It's time to sell your house, and you know you need to stage it for sale, but you're not sure how. This step-by-step guide will help you successfully prepare your house for the market, from fixing necessary repairs to cleaning hidden messes.

It's Sad To Say Goodbye, But It's Time To Modify Your Home

Staging a house is all about one thing: making your home inviting to potential buyers. Buyers want to feel like they could live in your home. You don't want anything to throw them off such a path, like seeing too many of your own things, damage to walls and furnishings, or general untidiness.

Start With A Purge

Clutter makes a home uninviting, so open your space by removing as many of the extras from your house as possible. Start with the junk that can be tossed in the dumpster, recycled, or donated. Get it out of the house so you can focus your attention on more important jobs. Organize your rooms and closets; then consider taking anything else you don't need to a storage unit.

Don't Forget the Small Repairs

After getting your clutter out of the way, it's time to take care of all the little repairs that have gone unchecked. Years of living can lead to undesirable grime, dust, and deferred maintenance.

Do a thorough investigation of your house. You'll need to fix holes in the wall, no matter the size. Check for broken glass, mirrors, and lightbulbs, then replace as necessary. Look at sinks, bathtubs, showers, and toilets for any leaks, stains, or cracks, which will need to be cleaned and sealed. When it's all clear, splash your walls with a fresh coat of neutral paint.

It's Time For A Deep Clean

The next step is to clean your house from top to bottom. Get out the disinfectant sprays, wash rags, and purifiers to sanitize the house. You want your home to be presentable to buyers in all facets, so leave no stone unturned.

Perfect Presentation

Now that you've gotten all the potential defects out of the way, it's time to show off what you have to offer. Success is all in the details. A well-staged house will leave plenty of welcoming space, excellent lighting, and limited furnishings. Most homes won't sell in a day, so it's important to keep things fresh as you go. Stay on top of new messes and necessary repairs.

Curb Appeal

You will want to make a great first impression with a nicely curated lawn, a fresh coat of outer paint, and a lovely garden if possible. Finally, you will need to power wash the driveway, walkway, and windows. Taking care of the outside of your home will give your house a great first impression on potential buyers.

Preparing your house for potential home buyers is more than just sticking a price tag on a sign and calling it a day. People looking for a new home will want to know that it not only worked for you but that it will work for them as well. Following these tips will get you on the path to success.

Enjoying your backyard in the summer months is a treat if you have been cooped up indoors during the cold and wet months. Here are four ways you can spruce up your yard and make it a summer haven.

1. Clean your outdoor furniture
After months of not being used and sitting around collecting dust and dirt, your outdoor furniture probably looks less than inviting. It's time to break out a bucket of water and soap, and clean them up. If they still look shabby, you can can paint them. This is a good way to change the look of your backyard furniture for the cost of a can of paint.

2. Create shaded places to relax
During the summer months it's nice to spend time outdoors, but there should be shaded areas so that no one has to be directly in the sun. If you're lucky enough to have a large tree in your backyard, you can arrange seating underneath. If you have a table on which you have meals outdoors, use an umbrella to create shade.

3. Add colorful flowers
One of the joys of summer is the abundance of bright colors. You can purchase or grow flowers to add to the patio or perimeter of your yard. Bright colors put people in a good mood and make them want to spend time in the area. If you're a creative person, you might also want to paint your flowerpots to add extra color.

4. Add lighting for evenings
Enjoying your backyard doesn't have to stop when the sun goes down. You can string lights around your yard and enjoy it in the evening as well. You can go as simply as white lights around your patio, or get more creative if you're the crafty and adventurous type. You can find dozens of lighting ideas online.

It doesn't take a lot of money to improve the look of your yard, just a little time and creativity.