Gad Realty Broker and CEO Vanessa Gad has a new blog post on NewYork.com where she shares her real estate expertise on a monthly basis. Read more below:

This neat, clean room has splashes of color but isn’t overcrowded (Photo: irisphotos/Flickr CC)

When selling or renting an apartment you, naturally, want to get top dollar on your investment and have it move fast, but it’s often simply not enough to hire a real estate agent and have an open house. Some things are self-explanatory – like keeping the space spick-and-span and getting rid of personal affects – while others may be less obvious. Regardless of their scale, there are several changes that you can do to help sell or rent your place faster and for more money.

The power of scent

If you bake or burn incense in an apartment before an open housee, it will be an easier sell or rent. Prospective customers will often stay longer to look at the apartment thanks to a pleasant smell.

Make a splash with colorful accents

You should also consider dressing up the space with small decorative objects that can help. One of my agents got an exclusive that needed a special touch so he went to Bed, Bath and Beyond for quick pick-me-ups of bathroom carpets, vases for flowers and colorful accent pieces.

This messy, book-strewn apartment is hard to imagine as anyone else’s living space (Photo: walkering/Flickr CC)

Hire a professional stager

When the listing doesn’t look like it will sell or rent at top dollar in its current condition, then you’ll need to call a professional stager.  This person will store your own furniture and redecorate your apartment with theirs. Stagers really do have the magic touch. They will revamp your apartment and make it look like a brand-new listing. You likely won’t recognize your own place.

While staging can be pricey, the investment usually pays off because you will be able to rent or sell your place for even more money.  Of course, sellers often don’t understand the power of staging because they think their place is nice to begin with. One of my hardest jobs is telling my seller that his decorations are not up to date.

READ MORE