You walk in and are greeted by the exotic aroma of a Patchouli candle; their living area is inviting with nary a stray magazine nor PECO bill; their den has a computer station with not an ounce of work to be seen; their bedroom boasts a king bed, adorned with quilts topped with half a dozen carefully arranged decorator pillows; their bathrooms are spotless and opulent with spa soaps and giant bath towels; their eat-in kitchen ensconced in a sea of polished granite counter top.  Does someone really live here or have they rented the place just to impress us?

About six years ago I hired a professional organizer from West Chester to help me with the micro condo. I tossed about 25 plastic trash bags of stuff, all the while asking, “What if I want to look at it five years from now?”

But now something has changed in my life.  My fiancé and I bought a beautiful Colonial Cape Cod less than 10 miles north of here. Most of the property is in the woods. It’s gorgeous; it’s our dream house.

Finally, I’m getting out of the micro condo, so it’s time to discover “home staging” in an effort to expedite the sale.  Home staging is more than de-cluttering, patching the walls and fixing leaky sinks.

According to Elizabeth Weintraub, member of the Sacramento Board of Realtors, “Home staging is about illusions. It’s about perfecting the art of creating moods. Staging makes your house look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, and…makes home buyers want to buy it.”

This will be interesting - making the micro condo look like a 2,500 square foot home.

Surveys of  real-estate agents show that a staged home can reduce a listing’s time on the market by one third to half, and could fetch as much as 10-15% more than an empty home or a home not properly staged.

Some suggested techniques in staging are:

“Remove personal items that might distract the buyer’s attention.”

I guess that means no more folded laundry on my Boston rocker.

“Arrange colorful and fun cookbooks on the counters.”

Does that include my bright orange c. 1969 Betty Crocker Cookbook?

“Set the dining room table with chargers, china and centerpiece.”

Hey, I don’t even have a dining room.

“Arrange sparse pieces of furniture in an appealing grouping known as a vignette”.

OK, enough already, there’s not enough room in the micro condo for a vignette.

Two sources have even suggested, “Tie ribbons, grass rope or twine around towels.”

I can guarantee that’s not going to happen.

But anyway, I’ve taken a week off from work to call repairmen and to de-clutter the condo.

I’ve been keeping the 8 X 10 color photo of the new house in front of me as I ask myself- “Do these books; Christmas cards from 2003; wine carafes; plastic Halloween decorations, box of old tape cassettes; semi-flattened basket; dozens of mini soaps and shampoos from past vacations; piles of New Port News catalogues or collection of souvenir mugs have a place in the new house?

Nine out of ten times the answer is a big “No”.

Items not trashed, will be being dispersed among a library sale, the Good Will and Pastor Dave’s church in Upper Darby.

But just in case, I’m buying some fancy spa soap and giant towels for the bathroom – wish me luck!