If you're thinking of doing some renovations before you put your house on the market it helps to know what buyers are looking for in a new home. One good way to get an idea of the features that buyers want in a house is to take a look at the best home plans selling in each of the major categories of house plans. Whether your home is country, Victorian, Mediterranean, Ranch or Cape Cod, by studying the best home plan selling in your category, you can strategically emphasize the features that buyers want and sell your home faster.

The best home plan selling in the Victorian style, for instance, features gingerbread woodwork and scrollwork and lots and lots of windows. If you're planning to renovate a Victorian home to be more appealing, then, you might choose a paint scheme that plays up the delightful gingerbread detailing by painting it in a contrasting color to the main house.

Ranch homes feature efficient use of interior space. The best home plan selling in the ranch design features a dramatic entryway and clean contemporary design with few interior walls. Make your ranch home more appealing to buyers by making the most of those interior spaces with wide sweeps of clean white or neutral colors, or emphasize the entry hall with a mirror or fresh arrangement chosen especially to accent the space.

All of the suggestions above are drawn from the concept of 'staging' - a selling tool that is being used by more and more realtors. The basic idea behind staging is to use principles of psychology to make prospective buyers feel good in your house. The principle is sound - people want to buy a house that makes them feel good. By using color, space and decorating touches, you can set up your house to induce positive feelings in anyone that walks through the front door of the house for sale.

When you fine tune the principles of staging to suit particular house styles and emphasize the features that attract buyers to that style, you're taking a step further into staging your home for sale. By taking the time to study the best home plan selling in the style of your home, you can pinpoint the features that buyers like about that style - and make your house stand out from the crowd.