How to Stage Your House on a Budget
First off, let's fix some things up!
Now, this may seem obvious but it is a must-do before you start staging. Most homes have been lived in before they go for sale and living day to day life tends to create little messes here and there. Natural wear and tear. I bet your car doesn't look the same as it did the day you bought it, the buttons are a little worn, and maybe the exterior has a ding here or there. The same goes for a house.
I would start with a fresh paint job. Get a new look and bonus, you don't have to clean the walls because the paint has plenty of chemicals to kill whatever lies beneath.
Cover up any holes from pictures, shelves, etc that you may have put up. While we're on that note, take down anything extra you added. Even if it's that shelf in that bathroom that you love, chances are people want more of a blank slate when it comes to walls and overall room appeal.
If you have a little extra to spend I recommend hiring a house cleaner to do a good run through once your done prepping the house. If not, a good sweep, mop and wipe down of all areas should do the trick.
Now let's get started!
Say that you have your furniture in storage right now because obviously, you are selling your house. Take that furniture out of storage and use it to stage your home! I would recommend that you only stage the main living areas and not the bedrooms. You want people who are walking through the house to be able to use their imagination to picture their own stuff in some of the rooms without any distractions.
Now, the trick is you want to utilize your space and show the value of the rooms you are staging. So put a couch or two in the living room, with a coffee table. Use neutral color couches. If your couches have some fun or unique aspects get a neutral couch cover to throw over them. Decorate simply with some throw pillows, nice fake flowers in a vase, etc.
If you do not have any furniture of your own to spare there is always the handy dandy thrift store. Go pick up some lightly used, reasonably priced (in your budget) furniture. Like I said before they do not need to be perfect, couch covers, and table cloths are your friend. Think hotel lobby and room look; simple, clean and of course pretty.
So there it is, you do not need to hire a home stager and spend loads of money to stage your home. Just spruce up your house and remember thrift stores are gold mines for those nature paintings that look great to add personality to your staged home!
