Staging Secrets

When staging, you want the property to feel aspirational, yet homey. Set the dining room table as if for an elegant dinner party. Stage the fireplace, bookshelves, hutches, coffee tables and end tables with minimal, chic accessories. Putting staging dollars where they have the greatest impact—typically the living room, formal dining room and master bedroom—is a less expensive alternative to staging the entire house.

You may also want to change the look of some other rooms that could be too narrowly defined to appeal to all buyers. Make a child’s bedroom less age and gender specific with new paint, artwork and bedding. Turn an exercise room into a media room or office by taking out the treadmill and putting in a desk and some seating. Transform that underutilized basement into someone’s dream workshop with a few tools and workbenches.

Outdoor space is increasingly important to buyers. Make back patios, terraces or decks look inviting with seating areas and al fresco dining options. Power wash or restain decks. If you have green space, make sure to weed, plant flowers, mow, trim shrubs and shape hedges. If necessary, resod the lawn.

Don’t forget about curb appeal. Flower boxes for steps, walkways and/or exterior windows bring in buyers without a full-scale landscaping job. A new welcome mat is an easy touch that makes buyers feel good as soon as they walk in the door. If you want to go further, fresh exterior painting, especially of the front of house, the front door and/or front fence, will always appeal to buyers.

Final Steps

Once preparations are complete, have your beautiful, inviting home photographed by a professional real estate photographer. The vast majority of potential buyers will first see your home’s photographs online, and then decide whether to come see it in person.

If there are major repairs you decide not to take on, make sure to get estimates of those repairs to disclose to buyers, along with pest and contractor inspections. An informed buyer is much more likely to make an aggressive offer than one who has wonder what’s behind the walls.

Make pet arrangements for showing times and open houses; if possible, relocate pets for the duration of the initial marketing period. If your pet is staying, hide litter boxes and pet beds.

It doesn’t work for every family, but moving out for the first week or two of intensive showings sometimes makes the most sense. Not only will your house show beautifully every day, at a moment’s notice, but it relieves you of the pressure of trying to keep your home pristine while living there.