As a Home Stager in Orlando, Central Florida and surrounding areas, I am constantly meeting with sellers to advise them on how to prepare their home to sell in what has become a buyers market. I critically look at each area, both inside and out, to determine what needs to be done to transform their home into a marketable 'product' to be sold.

Although each property is unique, there are fundamental staging guidelines that need to be followed when preparing any home for sale, starting with the "D" list . . . Deep Clean, Depersonalize, and Declutter, Declutter, and Declutter some more! That includes kitchen and bathroom cabinets, closets, drawers, the spare room that's been used as a guest room / office / JUNK ROOM . . . the basement, garage . . . shall I go on? By the time I get to this part my clients are usually revisiting their decision to move!

One of the biggest problems when faced with the daunting task of decluttering is deciding what to do with all of the "stuff"! You know . . . the piano from Grandma that nobody plays, the chartreuse chair that noone sits on, the matching his and her bicycles that noone rides anymore . . . and my personal favorite - how about the treadmill that doubles as a clothes rack in the forgotten corner of the master bedroom! I understand, we all have "stuff" that's really hard to part with because . . . "it's just too good to throw away", right . . .?

I am very excited to share with you the solution . . . go to freecycle.org to find the Freecycle Network Group in your area. They are a grassroots, and entirely non-profit movement of people who are giving,(and getting), "stuff" for free in their own cities. Freecycle Network is made up of individual groups across the globe who have come together to "recycle" unwanted items. They give things away rather than throw them away, and do their part in taking care of Mother Earth at the same time! Freecycle Network began in 2003 when Deron Beal had a vision and e-mailed 30 to 40 friends and a handful of non profits in Tucson, Arizona. It now is in 75 countries and 4,041 communities worldwide, and has 3,540,995 members . . . and still growing. As a result of their efforts, they have been able to keep over 300 tons of waste per day out of our landfills. They have only three main rules in order to participate: everything must be FREE, everything must be LEGAL, and everything must be APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES. By giving freely with no strings attached, members of the Freecycle Network have instilled a sense of generosity of spirit into their local communities.

As a Home Stager I have been in a position to pass this information on to countless clients who are decluttering in an effort to make their home a more 'marketable product'. But I challenge all of us to join with the members of the Freecycle Network, people from all walks of life, who have turned trash into treasure to better our environment.

Remember when decluttering . . . think GREEN, think globally, and "recycle" locally. Happy Staging!

More info on your stop foreclosure information search:

Get Free Foreclosure Advice and Free Refinance Quotes
Get your free on-line foreclosure refinance quote and free advice from foreclosure mitigation specialist in minutes. Compare real offers from top national subprime and hard money lenders... more...

How To Sell Your Home In 10 Days Or Less At No Cost To You
Selling Your Property Can Be An Absolute Nightmare! When selling your property through an estate agent, you have to carefully plan for many essentials before you have any chance of selling your property quickly and at a good price: 1. If your property needs renovation or refurbishment, you will ... more...

The Cyprus Real Estate Market
On the 12/1/08 Saturday Mr Antonis Loizou has given a lecture at Ayia Napa on behalf of the U.K. Alzheimer's Society, which was attended by 120 mainly foreign residents in Cyprus. The subject was the Real Estate Market in Cyprus. We provide a shortened version of the speak. Real Estate Investment, ... more...

Save Yourself The Headaches - 10 Steps to Selling Your Home
Selling your home may be the most daunting project that you'll ever undertake! But did you know that these 10 steps to selling your home can add thousands of dollars to the selling price and save you headaches in the long run? You should have a checklist of things to do in preparation for selling ... more...

What Do You Do If You Have Health Problems and Want to Sell Your Home Quickly?
This weekend's news proclaims that the health secretary is to give personal cash to the elderly. This is to be the first time that the elderly in England will be given cash to enable them to fund the social care they need. This means, from April, the elderly will be in control and able to decide ... more...