have several children, which can make it challenging to maintain a home that’s always clean and show-ready. Potential buyers should be alerted that the seller has vacated the house to show it at its best. Otherwise, shoppers might interpret a vacant home as meaning a “motivated seller” who needs to sell quickly. One comment on a real estate online forum tells of making an o ff er of $30,000 less than the asking price, believing the owners might be getting desperate to sell . Th ey were askin g $300,000. Th e buyer was sold on it anyway and would have paid more, but “haggling” began well below what was expected because the buyer read the fact that the home was unlived in as a clue to a desperate-to-sell owner. BUDGETING YOUR “BIG PRODUCTION” When preparing for sale, think of your home as a movie or stage play set, arranged precisely for the intended purpose—to earn you more money on the sale of your home. Your home-staging expenditure might range from 1 percent to 3 percent of the listing price of a home. On the other hand, it may result in selling the house for 5 percent to 10 percent more. START STAGING WITH WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE O ft en, the trick with staging is to take out, rather than bring in. At base, home staging is about creating more space by clearing clutter, unnecessary objects, or furniture, giving the rooms a fresh, neutral color, and making necessary (and even cosmetic) repairs. Replacing carpets an d fl oors is common. To avoid investing in new furniture (some do this or rent exquisite furniture) and avoid spending thousands of dollars on this project, your or your professional home stager’ s fir st step is to do as much as possible with everything you already have in your house . Th e priciest items will probably come with making updates and repairs inside and outside your house . Th e least
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