Do you have a flair for staging your home? Here are some tips to consider:

Do you have clutter around your home? Don't move everything into the garage. The buyer will be checking out the garage to make sure their cars, trucks, boat, mower, children's ride-on toys and other items will fit in your garage. If it's overcrowded with clutter, they'll decide your garage is too small for their needs. If you have a large car, truck or SUV, move it out of the garage before showings. It will make the garage feel small.

Keep your bathrooms neat and clean. Lotions, perfume, shampoo bottles, shaving cream, razor blades, etc. are considered clutter and should be out of view. Don't leave piles of dirty clothes in the laundry room. Put away the detergent and fabric softener, or organize it neatly on the shelf. Clean the outside of the bottles. Don't leave clean clothes hanging in the laundry room or hanging out in any other room. The buyer will think you don't have enough closet space. Don't leave dirty or clean dishes in the kitchen sink or on the counter. Organize your child's toys and games to remove the cluttered feel from their bedrooms. Remove newspapers and piles of magazines from the coffee table and end tables.

Don't move the clutter to your closets. Spacious closets are very important to the buyers and a great selling point. Every buyer is looking for more closet space than they currently have. Overloaded closets are a negative to the buyer. Rent a storage unit and get the clutter out of the property.

When should you start packing for your move? As soon as you put the home on the market. Pack up the items you don't need - out-of-season clothing, collections of keepsakes and extra furniture. It's easier for buyers to picture their treasures in your home if they can move around freely. Also, collections of keepsakes are a temptation to small children and could be damaged.

Clean your home from the ceiling to the floor. Make sure all light fixture are clean (remove dust, flies, and moths) and working properly, and they should have the highest wattage bulbs they can handle. Keep the curtains and blinds open. Buyers like bright, light-filled rooms. When your home is dark and gloomy, the buyer may wonder what you're trying to hide.

Give each room a focal point. Set the dining room table with bright placemats, dinnerware, silverware, and napkins. Place a floral arrangement in the living room. Put some attractive pillows on your bed. When accessorizing, use the rule of three by using something high, medium and low to catch their eye. Be careful not to over accessorize.

The best smell a home can have is fresh-baked cookies or homemade bread. It should not smell like a wet dog, the litter box, or heavily-scented cooking spices. Wash the pet bedding, shampoo the carpet, and spray a fabric refresher on the furniture. It's very important to keep on top of the litter box and change the litter more often. Avoid using heavy spices when cooking on showing days.

Bright, dark, or unusual paint colors on your walls may be a real turn off to the buyer. Dark colors also make the room look smaller. Off white or eggshell are the best colors when selling your home. A new coat of paint gives your home a fresh feel.

If your carpet is worn or stained, it's a good idea to replace it. You don't need to buy the top of the line, but a nice durable, neutral-colored carpet may be the reason the buyer chooses you over the competition. Offering a carpet allowance doesn't seem to work. Many times the buyers can't see past the ruined carpet.