Trying to sell your home in a tight housing market? One of the most important things that sellers need to do is stage their home effectively. Staging means presenting the interior and exterior of a home to make these look as appealing as possible to buyers. If a home is staged well, buyers should be able to look at it and imagine themselves and their things in your space.

In a competitive housing market, staging is important because your home may be on the market with an abundance of homes that are very similar, so yours needs to stand out. Unfortunately, in the same rocky economy that’s brought us the housing slowdown, buyers often don’t have a good deal of money to make their homes look as fabulous as possible. And with housing prices dropping, it often doesn’t make sense to invest lots of money in a home makeover, even if you have the funds to do this.

So how do you stage your house effectively on a limited budget? Fortunately, there are plenty of inexpensive things you can do to milk every drop of a home’s marketability. Sure, you can spend thousands of dollars on luxury furniture and cosmetic changes, but in most cases, this is not a worthwhile investment.

One of the most important things a buyer can do is to get rid of as much clutter and stuff as possible. The more stuff you have in a room, the smaller it looks, so maximize the selling power of your space by opening things up. Go ahead and pack as many of your things as you can, and place these things in a storage area of the home. Better yet, move your excess stuff to another location, like a friend’s house or a storage facility. Rental storage is cheaper than you might think, so if you have a house full of clutter, it might be worth the expense to rent storage space.

Getting rid of clutter around the whole house is important, but uncluttered bathrooms and kitchens are especially helpful. Buyers want to make sure these spaces are big enough for all of their stuff, so show them uncluttered spaces that don’t scream “too small.” In addition, clean out your closets and organize the remaining things neatly to maximize the space.

Another important staging tip that doesn’t cost a thing is to depersonalize your home. Bob Williams, a veteran realtor with Coldwell Banker Burnet in Minneapolis, says, “I suggest that people remove photos of their family, unusual items that people might not understand, and large collections of things that make the house look more like a museum than a home.” This may sound counterintuitive, since after all, won’t people find your cute baby pictures and adorable teddy bear collection appealing? Maybe, but the trick is to make buyers imagine themselves in the home, so personal touches are distracting.

Getting rid of furniture that is old, damaged, or too large for the space is another important step. If you don’t want to spend the money to replace furniture, be creative. Borrow a few nice things from a friend—or rent them. Rental furniture can be much cheaper than you might think, and this expense might be worth it if you are selling a high end home. You can also stage rooms with “fake” furniture. For example, if you want to replace your king-sized bed with a double because your master bedroom is small, put an air mattress on an old frame and cover it with a snazzy comforter set.

So what cosmetic changes are worth the expense? According to Williams, this has to do who your buyers will be, so it’s important to work with your realtor to determine the most likely buyers. In a high end home, it might be important to make somewhat costly changes, like upgrading appliances and flooring. However, buyers of an entry-level home will not expect expensive upgrades, so simple cosmetic changes such as paint and polishing hardwood floors may be sufficient. “The idea is to make buyers feel at home in the property,” explains Williams. “You want them to think that all they need to do is move in.”

If you’re going to make cosmetic changes, says Williams, focus on first impressions. Effort spent on the front lawn can pay off. Landscaping is a big plus, but the most important thing is that the lawn is tidy and gives the impression of being low maintenance. In addition, make sure that the first rooms that the buyers see—usually the living room, dining room, and kitchen—are as appealing as possible.

Another staging issue that often gets overlooked is smell. Since you might be oblivious to the actual odor of your home, bring some friends with a good sense of smell in to give you an honest assessment. “Smoking odors and pet odors are the worst, but cooking odors can be bad, too,” says Williams. Avoid cooking things like garlic, onions, or curry when your house is going to be showing. One popular trick is to keep a loaf of pre-made cookie batter in the fridge, and to make a batch of cookies before a showing. This is a more homey way to scent your house than to use artificial fragrances, which many people are allergic to or do not like.

Finally, although staging is an important part of selling a home, don’t put too much energy or expense into this endeavor. “Staging can be very effective,” explains Williams, “but in the end, if you have a good product, it really doesn’t make that much difference. And if you have a poor product, staging won’t help.”

Naomi Rockler-Gladen is a feature writer for Xomba.com, read the rest of her work here .