When it comes time to sell your home, the first thing you need to do is to stage it properly. This just means that you are going to accentuate its strong points and minimize its weak spots. Below are 10 easy steps you can take to accomplish that.

1. Try re-arranging the books on your bookshelves. Instead of having them all be vertical, try stacking some of them on their sides or adding a plant or some other decorative touch. This will make the shelf take on a whole new look.

2. Let’s now talk about the furniture. Take note of how the layout is. Make sure everything is orderly and in its proper place. Arrange the furniture in a way that is inviting and makes the rooms appear as large as possible. You don’t want to make it appear as a train station either though! If you have a really large room, try pulling the couches off the wall a few feet. Look through magazines to get ideas. Chances are there is a better layout that will look better than what you currently have.

3. Too much or too little furniture are both things to avoid. A crowded room with too many pieces or furniture looks small and cramped. An empty room looks uninviting and uncomfortable. So see if you can move things around a bit. Take some furniture out of the crowded rooms and put them in the less crowded rooms. If that’s not possible then just get rid of it temporarily. Put them in storage if you have to. You want your home to be as inviting and open as possible but yet not to have an empty feel to it.

4. How do your curtains and drapes look? Many homes that have heavy fabric for drapes will actually make the room look smaller due to it letting less light into the room. Try replacing them with a lighter fabric that will allow light in or even something transparent. Not only will it brighten up the room but it will make it appear larger as well.

5. Speaking of lighting, it is a very important element for all rooms. Try adding different lights to a room to brighten it up. End table lights, accent lights, pedestal lights, etc. Think of the movie industry: “Lights, Camera, Action”. Everything starts with the light!

6. How are the bathrooms appearing? Does it look like the kids just used it or does it look like a high end hotel? The most important thing for bathrooms is cleanliness! For crying out loud, make sure they are super clean! And make sure they smell good too! Next in importance for bathrooms are the little extras. Try putting little baskets of goodies such as (fancy soap, nice towels, etc.) in each bathroom to spice it up a bit.

7. Remember that first impressions are lasting. The first thing a potential buyer sees is the front of the house. Does your door need a fresh coat of paint? Is the lawn cut? Are the bushes and flowers trimmed and looking fabulous? Are there kid’s toys or other junk lying around the yard? Clean it up and make it inviting. Nobody will buy unless they actually make it into your house!

8. Is your home too personal? It’s ok to have a family photo or two but if you have an entire wall of them, take them down! Your buyers won’t care about how many vacations you’ve been on or how many grand kids you have but they will be trying to visualize this as their house not your house. So try taking down excessive family and religious photos and replace them with more generic art that will appeal to a bigger audience. A good idea is to visit a few model homes of builders in your area. Try to decorate like they have. Most likely they have hired a professional designer and it really does make a big difference.

9. Sparky and Fluffy need to go on a vacation! Your cat or dog may be a part of the family but they could present a problem when selling your home. The obvious thing here is that the family pet will probably not be too happy with all the strangers walking through his/her turf and they may decide to make a statement about it! Other potential problems could be potential buyers being allergic, being offended by seeing dog poop in the yard, shedding hair on furniture or the carpet, smelling odors, etc. If it’s not practical to send the family pet on sabbatical, then at least arrange to take them for a drive or something when buyers are walking through your home.

10. You don’t have to do a complete remodel to your home to sell it but you MUST do the small things. Fix the leaky faucet, patch up the small hole in the wall, touch up the baseboards with a fresh coat of paint, etc. etc. Spending a Saturday or two on the small things will go a LONG way when showing your home!

As a final note, try to think of a few extra things you can do that maybe the house across the street didn’t think of. You want your home to make a strong impression. Try having some fresh baked cookies on the counter when the buyers arrive. Leave a note that tells them to take some. Leave some comment cards and ask for their honest feedback. Put scented candles in some of the rooms. Perhaps some light background music? Remember, it’s all about the feeling. Most people are emotional buyers and you’ll want to make your house as comfortable as possible. Literally make them feel at home. As you do these 10 things you will definitely sell your home faster and get more money for it. Best of luck to you!

Judy Allen is an absolute expert in real estate and has been in the industry for over 28 years. She focuses mainly on selling Davis County Homes in Utah and also Layton Homes. Please stop by her website today to see what she can do for you. Free reprint avaialable from: 10 Simple Ways You Can Help To Sell Your Home Faster.