Quick and Cost-Effective Staging Tips

You’ve decided to list your home, but it’s not quite ready for the photoshoot. After all, a knockout listing will make a lasting impression to all types of buyers, and therefore drive that sale quicker and higher. But you don’t have much time, and need to put it on the market now. Here are some quick and easy staging tips that don’t require too much effort or time, yet will create the impact you need to capture the buyers’ interest:

Curb appeal: A clean cut lawn, freshly painted door, seasonal flowers or greenery, and a new entrance mat or rug, make the home inviting and create an impactful first impression even before the buyer walks into the home. Got extra time? Maybe look at replacing the house numbers, mailbox, or porch light fixture…

Give your kitchen a facelift: The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the house, and it’s usually the first room to get a full “walk-through” by buyers. An outdated kitchen that needs some TLC will be off-putting to many buyers, and likely impede the ability to get your home sold quickly and at top dollar.

Repainting the existing cabinets and changing the fixtures are a quick and cost-effective way to give your kitchen the upgrade it needs without having to go through a full renovation.

Always think neutral whites and pastels which are most attractive to buyers since they can easily envision their own design with a clean “canvas”.

Remove large furniture and re-arrange the space: It is natural to have multiple seating areas and other pieces of furniture that fit into each homeowners’ lifestyle and needs. However, to the potential buyer, those pieces of furniture may end up making the space feel much smaller. Highlight the space in the house by re-arranging the layout to open the rooms and create for better flow from one room to the next.

Remove any unnecessary pieces of furniture to create the impression of a much larger and airier home, which allows the buyer to envision the space as their own.

De-personalize and remove all clutter: Nothing puts off a potential buyer more than walking into a house that is clearly being lived in. This hampers the buyers’ ability to create the emotional connection and envision that house as their own. Think family pictures, children’s toys, pet accessories, and religious items…those all need to be stored and packed away.

Ideally, you have more time to prepare a home for selling, but the above tips are quick and cost-effective solutions for when you are pressed for time to list that house. With some minimal help, you should be able to put that house on the market in no time!