Home staging may be one of the hottest trends in real estate today. Advocates say that home sales for staged homes are often faster and at higher prices than similar unstaged homes.

Just what is home staging and how can it help you sell your home?

Sound good? Anyone who's ever had a home for sale, languishing on the market for weeks or even months, will probably be all for any process than can help avoid that situation in the future. 

Home staging generally requires the seller to make some changes to the "look and feel" of the inside and/or outside of the house.  Often times it can be as simple as applying fresh coats of paint and re-arranging a little bit of furniture.  In other cases, it can involve more extensive tasks such as redecorating and even moving some furniture into temporary storage.

Remember, you're not selling the buyers on your decorations or how you live in the house and you shouldn't take the changes personally.  You want to sell the buyer on how they will live there.  And to do that, you need to "neutralize", or stage it.

You should also be aware that a house that only shows beautifully inside, will still not attract buyers as readily as one that also has "curb appeal".  You want to draw buyers to your house.  The outside of your house should encourage passers-by to call the number on the For Sale sign because they like what they see so far, and now want to have a look inside.

Staging the outside of your home can be as simple as keeping the lawn watered, weed free and fertilized.  A lush, green, maintained lawn tells buyers that "this house is cared for".  Even though you may not be a gardener-type of person, it can be very easy to do.  Liquid fertilizer, which attaches to your garden house can turn your lawn a rich green almost overnight. 

And remember, when you list your home with me, you automatically receive FREE HOME STAGING from an accredited Home Staging Professional, not just someone who read a book or two about it.