DIY Home Staging Tips on a Budget

Deciding to sell your home can be stressful even before you begin to open your doors to buyers. According to a study by the Real Estate Staging Association, staged homes tend to sell up to 70 percent faster than non-staged homes. Instead of hiring a professional home stager and spending extra money, take a moment to outline all the changes you can make on your own. Our team suggests starting with these simple, budget-friendly staging tips to ensure your home gets sold quickly.

First thing’s first, remove clutter from all rooms and closets. This will give you a new, fresh perspective when looking at your home and will help you identify which steps to take next. It’s fine to leave items in closets, but try to organize or remove extras since buyers will open each and every door.
Next, “edit” furniture. Remove pieces that cramp the space or don’t match the atmosphere of the house. HGTV Frontdoor says ‘when in doubt, take it out.’ Store the items, or ask a friend if you can leave extra furniture with them while your home is being shown. On second thought, don’t need that old couch? Sell it for some extra cash!
Make a trip through your home and test all cupboards, cabinets and drawers for proper opening and closing. If you are in a time crunch to get a squeak silenced, Yahoo! lists five common household items that will be a temporary fix, like Vaseline or old crayons. If you have time before showing, visit your closest home improvement store. Bring photos of the hardware you are looking to fix and ask an in-store professional for recommendations at a price in your budget.
Depersonalize. It may be hard to take down that beautiful family photo, or put away the family heirlooms, but this is in your best interest. Buyers are more likely to mentally picture themselves in a house when there isn’t conflicting décor. Keep the home inviting with affordable, decorative candles, and pick up a reasonably priced bouquet of flowers from Trader Joe’s. You can even ask friends to donate flowers from their gardens. The most important thing is for the buyer to be able to visualize the home to meet their tastes after they make the purchase.
Ask a good friend or family member for their critical opinion. Have this person come over to do a quick inspection and jot down issues they see in your house. A fresh pair of eyes will notice that chipped corner tile that you’ve grown accustomed to. Stay calm and be receptive to their suggestions. Remember this is how strangers will see your home. Use this list to fix additional recognizable issues.
First impressions are everything, and the same goes for curb appeal. Repaint the address numbers, buy a new door mat, paint or refinish the mailbox, cut the grass, etc. It’s the little things that home buyers will notice when they first pull up. Homeowners can consult this list of 10 curb appeal boosts for under $100 to get started.
Lastly – clean, clean and clean some more. Proper home selling etiquette is to have your home clean and welcoming. Check out these cleaning shortcuts that will save time and money. If you do have extra money to spend, consider purchasing a maid service for the days before your home begins showing.

Don’t be afraid to think out of the box when staging your home. Every seller has a different budget and home so you may need to adjust as you go. A quick Google or Houzz search for pictures of staged homes in your current décor style will provide examples and ideas about how to stage. Ultimately, home staging will help get your home sold more quickly in any real estate market.