It’s a new year and if selling your home is at the top of your list, you are probably in the full swing of getting it in shape to look its best. If your home isn’t already wowing your visitors, don’t worry, because that’s what home staging is for.

Home staging is a must when selling your home, and agents talk about how staging can make a big difference if you want to sell your home quickly. Staging involves making your home a clean and calm space where anyone will feel at ease. While you can hire a professional to get the job done, there are some tips that you can follow on your own to make your home shine.

Declutter

Before you can get started with staging, you’ll want to make a serious assessment of the clutter in your home. Streamlining your home is the first step to any staging project. You can follow a tip from the expert declutter, Marie Kondo, by getting rid of anything in your home that doesn’t “spark joy.” Working one room at a time, and one category of items at a time can be the best. Starting small, such as with a bathroom, can help you gain momentum to get your home decluttered in no time.

Reorganize

Once your stuff is taken down to a minimum, it’s time to get organized. Reorganizing bookcases and shelves and even rearranging furniture to create more open space in a living room can do wonders to show off the details of your home. You might consider moving furniture from one room to another, such as a reading chair moved into a bedroom, or donating furniture that is looking worn or outdated.

Let there be light

Lighting can transform a room, and it’s one of the top features that home buyers look for. You want to maximize the natural lighting in your home by removing heavy drapes and adding floor lamps if you have a darker home. Replacing overhead bulbs can also amp up your living space.

Go green

Plants and other greenery can put some life into your home for staging. Live plants are the way to go as well as a vase of flowers, or a bowl of fresh fruit. If you don’t have a lot of time for maintenance, you can opt for on-trend air plants that thrive without a lot of water and can be hung from almost anywhere because they don’t have roots.

Keep it neutral

To appeal to a wide range of buyers, you want your home to be neutral. While that doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to all color and statement pieces in your home, you will want to make an honest assessment of your decor. It can be helpful to have your realtor help you assess the pieces in your home to remove anything dated or that’s too personal — like big framed family photos. Understated decor with one statement piece of artwork can be the right balance for each room.

There’s an art to staging a home and while you could hire a professional, the first step is to get a handle on what you have in your home now while giving it a breath of fresh air.