There are so many small things home stagers can do to a property that will dramatically shorten the time it spends on the real estate market while increasing the final sales price for home sellers.

Here are the first of my five favorite home staging tips, so you can help each property you stage sell faster and for more money (the rest will be published on Monday):

1. Reduce drive-bys
Imagine you’re on a home hunting mission. Your real estate agent has ten properties to show you on a Saturday afternoon. When you drive up to what could be your dream home, you see a rusted-out mailbox, broken handrail and children’s toys strewn across the lawn which hasn’t seen a lawn mower in weeks. You’re probably going to say, “Um, no thanks, let’s move on.”

Curb appeal is so important. If the outside of a house looks unkempt, a potential buyer is going to think nobody cares about it.

You should make sure, no matter what, that lawns are freshly cut, leaves are raked or snow shoveled from the driveway.

A potted or hanging plant can make a big difference near the entrance.

Repair or replace any obvious defects, often this is cheaper to do than a prospective buyer will imagine.

Make sure the walk ways and porches are swept clean and garbage and recycling containers are tucked away at the rear of the house or in the garage.

Make sure the exterior gets a good pressure wash and the decks are scrubbed clean. It’s a good alternative to painting and once everything’s clean you might see it doesn’t need to be repainted at all – perhaps just a touch up will do.

2. One man’s junk is not necessarily another man’s treasure, it may be their reason not to buy the house
De-cluttering is essential. Tackle one area at a time so the task isn’t so overwhelming. If you’re doing this with your client, make sure they look at each item carefully before deciding whether it’s to keep or to toss.

Each closet will probably have to be gone through more than once to get its contents down to the absolute essentials, but it will be worth it.

If the home owner is having a tough time parting with things, recommend they rent a storage locker so they can keep their beloved items, just remove them from the house they’re selling. They’ll have to move it eventually anyway!

I’ll be adding three more tips in a blog post on Monday so be sure to look for it!

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging

Home Staging expert Debra Gould also known as The Staging Diva has taught over 1000 men and women how to make money as a home stager. She is president of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company that is frequently profiled in the media in both the US and Canada. Debra Gould developed the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program to create opportunities for others to grow their own profitable home staging, real estate enhancement businesses.

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