The transformation

I am sure you watch HGTV, just like I do. One of the mantra's on the show is that the house you live in is not the house you sell. Here is the proof for me...

The original foyer, and the "staged" foyer









The couch has had several positions over the years.... and the walls needed to be toned down












Final staged result











The dining table has come and gone and come back












The fireplace has changed from shabby to chic, along with a much more manageable TV size














The kitchen had a two stage approach, first, get rid of the border and the wall color, then clear out the clutter.

































Pink bathrooms scare buyers.













An over-personalized master bedroom makes way for a more mature, neutral room






















One empty guestroom and a craft room becomes two staged bedrooms












Finally, the best signs are the places you never photograph:













I am amazed at how much you can change your house by boxing up most of your belongings and decluttering. The best advice the stager gave me was to flip the way the rugs were on the floor in the foyer and kitchen, and to group pictures together on the same wall, rather than on walls near each other. It was surprising how long this process took, because some of the painting I got done before I went to Japan. But now it is done, we just have to maintain the cleanliness and hope someone buys.