By Jan Landon
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

When trying to sell a house it can be all about staging— making it appealing to potential buyers who stop by. According to StagedHomes.com, staged homes sell 38 days faster and for 6.9% more money than non-staged homes. Take advantage of home staging with the following tips from homebuying.about.com:

• Tell yourself it is not your home. Let go of emotional attachments to the home and realize it is a product you are trying to sell.

• Remove personal items. Pack away and store family photographs and  personal artifacts.

• Get rid of clutter. Pack up knick-knacks and give away or throw away unneeded items.

• Tidy up closets and cabinets. Potential buyers just might take a look behind the doors.

• Remove any excess furniture. Only have enough furniture in a room to highlight the purpose.

• Make minor repairs—fix leaky faucets, patch holes in walls, replace burned out light bulbs.

• Scrub the house. Clean everything, remove cobwebs, dust, hang up fresh towels and vacuum.

• Keep outside neat and tidy. Make sure sidewalks are cleared and the lawn is mowed.

• Be sure and remove any pet odors. Try not to have pets in the home when it is being shown.

After the house is sold
Once you sell your house, it’s time to move, and challenges of moving are as unique as each individual person. As the opening of Tallgrass Creek  approaches, Judy Baxter, move-in coordinator, helps future residents with the transition.

“As exciting and wonderful as it is, it’s a change,” she says. “My role is to help facilitate that—to make it as seamless as possible.”

Baxter makes home visits equipped with her tape measure, ruler, and a floor plan of the resident’s new apartment. Together she and the future residents talk, measure, and come up with a plan to make the move.