Boost Your Home's Selling Price

Most homeowners want their homes to sell quickly for the highest price possible. To accomplish that, Jane Brown, owner of Diamond Certified's Optimum Realty, a full-service real estate firm, strongly recommends that sellers consider staging their homes before posting a "for sale" sign. Staged homes stand out from the others, and evoke an emotional response from prospective buyers.

New home developers originally introduced staging by fully furnishing their models. The concept is now applied to existing homes. Once you remove your clutter and furnishings, the walls get a fresh coat of neutral colored paint. Then an experienced interior designer creates a motif with temporary furniture and just the right accessories. The idea is to maximize the use of space and create immediate curb appeal. According to Ms. Brown, this approach works well on almost any property and in her experience, results in an increased selling price of somewhere between $20,000 and $40,000.