...To Inviting

By moving the furniture around, the room looks much bigger, and the fireplace becomes a focal point and selling point. Streamlining the artwork also improves the look. Successful staging operates on a “less is more approach,” Schwarz says. “No one will buy a house until they can mentally move themselves in. Staging is the vehicle for buyers to envision it for themselves.”

* Cost: $1,000 including another room (see From Ugly to Lovely)
* Result: This house sold only three days after staging.