Nate Berkus Top 10 Ways to Make Your House Look it's best for Sale

But not too many photos.  I've had clients get distracted looking at the pictures and personal items instead of paying attention to the house.

I agree with Carol. I also prefer paintings strategically placed rather than family pictures. 

GOOD tips... but the flowers and candle thing. NOT possible in a totally vacant staged space.

Personal photos... I believe they can go. AND personality can STILL come thru.

Otherwise great stuff.

wonder why he suggested the personal photos?  i feel like it's usually a struggle just to thin them out in some homes (the ones with every year of the kids' lives documented up and down the hallways, on the frig, on the  mantel, on the tables...).  but i'm delighted that he said to replace the carpet!!  i might save that part of the interview to show all my listing appointments. =)

I don't think that I would call $10,000 a 'small budget' (LOL!) - but , all kidding aside, it's definitely not the "norm" for staging costs!! 

I also don't agree with the whole family photo display theory because one of the goals of 'staging' is to help potential buyers envision themselves in the house....

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Ginger and Roger!

Ginger, where are you getting your figures about allergic/sensitive (in any medical sense other than personal idiosyncracy) to scents?  Seems awfully high to me. 

As I used to tell my daughter's friends from the school where fully 50% of the kids had "food allergies" (that authentic allergy doctors couldn't diagnose, by the way, and interesting considering that a teeny percentage of the population in general has true diagnosable  food allergies OR sensitivities), when the list of foods they were allergic to (list provided by their parents before they could visit) expanded as I offered various foods, "In this house, you don't have to be allergic.  You can just say you don't like it and that's fine."  Amazing the number of things that fell off the "allergic to" list when that was stated up front. 

My issue with this, as someone who carries an epipen, by the way (wasp sting allergy), is that the popularization of these conditions and catering to those people who claim them without medical diagnosis (by an M.D. specializing in allergies, thank you very much) for the social cachet they think it gives them or because of control issues make it much more difficult for those with genuine allergies to be taken seriously - it can cause real harm that way.

Rant aside, Happy Thanksgiving back to you!

Thanks!  I've been googling trying to confirm your stats - haven't found anything with the search terms I've been using, though I have turned up some interesting stuff on the nocebo effect ! 

Back on topic, I've found that the right artificial or dried flowers/plants work wonderfully in vacant houses. 

I see people who are planning to sell their house put all sorts of money into it that they will never get back, instead of just doing the things that will make it look great, but at minimal cost, like paint and carpet.

Thanks for the info, and have a Blessed Holiday. 

Looks like 1-9 can be accomplished pretty inexpensively. I'm not sure I would upgrade appliances, that can get a little pricey. Perhaps this would be better used as a negotiating point (if needed).

Good reminders and thanks for putting them here!