that the homebuyer focuses on the positive attributes of your home.
With the furniture placement done and some fresh neutral paint, interesting photos of your home can now be taken to market your home. Photos are the first impressions homebuyers have of your home. Great photos allow the homebuyer to virtually walk through the home and consider floor plans and room sizes. It is the factor that will entice them to come see your home. The photos are the story of your home and neighborhood, so your goal is to creat visual excitement and interest in your home.
Staging can be done in a few days and with a nominal budget. It’s one of the best investments a seller can make when putting their home on the market to sell.
I agree that a little bit of work can go a long way. I like your point on the painting. Most people don’t like to paint and when they see a home that doesn’t need it, it’s much more appealing.
Neutral paint colors also give buyers a greater ability to see themselves in the house, particularly if they wouldn’t have liked your previous color choice. Too many sellers want to keep their color scheme that was “in” five or ten years ago. Well the 90s have called and want their colors back!
Good paint work wonders on a house. Makes it look bigger, cleaner, and more livable if the colors fit perfectly.
The first impression is the one that counts most, and even if it’s not a big house if it leaves you with that “homy” feeling then it’s more interesting than a staircase house.
At the end of the day ita all about presentation the better the presentation the more chance you have of making a sale
I wouldn’t sell one of my own houses unless it was staged and de-cluttered. Every seller needs to consider staging. The big question is… How much more money will go in your pocket if you stage your home before putting it up for sale?
I don’t understand why people wouldn’t do this to begin with. Presentation is the most important factor when people look for things. A cheap coat of paint, buy some nice curtains and presto your house can change so much and could in the end get you a higher return
Hi Ben and Kathy,
Great article! I didn’t know you two were authors as well as great agents.
Presentation of a house is what at the end of the day will make you feel at home me and my boyfriend are moving out together and even though he has a plain sense of style mine is very bright and i love colours in the home it is gonna be quite tricky to incorperate both styles into one.