No Budget for Staging? Shop your House!

Karen, I love shopping sellers homes, they usually have so many pieces that can be used in other creative ways.  I always ask the seller if all of their decor items are out, and then they start showing me all the nooks and crannies where items are stashed.  I've found the most interesting items in closets, cabinets and garages.  Every homeowner, not just for sellers should have their homes shopped and redesigned.  It's the most affordable way for a whole new look.

A staging consultation is the best return on an investment a seller will ever make.  I have rearranged furniture, found the cute stuff being "saved" I don't know what?? and people sometimes even have art in a an closet. 

The main expertise is arrangement by the home stager and art placement is huge!

Love your ideas and suggestions .. so much so that we re-blogged it! Thanks :)

Karen ~ here's another example of how staging minimizes cost but maximizes impact by using only what the seller already has.  This family room off the kitchen was crowded and the focal point of the room wasn't highlighted:

We found a fun colorful rug upstairs and swapped out the bland rug; we broke up the sectional, removing the "block" that buyers saw when they entered this area, and repositioned the accent chair for a better seating arrangement.  We also re-accessorized the built-ins and found more impactful art to place above the room's focal point, the fireplace:   

We kept the TV here because this active family didn't have another place for it, and it was important to make the house livable for them while it was on the market.   The sellers and their Realtor were delighted with the changes that we made, and the home sold shortly afterward. Happily Ever After!

Great ideas! Thanks for the blog.  I use staging in my sales and you are so right that it does make a difference.  Removing items from a crowded room is so important!  Your ideas of re-using are priceless!

What a smart idea.  I love it.  While I'm not a stager, I did help a client solve an issue w/ her floors by suggesting that she move one of her nice area rugs from the living room to the entryway (to protect floors and cover small gap in wood) and by doing this, it will make the living room look larger since she had 2 large area rugs there (which just made the room look smaller).

I want each and every one of the these stagers in Baltimore. Shopping  the house is a great concept.

Great ideas all around. Getting creative helps save clients money upfront as well as make them money when the house sells faster/at a higher price than if no staging were attempted. I have discovered that I also love this aspect of real estate - kind of like solving a puzzle of where everything best fits and highlights the features of the home. 

Wow, these are all great ideas for staging and costs almost nothing except hard work!

Karen, what a great idea for sellers who are on a limited budget.

What a great post.  Minimizing can sometimes be the hardest part for sellers when listing their home.  We sometimes forget to use what we have.  If we didn't want it why would we have purchased it in the first place? 

Karen, I live off of your idea with my staging.  I just wrote a blog about what you find in the closets and basements that are tucked away and can be treasures for staging!  

In the bedroom below, I moved things around, found a comforter and pillows in the closet that brought more color into the room, cleaned out some clutter and it has a much warmer feel.

It's amazing with a little different independent look at ones home how you can splash a little this, move a little that and eliminate this & that and bingo - the home looks fresh and inviting.  Sometimes it just takes the owner allowing a fresh eye on things.  Very nice post Karen!

Great photos and great ideas.  There are lots of sellers who have many items for staging, they just need your guidance on what to use.

You sure know your stuff when it comes to Home Staging. I found your first blog when I did a search on Active Rain called "How to find sellers". I want to write more seller blogs now. Thanks for sharing. Great post.