Out of Sight, Out of Buyers' Minds
By Barbara Ballinger CTW Features

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Keep it simple: A single vase on the table and a few dinnerware on display gives your home a clean, appealing look. Out of Sight, Out of Buyers' Minds

There is a fine line between de-cluttering your house so that homebuyers can picture themselves living there with their own possessions and leaving some things about so they know someone else has lived in and loved the house.

While most real estate practitioners can offer you tips on what to keep and remove, other professionals also have jumped in to help with a list of do's and don'ts. Some describe themselves as professional organizers; others call themselves stagers. Both groups share the same goal that the practitioners do: make your house look so divine that buyers won't be able to resist making a bid.

But the process is more art than science, says Jaynee Acevedo, founder of Capital Style Home Staging, Kensington, Md. She tries to have each room tell a story. In one house, she recently had some of the six bedrooms "tell" that they could be used for other purposes than sleeping. One became an office, one a nursery and one a playroom, says Acevedo, a member Staged Homes, a staging organization.

Her fees - and those of most stagers and organizers - vary depending on the size of the house and scope of the project. Acevedo's consultation fee is $225, but she charges extra for doing any physical work or buying or renting furnishings.

The good news is that there's a payback. According to a Staged Homes survey, houses that sat on the market for more than five months sold within two weeks after being staged. Houses that were staged before going on the market sold in less than two weeks. Staging also boosts equity nearly 6 percent, the organization says. Of course, this is not going to be the case in every market, but it shows that staging does have an impact.

So, how do you begin? Before you call a stager or organizer, try to look at your house through the eyes of a buyer who has never seen your home, say Kelly Boyd and Terrie Konsky, co-owners of Hometenders Network, St. Louis. The partners offer five key R's:

+ Re-organize. Simplify each room, remove clutter and collectibles, store excess "stuff" and furniture, and box up anything that doesn't enhance the room. "How you live and how you market your home to sell are two different issues," says Konsky. "In my own living room, I have two sofas because we like to lay on them, but if I listed it, I'd want to make the room look bigger and might replace a sofa with two chairs. Most people have too much furniture," she says.

+ Re-arrange. Moving furniture helps you find new, appealing space with better flow. "In a master bedroom, you need to see the bed and want the room to be a sanctuary without chaos," Konsky says.

+ Re-assess. Clean-sweep the contents of your home. Decide what to keep, sell or discard. In a $1.5 million house in suburban St. Louis, the women gently told the owner her photos had to go. "She acted like we had stuck a knife in her," Konsky says. "We told her to box them up and open them up in her new home like presents," Konsky says.

+ Re-accessorize. Add hipper accessories, arrangements and colors. One house recently staged required changing artwork since the frames were too light and dated, Konsky says.

+ Re-act. Many put off the task until the market is better or the weather improves. "There's never a good time, so do it!" Konsky says.

To compensate for fees spent, which they say average between $2,000 and $3,000, they recommend adding those dollars to the listing price.

In addition to the initial steps offered above, consider the following 10 points provided by Julie Dana, an accredited stager and co-author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Staging Your Home" (Alpha Books, 2007):

+ Go through your front door as a buyer might. Check curb appeal from the street, then enter your house to make sure it offers a great first impression.

+ Remove or bundle wires. Keep cords and wires neat and tidy, particularly those coming out of TVs and computers. De-tangle messy ones and bundle them using cord organizers. This sends a message that your house is well-cared-for.

+ Display only the latest appliances. A bulky computer monitor may look dated; displaying a neat notebook shows you stay up to date. People will transfer that message to your home, Dana says. Remember the rule of three. When it comes to small appliances, only leave out your three favorite ones.

+ Keep shelves half full. Clear shelves and closets so there are plenty of room, particularly on closet floors. "Buyers want to know they'll have room to put their things since many move from smaller homes," she says.

+ Clear coffee tables. Again, go for the de-cluttered look. Replace objects with a few high-end, current magazine issues. For a kitchen island, put out a nice bowl with fruit.

+ Remove religious and political items. Now is not the time to get embroiled in a heavy discussion. "You want to welcome rather than offend buyers," Dana says.

+ Eliminate what's passé. Wallpaper patterns and color fade in and out of favor, so remove it, especially floral paper that makes many men uncomfortable, she says.

+ Discreetly display a few homey touches. Place patio furniture outdoors; put a few placemats and plates on the dining room table, and set out a bouquet of flowers.

+ Incorporate sound and lighting. Play soft music from your area's favorite radio station. Turn lights on in every room.

+Clean, clean, clean. Location, location, location may be the most important real estate mantra, but clean, clean, clean is right behind.