There’s simply no question: Phoenix is a buyer’s market (very few markets in the U.S. are seller’s markets right now).  So how do you sell in a market when three houses on a single street are for sale, some at very low short-sale prices (as the homeowner’s alternative to foreclosure)?

There’s a great article on my website listing 7 ways to sell a home in a tough market.  (Access it by clicking http://myphoenixmls.com/sell-in-a-slow-mkt.asp.)

If you’re trying to sell your home right now, you need to find something to give you an edge over other buyers.  Home staging can do that.

A buyer’s decision to buy is based largely on emotion, not reason.  Prospective buyers will pay attention to how they feel in your home.  Can they imagine themselves at home there? 

Home staging involves decorating your house so that prospective buyers can imagine themselves at home there.  If your prospective buyer can envision her family at the dining room table or snuggled up on the couch, you’re on your way to a sale. 

Home staging often involves moving and/or replacing furniture and taking out highly personalized decorations.  Home staging professionals will charge for their time, as well as for any furniture or decorations you may rent.  And don’t forget about storage for the stuff you take out of your home.  Some real estate agents (like me) are trained in home staging techniques as well.

Beyond moving around furniture, adding a vase here or painting there, and putting away the knick-knack collection, there are some other easy things you can do to up your chances of selling your home.

Give your walls a fresh coat of paint.  Have the carpet steam cleaned.  Make all repairs that the home inspector suggests.  Some people think that simply offering the buyer an allowance to take care of those tasks is sufficient.  It’s not.  If you’re home isn’t move-in ready – clean and repaired – the buyer will be less excited about buying it in the first place, never mind a repairs allowance.

Some things to do to get your home showcase-ready (in addition to staging your home) include:

• Picking up
• Minding the yard
• Getting rid of all odors
• Giving your home a good scrub-down
• Making repairs

It’s also important to pay attention to how the outside of your home looks (called curb appeal, for the way your home looks from the curb).  If your home lacks curb appeal – the yard’s not well-maintained, there are grease spots in the driveway – then prospective buyers may keep on driving rather than come in for a look.  So tidy up your yard to maximize the number of prospective buyers who decide to come in.

Impress them at the curb.  Wow them once they’re in.  Make them feel at home.  Then close your sale.