The first impression I got was; there’s little to no parking space because two large pickup trucks and a trailer filled the driveway.

TIP  Park your trucks on the street if possible and keep garage clear for space to park at least one of your cars

Second impression was entry was not inviting. There were two chairs and a table on porch slab area and empty planters with dirt.

TIP  Entry has to be inviting. Simply set the scene by arranging any furniture to look as if it’s additional living space that can be used and add fresh seasonal flowers to your empty pots. Even in winter/early spring there are pansies or geraniums that will take some cold and are easy to pop into a pot.

Third impression walking in the front door. Every room was painted a different bold color.

TIP  It’s fun to experiment and personalize your home with color but realize that every buyer will have a different opinion on your choices. By asking buyers to accept your taste, you’re narrowing the number who will. It doesn’t have to be beige, but you do have to give the potential buyer of your home the ability to see how their furnishings and taste can live in your home. Neutral also makes your home larger and cleaner.

Top three TIPS for selling are: paint, prepack and clean.

No one wants to inherit a home that needs painting and cleaning. If you don’t want to do it, what makes you think your buyers will?

Prepacking takes the “you” out of the home and gives the buyer a chance to see your home as it could be if they lived in it.

The only cost here is paint and a few cleaning supplies which you probably have already. Don’t leave valuable money and equity on the table (even if you are looking at a short sale). The better your house presents, the better you will come out of any purchase negotiation. It’s your money, hang onto it!

I don’t advocate spending a lot of money when you’re updating your home for sale and this goes for kitchen countertops. You will need to look at your competition in your price range to see if it’s smart for you to spend the money on granite.

If you decide to go ahead, find a reputable designer or contractor and ask if you can pick out the slab at the granite supply warehouse. Most granite installers do granite only. It’s a speciality. So be sure your installer is connected to a reliable source of granite and has a good reputation for installing and completing work on time.

There’s nothing like granite to add a sense of depth and richness to your kitchen. Take a peek at this video to learn more.

It’s tempting to try and do it all. But. While the jury is still out on whether multi-tasking really is productive (most studies will tell you it isn’t) it’s no secret that multi-tasking homes are definitely a DON’T.

What do we mean by multi-tasking homes? When a room or rooms try to serve more than one purpose. The dining room that also serves as your home office.

The master bedroom that functions as a gym slash retreat. The enclosed front porch that serves as a playroom. The guest room slash gym slash office.

Now you’re probably saying to yourself “I don’t have room for a dedicated home office or gym”.

Guess what? That’s exactly what your buyers will be thinking. You don’t have enough space to serve each purpose. If your dining room doubles as a home office you are showing buyers that your home doesn’t have enough room for basic needs such as eating and using the computer without crowding both into the same space.

Space sells. Having enough space for daily living and perhaps a little more will sell your home. The more you can get buyers to see your home as their dream home, the more emotionally “sold” they will be.

So when you’re staging your home for sale, keep in mind each room needs to have a dedicated purpose. Don’t let buyers think your home is not big enough for their dreams.

I think it’s the kitchen. Oh other rooms such as the living and master bedroom are key rooms to attract buyers, but the kitchen is still seen as the heart of the home. Even if no one cooks in it! It’s still the gathering place for families and usually the most casual room in the house. Or at least the easiest to clean up with a mop.

Dated kitchens make buyers go “hmmmmm” and start adding in their head all the expenses of replacing old appliances and cabinets. Well so far there’s no way to update appliance reliably. Spray paint can do in a pinch but not for price ranges above $100K. But what about the cabinets? If the style is dated but they are in good condition, then paint is your answer. If you prep them properly, you will save a ton of money by painting instead of replacing. Solid wood cabinets are the easiest to paint. I would not suggest trying to paint solid surface, formica or fake wood cabinets on your own. That’s best left to a professional.

Take a look at these painted cabinets. Yes they are in gorgeous updated kitchens, but I think you’ll agree the colors are a little out of the box and a refreshing change from the usual white on white. Oh and don’t forget to update the hardware once you’re done!

Or do you just need some great ideas on how to squeeze the most money out of your remodeling budget? Here are some great tips for working with contractors and staying within a budget.

Here is Zillow’s take on national home price trends.

But what seems to be a national trend is home prices trending up – slowly.  California looks like it’s rebounding in most areas. Denver looks very promising as does the previously depressed Phoenix Metro area.

My prediction? Spring of 2013 will be HOT for home sellers.  And buyers had better pay attention because they will likely lose out if they hesitate to put an offer in early on desirable homes in good neighborhoods.

