You’ve decided to sell.  Like most people, you probably just want to get it over with and move into your new place.  But what if you could earn thousands of dollars to buy new furnishings or take a trip?  Would it be worth enhancing your home?

 People are busy.  They want a home that’s in “move-in” condition.  It’s a proven fact that potential buyers have no imagination, and tend to overestimate the cost of re-carpeting, painting, and repairs.  If a buyer is spending $300,000 on a home, an extra $10,000 isn’t very much – but a seller has to work a long time at a job to earn that much after tax.

 So what does it take to enhance your home for sale? 

 Start with the outside.   It takes less than 60 seconds for someone to decide whether they like a home, so first impressions are critical.  Buy a couple of flower-pots to flank the doorway.  Tidy up the yard.  Make any obvious repairs.

 Then look at the foyer and the first room you walk into and make them special.  Think about creating multiple first impressions throughout the home.

Most of us know the basics of real estate staging:

• Clean everything -- obsessively. 
• Get rid of clutter – You want the prospective buyer to be imagining the home as theirs.  Clutter not only detracts from the house, but is a distraction that turns their mind away from imagining living there.
• Eliminate personal items – Pretend you’re a spy.  Would you be able to tell anything about the people who live in your home?  If so, remove it or change it.

Now you’re ready to give your home an edge over what’s on the market.

First, you want to neutralize the home to maximize its appeal to the greatest number of buyers.  Look at the decorating in your home.  Is it specifically your taste or would most people like it?  Warm, neutral colors will appeal to the most number of buyers.   

Bathrooms and Bedrooms should look like hotel rooms.  You want people to linger and if these rooms are too personal, people won’t stay in them.   In the bathroom, put away all personal items.  Even the medicine cabinet should be cleaned out.  People will open cabinets and closets. In bedroom (and other) closets remove approximately half of the clothing; organize the remainder by color; put all clothes on consistent hangers; fold clothes neatly as if displaying them in a store. 

Second, create a sense of space and beauty by editing the furnishings.  Everyone wants more space.  Remove any furniture that tightens spaces. If a couch or chair makes you turn your body as you walk by, or just makes a passage look small, get rid of it. 

You want to create an environment that is inviting, and helps the buyer imagine using the home.  Set up a small games table, or leave a book on a reading chair with a warm throw.

Thirdly, remember that the focus is on the architectural features and selling points of the home, and not the contents.   Use furniture, artwork and accessories to direct the eye away from something negative, or toward those features you want to highlight – a great view, stunning fireplace, beautiful built-in cabinets.

 Finally, don’t go overboard and make the house looked “staged” or too perfect.  Try to balance staging a house with keeping some of its lived-in warmth.   Now leave it up to your realtor to do the rest.  And enjoy that new-found money!

Val Sharp is the founder and past president of the Canadian Re-designers Association and the author of “The Art of Redesign – 5 Simple Steps to No-Cost Redecorating”. She instructs people in starting their own interior redesign and home staging business. If you want to become a redesigner or home stager or you want more information about Val and her book, stop by www.sharpredesigns.com