The newly published Home Staging For Dummies
(a Wiley imprint, May 5, 2008, $19.99) teaches homeowners, real estate agents, investors, and builders how to make important home improvements in the most cost and time effective way.

Why stage your home? In a buyer’s market, a home that is cluttered and needs repairs will turn off potential buyers. Authors Christine Rae and Jan Saunders Maresh, two nationally recognized authorities in the field, assert that “a complete and proper home staging takes an occupied house from okay to wow. If you have a house that’s just sitting on the market drawing no offers, or if you’re getting ready to list a property for sale…staging the property gives you a marketing edge.” Better yet, the investment in staging costs far less than the first price reduction, allowing you to actually save money.
Home Staging For Dummies helps identify the pros of cons of your property and provides easy, cost-effective solutions.

It covers:

• Preparing Your Property for Sale: Discover what buyers are looking for and the assets that identify what you’re selling. This section outlines the basic principles of staging, starting with color, light, and furniture placement.

• Three Staging Steps: Learn how property staging is not just decorating.

• Working Through Your House, Room by Room: Assess each room’s purpose, architectural features, and the things buyers are going to want (everything from the kitchen to the closets).

• Addressing Special Staging Considerations: Find out how to deal with your mother-in-law’s teacup collection, your sports paraphernalia, or a home teeming with your children’s toys. This part includes an introduction to feng shui practices that can help direct energy (and buyers) through your house, as well as eco-friendly staging ideas.

• For Dummies “The Part of Tens”: A feature of every For Dummies book, the Part of Tens include ten ways to avoid common mistakes, ten reasons to bring in a professional stager, and ten of the authors’ favorite staging products, tools, and ways to get your house ready for the sale.

A seller can become blind to the wear-and-tear and flaws of their house, which can often leap out at the prospective buyer. Whether you’re a do-it-yourselfer, or want to call in the pros, Home Staging For Dummies is an essential guide to getting the most money from your house.