If you've watched the news or read a paper, chances are that you know the real estate market is in trouble. So what can you do to make your home one of the ones that will actually sell instead of lingering on the market with the others? The answer is staging.

Staging is the term that real estate professionals use for arranging and decorating a home to show it off and make it as attractive as possible to prospective buyers. In this market, buyers have many houses to pick from, and they aren't willing to compromise. If you want to sell in a timely manner and for a profit, you need to make your home into a real "dream home." Luckily there are some inexpensive and easy ways to do that without hiring a professional.

Cut the Clutter
The most important thing that you can do to stage your home is eliminate as much clutter as possible. Before you put your home on the market, do an extensive clean-out. It can seem daunting, but take it one room at a time. And remember that you'll eventually need to go through everything anyway when you pack up to move, so you're really just getting an early start.

A good rule of thumb is to get rid of anything that you haven't used in over a year. If you haven't used it in three months, box it up. You might want to consider renting a storage unit, or asking a friend or family member to allow you to store some excess items in their basement or garage.

Remember that the fewer things you have in a room, the larger it will seem. Arrange your furniture in a way that clearly shows off the traffic flow from room to room. Keep unsightly but necessary items in decorative baskets or bins.

Also, don't forget your closets. Buyers will want to look at the closet space, so shoving your clutter out of sight won't work!

Impersonal Touches
While you're eliminating clutter, there's one other thing you'll want to eliminate from your home: Yourself.

Replace family photos and portraits with neutral artwork. Take your children's school projects off the refrigerator and hang appointment calendars or family message boards inside closets or cabinets. Consider removing overtly religious or ethnic art or objects as well.

Contrary to what some might think, this isn't to avoid offending buyers or to protect your family's privacy. It's simply to create a "blank slate." When buyers come into your home, they immediately begin wondering where they'll put their favorite chair or hang their own family portraits. By removing yourself from the home, buyers will be able to imagine themselves and their own families living there.

Let the Sun Shine In
Proper lighting is essential to staging your home. Make sure that all the curtains and blinds are open to let in as much natural light as possible. Consider replacing heavy drapes with airy sheers. Also make sure that you have plenty of lamps and other lighting. Some buyers may want to see the home in the evening, so make sure it's well-lit.

Replace all the bulbs in your fixtures with the highest wattage allowed for the fixture. Make sure there are no dark corners by moving lamps around in the room for the most coverage.

Also clean all of your windows. Removing dirt and grime from the outside, as well as smudges and fingerprints from the inside, will improve the quality of light and enhance the overall feeling of brightness.

Keep it Clean
It might seem self-evident, but when you're showing your home, you need to keep it spotless. Do a big "spring cleaning" before you begin showing. If you're short on time or if you just hate to clean, many house-cleaning companies offer a one-time deep cleaning session. Call around to get an idea of price and decide if it's worth the money to avoid that task.

Once your home is clean, dedicate twenty or thirty minutes a day to maintaining. When you're selling your home, especially in a down market, you'll want to be able to show your home to buyers at the drop of a hat. If a buyer requests a showing and you ask them to wait until the next day so you can clean up, they may just move on to your neighbor's house, taking their money with them.

Focus on the kitchen, bathroom, and floors. These are the most obvious "dirty" areas. Make sure you wipe down all counters, appliances, sinks, and mirrors in the kitchen and bathrooms. Vacuum all rugs, fluff cushions and pillows, and run a dust cloth over shelves and televisions. Make sure you make all the beds each morning and pick up any accumulated clutter.

If you take the time to stage your home before you put it on the market, and spend a bit of time maintaining your staging, you can sell your home quick and profitably, even in a buyer's market.