Stage Your Rentals
Some Tips to Help Fill Vacancies
Smart landlords know that when the rental market shifts, the usual ways of doing things won’t always work. Being flexible helps, but tapping into your creativity is what will set you and your vacant rentals apart from the competition.
Staging is a tactic real estate agents swear by to help gain an edge. Staging is simply adding a few well-placed accessories to a vacant unit to make it look homey in photos and to prospective tenants. The idea is to make the rental look warm and inviting, so the tenants can imagine themselves living there.
Staging has been shown to decrease the time to fill a rental, and can even help increase its value in the mind of the tenant. Here’s how to stage a home or apartment:
- First, make certain that the unit is spotless. If walls are dirty, scrub them thoroughly. Carpet should be professionally cleaned. Wood floors should only look old and well-used in a period home. Otherwise, dings, scratches, and worn spots should be repaired. Bathrooms and kitchens should especially shine.
- Fresh paint is almost always a must when preparing for a new tenant. If you paint your own properties, do an impeccable job—otherwise, call a pro. And of course, a neutral color is best. Warm white or ivory are good choices. Stark white can look cold.
- Get rid of odors. Nobody wants to live with the previous tenant’s dog or cat smell, or their stale cigarette smoke. Often a fresh coat of paint will eliminate odors.
- Before taking photos or showing the unit to prospective tenants, bring in a few personal touches. Either use items you already own or invest in the following:
- One large and one small interior potted plant
- An exterior potted plant if there’s a porch to place it on
- Neutral wall art for the living room
- A few candles
- New kitchen towels and coffee mugs
- Throw rugs
- An overstuffed chair or two
- Lamps
- Side table
- Books
- In the living room and bedroom: Arrange a large plant, a chair, side table, lamp and rug in a grouping in both the living room and a bedroom. Add a stack of books, a small plant, or a candle to the table for a nice touch. Hang the art in the living room. Make sure the proportion is correct for the size of the wall. Keep it neutral with a modern piece.
- Kitchen: Stack a couple of new folded kitchen towels on the countertop. Add two colorful matching coffee mugs to brighten things up. Add a throw rug in front of the sink.
- Bathroom: Place a small potted plant on the vanity and a candle on the edge of the bathtub. A small stack of new, white towels will make it look like a spa.
- Exterior: Trim shrubs and branches, cut the grass, pick up trash and perform and repairs or touch-up paint that is needed. Place a large outdoor potted plant near the door.
Even a small effort to make your rental property look warm and inviting can help your prospective tenants want to live there--instead of the home or apartment down the street!