Selling your home can be stressful, and getting it ready for potential buyers to walk through can mean a lot of anxiety.

NBC 10's Lauren Cohn watched as home stagers transformed a home in 24 hours.

Home stagers freshen a messy house to speed up the sales process.

Kim Gatto's home in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia was such a mess, you couldn't even see parts of the floor and countertops.

Gatto said that she, her husband and three children have been stressed about selling the house.

"My husband and I work (and) travel a lot. With kids, it's too much to try to do on our own," Gatto said.

Gatto gave up strategizing on how to prepare her home for potential buyers. She decided to hire home stagers at a cost of $800.

"One thing will be focal point, see if it needs paint, what clutter is there, assess what condition it's in," explained Brenda Hoover, a member of Home Selling Solutions.

Before the home stagers moved in, the dining room was full of stuff, the kitchen had broken floor boards, the countertops were full and the walls looked dingy everywhere -- they desperately needed a fresh coat of paint.

"(The) rooms are small, we need to open up space, take out what's not required and showcase what it is intended for," said Judy Wakely, a member of Home Selling Solutions.

Wakely and Hoover got to work and 24 hours later the difference was amazing. You could walk straight through the house from room to room. They cleaned up, organized and threw items away. They also fancied up the place, making the dining area look completely different.

"It looks 100 percent better," Gatto said.

The wood floors were polished and the upstairs bedrooms were unrecognizable from their original state.

According to Hoover, here are the best tips for making your home more appealing to potential buyers:

Get rid of clutter.

Depersonalize rooms. Get rid of photos and drawings. The buyers want to picture their own stuff in the room.

Neutralize the rooms as much as possible. Get rid of trendy furniture and loud colors on the walls. Make it look like the buyer's furniture will fit.

Showcase one focal point, like the fireplace.

The only smell should be a clean one. Scents -- even baking sweets -- are bad for people with allergies and only serve as a distraction.

Put fresh white towels in the bathroom.

The key is to make a good first impression.

"I'm impressed. It will make my job easier," said Robert Wolf, of Millennium Realtors.

Wolf was so impressed, he put the house on the market for $129,0000 -- a lot more than the Gattos expected. It turned out that paying $800 for home stagers was worth it. The house sold in one day for the full asking price.

Related Resources:

International Association Of Home Staging Professionals

Philadelphia Chapter Of International Association of Home Staging Professionals

Contact Home Stagers Judy Wakeley or Brenda Hoover.