• Want to Stage Your Home DIY? No Problem! Here Are Some Easy (Yet Effective) Budget-Friendly Ways to Decorate Your Home To Sell

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    DIY Home Staging

    The first impression of a home will make a significant impact on a buyer’s decision-making process. First impressions are everything in life, and it is no different with your home! Home staging is an excellent choice. If you cannot afford an interior decorator, there are many tools on TV and online that can help to give you options and ideas. Staging is less work, and more fun than you think, especially if you ask a friend to help!

    Home staging allows you to highlight the best of your home and de-emphasize its flaws. The goal is to make people feel like they could live there, and the best way to do this is to “neutralize” the surroundings. Here are some great ways to DIY home-staging for little to no expense. See: 10 DIY Home Staging Tips.

    Clear out any and all messy spaces! This especially includes closets. Give away or pack up toys, linens, and small kitchen appliances to store offsite. When staging, spent your time focusing the most on the most visible areas—the foyer, kitchen, living room, master bedroom, and family room. If you have time, then move into the other areas of the home.

    Remove any personal items from the home. It is important that buyers feel no personal connection to your life while they are in the home. Remove all photos from the fridge and around the house, as well as collectables. Don’t forget to use plants to fill any empty spaces; don’t be afraid to use colorful ones, either, as they can really bring some life into the room.

    Be sure to read interior design-related books to get more ideas for how to stage your home. There are plenty of other available tools to do so, which include TV shows and the internet. Sites like Houzz are a great place to start for inspiration. Never forget to clean out all of your junk drawers (and junk closets!)

    Be sure the yard is in good shape, and that the grass looks well-maintained. Throw away and replace any dead flowerbeds, replace bald spots in the lawn, and be sure to weed and sweep the driveway! Buyers assume if you don’t take care of your yard, you probably don’t take care of what’s inside.

    Refrain from cooking anything with a pungent smell before prospective buyers come to view the house. Hire a professional to clean carpets and windows. The carpet is not optional. If you are financially in a bind, this is unfortunately something that you’ll have to spend the money on. If it is dirty and can be cleaned, the buyers will complain that it will need to be replaced. By having a professional come in and clean, you’ll know whether the carpet is acceptable or not.

    Setting the dining table is always a nice touch. It will let buyers envision themselves having dinner parties there. It’s an easy, but highly effective trick. Put fresh flowers throughout the home. This always adds a nice aesthetic touch, and it is scientifically proven that flowers in the home make people happier.

    If you are fortunate enough to have a fireplace, go ahead and light it! Nothing is more inviting to a prospective buyer than a warm firing going during the colder months of fall or winter. Use as much natural light as possible. Open all shades and curtains in the home. Open the door to the back patio, so that they see the sunlight when they come in. If it is nighttime, turn on all the lamps in the house. Change any bulbs that have tired, to fresh ones so they will shine bright.

    Complete any simple touchups such as a broken fence, or a creaky stair. Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask a friend or family member to come over and see what they think. They will be able to point out things that you missed, or give you new great ideas that you hadn’t thought of. However, make sure you ask a friend that you know will be honest with you; one that isn’t afraid to hurt your feelings. For further suggestions, see: Home Staging Ideas & Tips.

    Categories: General

    2 thoughts on “Want to Stage Your Home DIY? No Problem! Here Are Some Easy (Yet Effective) Budget-Friendly Ways to Decorate Your Home To Sell

    • Caroline says:

      Do you have any suggestions of places that I can go to find cheap, but expensive looking items to stage my house myself?

    • Paul Morris says:

      Hi Caroline. Yes! There are so many places you can go to find accessories that are inexpensive. Try TJ Maxx, and Marshall’s for starters. Be on the lookout for sales at chain stores such as these, or small consignment shops. The possibilities are endless!

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