If you are ready to sell your home, you have to make it appealing to any potential buyer. Home staging is one method of preparing your home for a quick and easy sale. When a potential buyer comes to look at your home, from the moment they drive up, they are forming their opinions. Many real estate agents will tell you that within ten seconds of entering the home, the buyer has already decided whether or not they’re going to purchase.

To decide if you need to stage your home, you’ll need to take a close look at your both indoors and out.. Your real estate agent can also provide you with some insight as to whether you really need this service or not. Some less obvious things to look at include:

• The driveway – Are there cracks and defects from the cars?

• The Roof – Are any shingles missing or damaged?

• Windows – Are they dirty? Are the screens present and in good condition?

• The Body – Does any area need fresh paint?

While some people may question if buyers really look at things like this, the answer is absolutely. Your buyer is about to spend a lot of money purchasing your home, they want to see that the property has been properly maintained and cared for.

Therefore, if you find that you need a little home staging, here are a few tips to help you prepare your home to appeal to the most buyers.

On the inside of the home, you want to minimize or eliminate clutter. Keep decorative items limited in numbers. In the kitchen, put away anything that is not needed. That goes for the entire house, if you don’t need it, get it out of there. Remember to remove any pictures, messages, and other such thing from the refrigerator. You want your potential buyer to view the house with their own things in it, excessive clutter makes that difficult.

In your bathroom, you want all counters, stalls, tubs, and such clean and clear of all items. The only thing that should be showing is a small group of perfumes, brushes, and cosmetics. Place some guest towels that coordinate with the rest of the room, but keep the towels limited to at most two colors.

Throughout the house it may be necessary to rearrange furniture, pictures and decorations. You’re selling square footage, so make each room look as big as possible. Make sure to clean the windows, curtains and carpets, it may even be necessary to paint some rooms, to show them in their best light. Of course, you can’t forget the exterior of your home; that’s the first thing potential buyers see upon arrival. Garbage cans, building materials, wood scraps, and other such things should be moved completely out of site.

You will also want to clean your gutters, checking them for dry rot and roof moss. Prune your trees and bushes; make sure plants are not blocking the view from your windows. Make sure all dead shrubs and plants are removed, also weed any garden areas, and cut the lawn. Lastly, make sure the decks and patios are clear of unnecessary items such as toys, grills, charcoal bags, flower pots, and planters.

Finally, home staging is designed to specifically attract the attention of potential buyers. A professional home stager might be just what you need. They are trained to look at a home and instantly understand what needs to be done.