Stage Craft

The term "staging" in real estate is almost as overused as "triple mint". Sellers always want to know "will you stage my apartment?"

• First of all, let's talk about what you as a seller need to do before you put your apartment on the market. Before you get the photographer in, before even you pick your broker, it would be wise to start thinking about staging. In this regard, "staging" is more like "editing".

• If you live in Manhattan, and storage is scarce, do something right away: call your parents and tell them that you're coming to visit. Don't tell them that you're bringing a U-Haul full of crap that is going to sit in their garage until you sell your apartment.

• Rent a storage unit. It will be money well spent. Then go through your apartment and do at least 3 things: go through every closet and remove all of your non-seasonal clothing. All of it. Put it aside. If you have a massive shoe collection, unless you have a massive walk in closet to show it off with, those shoes should go to storage for awhile. Every closet should appear as though there's TONS of extra room.

• Go through your bookshelves and pack up all of your non-essential books and tchotckes. You know those "whimsical" Hummel figurines you've been collecting since you were 10? Not so much.
  

• The more than you can pack away for a few months, the better your apartment will look. You don't need a professional to tell you this. But it's a arduous, time consuming process. Think of it this way: you have to pack up when you move anyway. This is just giving you a head start.

• But you ask me plaintively "what if I have kids?". If you have kids, leave their stuff. If you can pack up a couple of boxes and the kids won't notice, great. If you can pack up a couple of boxes, and pay your super $20 to keep it for you so that you can rotate those boxes back into play land, all the better. It's important to try and and keep the kids stuff confined to a bedroom or a playroom. Otherwise, another family comes in, sees the toys everywhere and thinks that you don't have enough space in the apt.
  

• Clean your apartment! Nothing ruins a good first impression quicker than a grungy bathroom or dishes in the sink. People look through EVERYTHING. (Except under the bed. I shove a lot of stuff there and have never been caught).

• Get your windows cleaned. Replace light bulbs. Borrow lighting from a friend if necessary, but make sure the apartment is well lit.
  

The point is, you are literally "setting the stage" for someone to walk into your home and have the ability to project what their life looks like there. If your living room is crowded with Hummel figurines, it's hard for that buyer to do. Anything that is personalized should be removed...put away most of your photos (leave the ones on your wall so you don't have to patch and paint), box up your collections. Now is not the time to show your individuality. On the contrary: we want a relatively blank slate for people to see.

If your apt needs more than simple editing, there are other staging solutions. A good broker will be able to guide you about choices: when to hang sheers, whether or not to move furniture or rent a piece of furniture to highlight a room or an area. Brokers have access to rental companies and can easily help with spot staging.

Then there are professional "stagers" who will be able to completely transform your space, if you need it. They are expensive, but comprehensive. They will oversee painting if need be, arrange furniture rentals, but also they usually have at their disposal a whole range of accessories, plants, and accent pieces that can dramatically alter your apt.

My point is, most times people only need to edit, not to add. When you're done, Your apartment will look so good, you'll have a hard time remembering why you wanted to sell it.