According to renowned Dallas real estate expert and author Angelo Carducci, one of the best ways of getting your home to sell quickly is to stage it. Home staging refers to the steps or process a homeowner or agent takes in order to make the home more appealing for a sale. Below are fiver killer ideas for prepping your home for that quick sale.

1. Remove overly personal items

While personal items may have a sentimental value to the homeowner, they may not be helpful when it comes to selling the homes. Items such as pictures, trophies, sports memorabilia, and even religious items, need to be removed from visibility when preparing to showcase your home to potential buyers. Experts say this is important because you want potential buyers to view the home as theirs. Having personal pictures and such in full view of potential buyers can distract from this goal.

2. Declutter the house

Decluttering is also part of removing items from view that tend to distract the potential buyer. Removing all excess items, personal and likewise goes a long way in helping buyers to focus on the bare bones of the house. Another reason this is important is because after years of living in the house, most homeowners have accumulated quite a lot of stuff, much of which may not necessarily help when it comes to selling the house. This also includes the kids’ toys.

3. Prepping the rooms

This can be a challenge. Staging experts recommend repurposing each room so it clearly serves a specific function. This also includes giving it its own unique look and feel. This gives the prospective buyer a snapshot of what it looks and feels like to live in the home. This may involve painting and refurnishing some rooms. Staging experts contend that sellers who do this get better responses from buyers and experience a large return on their investment.

4. House must be squeaky clean

They say “cleanliness is next to godliness”. A clean house gets better responses from buyers. According to real estate experts “When buyers see an unkempt home or smell something when they first walk in, they become turned off immediately,”. This can even cause them to overlook the other great aspects of the home.

Cleaning a home doesn’t have to be complicated. Experts recommend hiring a cleaning company to do the work. This ensures everything, including windows, floors, countertops, ceilings, sliding glass doors, ceiling fans, etc, is spotless.

5. Fix the exterior of the home

Cleaning the inside the house is just one step. In order to attract the best buyers, staging experts recommend taking time to fix the exterior as well. This means ensuring the lawn is mowed to perfection, the flower beds look presentable, the bushes are trimmed and the overall landscape looks desirable. Sellers can also pressure-wash the driveway, sidewalks and curbs to enhance visual appeal.

Don’t forget to grab a copy of Angelo Carducci’s new book “Nine Steps to Selling Your Home”.

Also available on Amazon.