Staging an Apartment for Sale: 6 Smart Tips

If you’re preparing your apartment to go on the market, start with these easy steps. Your real estate agent can help offer some tips, as well, so be sure to ask them for suggestions, too.

1. Remove as Many of Your Personal Items as Possible
While it’s always true that you should aim to keep personal items, such as family photos, to a minimum when staging a home, this becomes even more crucial in a smaller space. The reason? Everything feels front and center when the rooms are more intimate.

2. Bring in Furniture Fit for the Home
If you have a small home or apartment, fill the space with proportional pieces. In the same vein, if you are showing a vast loft-y space, look for larger items. Taking scale into account can help potential buyers feel more comfortable and at home, which is the goal of staging.

3. Pay Extra Attention to the Bed
If you’re in a studio, this is paramount, but important in any apartment situation. A bed that feels like a hotel—made with freshly ironed, crisp white linens—can go a long way towards making your apartment feel clean and move-in ready.

4. Use Mirrors Carefully
Mirrors are often used to try to make a smaller space feel a bit bigger, but you want to be sure to reflect light—and not focus on another wall, which can have the opposite effect.

5. Invest in a Storage Space
For the time your home is on the market, consider using a storage space. You’ll reduce clutter that’s visible, and also be able to properly organize your closets. The last thing you want is a potential buyer to open a closet and see all the clutter you’re trying to hide—it’ll look like you don’t have enough storage space.

6. Make Your Space Smell (Subtly) Good
Just as staging is subtle, as to allow potential buyers to see themselves in the space, any candles or flowers should have a subdued scent, as well. Be sure to take out the garbage and avoid cooking any overly “fragrant” meals prior to a showing, so your apartment smells as good as it looks.