To increase your asking price, invest in a new staircase before selling your home

According to reports from real estate analysts nationwide, 2013 is looking like it will be a huge year for the housing market. The past 12 months have already seen home sales skyrocket to levels not seen since before the housing bubble burst back in 2008, resulting in home prices rising coast to coast. However, the market rebound has also caused a shrinking housing stock, meaning that new home construction isn't keeping pace with demand.

This has created an improved seller's market, where the homeowners who are looking to unload their properties are increasingly getting the prices they want at closing. Although the seller is gaining an advantage, buyers still generally have the upperhand, as the economy has a long way to go before a full recovery. As a result, homeowners need to do all they can to make their properties more attractive to buyers currently scouring the market.

As any real estate agent will tell you, if a home doesn't make a great first impression on a shopper, the odds of closing are greatly diminished. So if you're selling your house this year, make the prospective buyers say "wow" when they open your front door and gaze upon your central staircase.

Most homeowners need to invest in their home before they can expect to turn a profit when they sell. If you invest in a renovated staircase, you may be able to increase your asking price and actually cover the costs of the renovation.

Although you want to impress shoppers, you don't want to build a staircase that may intimidate buyers or have an unorthodox design that prospective families won't want to live with. Keep the new staircase simple, relying on the materials to make the structure shine.

You'll generally be playing it safe if you stick to implementing a standard box newel into the design, or a very basic turned newel, like those in the Monroe Collection sold by Stair Parts USA. Use balusters and handrails that reflect this basic approach.

Leaving the stairs unstained will demonstrate to the shopper that they can take whatever design approach they'd like with the staircase, making their new purchase a highly customizable investment.