Those of you that want to sell your Maryland real estate should know that when it comes to making improvements to your home before selling, it could pay to keep up with the Joneses.

What this means is that the more you know about the improvements your neighbors have made to their homes, the better informed you will be about what improvements you should make to your own home. HouseHunt.com notes, “For example, if most houses have two and a half baths and you only have two, consider adding a half bath.” The website comments that adding a bathroom is the kind of home improvement project that pays for itself when it is time to sell.

While it is good to keep up with the other houses in the neighborhood, you do not want to make so many improvements that your house surpasses others in the area. You might think that the house that stands out would command a higher selling price, but it does not necessarily work that way. A potential buyer may be excited by wonderful improvements, but it is unlikely that you will recoup the effort and money put into improvements that go far beyond what other houses in the neighborhood have.

If you want expert advice on preparing your Maryland property for sale, contact John Day, an aggressive negotiator and personable Maryland real estate agent.

While you appreciate your decorating tastes, prospective buyers may not. If you are preparing to sell Maryland real estate, you may want to consider home staging; to set help buyers see themselves as the new residents. This can mean making things look inviting, and maybe even changing your home decor to neutral colors.

The Washington Post reported that “According to the HomeGain 2011 Home Improvement National Survey of real estate agents, even do-it-yourself staging — on which Washingtonians spent an average of $350 last year — can bring a $1,500 to $2,000 payback in the sales price.”

The article included typical information about how home staging can make a big difference and there was an interview with a woman who found that staging helped quickly sell a home that had previously attracted little interest. The article told the story of one case of home staging gone awry. In that case the home did not even sell after $16,000 of staging work had been completed. Sometimes too much of a good thing can backfire!

Having a home not sell after being staged is an unusual case, as the experts interviewed observed, empty rooms can look small and lack warmth that sometimes buyers need to visualize themselves in the home. In fact, when it comes to home staging, sellers are often advised to get rid of clutter and even remove some furniture. You want to show what’s possible in the room, but you don’t want the room to seem too full. The most important aspect of home staging is to help the potential buyer see themselves as the new home owner.