Staging on a Budget: Exteriors

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Real estate pros offer their best, most affordable staging ideas for home exteriors.

Say 'Welcome Home'

"There's nothing more pleasing than a front step or porch with bright and cheerful planters filled with plants and flowers. It says 'welcome to your new home!'"

-Carol Anderson, abr®, green, Coastline Realty, Cape May, N.J.

Create a Curb Appeal Checklist

"A top item on the staging list should be curb appeal items (you can't get people in if they don't like the drive-by): Trim shrubs, fix peeling paint, and add greens or planters near the entrance."

-Lori Geraci, Bannon & Hebert Properties LLC, Middlebury, Conn.

Entice Them at the Entrance

"Tighten any loose doors or cabinets and re-stain, paint, or varnish doors. Paint the trim on floors and ceilings. Also, paint outside trims and nicks on the house, especially where clients come into the house."

-Rhonda Burns, Windermere Real Estate, Wentachee, Wash.

Stage the Lawn

"In San Antonio the grass is usually parched by the end of the summer. For my fall listings, I purchase a bag of winter rye grass seed and apply it generously to dried-out lawns of my listings. I advice sellers to water the grass frequently for a few weeks until it begins to sprout. Soon the lawn is emerald green, and it stays that way through the end of April, at which time the regular grass should be recovering."

-Larry Stewart, Deborah Myers Real Estate Inc., San Antonio, Texas

Published: March 2009 REALTOR magazine

Reprinted from REALTOR® magazine with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.