In April, Marsha Kranebell was going through a mourning period. Within 36 hours, she lost her husband, mother-in-law and gained a house. To cope with the loss of two loved ones, Kranebell focused her energy into preparing her mother-in-law’s home to sell.

Kranebell, who worked in retail and visual display for 32 years before her early retirement seven years ago, said focusing on decorating and updating the home helped her.

“It’s my passion. It’s what I love to do. It made me happy during my grieving time,” she said. “I just wanted to get the house ready to sell so it stood out from the crowd.”

After a month of work and roughly $1,500, Kranebell asked a real-estate agent to help her price the house. The same agent viewed the property before she began work and afterward raised the price $7,000.

“He thought I did a really nice job,” she said.

As Kranebell was checking out other homes for sale in Albert Lea — her competition in a soft market — she said she thought to herself those sellers could use her help.

So instead of selling her mother-in-law’s home, Kranebell decided to keep it as a show model and office so she could start a home staging business.

“I just thought I could offer up my service,” she said.

Now she owns Staging by Marsha. Through her business venture — which complements her existing part-time business of home decoration — Kranebell can give suggestions and “road maps,” she said, to homeowners or even do the work herself.

Not much is required to update and improve a house to help it sell faster. Kranebell said in this economy and housing market, staging won’t necessarily increase the price but may help a house stick out and sell quicker.

To update her show house, Kranebell used existing furniture, found a few inexpensive accent pieces and added a coat of paint. A lot of the items added, she said, she can take with her to use elsewhere.

But the cheapest thing a homeowner can do to improve a house is paint, she said. Do things that aren’t noticeable when done but standout if not done. That includes such things as wash windows, make the bathroom shine and clean out under the sink.

Another step when staging a home is to declutter and pack away personal items, such as family photos. Kranebell said potential buyers should feel at home when they walk into a house, and not feel like they’re in someone else’s home.

Angling furniture — specifically the bed — can make a room seem bigger, according to Kranebell.

“It can make your room feel way more inviting,” she said.

And don’t forget to clean the carpet.

“Just little things like that can make a big difference,” Kranebell said.

New items and home accessories can make a house look updated, she said, and can be relatively inexpensive. She said she likes to make a house look unique and different.

Outside, make sure grass is mowed and weeds are picked.

“If you have to sell, make it shine,” Kranebell said, advice she said she got from New York real estate mogul Donald Trump when he was on a daytime talk show.
Contact Marsha Kranebell through her Web site: www.stagingbymarsha.com.

The budget for staging a home to sell depends on the house, she said. A larger or older home may require more money to fix up.

Kranebell is excited about decorating and when walking through her show home had a lot of tips and pointers. She said she also helps with some landscaping, as last week she was working with her son on his home in Rochester.