TEN IDEAS FOR STAGING YOUR HOME ON A BUDGET
1. Take away. Before you buy anything to stage your home, start by taking things out. Get rid of it things you no longer need or use with the end goal in mind: To have counters, tables and all other visible surfaces cleared. Taking things out will cost you absolutely nothing. Zero. In fact, you may earn money by selling items you no longer need.
2. Try painting first. Before you buy new bedroom furniture, a new table or a new patio set, try painting it first. Wood paint and spray paint can work wonders and cost significantly less than buying new furniture.
3. Fake it. Sometimes you don’t need the real thing to create a staged scene. Need to stage a room as a bedroom but don’t have a mattress? Try an air mattress or foam as a substitute.
4. Focus on cleanliness. More than anything, home buyers are discouraged by lack of cleanliness. Clean floors, walls and surfaces may not win a buyer but the lack of cleanliness will certainly lose them. Cleaning well is the most important and cost effective activity you can do when preparing your home for sale.
5. Plants, plants and more plants. Every room needs a little green; especially those with great natural light. Plants are always on sale and add more value than they cost. Need to stage an empty space but can’t afford new furniture? Use a plant on a plant stand in a pretty pot. Works every time.
6. Pick a color palette. Try to keep everything within the same color palette, meaning adjacent or complimentary colors. Typically, I suggest having a color palette for the house and separate (adjacent) color palettes for each room. It’s easier than it sounds. Invest in a color wheel.
7. Design with magazines and books. Make sure they’re non-political and balance gender specific publications. Make sure that the colors of the book or magazine cover support your color palette. Use magazine’s to reflect the essence of the home, i.e. Metropolitan Home, Town & Country or Dwell work well depending on the style of the home.
8. Focus on Freshness. Most homes either smell lived-in or like the absence of being lived in (dust, construction, paint, and generally stale air). If you plan to list a home for sale (occupied or unoccupied), keep the windows open as much as possible and use ceiling fans if you have them. There’s nothing like fresh air circulating.
9. Depersonalize. Put away family photos, Elvis paintings on canvas, and other owner specific knick knacks. If you stage the place properly, you’ll be unpacking them soon enough in your NEW home.
10. Fill in the blanks. Most people have 80% of what they need to effectively stage their home. Now it’s time to shop for the last 20%.Go to Wal-Mart, Dollar Stores, Target, IKEA or any other discount retailer to fill in the blanks only after you have done all of the above (# 1-9).
2. Try painting first. Before you buy new bedroom furniture, a new table or a new patio set, try painting it first. Wood paint and spray paint can work wonders and cost significantly less than buying new furniture.
3. Fake it. Sometimes you don’t need the real thing to create a staged scene. Need to stage a room as a bedroom but don’t have a mattress? Try an air mattress or foam as a substitute.
4. Focus on cleanliness. More than anything, home buyers are discouraged by lack of cleanliness. Clean floors, walls and surfaces may not win a buyer but the lack of cleanliness will certainly lose them. Cleaning well is the most important and cost effective activity you can do when preparing your home for sale.
5. Plants, plants and more plants. Every room needs a little green; especially those with great natural light. Plants are always on sale and add more value than they cost. Need to stage an empty space but can’t afford new furniture? Use a plant on a plant stand in a pretty pot. Works every time.
6. Pick a color palette. Try to keep everything within the same color palette, meaning adjacent or complimentary colors. Typically, I suggest having a color palette for the house and separate (adjacent) color palettes for each room. It’s easier than it sounds. Invest in a color wheel.
7. Design with magazines and books. Make sure they’re non-political and balance gender specific publications. Make sure that the colors of the book or magazine cover support your color palette. Use magazine’s to reflect the essence of the home, i.e. Metropolitan Home, Town & Country or Dwell work well depending on the style of the home.
8. Focus on Freshness. Most homes either smell lived-in or like the absence of being lived in (dust, construction, paint, and generally stale air). If you plan to list a home for sale (occupied or unoccupied), keep the windows open as much as possible and use ceiling fans if you have them. There’s nothing like fresh air circulating.
9. Depersonalize. Put away family photos, Elvis paintings on canvas, and other owner specific knick knacks. If you stage the place properly, you’ll be unpacking them soon enough in your NEW home.
10. Fill in the blanks. Most people have 80% of what they need to effectively stage their home. Now it’s time to shop for the last 20%.Go to Wal-Mart, Dollar Stores, Target, IKEA or any other discount retailer to fill in the blanks only after you have done all of the above (# 1-9).
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