5 DirtCheap Home Staging Ideas

Packing away personal items is one of the simplest -- and cheapest -- things you can do to sell your house or condo quickly, according to Page and Radice.

"The reason you want to 'de-personalize' your home is because you want buyers to view it as their potential home," Page says.

Prospective buyers won't be able to picture themselves in the house if they're surrounded by dozens of photos of your children and grandparents.

"Pictures are extremely distracting. You cannot believe how long potential buyers will stop and stare at people they do not know in photos," says Radice, who also recommends removing any religious items from plain view.

"You want your home to show like a model," Radice says.

In addition to attracting the buyer, "you want the buyer's agent to enjoy showing the home. You never know whom they may have, if this particular buyer is not interested," says Radice, who is in the top 1 percent of Realtors nationwide.

The cost: $2 to $3 for a roll of packaging tape. You already have the scissors on hand and you can often score the boxes for free from a neighborhood store.

Ridding your home of clutter is another simple way to get buyers to focus on the bones of the house, not the titles in your CD collection.

"This is the hardest thing for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in the house," Page says.

"After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. However, it does affect the way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it. Clutter collects on shelves and countertops, and in drawers, closets, garages, attics and basements," she says.

Radice recommends removing items from countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms.

"If you have kids, get rid of the toys all around the house. For all you know, the buyers could be empty nesters," Radice says.

She suggests putting things in boxes and neatly stacking them in the corner of the garage. Anything extra should go in a small, rented storage unit.

Even better, ask a friend or relative to hang onto your items for free.

"Pack up 90 percent of your home," Radice says.

The cost: The price of a storage unit varies (around $45 a month for a 5-foot-by-5-foot unit).

Next >

Bankrate.com is the Web's leading aggregator of information on financial products including mortgages, credit cards, new and used automobile loans, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans and online banking fees. Visit Bankrate.com to get the tools and information that can help you make the best financial decisions.