A well-staged home office can be a big selling asset for today's buyers. More and more people are working from offices in their homes. At the very least it seems most homes now have some location to do paperwork and use the computer. When preparing your home for sale, whether it's a corner desk or a room dedicated to work, your home office is definitely one of the most important spaces to depersonalize and declutter. Removing family photos, diplomas and award certificates along with medals and trophy is a great start but you also need to conceal or lock up any personal files for privacy and security purposes. Don't give any stranger in your home the opportunity to rifle through your documents and steal the homeowner’s identity.

Keep any seating areas uncrowded and allow for some ‘breathing room’ around desks and bookcases. If your office space can accommodate it, create an appealing reading corner with a small reading table and a 'design-appropriate' lamp.

Flat screen computers look much better than old, heavy desktop models and replacing or removing office equipment that is outdated, like fax machines, with an up to date,all-in-one printer and scanner make the room look current, functional and fresh.

Listing and selling a home can be especially stressful when you work from home. Balancing what we know helps sell a home with what the client can afford to do, and/or reconfigure, must always be a top priority of home stagers.

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Home offices are clutter traps! Therefore it's very important and effective (and visually pleasing) to remove loose papers, scattered office supplies and other distractions from desktops and shelves. Be mindful when using area rugs too, often times an area rug can make a room look smaller. Placing it on a diagonal and making sure it matches the decor, as well as being clean, is vital to helping this room show its best.

Too many shelves and bookcases can feel overwhelming in any office. Replacing a wall of shelves or bookcases with a nice, appropriately sized piece of artwork can transform a cluttered and heavy feeling office.

When including accessories in your home office, keep in mind that a mirror expands most spaces and reflects light into the room.

Replace any worn out furnishings-for example a threadbare office chair, with fresher, more up to date items. If the desk is damaged or tired looking, a coat of bright colored paint or a new coat of stain will make the room look brighter and more inviting too! Note: MinWax makes a super easy to use stain-over-stain product.

Finally, speaking of paint, nothing is easier or more effective than a new coat of paint on the walls and trim, and please always use a neutral color!

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Staging Your Home Office