Low-cost tips for staging your home
Spring is a busy time of year for the real estate market. What can homeowners do to stand out against the competition? Staging a home can sell it faster and for more money. In fact,staged homes typically sell for more than six percent above the asking price.
When listing your home, prepare to make a few updates and changes. You don’t have to spend a lot to get a return on your investment. Here are a few tips to ensure your home looks attractive to buyers:
Make the outside of your home inviting
The front door (or wherever prospective buyers enter the home) should be welcoming. Purchase a welcome mat and add some plants or flowers. Make sure to clean the area, too! The outside of the home is the first thing your guests will notice, so make it look presentable. If it doesn’t look appealing on the outside, people won’t want to come inside.
Add lighting
Brighten up your space with natural lighting as much as possible. Open curtains and blinds to let natural light in prior to buyers arriving. This is a no-cost way to make your home feel more open and large.
If willing to invest in additional lighting, it can be a great way to increase the value of your home. Lighting makes a space feel bigger. If there are areas of your home that are smaller, such as the bathroom, update them with new light bulbs.
Remove personal touches
The purpose of staging your house is to make it feel like a home, but more importantly, you want to make it feel like it could be the potential buyer’s home. Allow buyers to envision themselves in their potential new home. If you have family photos or artwork on the refrigerator, take them down. They’ll only serve as a distraction to buyers.
Choose scents carefully
Scents and aromas can make your home feel cozier. Smell can have the biggest impact of all the senses on buyers’ connections to your home, so incorporating them into an open house is a cost-effective idea. The key is to keep it subtle. Baking cookies might seem like the right idea, but it can be distracting. Try neutral aromas like lavender, vanilla or sage, as some potential buyers might be sensitive to strong aromas.
Organize and de-clutter
It sounds simple, but tidying up can go a long way. In addition to stowing away personal items, getting rid of excess clutter can increase the value of your home. After all, no one wants to see a mess when touring a prospective home.
If there is a room that tends to be a space for things to pile up, consider cleaning it up and turning it into a more useful space, like an office. It’s an inexpensive way to make your home feel more spacious. Even rearranging your furniture can transform a space and create a whole new look.
There is no reason not to put a little TLC into your home when presenting it to buyers. Staging doesn’t have to require a huge budget. There are many cost-effective ways to stage your home. Consider these budget-friendly tips if you’re ready to sell.
Whitney Bennett is the SEO Specialist at Landmark Home Warranty, a home warranty service provider headquartered in Utah. Whitney enjoys writing and developing helpful, informative content for homeowners.
