Dirt Cheap Home Staging Ideas!
According to an article in RIS Media’s Content Solutions, staging you home should not cost an arm and a leg! While HGTV says $2,000.00 is a good number, you can accomplish the same effect for far less. Here are the five ideas suggested in the article.
- Pack Away Personal Items
Packing away personal items is one of the simplest — and cheapest — things you can do to sell your house or condo quickly. The main reason is to allow the buyers to view it as their potential home. Pictures are extremely distracting and potential buyers will stop and stare at people just to see if they know anyone.
In addition to attracting buyers, you want the buyer’s agent to enjoy showing the home because even if this particular buyer isn’t interested, the agent might represent someone who would be a good match.
The cost: $2 to $3 for a roll of packaging tape. You already have the scissors on hand and you can often score the boxes for free from a neighborhood store.
- Clear Clutter
Clearing clutter is the hardest thing for most people to do because you are emotionally attached to everything in the house.
Most homeowners are amazed at how much clutter they have after living in a home for a number of years. However, it does affect the way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it. Clutter collects on shelves and countertops, and in drawers, closets, garages, attics and basements, etc.
Remove items from countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms. Put things in boxes and neatly stacking them in the corner of the garage. Anything extra should go in a small, rented storage unit.
Pack up 90% of your home!
The cost: The price of a storage unit varies (around $45 a month for a 5-by-5-foot unit).
- Rearrange and Neutralize
Rearrange the rooms in your home to reel in prospective buyers. Make sure each room has a distinct, useful purpose.
Not sure how! Tour builders’ models to see how the rooms are furnished.
Remember builders are experts on preparing their product for prospective buyers.
Also closets should be neat and organized. And get rid of things you haven’t worn in years.
If your home has been painted recently, consider yourself ahead of the game. If not, take a paintbrush to the rooms that need it most. Sellers who paint the interior of their home will see a large return on the investment.
There is nothing like neutral paint on the walls, trim and doors and it’s worth its weight in gold and gives the appearance of a clean and new home.
The cost: Anywhere from $12 to $50 per gallon for paint, plus another $10 to $50 for other painting supplies (primer, brushes, dropcloths, etc.)
- Scrub and Deodorize
Make sure your house or condo shines from top to bottom.
Cleaning and deodorizing a home before every showing is a must!
The goal is to help buyers imagine themselves living in the home.
If buyers see an unkempt home or smell something when they first walk in, they become turned off immediately. It spoils that first impression.
Have the house professionally cleaned so that everything is spotless — windows, sliding glass door tracks, garage, basement, ceiling fans, etc.
Bake something in the oven such as cookies or a pie, bringing cinnamon sticks to a slow boil in a pot of water or using air freshener to mask smells before each showing. Ridding the home of litter boxes is also a must.
The cost: Varies by the location and size of the home, but typically less than $100 to clean a 4-bedroom, 2,500-square-foot home. Cookie dough runs about $3.
- Enhance Curb Appeal
Whatever you do, do not overlook the home’s exterior when selling.
Curb appeal is the buyer’s first impression of your home.
And remember, you only have one chance to make a first impression.
Mow the lawn, make sure the sidewalk and driveway are free of clutter and debris, and ensure the house number is easily visible.
It may also be beneficial to pressure-clean the exterior of your home, driveway and sidewalk, if needed.
Another valuable low-cost solution is to use mulch or pinestraw.
It makes everything look trim and neat.
The cost: Mulch costs around $3 per bag and pinestraw around $5 per bale. The cost of renting a pressure washer varies, but you may be able to get one from a local hardware store for around $50 per day. It may cost double that to purchase a pressure washer.
