| If you are really serious about staging your house to | | | | laundry. Everything that's left should be arranged |
| sell, you will have to stage more than just the living | | | | neatly. |
| room, bedrooms and kitchen. Use this list as a helpful | | | | - Don't forget the pictures. Most staging books will tell |
| reminder that all spaces in your house should be | | | | you to hide or store your personal family photos. |
| staged. After all, you're selling the whole house, not | | | | This is fantastic advice. You want to make sure that |
| just selected areas. | | | | your house is as "person-neutral" as possible, so it is |
| - Don't forget your closets. Storage is a major selling | | | | very important that you depersonalize by getting rid |
| point, but cluttered storage can kill a sale. Be sure to | | | | of wedding pictures, family portraits and school |
| maximize all the storage spaces in your house. Either | | | | pictures. If, however, that is all you have up on your |
| sell or use a storage unit to clear out the clutter to | | | | walls, do invest in some inexpensive, generic pieces |
| make your closets appear as spacious as possible. | | | | of art to hang on the walls so they don't look too |
| Buy some inexpensive shelving to organize your | | | | bare. |
| closets. And don't forget the kitchen cabinets. Make | | | | - Don't forget the refrigerator. Most people use their |
| sure that they are neat and tidy. | | | | refrigerators as big metal advertizing kiosks. What do |
| - Don't forget the pantry. The pantry is specialized | | | | they advertize? Your entire life: doctors' |
| storage space for food. Make sure it is organized and | | | | appointments, snapshots, the school newsletter, your |
| that all items are grouped in a meaningful way. If a | | | | children's artwork, coupons, the honey-do list--it's all |
| potential buyer looks in your pantry and sees a | | | | up there. Take it all down and put the honey-do list in |
| jumbled mess of food and paper goods, they will | | | | your honey's sock drawer. |
| think that the pantry storage in your house is | | | | - Don't forget the knick-knacks. Everyone has |
| obviously not adequate. | | | | them--the coconut monkey head that you got on |
| - Don't forget the garage. I have never understood | | | | vacation to Hawaii, the collection of shot glasses |
| having a two-car garage packed so full of stuff that | | | | from around the world, the toothpick holder |
| the cars have to stay in the driveway. Most two-car | | | | collection. There is no need to show off your |
| garages are at least 400 square feet. Maximize that | | | | obsessive compulsive tendencies by showcasing 200 |
| space as much as you can. Clear it out, have a | | | | Pez dispensers. Seriously edit your collections to the |
| garage sale, give a bunch of stuff away, donate it to | | | | ones that will appeal to the broadest range of |
| charity, but just get it out of the garage. Arrange | | | | potential buyers. Of those, limit the display to five |
| necessities neatly by using a pegboard or other | | | | pieces, maximum. The rest of what makes the house |
| similar system. Make sure that you can get both cars | | | | your home needs to get packed away awaiting a |
| in the garage. | | | | place of honor in your next home. |
| - Don't forget the laundry room. The laundry room is | | | | Other areas that will need to be staged are the |
| often a no-man's land of hidden and hiding socks, half | | | | entryway, the porch and the front, back and side |
| empty bottles of cleaner, shoe polish and all the | | | | yards. Stage every space, and keep this in mind: you |
| other odds and ends that you can't find another | | | | are setting the stage for others to project their lives |
| place for. It's a laundry room, people. It's used for | | | | on. Don't let your "stuff" or your decorating sense |
| doing laundry. Go through everything in your laundry | | | | get in the way of your goal. |
| room and get rid of anything that doesn't pertain to | | | | |