You don’t have to spend a fortune to make your home look ready for opening night, but you might pay a psychological price. You’ll have to look at your beloved property objectively to spot the eyesores and problems a buyer will quickly notice. Then, you’ll have to store your treasures, which strangers might consider trash. Ouch! Take a deep breath, maybe pour a cocktail, and consider these common, staging improvements that agents recommend. Declutter: Clutter makes you want to flee your own home, so imagine its impact on a buyer. The problem is, everybody has his own clutter threshold. You might think a refrigerator covered with kids’ art adds a homey touch, while a buyer might think it makes your kitchen look messy. The trick is to look at your home through the eyes of a stranger. Sort, sell, or give away all the stuff that litters closets, tables, countertops, and bookcases. In the best of all worlds, you’ll have months to wrangle your clutter; but in a pinch, you can bag or box the stuff, store it in the basement or in a storage unit, and go through it at your leisure. As a standard, go through your home and get rid of 50% of your belongings. Highly personalized items, photographs, out- of-season clothes, random junk, and excessive furniture need to go. To be clear, you do not have to throw the stuff out! Donate it. Sell it at a yard sale. Give it away. Someone can use what you don’t need. Put precious items, such as family photos, into a safe or offsite storage. Once you declutter, you will be amazed how much roomier and nicer your home feels. The goal is to depersonalize the home so potential buyers can envision themselves living there. 33
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