A few techniques, like setting the kitchen table for lunch, can put house visitors in a buying mood, although most people never realize it. There's an art to selling a house. Most sellers just clean up and get out of the way. Let's look at a better way. Home builders call it "merchandising" or "staging." They design their model homes with a purpose - to trigger the buyer's hot button.

Everything is designed, from the soap in the bathroom to the toys in the kids' rooms, to send a subconscious message that this is a happy, cozy place. Your family belongs here, buy me!

With a little effort and decorating skill, any home seller can use these techniques. Here are just some ideas.

First Impressions

Focus a lot of attention on your entry way. I believe that buyers make a decision about a house in the first 20 seconds. Look carefully at what buyers will see when they cross the threshold.

You need to create a positive feeling. Make it welcoming and warm. Open it up for light. Turn on all the lights in the house even if it is a sunny day. Use light, bright, upbeat colors on the walls. Add fresh flowers on a small table in the entryway. Get floors in excellent condition; refinish stained hardwood floors and replace worn carpeting.

Make sure you house has no unpleasant odors. Keep pets outside and get rid of all evidence of all animals inside.

Formal Areas

Add a centerpiece of fresh flowers to the dining room table. Get rid of clutter, pick up anything on the floor. in the living room, add healthy potted plants. Trim off dead leaves from other plants.

Kitchen

For most buyers, this is the home's most important room, so it's worth investing a little money here. Your goal is to make the kitchen look bright, cheerful and uncluttered. Replace an aging vinyl floor with a new, bright, easy-clean floor. Replace dated wallpaper. Paint old, dark cabinets in a light, high-gloss color. Replace old cabinet pulls and hinges. Have your avocado refrigerator painted white. Hide the ugly toaster oven. Replace it with some new, colorful canisters.

If you have a kitchen table, set it for lunch. Eat-in kitchens are important to buyers, and setting the table emphasizes this point.

The kitchen is one room you can make look like a model home. Put out a wine bottle and glasses and pretty cloth napkins. Add plants and pretty objects.

Family Room

A little clutter here is OK, but keep it under control. Make it look comfortable. Display collections of family photos. Rearrange bookcases so books don't look jammed in. Get rid of piles of magazines; put one nice art book on the coffee table. Arrange kid's toys in bright plastic baskets.

Master Bedroom

Get things neat. A few heavy metal posters are OK, but don't overdo it. Minimize the clutter. Take out everything from the closets and put it back in an organized way. Gather toys in bright plastic boxes.

Outside

If you have a porch or deck, set it up as if you're having a party. Put out a pitcher of lemonade and some glasses. Add some plants. Buy some floral place mats for the table.

Make sure the backyard is under control. Cut the grass twice a week. This prevents people from walking through the yard and getting grass stains on their shoes.

In Summary....

Some people might say that merchandising sounds awfully superficial and calculated. That's right! It's an effort, a business effort, to sell a house for the best possible price.

We live in our houses, and we love them the way they are. But when it's time to sell, housed with mass appeal will sell the quickest.

Fantastic merchandising won't sell a house that is overpriced. But it will help buyers remember your house, and help them imagine living in it. House that look right WILL SELL.