Step 3. Design to Sell Fast!

You have no doubt watched thousands of hours of before and after home improvement shows and yes, they do make things look incredibly easy. We're two-thirds through our three-step process and you've figured out that getting a home ready for sale is a lot of work. Fortunately, it does pay off in terms of a better price at closing, and that time is almost here. Staging puts the icing on the cake, so to speak.

Like anything else, to get to the glamour part you have to endure the hard stuff. So how do they make decorating to sell look so easy?

Every HGTV home staging show on television has a huge staff that you don't see on film. The designer or host usually has a design group that helps with the design decisions. Those carpenters that can seem to do anything? Well that's about $10,000 worth of labor that isn't factored into the $2,000 budget limit. We're not saying that the designer/hosts aren't talented, which they are, we're just letting you know that they have help - and lots of it.

If you watch "Designed to Sell" closely, each personality has their own jumping off point when they begin a makeover. Some use paint colors, another might start with a fabric remnant, still others start with furniture and its placement. These are their particular hallmarks and all these strategies work because they are being implemented by a professional. We will show you how to level the playing field since you probably don't have a staff of 10 and 2 super-carpenters at your beck and call. Also note that the home staging case studies they do are totally different - it's television after all. The tried-and-true furniture sources and color schemes that we reveal to you on this site work every time. Anyone can stage a home - you just need the right tools and information to do it well.

Because every home is different, it is often hard to take ideas from television episodes and translate them to your home. But, if you listen to the dialog on the television show, you can learn a lot about design. Don't watch the shows just for the specific projects. Watch them for the design tips which are woven into the conversations between the designer and homeowner and the designer and the carpenters. Their dialog will give you added insight into how home staging works.

Oh, and one more thing, you will learn even more about staging by following our step-by-step staging plans for each type of space in a home. Just click on any of the links below and get started!