There’s no question that staging your decor is advantageous when you’re trying to sell your home. The strategic editing and placement of your furnishings can be enormously important to boosting its appeal. Fortunately, conducting your own staging need not be complex by following a few easy guidlines.

Prioritise by room.

You’ll get the most visual impact by staging your living room, master bedrooms, kitchen and extra bedroom(s), in that order.

De-clutter.

Cleaning will be easier after you pack away at least 90 percent of your own decor and personal artefacts. Your goal is to create a minimally decorated space buyers can imagine moving into.

Deep clean.

Everything must be groomed, sparkling and odour-free inside and out.

Divide and conquer.

Plan to remove about half your furniture to give the impression of optimal space. If it’s all unpresentable, use stylish rental pieces or fake “pop-up furniture” for showings. Tip: Wherever possible, move display furniture away from walls (a technique known as “floating”) to create groupings that are tied together visually with area rugs.

Accessorise inside and out.

Create an atmosphere of airiness, friendliness and cheer by selectively adding new flowers, potted plants, attractive seating and welcome mats outside, perhaps fresh flowers and bowls of fruit inside.

Optimise light.

Add brighter light bulbs, pull back curtains, clean windows and clean (or perhaps update) light fixtures to add to the overall impression of positivity.