Staging your home before selling can have a dramatic affect on how buyers view your home.  It can even put more money in your pocket with a potentially higher sales price, or less time your house sits on the market.

A recent survey from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® shows that:

• 77% of buyers’ agents said staging makes it easier for their buyer to visualize the property as their future home.
• Staging the living room for buyers was found to be most important (55%), followed by staging the master bedroom (51%), and staging the kitchen (41%).
• 39% of sellers’ agents stated that staging a home greatly decreases the amount of time the home is on the market.

Not everyone can shell out a few hundred dollars on home staging.  So what can you do if your on a budget?  Take a look below at some items you can do to help your home standout in the sea of homes for sale.

Exterior

• Mow the lawn and trim trees and shrubs from the house.
• Repaint Shutters and railings.
• Sweep sidewalks and cobwebbs
• Add a doormat, potted plants or new house numbers.

Interior

• Tidy Up – clear extra gadgets from kitchen counters and side tables, remove pictures and magnets from refrigerator, straighten bookshelves
• Remove “extra” pieces of furniture
• Clean up – deodorize all carpets, polish furniture, wipe flight fixtures, clean fireplace, make sure bathrooms are mold free
• Patch up – repair leaks, nonworking cabinets, patch & paint walls, caulk bathrooms
• Add finishing touches – decorative pillows, plants, linens on tables, fresh flowers, scented candles, add/move lamps to dark areas, coordinate towels in bathroom,