Staging a home that is for sale is very important if you want to get the most money and sell it quickly. 

Most people who have used a professional to stage their homes end up selling their homes for much more money than they spent on home staging. 

Home staging should not be used exclusively for homes that are not selling, but it should be used prior to a home being put on the market. 

A home that is not staged properly sets a bad first impression and turns off potential buyers that may never give your home a second look. 

Your home may sit on the market longer, thus requiring a drop in price and your realtor having to pay insurance for a longer period of time. 

You should start by staging your home yourself, then hire a professional to point out the few areas that you may have missed and offer some suggestions on how to make your home stand out from the competition. 

There are professional stagers who can offer basic staging services, but interior designers also offer home staging and can offer great design to go along with the staging in order to give your home more pizazz and have it stand out in the crowd. 

Here are a few basic ways for you to start staging your home before hiring a professional.

Interior design by Ashton Woods, photo by Fletcher Design Consultants

If you have visited a high end model home recently, I'm sure you were impressed by how nice it looked. 

That good looking home did not happen by accident - it was staged to sell homes, not for someone to live in. 

There are several techniques used by model home merchandisers to make a home look very appealing. 

Some techniques some can be translated to a home that people actually live in while others are not reasonable. 

Here are a few reasons why model homes look so good.

Interior design by Ashton Woods, photo by Fletcher Design Consultants

Anyone who has ever used painter's tape has quickly realized that it is not as perfect as the commercials lead you to believe. 

Painter's tape can bubble, causing paint to seep underneath and get everywhere. 

Painting stripes on a wall requires that painter's tape be perfect, else the stripes will look sloppy. 

Here are a few tips for painting stripes on a wall to get a professional result.

Interior design by Ashton Woods, photo by Fletcher Design Consultants

Have you heard about the concept of "aging in place"?

Aging in place basically means that older or middle aged adults are modifying their homes to accommodate their aging or soon-to-be aging bodies.  They are doing this in order to stay in their homes as long as possible to avoid or delay having to go to a nursing home or assisted care facility. 

This allows for a better quality of life and reduced cost, since nursing and assisted care facilities are extremely pricey. 

For someone to be able to age in place, they must consider the structure and function of their home before problems arise. 

Try to modify your home at least 5 years before you think modifications might be required. 

Today's blog post concerns remodeling a bathroom to accommodate future needs and allow aging in place. 

Here are a few things to consider. 

Interior design by Houston area home builder, photo by Fletcher Design Consultants

Animal print is a very polarizing pattern when decorating - people tend to love it or hate it. 

Those who love animal print often have a tendency to overdo it so their home looks like a tacky zoo gift shop. 

Animal print can be used as a neutral that coordinates with most anything, as long as you don't go overboard. 

Here are a few ways to use animal print in your home without looking like you just came back from a safari.

Interior design by Houston area home builder, photo by Fletcher Design Consultants