It’s becoming a well-known fact that if you stage your house, you are going to A. sell it faster B. Sell it for more. Whether it is an empty space or a house well lived in, staging a house is going to make a difference. But here is the conundrum, staging a house can be expensive even though you are going to get it back with the sale of the house in the end. Here are some cost effective ways to make big changes for a low price:
1. If the house is vacant, furnish the main rooms: living, dining and family. It is difficult to visualize how the space could work for the new owners if they are looking at an empty room. Don’t want to spend a lot? Hit up the thrift stores! They are always full of great pieces; why not use a large desk as a table!
2. Can’t afford the furniture? Try some art work and accessories! Creating a focal point in a room helps the buyers come up with ideas, looking into a blank room can create stress and confusion for the potential owner, which is not something that you want to create for them.
3. Add some paint. Statistically, houses that are neutral colours sell for more. Another alternative is to add a pop of colour to accent pieces. Have a beautiful window or fireplace on one wall? Don’t let it get lost in the sea of beige and add a pop of seafoam green or another colour that complements the room to draw the buyers eye towards the key features of the house.
4. Make the rooms bigger. I don’t mean knock out the walls, but create the illusion of a bigger house buy hanging curtains from floor to ceiling not just window to floor. Add some mirrors to reflect light and brighten the space, put some tall items in the room, whether its branches, lamps or long artwork.
5. While on the lighting topic, make sure you have appropriate lighting in a room. Whether its something simple like opening the blinds or making sure all the lightbulbs in your lamps are matching and have appropriate wattage for the room. Remember, yellow hues can make a room look dark whereas white hues make it feel like a doctor’s office. Pick something in between or one with a pink hue; it tends to make skin look more flattering.
6. Can’t afford to replace the bathtub or kitchen cabinets? Change up the hardware. A brand new faucet or some new knobs on doors makes a big difference.
7. Bedroom need updating? Get a new bedspread. Make sure everything is matching and compliments the color of the walls and furniture. Please don’t get a bright blue bedspread while your walls are red.
8. Last but not least, make it feel like home. Add some fresh cut flowers to the sideboard, a bowl of fruit on the counter, set the table, make the bed, put a coffee cup and newspaper beside your favourite chair. Create a welcoming environment that anyone would want to live in.
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