Staging your home can help you get top dollar for the selling price. However, be careful not to confuse decorating and home staging. When you decorate a home you make it comfortable for you and your family. When you staging a home, the focus is on merchandising the property. The idea is to make the house appear clean and uncluttered so that potential buyers can connect with the home.

Here are 10 home staging tips that can be applied to your home:

Make a good first impression.

First impression is critical when trying to sell a home. Buyers can sometimes make up their mind even before they get out of the car. Clean up the yard, rake the leaves, shovel the snow and sweep the driveway and porches. Also make sure you bring the recycling and garbage bins to the back of the house.

Unclutter

Cluttered rooms and closets can distract potential home buyers. It can also make your rooms appear smaller. So clear up the closets and cupboards, box small appliances, books, CDs and DVDs. Pare everything down. Be ruthless!

Impersonal

You want your home to appeal to a large number of buyers. You want them to imagine living in the house. So put away anything connected with your personal interests.

Keep it fresh

You may not be aware of this, but chances are your home… smells. This is particularly offensive when the smell is of smoke or pet odors. Open your windows everyday for 10 minutes, this will help air out the house. You can also use the oldest trick of all: leave chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven.

Grime be gone

A clean house will help buyers feel like you have taken good care of your home. Go ahead and clean everything: walls, door handles, light fixtures, and pantry cupboards. This concept also applies to the furnace, fuse box and electrical panel.

Hire a handyman

Small problems such as dripping faucets, cracked tiles and mouldy caulking and shave thousands off your selling price. Walk through your house and compile a list of things that need to be fixed and fix them.

Use colour

The biggest bang for your buck may be a fresh coat of paint in key areas of your home. Paint your front door and place some planters on your front steps. Inside your home, make sure you choose wall colors that will appeal to a large number of potential buyers. Keep the colors light and neutral.

Remove furniture

The easiest way to make a room feel larger is to remove some of the furniture. So go ahead and remove a sofa and end tables to give a room a more open and airy space. If your furniture is quite old, you may want to consider renting a few modern pieces. Keep it clean and simple. Think of a boutique hotel room or the show room for a new house.

Light it up

Homes that are bright and sunny are easier to sell. A good window cleaning is recommended – clean windows can let as much as 30% more light in than grimy ones. Clean the shades of your light fixtures and change the bulbs if necessary. When the time comes to show your home, make sure all the lights are on.

Add a touch of nature

Planters on your front porch, a vase of flowers on a table or even a single flower in a small vase can warm up a room. You want to avoid making a room feel dull and sterile. Flowers and candles are a great way to dress up a room.