DO-IT-YOURSELF STAGING

Sellers shouldn’t look at the cost of staging a home. Instead, they should consider how much more it will allow them to make on their house, says Peggy Selinger-Eaton, who has recently published a book and DVD entitled, "Stage Your Home for Profit." Here are Selinger-Eaton’s suggestions for do-it-yourself stagers:

• Remove clutter except for a few wisely chosen accessories (candles, fresh flowers, crystal).

• Bedrooms should have beds: If you're a bed short, use an inflatable mattress and some boxes to create a faux bed.

• Light and more light: Raise window blinds and remove screens from windows to let in as much natural light as possible.

• Modernize fixtures: Replace boring or tarnished light fixtures. Trade in old lampshades for new ones. Replace sink and tub fixtures with modern, shiny ones.

• Deep-six shabby furniture. Selinger-Eaton recommends buying cheap-chic replacements at Target.

• Create life: Set the table, leave on the big-screen TV, play background music.

Source: Christian Science Monitor, Keith Rockmael (03/13/2006)