Stage Your Vacant Units for a Quick Turnaround

Staging an unoccupied unit allows potential tenants to view the apartment as a home, envisioning how their furniture will fit, and determining the function of each room as it applies to their specific needs.

"I strongly recommend vacant apartments be 'mini-modeled' or even more, depending on the circumstances," says Dan Lieberman, President and Founder of Horizon Management Group. "People have a hard time visualizing themselves in a vacant unit. Just like having clothes displayed on a mannequin vs. lying in a pile on a table, you can get a higher price (rent), lease quicker, and get people turned on through staging your units."

But be sure not to overfill the apartment with furniture. One or two key pieces in each room will suffice. Too much staging can stifle the imagination, so bring in just enough to peak people’s interest with small, portable accessories.

Kitchen and Bathroom

Lieberman says to focus on the kitchens and bathrooms in the unit. Only simple accessories are needed in the kitchen. Consider placing a small appliance on a countertop and some decorative dishtowels on the oven handle. If the kitchen counter also serves as an eat-in bar, arrange a place setting.

In the bathroom, add color with candles, decorative soaps and towels. Put in a shower curtain, but keep it pushed to one side. This way, the bathroom benefits from a pop of color, but the view of the bathtub is not hidden.

Bedroom and Living Room

Much like the kitchen and bathrooms, keep the staging simple in the bedroom and living room. However, these rooms provide more opportunity to bring in a few larger pieces. Consider using a side table with an armchair, or a console table with decorative accessories in the living room. A nice dresser with a table lamp or a small bed in the bedroom is substantial enough to spark the imagination of the potential tenants.

Regardless of utilizing full-size furnishings or simply enough decorative accessories to give the unit a fresh look, it is beneficial to make the effort to stage the unit.

"So many times we've had apartments sit vacant, and when I investigated, I saw they were not staged," says Lieberman. "Once we'd staged them, they rented not long after."