Staging a home for selling...any tips?

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Thank you all for your well thought out posts. I'm soaking up all of the suggestions like a sponge. I've gone out and purchased some Better Homes and Gardens type magazines and I've tried talking DH into stopping into some Open Houses so I can get an idea of what we're going up against.

I must admit I feel a bit intimidated with all of this house selling stuff. From decluttering to interviewing an agent. I think I read in one of the above posts about interviewing an agent and I didn't think about interviewing them. Boy I really am backward but of course I should interview! I want to know how many houses they turn over in a year and if they are "aggresive" sellers and work hard to show my home.

We aren't being relocated or anything so time isn't of the essence when it comes to turning it over quickly but it does unnerve me to think that it will sit and sit and sit. I dream of it selling in a week or two like some of the posts that I've read here. We are in a terrific development and have a large 1 acre lot (something that is scarce around here) so I do have these on my side. The bad thing for me is that I just don't have imagination and creativity and I don't really know where to begin.

However, what I'm going to start doing tomorrow is start decluttering and purging. I'll be able to clean much easier if much of the accrued "junk" has been removed.

Thanks for all the ideas. I'll take all the help I can get.

 

[GJM]

This is what we are doing now. We are thinking of moving to SC in the next month or two. I have purged out so much stuff, my DS & I are having a yard sale in a week. I still have to go thru DS toys.

I am going to be doing some painting. Our only other big things is our deck and front steps aren't in great shape.

We may try and sell it ourselves to save the realtor fee, but I'm not sure. We purchased it from a couple selling it themselves, it was on the market for 2 weeks.

We just sold a townhouse and we had one realtor who was horrible, it didn't sell. We interviewed 3 realtors, the one we chose said to us "I will sell this property for you", plus we really liked her. She sold it in 2 weeks. She told us not to paint or change the carpet because people have their own taste, so our price was a little lower because the carpet did have to be replaced.

Good luck, it is very scary for us - we want to move, but it is sad to be leaving our home here.

 

[donnajon]

I've been told to take the leaf out of your table in the kitchen and dining rooms - it will make the room look bigger.