By Nan Johnston, Southern Staging & Redesign
One of the best things about my work is that I get to meet some really interesting people and see how other people live and experience life.  Most are a little nervous about having someone come in and give them advice about how to prepare their home to sell, and I think it’s because they think that stagers are mean and intimidating like that lady that used to be on TV.
No matter how beautiful or how much work is needed, the following things are mentioned at every home staging consultation and I thought I’d pass it along to our readers.
Appearance. Highest priority is curb appeal and front entrance. Pay the most attention at this location because this is where we either keep them interested or lose them and purchase a new door mat

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Light it up. Turn on anything that has a bulb in it. Furniture such as china cabinets or kitchen cabinets. Make sure all of the bulbs are the same color and no pig tail bulbs fluorescent bulbs or LED with bluish tint.

Now don’t be stubborn. If you have “taste specific “ decor, being stubborn about changes and making it more buyer friendly is only going to hurt you.
So some work. Go ahead and do the work needed. The buyer will subtract 3 times more than it will cost you to go ahead and do the work.
New linens. Update/change your bed linens. The mattress pad, sleeping pillows, sheets and decorative linens hold our odor and a buyer doesn’t want to smell you when they are considering your house to purchase.
Extra attention. The functional spaces such as the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry area need to be “pretty” while on the market. Extra attention will need to be paid to these areas on a daily basis to keep your home in showing condition

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Photo ready? The most important day is picture day and if the house isn’t ready, the worst thing you can do is put the house on the market before it’s ready to show.
See that’s not so bad is it?  There is a lot more involved in a consultation, but you can bet the bank that all of the above suggestions will be mentioned at every Southern Staging & Redesign consultation.
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Nan Johnston is a professional home staging consultant from Newnan with over 30 years experience in the real estate industry. Check out her website for some interesting before and after photos at www.southern-staging.com. To contact her, email her at [email protected].