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Leslie Godbold, Asheville Stagers: Home-staging professionals present a home to potential buyers in the best possible light by using proven and inexpensive techniques. They use their expertise in recent real estate and home trends to highlight the positive aspects of your home to create balance, warmth and cohesion. They strive to ensure that the home selling process is faster, more profitable and less stressful.

Q: What is the cost of home staging?

A: Many people still have the misconception that home staging has to be expensive. Home stagers are experts on how to achieve the desired effects on a cost-effective budget.

Q: How should you present your house for a fast and profitable sale?

A: Top priority — the moment you decide to place your home on the market, it is not your home. It is a house for sale, and you must present it as one. Have a professional home stager walk through your home with you and prepare a list of cost-effective recommendations of items to be repaired, replaced or rearranged. The top-priority items are implemented as your budget allows. The moment you decide to sell is the moment to start packing. The stager will point out items that would be best to remain out for use in the final staging process. What is clutter? Our treasures are often someone else’s definition of clutter, so pack it up. Now is the time to donate, sell or throw away. Your goal is to leave the least amount of everything.

Next, clean, clean and clean some more. If you can hire someone else to do so, your house will shine but your back won’t ache. Visitors smell odors and notice grime that we are not aware of.

Q: Once the home is cleaned and organized, what is the final step?

A: Now your house looks clean, decluttered and the little repairs are made — so are you ready for your real estate professional to take those MLS pictures? No, this is where a huge change takes place. Your stager edits, rearranges and styles your home to provide the emotional, sensory and tranquil connections that allow the house hunters to see this as their new home and its features for their enjoyment. Yes, we use your furniture and accessories as a cost-effective measure since the effect of the staging is planned with its use in mind. This shows in the house viewings and in the MLS pictures. Eighty percent of buyers start a home search online so pictures showing the combined efforts of your Realtor and stager are of the utmost importance.

Professional home stagers can help with these steps and many more detailed aspects. Locate stagers online or ask your agent for recommendations and get ready to move.