ORLANDO, Fla. -- Homeowners looking to sell should learn how to "stage" their homes, according to experts.

Nearly 80 percent of today's home buyers view prospective houses on the Internet before calling a realtor or entering a house.

A professional online home marketer told Local 6 News that curb appeal needs to meet screen appeal to have the best chance of selling.

"Staging isn't so much about interior design as it is about marketing the property," said Brad Fletcher of Home Staging Design Pros, who markets homes on the Internet. "We want to get them excited about it while they look online, and then we want to make sure when they actually go into the home -- that that excitement continues -- and it's not a disappointment the minute they open the door."

How homeowners stage and photograph their homes will decide if it will get the ever-important first look on the Internet, he said. Buyers shop for location, square-footage and a neutral, inviting look, he said.

"The kiss of death is if you have a buyer walk into the home and they feel like they're in your home," Fletcher said. "If your home is completely filled with furniture, that can be a really big negative."

Fletcher said the placement of mirrors, art and neutral furniture is all part of the "feel-at-home" philosophy. He also said a touch of music and the scent of apple pie or cookies adds to the overall first impression of a home.

Experts offer six tips how to prepare a home for sale:

Market your home on the Internet

Depersonalize your home

Remember the three "S" words: sight,sound and smell

Use light and open blinds to make the home more inviting

Reflective -- Place mirrors so people see themselves in the home

50 percent rule -- Get half the furniture and clutter out

"A lot of buyers nowadays are looking at 20,30,40 homes. We want to make sure they remember your home and forget all the others," Fletcher said.

Staging advice for an occupied home costs a few hundred dollars. And experts said the biggest mistake homeowners make is pricing the house too high for the market.

For home photography tips, click here.