5 Easy Ways to Stage Your Home on a Budget

We all doll up our place whenever friends or family come over. The last thing we want is for them to see how we really live. But for some reason, people preparing to sell their home think spending large amounts of cash is the only way to make their place more attractive.

Here’s the good news: you can give potential buyers a great first impression without breaking the bank. If you need to stage your home but are on a budget, consider these quick and easy tips:

1. Move around furniture

A rule of thumb is to do whatever it takes to make your home look roomier and bigger. Having too much furniture or a specific piece that’s too large for the place, will make the area look more crowded and thus less attractive. Sometimes all it takes is a little rearranging to get the job done.

But if not, consider moving a piece of furniture somewhere else. It’s better for people to see your oversized couch inside the garage (if they tour that area) than in a place that’s blocking a focal point. This includes a nice window, fireplace, etc.

2. Get the paintbrush out

Depending on the state of your home, it’s sometimes worth your time and effort to paint the whole house— inside and out. Potential buyers prefer seeing a home with colors that are already attractive to them even if they wouldn’t mind repainting themselves. It’s also a good idea to choose neutral colors.

If you have a kid’s room that’s bright pink or red, change it to a safe color like cream, brown, or white. Also, touch up kitchen cabinets and other things that clearly look dated and are in need of a touch-up.

3. Breathe life to the outside

There are houses where you can tell the same doormat or mailbox has been there for decades. Avoid giving off that old vibe by replacing and improving all the little things outside. This can include anything from repainting your house number to getting a new, modern mailbox.

You can’t spruce up the outside of your home without considering your landscape. You’d be surprised by how much a house improves visually just from a new flower bed or nicely trimmed bushes. And of course, if you have grass then make sure it’s looking watered and healthy come selling season.

4. Redo the floors

If there’s one thing that reveals a home’s age, it’s the floor. There’s nothing attractive about old, creaky wooden floors or carpet that has seen better days. Although it does cost money, replacing that ugly carpeting or wood can make a world of difference.

When you’re really strapped for cash you can at least pay a professional cleaner to come and give your carpeting a good scrubbing. Refinishing wood floors is also not too expensive and can make your home look more presentable to visitors.

5. Clean, then clean some more.

Sometimes all a home needs is a good old-fashioned cleaning to drastically improve its look. This includes attacking places you normally don’t, such as the outside part of your second-story windows or areas where the same cobwebs have hung around for years. It wouldn’t hurt to even clean up the garage a bit so they can see what kind of space they’ll be getting.

Although they’re not getting it along with the house, cleaning your furniture is also a good idea. This step is also a great time to remove any clutter and other things that make your home look less spacious than it really is.
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Want to learn more home selling tips? Read this article on how to make a great first impression when selling your home.