Let’s be honest, selling your house is EXPENSIVE! Paying agent fees, appraisals, inspections, taxes and maybe therapy for your mental health while going through all the stress can add up quickly. Your realtor may talk to you about staging and the importance of putting your home’s best foot forward. Your home should look like a model home when a potential buyer walks in, but where are you going to come up with more money to make your house stand out?

Here are 10 Cheap Staging Tricks

1. Paint

Paint can really make a huge difference with a small amount of money. Fresh paint in a room can make a room look cleaner, bigger, more modern, more noticeable, and more neutral to appeal to a higher number of potential buyers. If your kitchen cabinets are outdated, paint can bring a whole new updated look to your kitchen.

To get an even better deal on paint check out your local Habitat for Humanity store’s paint section or go to the “oops” paint spot at your local big box store. You can get a gallon for under $10 and a 5 gallon for under $40. Or ask friends and family if they have extra paint in their basements=free!

2. Declutter

Decluttering is FREE! Get rid of as much clutter as you possibly can. It has been said that for each box of clutter your remove from your house, you gain $500-$1000 in equity.

Not only will your home look bigger, cleaner and more organized, you will have less to move when you do sell! You will gain money in equity and save money in moving costs! It is a win-win!

3. De-personalize

Remove all personal pictures and very taste specific decor. A potential buyer needs to be able to view the home as their own when they walk in. They are very distracted by the home owners personal things and this can affect a buyer being able to picture themselves living there when they see so much of you! This staging technique is also free!

4. Update Decor

Have an old couch? Buy a slip cover. Old coffee table? Paint it. Need fresh or depersonalized wall decor? Cover some shoe box lids with modern fabric, frame scrapbook paper, look in your local thrift store, and check tutorials for cheap wall decor. Borrow from friends! Accent in odd numbers such as putting 3 candles on the coffee table or 5 frames on the wall.

5. Clean

No buyer wants to walk into a dirty home. A home that looks dirty can give the impression that a home is unkempt and old. A buyer can be very distracted by the uncleanliness and not be able to notice the good features of a home.

Cleaning is free. Clean top to bottom. Wash baseboards, inside your fridge, outside and inside of all other appliances, and clean the grout and tiles in your bathrooms and showers. A gleaming clean house can look bigger and well cared for. This puts more confidence in a buyer’s mind.

6. Lighten Up!

A dark home can look dingy, old and dirty. Let as much light in your home as possible. Get sheer curtains or pull darker curtains back to let the natural light in. Change light bulbs and make sure all lights are working and on when you leave your home for a showing. This trick can help your home look cleaner and bigger and costs very little!

7. Hide Pets

You may love your fur-ball but a potential buyer could have allergies or worry there is hair or damage everywhere. Try to make it look like no animals live there. Consider letting your animals stay with a friend while you have your home on the market.

8. Hide Kids

Kids are great. If you live in a home with more than one bedroom, most buyers will probably have kids of their own. But kids also come with a lot of STUFF. Be sure to hide toys and kid items from view whether in their own closets (organized) or in cute baskets on a shelf.  Kids stuff can be distracting and can also make buyers worried of what damage those kids may have caused. Hide as many distractions as possible.

9. Curb Appeal

Spruce up the front of your home! Weed, cut the grass, paint the shutters, plant flowers, fix gutters, and whatever else may help the front of your home stand out! By doing the work yourself, you can also save money!

A home that looks ugly on the outside will turn off more buyers. A buyer decides if they like a home within the first 30 seconds of seeing it. Most of that 30 seconds is walking up to your front door! So make those 30 seconds count with great curb appeal!

10. Add Mirrors

Adding mirrors, especially in small spaces, can really make a space look bigger. Mirrors also reflect light which helps lighten up a darker space like a den or a finished basement. Mirrors are also neutral decor which helps when you take down those pictures by having an idea of what to put on that empty wall. Mirrors work great in entry ways, dining rooms, hallways, and basements.

These cheap staging tricks can save you money and make you money by helping to sell your home faster!! Ask your realtor for more tips and follow me on pinterest at “Jenniferyounghomes Northern Virginia”  for more of my preferred staging techniques.