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DIY Home Staging Ideas

How to do inexpensive home staging?

How many reality shows have you seen lately? Nowadays our TV screens are filled with contractors, designers or real estate agents making substantial improvements to their client’s homes, resulting in significant profits.


Unfortunately, not everybody has a budget which allows them to spend thousands of dollars on home improvement projects. In many cases, the profits you see on these ‘reality’ shows are unrealistic; if you don’t have the skill set to DIY, the expenses can outweigh the return.

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Instead of draining your account what about inexpensive DYI home staging ideas?
The right staging will help you to sell your home fast and for a higher price.


But first of all What is Staging?


STAGING is NOT a decorating! It is preparing a house to attract as many customers as possible to buy your property.

BEFORE

AFTER

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE RICH OR OWN EXPENSIVE HOUSE.

PEOPLE WILL FEEL WELCOME AND COZY IN YOUR PLACE IF IT IS STAGED PROPERLY.
 

Before we start to think about how do you feel if you want to go for dinner and there are 2 restaurants. One looks very new, the other one looks beaten up from the outside. Where would
you go? Or this one. There is only one dining place close by and it is this bad-looking restaurant but you have to go, you have no choice. How do you feel going there even before you open the door?

I think that you would try first the newer place. In the second scenario, you will feel uncomfortable to go to this unwelcoming place and your expectations will be pretty low.
Same way people react when buying your home. The first impression is crucial in buying decisions. Unless you are the only one or there are not many choices you will have a competition and the competition is the list of similar homes on the market. 99% of potential buyers look at the pictures on the internet. Guess what? People decide within a few seconds if they like what they see. It is not rational, it is an emotional process. The first picture they see is
from the outside of your home. If they don’t like the first image they move on to the next one.
 

How to keep them to stay interested in your home? Stage you home the best way you can!

Here are DYI home staging ideas.


Rule number 1 – Prepare the front of the house that it is welcoming!

 

Clean the siding, windows, gutters. Power-wash the walkway. Paint, if necessary, and plant few flower baskets or do inexpensive flower beds in front of the house. Change your front doormat. Repair the doorbell if it is broken. Check how does your mailbox look like. Replace it with a new one if it ugly? Again think about the first impression.
 

Now we are coming inside!

Rule number 2 – DEPERSONALIZE YOUR HOME.
 

I cannot stress this one enough. Many sellers don’t want to take down their family pictures but you have to realize that till now it was your home. Now when you are selling it, it is a product. Your pictures and personalized items in the house are your memories so it is your past. What you want to offer in the future to any potential buyer and that’s why when they come to see your home they have to be able to imagine themselves living in your home. They have to be able to imagine themselves living here.

Rule number 3 – Before you will start cleaning your home DECLUTTER!

 

Every space even a small tidy closet looks bigger if it is almost empty. Move all your stuff if you can out of your house. The best would be a storage. Moving the boxes into the garage is an option but not the best one because many guys like to see how big is the space to store their ‘toys”.

BEFORE

AFTER

Rule number 4 – FRESH PAINT
 

Use light colors. The rooms look cleaner and bigger. Light colors are easier to paint than dark shades. You will hide imperfections.

Rule number 5 – FURNISHING


Get rid of big and bulky furniture. Especially if your place is smaller. There might be just you or two of you living in the house or the apartment and the space is just right for you but what if the young couple brings their parents or friends to help them decide. How will they feel in your space? Can they move around easily?

Few tips here:

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  • If you have a dining set with 6 chairs take 2 of them out.

  • For the breakfast area use smaller table

  • Don’t block any windows. It might feel obvious but it is not. I saw the cabinet standing partially in front of the window.

  • Make sure that if you list 3 bedrooms there are 3 bedrooms, not 2 bedrooms and the third one looking like a storage.

  • If you have a big room better is to do a small grouping than having one large sofa. Also, make sure that you have enough space around them. You can use this even for small rooms.

  • Get a nice neutral big mirror. The room will look bigger.

Rule number 6 – LIGHTING
Have all not working light bulbs changed! Missing bulbs give an impression that something is wrong. You can buy great looking lights without spending a fortune. Many homes have not enough lighting so adding a few lamps will help.

Rule number 7 – KITCHEN


We all know that kitchen is the selling feature of any home. But you don’t have to spend tons of money. As you probably know the kitchen renovation can cost you thousands of dollars. You should be familiar with the recent sales of similar homes around you. This will give you an idea of what is a reasonable amount to spend here.

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Some tips for an affordable kitchen improvement:

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  • New hardware

  • Painting the cupboards

  • Installing back-splash

  • Leave the countertop always empty for the showings so the countertop area feels as big as possible!

  • Store all small appliances.

  • Leave one bowl with fresh fruit. No more.

Rule number 8 – BEDROOMS

 

For staging the bedrooms look at rule number 5 again. Try to achieve luxury hotel look which means use white or light-colored bedding. Remove all your stuff from the nightstands. Here we are again :). Declutter your closet!

Rule number 9 – BATHROOMS


Have the top of the sink spotless without any toothbrushes, toothpaste, creams, etc. Leave only a soap and some small decoration in proportion to the size of your sink. Try to
achieve a spa feeling in your bathroom by placing some nice candles and light-colored towels. When selling my homes I found very helpful to have a box where I can store all my stuff I use every morning and evening and hide it
under the sink. It is easier and faster to be ready for showings.


Pull your sleeves up and DO IT! You might be so pleased with the result that you can decide not to sell at all :).

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