Preparing your home for potential buyers, or staging, can make selling your home much easier and quicker. Not only does it help you to think like a buyer but it also vastly increases the likelihood of a sale in your asking price.

For both the interior and exterior of your home, make sure to clean up as much as possible, and take away as many personal items as you can while still leaving the house looking like it is decorated. Pictures of your family’s trip to Europe might be beautiful, but you’re not the one buying the house. The idea is to give the potential buyers the opportunity to picture their own families living there, not yours.

Exterior

The outside of your house is all about curb appeal. The best place to start is on the street. Put yourself in the shoes of a buyer, and take a look at your house. Write down anything that jumps out at you whether it’s the painting quality or the landscaping. Then prioritize your list in terms of cost, time and need. If the front of the house looks clean but boring, here are a couple of ideas to make it shine:

• Doors and windows: First off, make sure they match. People tend to upgrade different things at different times, so make sure the styles and colors are the same. If you need to upgrade your windows, a company like Renewal by Andersen has a high rating by customers in Boston.
• Porch: If you have a porch or patio on the front of your house, make sure it is furnished in a way that is inviting. Comfy chairs and flowers can help people picture themselves sitting there. Above all, make sure it is clean; if necessary, use a power washer to blast away dirt and grime.
• Landscaping: Nothing turns away potential buyers at the curb like a messy lawn. Consider outsourcing this as the lawn and yard will need to be regularly maintained while your house is on the market. A company like Dooling Landscaping can help you maintain your yard as well as perform any necessary upgrades.

Interior

Once you get potential buyers through the front door, the first step is done. This is the time you can show off your house, and let buyers picture themselves living there. The following are just a few ways to prepare:

• Remove all family photos and exotic art or furniture. You want the potential buyers to see their family in the house, not yours.
• Order flowers from a company like FTD to make your house feel fresh and lively. Depending on how long your house is on the market, consider decorating with seasonal or holiday-themed bouquets. Decorating your house for Thanksgiving or the 4th of July can have a huge impact. Just make sure that your decorations appeal to everyone regardless of where they come from.
• Spend extra time in the common areas such as the kitchen or living room. Make sure these rooms are cleaned extra well, and remove any clutter. Consider upgrading the appliances, or giving the cabinets a new staining to make the room feel more modern and taken care of.
• Themes can go a long way on the interior of the house. If your son’s room is baseball-themed, keep it. The themes make the house feel more real and give potential buyers their own ideas.
• Take advantage of various color schemes and color psychology when painting. Red, for example, can convey emotions of love and excitement while blue can evoke calmness and serenity.