DEAR DAVE: My wife and I moved to Washington, D.C., about a year ago, and we'd like to put our old place in North Carolina that we've been renting on the market. We'll be asking around $140,000 for it, so do you think we should consider professionally staging the home?
— Ben
DEAR BEN: It would make a lot of sense if you were talking about a million-dollar house, but with a less expensive home like that I'd just make sure it's really clean and neat and nice — especially the front area with the sidewalk and bushes. We're talking curb appeal here. Make sure the front door, trim and porch area are all cleaned or painted, too. All this is like a first impression on a job interview.
There shouldn't be any bad smells in the house, and everything inside should be crisp and clean, as well. You can stage it yourself with a few pieces of nice furniture and such, if you have it available. And try this old Realtor's trick to make things a bit more homey: Put a few drops of vanilla extract on a burner of the stove while it's heated. It will make the whole house smell like you've been baking cookies.
But no, I wouldn't pay to stage a $140,000 house.
