Whether you’re looking to sell your home or just give it a facelift, staging is the most important piece of the puzzle and can be done on any budget! If you’re not sure where to begin, look no further. Here are 10 tips for staging your home on any budget:
1. Start with a plan.
The first step when it comes to staging a home is having a plan. Before you start, take photos of the house and draw floor plans for each room. This will help you determine where to place furniture and accessories so that they work with the space, rather than fight against it.
Once you’ve got your ideas on paper (or in the cloud), make a list of everything that needs to be done in order for your home to be ready for staging. Consider both cosmetic updates like painting and cleaning, as well as large-scale projects like installing new flooring or appliances in kitchens or bathrooms. Then create another list of what materials you’ll need—think light fixtures, rugs/carpets/curtains/draperies, furniture pieces etc.—and make sure that everything’s on hand before showing off your spiffed-up space!
2. Focus on curb appeal.
- Focus on curb appeal.
- Clean up the yard and remove any dead plants or trees, mow the lawn, trim bushes, clean windows and driveway, clean outside walls and remove any trash or clutter that may be hiding in your garden beds. A home will look instantly better with a little TLC given to these areas!
3. Declutter and depersonalize
- Declutter and depersonalize. Remove clutter, personal items and photos of the current owner. This is one of the most common mistakes made by homeowners when staging their home for sale. When potential buyers walk through your house, they want to picture their family living there. They don’t want to picture yours!
- Remove all personal items from the walls—if it isn’t nailed down or glued on, remove it!
- Get rid of any personal items in the kitchen (i.e., a set of salt and pepper shakers you had from your first apartment).
- Remove photos with people in them or anything that depicts anything about you or your life (i.e., pictures of friends, family members etc.).
- Clean up any messes that may be present around your house so that everything looks neat and tidy instead of messy and cluttered – this will make a huge difference when showing potential buyers through the property because they’ll be able to focus more on its features rather than what needs tidying up around them!
4. Clean, clean and then clean some more!
A quick clean and a thorough dusting can make an enormous difference in the appearance of your home. It’s not always possible to hire someone to do this, but it is possible to do it yourself. All you need is some elbow grease, a few hours and these cleaning tips:
- Clean your windows inside and out.
- Clean mirrors and glass surfaces throughout the house.
- Vacuum floors thoroughly, including rugs and carpets as well as hardwood flooring or other types of flooring that you have in your home. If there are any stains on your floors (even if they aren’t very noticeable), use a product that will clean them up before staging your home for sale – just make sure not to use anything with bleach in it!
5. Repair and update what you can.
- Repair broken items such as doors, windows, and cabinets.
- Replace broken light fixtures.
- Replace worn out carpeting with neutral colors that match the style of your property and allude to quality without being expensive.
- Replace damaged paint by removing it completely or hiding it with neutral colors like white or beige which make rooms appear larger than they are (especially in small spaces).
- Replace old appliances in kitchens if you have enough money to do so—but don’t go overboard because you’ll just end up spending more than you need when it comes time sell your home!
6. Paint, but choose neutral colors that don’t stand out.
When it comes to painting your home, there are some things you shouldn’t skimp on. You want the paint job to be high quality and last for years. And you don’t have to break the bank for a well-done interior paint job—there are plenty of affordable options out there. But when it comes to color, you may find yourself having trouble deciding what’s best. Neutral colors can make a room feel bigger, warmer and more inviting, but they can also look bland or boring if they’re too light or too dark.
7. Stage the kitchen and bathrooms first — they’re the most important rooms in the house!
Staging the kitchen and bathrooms first is a must. These rooms are the most important areas of your home, both to buyers and to you, so they’re going to be at the top of your staging list. You’ll have better luck selling if potential buyers see a nice kitchen and bathroom before they see anything else.
Plus: kitchens and baths are relatively easy to stage because there’s not much furniture involved (unless you’re doing an entire room makeover). The only other room that can be staged this easily is a bedroom; beyond that, the furniture in dining rooms, family rooms and living rooms can be cumbersome or impossible to move around without help from professionals who know what they’re doing.
So don’t try adding color or accessories here—just pick up some inexpensive knickknacks from Target or HomeGoods (or even Dollar Tree!) as filler items that will make it look like someone actually lives there!
8. Pay attention to lighting throughout the house — make sure every room is bright, especially if it’s dark outside or there are no windows in the room.
- Pay attention to lighting throughout the house—make sure every room is bright, especially if it’s dark outside or there are no windows in the room.
- Natural light will always be your best friend when it comes to staging a home. If you have south-facing windows that look out onto trees and grass (or even a busy street), they can make a huge difference in how your home looks.
- Consider using lamps instead of overhead lights as well, especially if you’re trying to sell early morning or late evening hours when natural light isn’t present. This can help create an intimate atmosphere for potential buyers who want to see what their new place would feel like at night time after all is said and done!
9. Try rearranging existing furniture to create better flow in a space, instead of spending money to buy new pieces.
- Measure each room.
- List the furniture in each room.
- List the furniture you want to keep.
- List the furniture you want to move.
- List the furniture you want to add (if any).
- List the furniture that needs to go for this room to be complete!
10. Make sure the temperature is comfortable everywhere in the house before a showing! Try turning on your AC or heat to make rooms easier to walk into during different seasons of the year when temperatures fluctuate drastically from day to day or week to week outside.
- Make sure the temperature is comfortable everywhere in the house before a showing! Try turning on your AC or heat to make rooms easier to walk into during different seasons of the year when temperatures fluctuate drastically from day to day or week to week outside.
- Turn off the AC or heat before leaving the house so you don’t waste any energy while you’re not there.
Staging a home doesn’t have to be expensive!
- Be realistic
- Be patient
- Be smart
- Be creative
- Be flexible
- Be prepared to take action
Conclusion
Staging a home can be a daunting task, but it’s one that’s worth doing. When you put in the effort and make sure your home is looking its best, you increase your chances of selling for more money. And when you do it on a budget, you don’t have to worry about breaking the bank! Make sure to follow these ten tips for staging your home on a budget so that your house will look amazing without costing too much money.
