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Thinking of moving? Before you put your home on the market, stage it. If you’ve seen TV shows like “Designed to Sell” on HGTV, you know what a huge difference a clean up and a few cosmetic changes can make to potential buyers. People who do staging professionally charge thousands of dollars for the service, which helps buyers to focus on your home’s good features and might even generate better offers. If your budget is a bit tight right now, and you’d rather save your money for your next house, there’s a great deal you can do on your own to stage your house or condo for sale. Unless you’re marketing the property as a fixer-upper, your goal should be to make your home look spotless and effortless. Here are a few suggestions:

Clean it. Make your home really shine and smell fresh. Since it’s easy to ignore your own clutter, you may be surprised at how bad it looks to a buyer. Put it away, or store it elsewhere. This includes removing anything stuck to the refrigerator. Clear kitchen counters and put everything away, including your toaster. Hide personal items like family pictures. Buyers want to imagine themselves living in your home. Clean and vacuum the carpeting. If it’s old and stained, tear it up if you can, and have new carpeting installed. If there are hardwood floors underneath, you’re in luck. Roll up your throw rugs and stash them away. An expanse of floor can help a room look larger. Bathrooms should sparkle. Scrub the grout between the tiles. Put out some fluffy towels. Throw away your old shower curtain and hang up a new one.

Open things up. Move some furniture out to make the rooms look more spacious. Clean out the closets and cabinets to maximize the perception of storage space. Place knickknacks out of sight. Open the curtains or take them down to let in the light and the view. Pretty window treatments can be an asset, but make sure they don’t block the window.

Paint the walls. Although buyers are said to be attracted to the aromas of freshly-baked bread and apple pie, new paint can have its own a great smell, irresistible to buyers. Fresh wall paint in a soft, creamy or buttery color brightens the place and makes it look well maintained. Plaster any cracks before you paint. Wallpaper can be very personal. It should be removed and replaced with a couple of coats of paint.

Add homey touches. A bouquet of flowers will brighten any room and a bowl of fruit looks nice on a table and smells good as well. Set the dining room table as if for a dinner party. Place fresh linens on each bed, and fluff up the bedspread or comforter. Toss a few stuffed animals on the bed in a small child’s room. Turn on the lights, even in the daytime.

Good luck staging your home to sell. Chances are when you’re done, you’ll be asking yourself, “Why didn’t we do this sooner?”