Selling a home is as much about showmanship as anything. When your parents need to make a transition into assisted living, Cincinnati residents can do things to spruce the house up and make it a more attractive option for home shoppers.

Consider three easy ways to encourage a fast sell.

1. Make an Effort on Furniture Staging

Staging is a little like creating the scenery for a play. You set the house up in a way that tells a story that is inspiring enough to hook anyone who sees it. When buyers walk into a room, they should instantly feel a connection to it.

• Start by decluttering room by room. You want anyone touring the house to see a tidy living environment. Too many knickknacks just look messy.
• Cut the amount of furniture in half and create seating groups. Float the furniture away from the walls, too.

After you’ve pared down to just the essentials, consider purchasing a few accents to refresh the space— earth tone throw pillows, neutral patterns for bedding and soft, warm colors for curtains.

2. Consider Atypical Wall Arrangements

Break up the wall space with some clever art arrangements.

Avoid the traditional grouping of pictures that encircle the room all on one level. Instead, vary the art sporadically around the space. You can even group pieces together that share a common thread such as a distinctive color. Be as creative in the placements as possible.

Properly placed art can keep a buyer from focusing too much on weaker selling points in the home like an out of date bath or small rooms.

Keep the art modern, as well. Look for geometrics and fabrics that brighten up the walls. Modernizing the art should include picking pieces with a designer color palette. Swap out old school blues with an enticing lime green or bright, sunny yellow. This step can be especially critical if you are preparing a home for an older adult transitioning into assisted living.

3. Don’t Neglect the Exterior of the House

Real estate professionals have a term they use when staging a property – curb appeal.

Curb appeal means making the front entrance and yard pop. It’s the first thing a buyer sees when pulling up to take the tour. A messy yard is enough to push them away before they even get through the front door, but a little curb appeal helps draw them in to see more of the house.

You’ll probably want a professional to come landscape the yard, which will guarantee that grass is even and manicured and ensure that any flower beds or architectural features are neat and well-maintained. There are a few other curb appeal projects that you can take on yourself:

• Line the walkway with inexpensive and easily installed solar lights to add flair for evening tours.
• Replace the mailbox and house numbers with something modern and cheery looking.
• Add a planter or flower boxes to the front of the house and fill them with easy to maintain plants.
• Paint the trim in a color that stands out. A white exterior, for example, would look better with dark trim.

The little touches matter when you are trying to sell a home—from picking the right paint colors (neutrals are best when showing a house) to making sure there are homemade cookies out for your guests to enjoy (and fill the house with the aroma) during an open house.

Getting a fast sale is all about the image you create during a showing. If you create a scene that resonates with potential buyers, you’re that much more likely to score a sale.