With these six ideas, you can stage your garage in a way that screams efficiency and extra storage.

1. Banish Clutter

Far too many homeowners tend to use the garage as the place where they stash everything that will not fit in other parts of the home. However, people who are coming to look at your home as potential buyers want to see every inch looking clean and organized. On top of this, garage clutter can also be hazardous. Without shelving on the walls, stacked boxes on the floor can topple very easily.

Even if you have to keep certain things in your garage to maintain your property while you prepare to sell, you can limit the number of items just laying around. Remove all the garbage and any tools or equipment that are in poor condition. Preserve only the belongings that add value to your garage.

2. Organize the Walls

You might think that you have to spend thousands of dollars putting cabinets up to use your walls, but it is not true. You do not need to have a space that offers thousands of cubic feet of potential storage. You just need a garage that is neat, clean and demonstrates that you have the available room to put things away.

Use large hooks to hang hoses, ladders and bikes. It gets them up off the floor and makes it easier for you to clean up the leaves and dirt each day. You may also discover that it is less hassle to use these items when you know exactly where they are, as well.

3. Create Storage

The ubiquitous theme for staging is always “less is more”. However, you can certainly add some staging elements that help to show off your excellent garage. A 2016 survey from the National Association of Home Builders showed that 81 percent of prospective home buyers consider garage storage to be either essential or desirable.

If you have a large tool collection, take a moment to set it up properly. Purchase a few shelves or a cabinet to put medium-size tools. Add a pegboard for the placement of your hand tools. Most homeowners will need to keep some tools for home projects, so a depiction of effective garage storage is likely to go over very well.

4. Remember Home Security

A big part of your staging effort should include work to prevent troublesome individuals from gaining access to your home. Make sure that you do not leave a garage door opener in your car during showings, or keys to your house anywhere inside the garage. Get into the habit of locking your home door from the garage. That way, if someone does find a path into your garage, they will not be able to quickly walk through an unlocked interior door.

5. Protect the Floor

If you look at the average person’s garage floor, it is a bit of a mess. Even if you no longer notice the stains and oil spots on yours, you can expect that home buyers will not miss it. A messy garage floor is a safety hazard you cannot afford to ignore.

Clear all the debris from the garage and make sure that the floor is dry. Use some absorbent material, such as sand or cat litter, to leach some of the liquid out of the floor. If your garage floor is really damaged or unsightly, consider investing in something like an epoxy floor coat. It will cover up the cracks, protect your floor and make it look far better.

6. Upgrade the Garage Door

While you focus on the inside of your home (and your garage in particular), you must also keep an eye on the condition of anything people can see from the road or your driveway. Is your garage door chipped, faded or dented? A good coat of paint may be all it takes to put it in show-ready shape.

For more serious wear, you may choose to invest the average $1,749 to put in a new garage door. Data shows you will typically recoup about three-quarters of the cost in a higher resale value, which makes it a no-brainer for some.

For a lot of people, the garage is the last battle they fight to control clutter. Before you sell your home, your garage needs all the care it deserves. A few hours of cleaning and some money put into garage storage will help you delight buyers from the moment they park on your driveway.