The final entry in our month-long series on home staging is about staging your house on a budget. When it comes to selling your home, there’s a lot to consider and a lot of, sometimes unexpected, expenses. One thing that can definitely help you appeal to buyers is staging, but if those expenses are adding up, you might need some ideas for staging your house on a budget.

Just as an artist or fashion stylist uses a carefully designed aesthetic to bring out a subject’s best features, home staging involves the precise arrangement of furniture and tailoring of accents to present clean lines, spacious rooms, and attentive upkeep.  Many real estate agents and sellers report higher selling prices and fewer days on the market for staged houses.  However, professional staging brings an added cost.  Check out our suggestions below for easy DIY ideas for staging your house on a budget.

9 Tips for Staging Your House on a Budget

Pare Down Furniture

Buyers want to see the most spacious places they can find within their budget.  Show off roomy areas like the living room by finding somewhere to store about half of your furniture, particularly bright or colorful pieces that won’t play into a palette flowing throughout the house.  Experts also recommend pulling remaining furniture away from walls, which gives rooms a more voluminous feel. If you’re staging your house on a budget consider asking a friend or relative if you can store some things in their garage or basement to save on storage fees.

Create a Light and Airy Feel

Clear away as many barriers that block natural light as possible.  Pull back curtains and shades, and trim any hedges that block windows and doors.  Replace any dim light bulbs with brighter ones that mimic daylight.

Clear Out Storage Areas

Closets, drawers, and shelves rank high on many buyers’ lists of what to look for.  They want to know their belongings can be put neatly away, so try to find another place for your own storage items.  This will not only make storage spaces look larger but also help a buyer picture the house as their own.

Hide Power Cords

Yes, buyers know that power cords are a given with entertainment centers and appliances, but it will surprise you how much more streamlined and tidy your spaces will look if you take steps to conceal wires and cords.  And when it comes to staging your house on a budget, this one is next to free. Snap-on strips in finishes that match baseboards are available at home improvement stores and online.

Stick To Soft, Neutral Shades

Buyers come in all types, and you want to appeal to as many different tastes as possible.  From wall paint to furniture to larger accents like curtains, keep colours neutral and easy on the eyes so anyone could feel at home there.  Soft colour palettes work wonderfully for a calm and soothing ambiance and a fresh, clean look.

Arrange Your Closet

If you aren’t able to empty your closet before showings, take the next-best approach and ‘boutique’ its contents to resemble a store you would want to shop in.  Organize your clothes by colour, use all the same hangers, and try to keep similar-length items together.  Leave a little space between pieces if you can to give the impression of a luxurious amount of storage area.

Aim For a Clean, Move-In Ready Slate

Buyers walk through a home with minds whirring, imagining what they could do with the space and picturing their own family and friends gathered there.  Save their mental faculties a step and put away family portraits and personal mementos so that they can easily see the place as their own.  Look for ways to make the house seem new and not yet lived-in, like putting out fresh, unused soap in the bathroom.

Focus On Small Upgrades

When trying to stage your house on a budget, scan your house for cheap and easy improvements that go a long way.  Give any squeaky hinges or joints a shot of WD-40 and add a coat of polyurethane on wooden surfaces to make them look new.  Replace weathered cabinet hardware with new knobs that complement the fixtures, and check lampshades and curtains for signs of damage.

Stay On Schedule

Write up a cleaning and maintenance schedule so you can divide chores between days, keep the house ready at a moment’s notice, and avoid stress.

Apply these low-cost staging strategies to make the property as attractive as possible. If you’re looking for a way to make bigger improvements on a budget, consider our Property Concierge program at Griffin Group. We use our money to renovate your home to get a higher sale price and you don’t pay anything until after we sell.

Contact us today about getting your house sold!