fbpx

5 dirt-cheap home-staging ideas

by Frankie Canova / February 13, 2017

When you’re selling your home, you want it to look its best so it will command the best price. That’s where home staging comes in.

On HGTV’s “Designed to Sell,” sellers are given $2,000 to transform their homes. Or, you could hire a professional stager to prepare the home for prospective buyers — at a cost of anywhere from $50 to $150 per hour, according to Jessica Page, a Realtor with Innovative Real Estate near Denver.

Fortunately, homeowners can take matters into their own hands for a lot less money.

1 – Pack away personal items

Packing away some of your stuff is one of the simplest — and cheapest — things you can do to sell your house or condo quickly.

“The reason you want to depersonalize your home is because you want buyers to view it as their potential home,” Page says.

Prospective buyers won’t be able to picture themselves in the house if they’re surrounded by dozens of photos of your children and grandparents.

“Pictures are extremely distracting,” says Radice, who also recommends removing any religious items from plain view.

“You want your home to show like a model,” she says.

In addition to attracting the buyer, “you want the buyer’s agent to enjoy showing the home,” Radice says, 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.

2 – Clear away clutter

Decluttering the home is another simple way to get buyers to focus on the bones of the house.

“This is the hardest thing for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in the house,” Page says.

“After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. 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,” she says.

Radice recommends removing items from countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms.

“If you have kids, get rid of the toys all around the house. For all you know, the buyers could be empty nesters,” Radice says.

She suggests putting things in boxes and neatly stacking them in the corner of the garage. Anything extra should go in a small, rented storage unit.

Even better, ask a friend or relative to hang on to your items for free.

“Pack up 90 percent of your home,” Radice says.

The cost: The price of a storage unit varies (around $45 a month for a 5-by-5-foot unit).

3 – Rearrange and neutralize rooms

Rearrange the rooms in your home to reel in prospective buyers. Make sure each room has a distinct, useful purpose.

Page suggests touring builders’ models to see how the rooms are furnished.

“Builders are experts on preparing their product for prospective buyers,” she says.

Radice says closets should be “neat and organized.”

“The pair of shoes that you haven’t worn in 10 years, get rid of,” she says.

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, Page says.

“Fresh, neutral paint on the walls, trim and doors is worth its weight in gold — it makes everything appear clean and new,” she says.

The cost: Anywhere from $12 to $50 per gallon for paint, plus another $10 to $50 for other painting supplies (primer, brushes, dropcloths, etc.) You can get back some of that money as a refund on your taxes for any items you donate to charity (such as those extra shoes in the closet).

4 – Scrub and deodorize

No one wants to look at a dirty, smelly home — especially not prospective buyers. So make sure your house or condo shines from top to bottom.

The goal is to help buyers imagine themselves living in the home, Page says.

“When buyers see an unkempt home or smell something when they first walk in, they become turned off immediately,” Page says. “They can rarely see past it to look at all of the great features in the home.”

Radice suggests having the house professionally cleaned so that everything is spotless: windows, sliding glass door tracks, garage, basement, ceiling fans, etc.

“This is worth the money spent,” Radice says.

She also recommends baking cookies in the oven, 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 also is a must.

The cost: Varies by the location and size of the home, but typically less than $100 to clean a four-bedroom, 2,500-square-foot home. Cookie dough runs about $3.

5 – Enhance curb appeal

Whatever you do, do not overlook the home’s exterior when selling.

“Curb appeal is just as important as cleaning the inside of the home — it’s the buyer’s first impression of your home,” Page says.

Radice agrees. “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.

You may even choose to pressure-clean the exterior of your home, driveway and sidewalk.

Another valuable low-cost solution? Mulch. “It makes everything look trim and neat,” Radice says.

The cost: Mulch costs around $3 per bag. 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. Professional cleaning with a pressure washer for a 2,500 square-foot-house may set you back about $250.