Welcome back to the second half of our two-part article on staging a rental property to attract the kind of residents you're looking for. Last time we talked about the art of staging and how to stage without furniture if you don't want the hassle or investment. Of course, traditional staging with strategically chosen furnishings and decor can transform almost any space into a cozy residence new renters will be eager to move into.

Staging with Furniture or Furnishing Your Rental

If you choose to go all-out, you can stage with furniture instead but this adds an extra layer of complication. "Staging" with furniture suggests that you will remove the furniture when the renter is actually ready to move in, so most professional staging services use rented furniture for this purpose. When you stage, the goal is to make the home or apartment look as much like a magazine picture of a home as possible with trendy chairs and a little dining table, a couch and television (or prop TV) and a comfy bed in the back bedroom.

However, if you want to raise your rent a little and provide for a family who doesn't yet have furniture, you can also choose to actually furnish the home either with fairly nice furniture you already own or furniture bought specifically for the purpose. This allows you to 'stage' the rental property attractively, leave the furniture in place, and make it even easier for a family who's been living practically homeless for a while to move in. Just make sure the furniture you use is relatively high quality, attractive, comfortable, and included in the lease.

As a final note, don't forget to vacuum. Yes, we know the place is already clean but now is your chance to vacuum artfully. Use the vacuum cleaner to draw sweeping lines in the floor that accent your staging work. It's a strange piece of real estate advice, but it works. With your property staged beautifully to welcome new residents, you're finally ready to find your tenants. Join us for a future article on exactly that. For more tips on staging and managing your rental property, contact ustoday!