Even in these years of a sagging economy and a pitiful mortgage atmosphere, staging a home remains an important part of selling a home.  From Offbeat Home, Ariel Meadow Stallings shows how important it is to stage with some great before and after photo shots,

Everyone says this, and it’s true. You have to basically move out of your home to stage it, or make your peace with living in a sparse, slightly twisted version of your home. You’re allowed bland art (not too much!) and one tchotchke per room.

Here was how our living room looked before I staged it:

Here’s what it looked like after I took all our stuff out of it:

Still funky and colorful, but way less cluttered. No My Little Ponies or sagging spider plants to distract potential buyers.

Fantastic article!