Staging to successfully sell or rent

Most people think that staging is something that should be left to Martha Stewart and Hollywood set designers, something tedious to be avoided. Whether tedious or not, in a slow real estate market you need an edge. That edge doesn’t have to come from spending $10,000 on an in-ground pool. It can come from a few tricks to make a subconscious impression on every potential buyer or rental tenant who walks through your house.

Visual staging

Let’s start with real estate fundamentals. Is your house clean? Not “broom clean,” whatever that means, but shiny clean, spotless clean, eat-off-the-floor clean. People are vain and like to look at their reflection in that granite countertop.

Another fundamental is landscaping. Keep in mind that the outside of the property is the first thing people see. You want make a good initial impression so that your buyer or rental tenant doesn’t view everything else unfavorably.

When you’re fixing the house up, spend a little time coming up with a color scheme for the walls before you paint. White reminds people of hospitals, and most people hate hospitals. Look for warm colors, but keep them light. You don’t want people to feel they’re entering a cave.

Accent your colored walls with whatever you can, including trim, curtains, drapes, carpet, a door mat, whatever. Make sure the colors complement each other because clashing will undo all your work.

If you have it sitting in storage, consider putting some furniture in the house, but don’t bother spending money on it. What you should bother spending money on is a flat screen television; they’re now fairly inexpensive but still have that slick panache. Include it with the house, and the buyer or renter will fall head over heels.

Auditory staging

Although visual staging is meant to get your home noticed, auditory staging helps create an effect potential buyers or rental tenants may or may not actually be aware of. In fact it’s even better if they don’t ever know why they liked the house so much.

Auditory staging serves two purposes: it blocks out irritating background noise, and it creates a pleasant, subconscious emotion in people.

To block out noise, consider a hedge or fence or other landscaping, which also serves a visual role. Since you already bought a TV, why not use it? Turn it on when you first walk in and leave it on, but you’ll want it to be on the right channel, at the right volume. One possibility is lounge music or jazz to arouse old childhood feelings of nostalgia.

Fountains (indoor or outdoor) are also a great way to block out noise; they offer a pleasant gurgling sound and look good. They don’t have to be expensive either, especially if purchased at discount home and garden stores.

Olfactory staging

It’s important to be careful with smells as they can easily become overpowering and unpleasant. Aim for subtlety and keep it consistent with just one smell for the whole house.

Flowers are great because they’re subtle and visual, but they’re high-maintenance, as you have to water them, prune them, replace them, etc.

Alternatives include incense, candles, plug-ins, or an air freshener as a last resort. Choose carefully because some smells stick around! Spices are strong but neutral; for example, who doesn’t like the smell of cinnamon?

There are probably thousands of houses for sale in your real estate market, and your house isn’t any different fundamentally from the others. The trick is to convince potential buyers or rental tenants that your home is better without ever having to say it. Get subtle and do some visual, auditory and olfactory staging.

File photo