Everyone appreciates a neat, clean, and decluttered home. And how you present your home makes a difference to potential buyers, as it opens the space and enables them to visualize how they will use it. This is a situation where less is often more . . . Below are 10 easy staging tips to put your best foot forward. For those of you not in the market, many of these tips are helpful improvements in making your home a calm, peaceful oasis, a popular goal and topic of interest for many.

10 Easy Staging and Decluttering Tips for Selling or Home Improvement

1. Push furniture against walls to open the space and visually enlarge the room.  Furniture usually fits best when aligning furniture to walls similar in size and scale.

2. Open drapes to allow light in.  Consider simplifying window treatments or removing them altogether if privacy is not an issue.

3. Clear all counters and surface areas—kitchen and bathroom counters, dining and coffee tables, dressers, nightstands, credenzas, desks, coffee tables, etc.

4. Eliminate all small objects, furniture, and trinkets.  Decorative ornaments should be about the size of a small basketball.  Also remove all personal objects such as photos, paperwork, and other mementos.

5. Watch out for “hot spots.”  Hot spots are those areas where things habitually accumulate, such as the kitchen or dining table, the front hallway, desk, or elsewhere.  Create organization systems to efficiently process these items.  For instance, if shoes accumulate at the door, then find a way to store them neatly.  If mail piles up on your kitchen counter, designate a basket, box, or drawer to store correspondence for future handling.

6. Edit bookcases to reduce clutter and visual “busyness.”  Reduce books by 30% to create a few empty spaces for complementary accent pieces.  Straighten books, align the spines, and consider organizing by color.

7. Remove all extraneous items not actively in use.  If they are seasonal or you plan to take these items with you, temporarily place in bins or boxes and store in the basement, attic, or garage.

8. Replace all linens—towels, pillows, and bedding—for a fresh, updated look.  Think of the displays at stores such as Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  Try to make each room look comfortable, cozy, and idyllic.

9. Clean, clean, clean!  Now that the clutter is removed, you have room to clean.  Everything should be spotless, shiny, and new-looking, from the kitchen sink, appliances, and cabinets, to floors, windows, walls, and baseboards.  Be sure carpeting is clean, too, and take care of minute details such as light switches, doors, and door handles. 

10. Last but not least—consider giving rooms a fresh coat of paint.

BONUS! 11. Add fresh plants and flowers in a few select areas for life and vibrancy.

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If you are interested in selling, buying, or investing, please contact us—we would be glad to help.

We offer award-winning marketing and design, 27 years of legal real estate experience, and more than $100 million dollars of successful real estate transactions, making us a one-stop-shop for selling your home.

Our services include pre-listing preparation, to brokerage, to closing. We will handle the many legal needs that arise for your property, ensuring a smooth transaction of your valuable asset.

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New England Classic Homes is a real estate agency representing sellers, buyers, and investors. We are pleased to offer real estate brokerage for sellers and buyers, legal counsel and tax planning from offer to closing, award-winning marketing of your home, and staging preparation--all under one roof.

Contact us today at 978.724.3500 or at info@neclassichomes.com.

We encourage you to visit our website, as well, at www.neclassichomes.com.