Have you ever noticed how pristine a celebrity’s home appears whenever you get an “inside look”? Do you ask yourself where the stacks of mail, clutter, carpet stains, etc. have gone? If you’ve ever wondered how someone like Carrot Top can keep his home in a better condition than you, then you probably haven’t heard of “staging.”

Staging is the process of cleaning and perfecting the appearance of your home, and can be a fantastic way to make your little piece of Denver Real Estate stand out. When you’re ready to sell, you may want to hire a professional stager to make your home look as perfect as possible. However, you can do it yourself with little to no cost by following these five steps:

Step #1: Put Away Personal Items

For this, you’ll just need some boxes and packing tape. There are two reasons why you should pack away as many personal items as possible when your home goes on the market. First, it gives the home a much cleaner look, especially if you’re the type of person with a lot of knickknacks (yes, guys, put your action figures away … girls, too). Second, you want a potential buyer to envision themselves living in your home with their personal things and yours will make it harder for them to do that.

Step #2: Get Rid of Clutter

Many of us live in homes that have at least a small degree of clutter. Some have piles of papers that they plan to “go through” eventually. This is especially true for families with children. You want your place to be as empty as possible so that potential buyers can concentrate on the bare bones of your home. If needed, rent a storage unit for a month or two and move your stuff in there for a while.

Step #3: Clean and Deodorize

No one wants to view a dirty home, so this is when you want to pull out all the stops and start scrubbing. Definitely hit the big things like the carpet, walls, windows, and floors, but also clean those hard-to-reach areas that you’re always neglecting. You can do this yourself or pay for a home cleaning service, which will typically run you $100 or less. And finally, it doesn’t hurt to make your home smell good by baking cookies or bringing cinnamon sticks to a slow boil in a pot of water.

Step #4: Rearrange and Neutralize Your Rooms

Each room should have a distinct purpose, so it’s important to rearrange them to display that purpose to a potential buyer. This includes closets — if you’ve been hoarding decades worth of old shoes, now is the time to get rid of them. Next, neutralize each room with a new coat of paint. This low-cost technique has been shown to give back a good return on your investment.

Step #5: Enhance the Exterior

The first thing that a potential buyer sees when they approach your home is its exterior. You want to make a great first impression, so you definitely need to focus on making the exterior more attractive. You should first remove any clutter or debris from outside. Next, either mow the lawn and trim your bushes or hire a professional to do it. Once that’s done, rent a pressure washer and focus on the exterior walls, driveway, and sidewalk. When in doubt, pick up some much — it makes everything look better.