Decluttering, rearranging furniture, cleaning, and making minor updates are all tips and tricks of the trade. To help you put the finishing touches on your own home, we’ve collected some of the top tips from experienced stagers. Get the inside scoop on the tricks the pros use to help homes sell quickly— and for more than the asking price.

Conquer the Clutter and Dirt

De-cluttering—and having a pristine home from top to bottom—are the no-brainers that can make your real estate look better than the house down the block. Your home must be cleaner and less cluttered than it’s ever been. You need to banish not just the day-to-day buildup (the mail, the shoes, last season’s clothes, the dog hair), but also several years’ accumulation. Steam clean the carpets, clean or repaint the walls—and store, sell, or give away anything you can. Then you’ll have a bare canvas you can really spruce up.