You may not have the extra funds to stage a property, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways you can still spruce it up.
“Everyone needs to stage their home to sell it efficiently,” Laura McHolm, co-founder of NorthStar Moving, told realtor.com®. “But you do not need to spend a lot of money to stage your home.”
Some of the biggest staging moves can be free. Beyond decluttering and depersonalizing the property, realtor.com® recently highlighted several ideas, including:
1. Remove any extra storage.
“Eliminate any plastic storage bins, over-the-door storage, above-cabinet storage, and extra racks in rooms,” Julie Chrissis with Chrissis & Company Interiors told realtor.com®. “This is important because buyers never want to think they will outgrow a home. A seller’s job is to show them there is plenty of storage space for them to grow into.”
2. Tweak the furniture layout.
Pay attention to how the furniture is placed in the room and its flow. Remove furniture that makes the space look too cluttered. “Room layouts should be set up for photos first,” Chrissis says. “It’s important that the photo not be of the back of a sofa, large chair, or other pieces of furniture, as this makes the room look smaller because it blocks the view of part of the room. The same goes for open houses and showings. If buyers see a room with furniture barriers, it makes the room seem smaller.”
3. Lighten up the mood.
“You want natural light and lamps with warm light—no swirly bulbs that look like office light,” says Chrissis. “We tell most of our clients to remove valances as they typically make a room darker and, in most markets, are a little out of fashion. Lamps are important, especially in winter months when there is less sun and sunset is earlier.”
Read the full list of “free” staging tips at realtor.com®.
Source: “How to Stage a House for Free: 7 Ideas That Don’t Cost a Dime,” realtor.com® (Jan. 4, 2019)
