Dress Up Your Home for a Quicker Sale

Sellers hoping to keep their staging expenses lean and their family routine intact might focus on the exterior. Web-based listings may be key to generating early interest, but curb appeal is what's likely to get buyers to the front door.

Get rid of clutter and dead vegetation and add color with some new plantings. When possible, try to pick flowers that will bloom in time for showings, Duffy says. Remove broken and dated lawn features and fences -- and, Duffy said, tear out chain-link fences in any condition.

Inside, modest budgets stretch the most if spent on fresh paint, particularly for the entry and main rooms of the house. Cracked windowpanes, leaky faucets and other modest repairs deserve attention.

Agents and decorating professionals said budgets of several thousand dollars might be best used toward exterior panting, new landscaping and kitchen face-lifts.

It's no surprise that kitchens and bathrooms sell a home, so spiffing up these spaces, even for a few dollars, can go a long way toward boosting the asking price and generating interest.

Many people underestimate the low cost and high impact of swapping out cabinet hardware and faucets for updated styles, said Daryl Coley, who co-owns the Tulsa-based franchise of national remodeling chain Kitchen Solvers.

He suggests that larger budgets go to countertop upgrades; solid surface materials such as granite, quartz and marble give a high-end feel. Even less-expensive choices, such as a laminate with a beveled front that runs $1,000 to $2,000 depending on footage, can give the overall room a fresher look. Floors should be considered next, he says. Those watching the bottom line might consider long-wearing laminate flooring as an alternative to hardwood or tile.

Gut kitchen renovations or even a few choice updates -- refaced cabinets, new floors and countertops -- can typically add $5,000 to $10,000 to the asking price depending on size and quality, Coley said. But sellers must keep in mind that new owners may have different taste; a few staging updates might prove more enticing to buyers than being stuck with an expensive renovation they don't like.

It's likely that a designer free of emotional investment in the property can better dress a home for the widest range of potential buyers. If the budget allows, a professional stager -- a growing field of certified and noncertified participants -- might ease seller anxiety; many agents, but not all, also consider staging a specialty.

Think twice before assuming you can stage on your own. Chicago designer Philip Popwici was called in to help sell a mid-rise Chicago apartment, on the market for nearly three months with little interest, that along with several similar two-bedroom, two-bath units in the building, was about to have its Lake Michigan views compromised by new construction. Staging introduced to potential buyers the appeal of the apartment exclusive of its view. It sold long before any of the comparable properties, some of which had to be pulled off the market.

Popwici, owner of Rooms Redux, a staging company catering to a clientele of condo and town home owners, helped carve out a dining space in an open floor plan with furniture positioning, essentially adding a room within existing square footage. He recommends hanging a mirror to mimic a window in rooms lacking natural light. He says bathrooms and master bedrooms are a good place to use limited resources. A few touches, such as rich window treatments and candles, can make these rooms feel like a retreat for potential buyers.

He also emphasizes a good edit of life's possessions.

Yet, while decluttered homes stand a better chance of selling, that doesn't mean homes should be shown completely empty, the experts say.

Those working under a larger budget might consider trendy and appropriately proportioned rental furniture to fill the main rooms, said Bailey of Baird & Warner.

At the least, said Rainmaker's Duffy, stage small vignettes of tables, lamps and artificial plants to soften corners and add interest. Make sure to provide a chair or two, even inexpensive covered folding chairs and a simple covered table, for buyers who might need to sit down and weigh their options -- like making an offer.