Staging for Real Estate - How to Sell It NOW

Staging… what is staging anyway? And how is it going to make me money?

I do like direct questions; they allow me to give direct answers. Staging is intentionally altering a few details in order to make a drastic change in impression, and usually done for photography. In reference to real estate, staging can (and should) be used for photography, but the far more important purpose is to make a powerful, gut-level impression on potential buyers or tenants, so that they choose YOUR property over the other five that are available on your street.

A final introductory note (I also have a penchant for contradictions): staging is not only limited to visual impressions, but auditory and olfactory ones as well. Here are a few ideas for each:

All right, before we get into the nitty gritty of this, we gotta start with the basics: is the property CLEAN? No excuses; if you can’t afford to hire a maid service then you get you’re a$$ in there yourself and start mopping, wiping, shining, whatever. That property needs to be spotless to make the kind of impression you want to make.

Another basic: landscaping. They’ll see the outside of the house first, make sure it’s impressive, or at least well-kempt. Ready for a nauseating cliché? “You never get a second chance at a first impression.” (insert finger to throat).

Here’s a cheap one: paint colors. You have to paint anyway, so paint something other than white. The end goal here is warmth; you want people to get a down-home, warm, cozy, fuzzy feeling, and you’re going to give it to them in the form or warm colors accented by striking colors. Here’s where we channel our inner Queer Eye, with light yellows accented by a distinctive-looking trim color.

You can also accent the color scheme with curtains or drapes, and other touches. Don’t spend a lot, but pick up something different looking; in my first house the kitchen was yellow with purple curtains and an enormous green plastic clock on the wall that looked straight out of 1962. The end effect? Stylish and artsy without the homo-erotica (am I allowed to say that? Oh well).

Furniture is a possibility, if you have extra furnishings lying around in storage, but don’t bother spending money on staging it with furniture if you don’t have some available anyway.

As a final note here, it’s an excellent investment to spend a few hundred bucks on a flat panel television and mount it on the wall. Tell them it’s included with the house, and they’ll sign on the dotted line right then and there.

Time to get creative, because this is a little harder. Visual staging is about making a warm or chic or impressive (forgive the redundancy) impression, but auditory staging is more subtle: it’s about making an impression without them knowing you’re making one.

We have two goals here: 1) blocking out unwanted background noise (traffic, annoying neighbors’ Chihuahuas, next-door drug deals/gunfire), and/or 2) creating an emotion in the buyer/tenant.

Blocking out background noise can be done by fences or clever landscaping (again with the landscaping – two birds, one stone), or by adding your own noise. You can always turn on that brand-new flat television when you first walk in, and leave it on for the duration of your showing, but if you do, choose the channel carefully: I recommend Sinatra-style lounge music or Coltrane-style jazz (inspires the nostalgia emotion, which is very useful).

I’m also a fan of fountains, whether indoor or outdoor, to achieve both blocking ambient noise and creating an emotional response. People find the gurgling of fountains peaceful, which in turn makes them feel welcome and at home.

Now we’re really getting subtle, because smells work on a truly sub-conscious level. You have to be careful not to overdo it though; stick with one smell for the whole house, and don’t make it too strong.

Like auditory staging, this can work to cover up an undesirable smell, but in this case it works better to simply create a homey smell. This can be done through candles, incense, flowers, colognes or perfumes, or (if you have no creativity whatsoever) air freshener.

Flowers are great because they’re also visual, but they have to be changed frequently and can get expensive… your call.

A word to the wise: choose your scent with care. What you want is to make people feel warm and comfortable, not overwhelm them or repel them. Spices are good for this, like cinnamon, but again, don’t overdo it.

Your house is no different from the five other houses on the street that are for sale or for rent, so you’re going to have to do something drastic to make yours the alpha male. Be a little devious, a little clever, and people fall in love with your house instantly without ever knowing why.

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