Staging Your Home without Depleting Your Bank Account

In the current tough economy, many families do not have the expendable cash necessary to update and stage a home for sale.  However, there are plenty of inexpensive, highly effective, and simple ways to stage your home to make it warm, spacious, and inviting that will add value and more importantly, not deplete your bank account.

• Mow the lawn, clear the sidewalk, mulch, add flowers and make sure the house number is visible. Remove pet excretions from your entire yard.   Clear any branches, weeds, limbs, and bushes that hide the home.  If needed, rent a pressure washer for $50 or borrow a neighbor’s to clean the exterior, driveway, and sidewalk.
•  Borrow or purchase colorful, potted plants to place by your front door.
• Clean your welcome mat, or buy a new one if necessary.  This makes the house feel warm and inviting.
• Fix the little imperfections of your home.  For instance, add orange oil to dry cabinets to renew their luster.  Use a staining furniture polish to make woodwork look new.  Add lubricant to fix a squeaky door.
• Remove the clutter from your home. Packing away personal items is one of the simplest and most inexpensive things you can do help your home sell quickly.  Remove all photos, religious items, and clutter including toys, items on counter tops, old books, magazines, CD’s, and decorations that do not add visual appeal to your home.  You can box them neatly in your garage out of sight.
• Cleaning and deodorizing your home is very important.  Clean carpets, bathrooms, counter tops, dust furniture, fans, and baseboards, organize closets, your refrigerator, kitchen drawers, be sure to remove fingerprints from light switches and around door knobs, and everything else necessary to make your home spotless from top to bottom.
• Light candles or use plug-ins to add fragrance to your home.  Fresh flowers and potpourri are also inexpensive ways to help your home smell fresh, and add crucial visible elements.  Place scented soaps in bathrooms to decorate and add freshness.
• Move furniture around to open up space and make the room look warm, spacious, and inviting.   Remove bulky furniture if needed to open up the room.
• Borrow lamps, rugs, table centerpieces, and small pieces of furniture to occupy an area with too much open space.  These items can be found at many stores for a very low price, as well.
• Add items to areas that seem dull.  For instance, a bowl of fruit can add color and texture to kitchen counters, pillows or a throw can complement an old, outdated couch.
• Add greenery; search your yard for colorful flowers to put in a vase.
• Let natural light brighten every room.  Open curtains and blinds. Replace light bulbs that contribute to harsh or dull lighting.

Following these simple guidelines for staging your home are economical, easy, and effective.  By dividing the tasks amongst your family, borrowing essential items, or finding them at great prices, you can present your home in the most desirable way possible without eating through your savings.