Stage Your Home on a Budget

When selling your home, it’s incredibly important to stage your home if you want to sell for top dollar.  A welcoming and appealing home means a lot to the buyers in the market.  On average, you can receive back twice what you spent in staging!  A common misconception is that you must spend big bucks to make an impact.  Here’s 5 golden rules of staging on a budget to prove otherwise…

Rule #1 – De-personalize

This can be a little hard for people, as most are very sentimental to their homes and all the memories within.  However, the point is for buyers to picture themselves in the house, not you! Those family photos may mean the world to you, but to a buyer, it’s a distraction that prevents them from seeing how their family would live in your home.

Rule #2 – Maximize

Declutter and maximize the space in your home.  A closet jammed with a lot of clothes tells buyers that your home is terribly lacking in closet space. Remove clothes that you don’t need for the immediate future, and use matching, stacked boxes to hide clutter.  Invest in matching hangers for clothes, as hangers are inexpensive and the look will modernize your closet with a visual impact and luxurious feel.  You’re going to be moving soon, so pack up things you don’t need and consider temporarily storing the overflow offsite.

Rule #3 – Sanitize

This is the easiest and cheapest way to stage your home – give it a good, old fashioned scrubbing!  Grimy walls, dirty outlet covers and switch plates, dishes in the sink, dusty ceiling fans, scuffed baseboards, and spotted shower doors scream to any buyer that a home has not been maintained well.  It’s much better to clean what you have then replace it, and there are lots of cleaning hacks online to help.  Have your home smelling fresh, but don’t go overboard on synthetic fragrances.  

Rule #4 – Modernize

Unless you have fantastic period built is (unlikely, but not impossible for Phoenix) every home can benefit from some updating.  If buyers feel a home is dated, it will reflect in a lower offer.  Dated cabinets can be modernized for less than $200 with a new wood stain or a good sanding with a new coat of paint.  Replacing cabinet hardware is another low-cost way to make an update. 

Rule #5 – Neutralize

Color can make or break a buyer’s interest in your home.  You may love bright prints and bold colors, but a buyer will only see a great deal of painting if it doesn’t match their style.  A fresh coat of paint is another inexpensive way to update your home and will also have the benefit of your home feeling cleaner.

For more staging tips and tricks, give us a call at 480-355-8645 or email info@locatearizonahomes.com today! We will be happy to help you have your home looking it’s best before going on the market.