What does this mean if you are thinking of selling your home? Does this mean you can ignore staging your home for sale? No. As with any major asset you own,your home sale will benefit you the most if you are prepared and meet or beat buyer’s expectations.

In some parts of the country buyers are still going to be dealing with lower incomes as a result of job loss or changing jobs. They will be looking at getting the most home for their dollar and that is where your home staging will add to your bottom line. Staging your home raises the perceived value of your home in buyer’s eyes. When they walk in and see a move in ready home (the type of home almost every buyer wants) you will receive a better offer with better terms.

You’ll attract the most qualified and discriminating buyer when your home is in turn key condition. So keep your eyes on the news and the trends, and plan for how you will make the most of current conditions when you stage your home for sale.

Now the conventional wisdom on staging has always been make everything neutral so you don’t offend any potential buyer. While there is a lot of truth to this there are exceptions worth noting.

Our clients often have collections or personal interests that of course they like to display in their home. Collections are often a personal reflection of your values, passions, interests or history. One of the cardinal rules of decorating is to surround yourself with things you love and things that have memories (only good ones please).

However when staging your home for sale, you do want to consider packing up VERY personal items. School colors, flags, mascots can be very distracting, especially if your buyer went to a rival school! Religious items are another source of potential conflict. Again, here is an area where it may be very distracting to your buyer to see your personal religious artifacts on display. Sporting collectibles can also take over a room.

You want your buyers to focus on your home not the things in it. Unless…. and here is an exception. Take a look at this photo of the home we recently staged. We knew the owners had just taken a trip to Paris, so we incoporated a photo of the Eiffel Tower in two places. One leaning on the mantel and the other in a small frame next to the sofa.

This is an appropriate way to introduce some character and appeal to your home for sale without being distracting. It’s a subtle way of being neutral while adding a layer of interest that buyers can connect to. Try it for yourself when you’re staging your home. Adding a little personality is a great way to set your home apart from the competition!

It can be challenging to know how to hang art, how to group art and art placement. Here are some easy tips to get you thinking, and hanging your art like a pro!

Whether you are staging your home for sale or just updating and freshening your home decor, pillows are an affordable place to put your design dollars.

We’ve already given you our sources for purchasing pillows, but how about some tips on how to arrange them? This article gives you a simple go to formula for arranging pillows by size and color. It takes the mystery out of how to choose and arrange your pillows whether they’re on the sofa or the bed.

When you are selling your home or trying to stage it to sell, think about two accent colors that you can focus on that will bring a jolt of color to a drab couch or bed. Go out and find pillows that have these colors and don’t be afraid of how bold the pattern is. That’s what you want on a small pillow. It’s why they are called accents!

Here’s the lowdown on pillow placement.

We talk about this a lot because it can make or break your chances of getting buyer interest. I recently did a home staging caravan with a group of 10 real estate agents from Coldwell Banker. One of our sellers still had a lot of wallpaper on their walls and was resistant to removing it or painting over it.

The agent said her clients look at photos online and if they see one with wallaper, they take if off the “to see” list. Too much work to even think about it. Buyers feel the same way you do. They don’t have the time to update your home! It’s up to you to make the effort if you want to get top dollar when selling your home.

We found these three photos online from a home listed for sale on realtor.com for $325,000. Can you see what’s wrong in each photo?  Can you see why this home’s price has been reduced?

I’m sure this home has great bones, it seems to have nice vaulted ceilings and lots of room for a family. However the photos do not show us a family friendly home. The decor appears dated, which doesn’t appeal to younger families.  In the first photo all we can see is a chair, a fireplace and part of a TV. We don’t get a perspective on how large the room is or how what furniture might fit.

In the second photo we see a room with only a chair and a lamp. How does it show us the purpose of the room? Again, we can’t tell what size the room is. It looks like there are some nice large windows with a great view but we’re not sure!

This bar must be in a basement as it looks very dark. And dated. What could be a great selling feature now becomes a project in buyers eyes. A simple coat of paint over the panelling and some updated accessories would help this bar create buyer interest. A photo taken from another angle would also help to show the size of the room.

Try this. Once you’ve staged your home for sale, get out your camera (or phone) and take some photos of each room. Experiment with different angles. One trick is to take a photo from each corner of the room.

Now take a look at your photos. Do they show your home in it’s best light? Speaking of light, turn all lights on when taking photos indoors. The more lights you have on, the less glare you will have in your photos from natural light. Try to have light from windows behind you when you are taking your shots.

Once you’ve previewed your photos, you’ll have a better idea of how to market your home online, because you’ll be seeing what potential buyers will see. Don’t like what you see? Now is the time to rearrange furniture and accessories to create a more pleasing “frame” for your online photos and turn a Don’t into a Do!