She said, "That way, you won't be overwhelmed by choices, because they narrow it down for you."
A neutral color scheme, for both floors and walls, is important, agents said, because the goal is to appeal to as many different tastes as possible. Buyers need to be able to imagine their belongings in the house. A dark red wall or purple shag carpeting may turn people off because they think it would clash with their belongings.
"You have to make it acceptable to a wide range of people who can visualize their stuff in that space," Kelly said. "People cannot imagine putting their idiosyncratic stuff in with your idiosyncratic stuff."
Neutral often means an off-white, but not always.
"Several years ago, a soft yellow might not have been a pleasing color," agent Sitrin said. "Now, it's neutral. If you have a white chair molding, for example, a soft warm color on the wall can help frame the room. You don't ever want to pick a color that's extreme, though."
Small purchases can make a big difference. For example, Baker bought inexpensive new slip-covers for her sofas, as well as new throw pillows. Agents also said new fluffy towels can be a way to make bathrooms look better. Getting rid of any dated window treatments, like dusty valances or old shades, can make windows brighter.
Paint is often the best investment a seller can make, agents say. And it's not necessary to put two or three coats of paint on the wall as you might if you were painting it for yourself. A single coat of paint, as long as it adequately covers the old paint and any problem areas, can go a long way towards making a home appear fresh and clean, agents said. Painting your front door can also make the entrance into your home more welcoming.
The cleanliness of the house is paramount, stagers and agents say. And clean doesn't mean just a little dusting here and there. Agents advise buyers to get their homes professionally cleaned. If they want to do it themselves, they need to start at the ceiling and work their way down to the baseboards and the floors, leaving no surface untouched. Windows need to gleam, as does the inside of the oven.
Agents also suggest organizing closets, refrigerators, medicine cabinets, laundry room shelves, bathroom vanities, garages and any other storage areas. That's because a tidy closet gives a buyer the impression that a home has been well-maintained, they say. If these people keep their closets this neat, the thinking goes, they must have kept up with the maintenance of the house. Conversely, if the closets are chaotic, the house could prove to be a disaster too, a buyer might reason.
With clean, comes a pleasant odor, a must for a home on the market. Pets are better housed elsewhere when selling. Scented candles can be lighted before an open house, but don't use too many. Freshly baked cookies leave a pleasant aroma.
But does all of this work -- and money -- really translate into a higher sales price? And is it even necessary in a market where fairly-priced homes can sell in a matter of days?
There are no data that compare what a house sold for when it was painted and when it wasn't, so it's largely a matter of opinion whether to bother. Local agents certainly think a seller should.
"It's absolutely worth it," said agent Greco, who for several years has employed designer Sullivan to advise sellers on staging their homes.
"It's a product you're selling," she said. "The better the product looks, the higher you'll get." Greco estimates that for every $1 sellers spend on cosmetic upgrades, such as painting, carpeting, de-cluttering and sprucing up landscaping, they will get $1.50 back.
"Young buyers now are completely different than when I bought a home," she said. "When I bought, you'd buy a place with green shag carpeting and purple walls. You worked like a dog for a week or two and had instant equity. Today, prices are so high, people are cashed out. And they're both working. They'd rather just spend more and have a turnkey operation. They're tired."
Greco says staging a home is a win-win situation for her and the clients because the house sells more quickly and for more money. Home sellers seem convinced, too.
Barbara Dunn, who sold her four-bedroom house in Annandale at the beginning of October, is sure she got back the $10,000 she spent getting it ready to sell. Dunn re-carpeted three rooms and some stairs; put in new laminate flooring in the family room; got rid of her heavy drapes and bought new wooden shades for the family room; bought new vanities for the three bathrooms; painted the garage and the basement; and got rid of boxes and boxes of stuff.
She received four offers on her house in the one day it was on the market. It was listed at $550,000; it sold for $579,000.
"I don't think I would've gotten four contracts if I hadn't made all those changes," Dunn said. "I think the house would've sold readily, but people wouldn't have been clamoring for it like they were. It was Grand Central Station in here. And people were mentioning that the house was so well-maintained. It made an impression."
To read last Saturday's article on polishing house exteriors, see www.washingtonpost.com/realestate.
