Barbara Corcoran's Tips for Staging Your Home

April 23, 2006 — -- If you're selling your house, you should probably be staging it.

"It's always best to your put your best foot forward in any situation, and this is a way for your house to put its best foot forward," said real estate guru Barbara Corcoran.

Fixing up your home, or "staging" it, as the real estate business calls it, can raise your selling price anywhere from five to 20 percent, Corcoran says.

Here are her tips for staging your house.

Clean your house. A filthy bathroom is the worst, second only to a dirty kitchen.

Let the light in. Wash your windows, because dirty windows keep out light. And open the shades. Basically, people like light, so if your rooms have dark colors, you might want to consider repainting them.

De-clutter your house. Clutter makes your house look small and unloved.

Take a whiff. If your house has an odor, that's a huge turnoff. Make it smell nice. You might need an air filter.

Fix up the bathroom. First of all, make sure it's clean. Then, see how you can spruce it up. At the very least, re-caulk any areas that are falling apart.

Examine your front door. That's the first thing people will see. Does it need a coat of fresh paint?

Send your pets to grandma's house. A barking dog is unwelcoming. Plus, people might be allergic to yor pets.