Curbly has a Q&A with a staging expert aimed at normal people who are looking to stage their house for potential buyers, and in so doing, sell their property for more money. The catch is that most people don’t have Oprah Winfrey’s suggested $10,000 to drop on just staging a home, so they have to put their money where it counts. From Curbly:

[Curbly]
What are the three best things people can do to get a home ready to sell?

[Cindy]
Cleaning: I’m not talking about “I swept my floor today” clean, I’m talking about the “mother-in-law is coming to visit” clean. Cleaning is really the other great thing that you can do to renew your home without spending any money. Power wash your exterior & windows will help to “freshen up” the exterior. In the interior, vacuum the floor and carpet thoroughly (including corners!), wash the drapes and window treatments if they are dusty, wax the floor if you can to give your floor a facelift, wipe down all the countertops. Cleaning gives buyers the idea that this home is well-maintained, which is really important since most of us prefer to buy a turn-key home.

Paint: Painting is the cheapest investment that will give you the best return when you sell a home. A fresh coat of paint will really make the room feels bigger, lighter and brighter. If you have out of date wallpaper, get rid of it!

Cindy is a member of Curbly, so you can ask her any questions you have. The whole thing makes us want to clean out our closet. —MEGHANN MARCO

Stage Your House and Sell For More [Curbly]

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