Mona Lisa Sells Houses?

Admit it, you tour a home for sale and you don’t notice the air tight windows, capacity of the furnace, or the pitch of the roof. You notice the spaciousness, cleanliness, and swank décor. Should you concentrate more on the actual square footage and home amenities? Probably. A new industry trend devoted to this mindset is called home staging. The concept is one where you think of your home as the stage and buyers as the theater-goers you’re trying to impress. Countless articles and books let you in on the tips and tricks of staging your home to sell. One such recent article suggests that renting art work is a great way to motivate buyers. While you could take that leap, you might just try a couple easy things first:

1. Get your home so clean even your mother-in-law would approve. If this means a fresh coat of paint too, then get out that roller. And if a steam cleaner doesn’t freshen up the matted wine-stained carpet, consider replacing it altogether.
2. Reduce clutter. While that Elvis collection is quite impressive, that might not be the memory you want people leaving with. And the ashtrays little Bobby made and 42 plants your sister gave you should be treasured, but do they distract buyers rather than allowing them to imagine themselves moving in? Less clutter creates a sense of a larger and less individualized\personalized space.

You can find more staging tips here and all over the internet.

So, even if you’re not up to renting a Renoir or painting your own Picasso, then clean up and cut back. It just might be the difference between a quick sell and endless time on the market.