5 Inexpensive Home Staging Ideas
First impressions mean everything! So, if you’re trying to sell your home you’ll want it to look it’s best for potential buyers. If hiring a professional stager is out of your budget, here are a few inexpensive ways to make your home more appealing to prospective homebuyers. Clean the Clutter Before you do anything else, clear the clutter! A messy, disorderly home immediately gives off a bad vibe! Start by organizing your belongings – make a “Gotta Have It” pile and a “Let it Go” pile. Organize your “Gotta Have It” items in bins and neatly store in your closets, basement or storage unit. Consider donating your “Let it Go” items to charity or hold a garage sale. Make it Squeaky Clean Now that your home is neatly organized, clean it up! Crystal clear windows, polished floors, and sparkling surfaces will give your home a fresh look (and smell!). Be sure to clean areas you often overlook such as the tile grout, stove top, window sills and wall/floor corners. In addition, make sure that you don’t have anything in your home that will give off an odor. Dirty dishes in the sink or dishwasher, garbage cans and disposals, spoiled foods in the refrigerator or pantry and pet beds are all notorious for emitting foul smells. Depersonalize Your Home Yes, your wedding photos are beautiful and your framed diplomas are quite impressive… but, all those personal items make it difficult for prospective buyers to envision the home as their own. Photos and religious items are especially distractive! As hard as it may be, take them down before buyers tour your home. Neutralize It! Yep, we love the trendy wall colors and those chevron curtains are to die for! But, when your home is on the market, it’s better to stick with classic neutrals. Give your walls a fresh coat of paint in rich mid-tone neutrals, such as Sage or Light Mocha – these colors will give your home a sophisticated look without creating the stark, boring vibe that white walls often do. In addition to neutralizing the walls, you may also want to neutralize the décor. An ultra girly living room – complete with a pink couch and matching throw pillows – may be your favorite room in the house, but it could easily deter a male buyer. The same goes for a rooms dedicated to your favorite sports teams (yeah, we’ve all seen those!) or vibrant murals painted on the walls of children’s rooms. Utilize Your Space Most buyers are looking for space, so if you have that space make sure you are showing it off. That room – you know, the one with the stacked boxes and treadmill – turn it into a space a buyer would want! If you home has over three bedrooms, show that this room could be converted to a home office. If your home has less than three bedrooms, be sure to show that this room could be an additional bedroom. Open the Closet Doors Believe it or not, prospective buyers are going to open your closet doors. After all, they have stuff too and they want to know if your home will be able to hold all of it. Messy, unorganized closets look smaller than they actually are. Show off your closet space by making them extra organized and keep them about 25 percent vacant. This open space will immediately make your closet appear larger! Looking for more tips? Talk to your real estate agent. He/she may have additional ideas that are more personalized to your home.
