How much can home staging really help in selling your home? In the survey conducted by The Real Estate Staging Association, results showed that a staged home sells faster.
In the survey, written in the article of Wall Street Journal, the group studied 174 homes that had been on the market for an average of 156 days before owners decided to have them staged. After home staging, the homes were sold on average of forty two days after re-listing.
The survey conducted by the Real Estate Staging Association is also a way to show us the benefits of getting their services. Although, this study shows that home staging can help sell homes faster, another study showed that staged homes does not necessarily sell your home at a higher price.
While this is the case, it is still better than having your home sit on the market for a long time and home staging is not that expensive at all. Here are some tips on cost effective ways to stage a home for sale:
1. Turn on All the Lights
Your home will look dull and boring if it does not have enough lighting especially on a gray day. Add floor lamps to rooms that do not have enough light. You can also just borrow some table lamps from your friends and relatives to brighten up the rooms and to save some money.
2. Eliminate Clutters
It will be hard for your potential buyers to imagine living in your home if it is full of clutters. Make sure to de-clutter pictures, books, candies, clothes and other personal belongings.
De-clutter the bathroom and kitchens yet leave the necessities such as the hand towel and soap dish in the bathroom and coffee machine in the kitchen. The kitchen is often the main priority in the list of buyers so make sure your kitchen is open, clean and spacious as possible.
3. Add Mirrors
Spacious rooms are attractive to buyers. Add mirrors to make rooms larger.
4. Apply Neutral Toned Paints on Walls
There are paint colors that inspire buyers to place an offer. For optimal staging, paint the walls in your home with neutral colors in a way that walls will look like blank canvas. Recommended colors include Jackson Tan, Mellow Yellow, Shaker Beige and Linen White. If your local paint store does not have these colors, find out if they can do color matches.
5. Set the Table
An empty dining room table is dull so be creative and set it for a dinner event to look appealing to buyers who walk in. A beautifully arranged table can impress your potential buyers.
6. Make Your Bathroom Look like A Spa
Add some white rugs, towels and shower curtains. They do not cost much but they can make a huge difference in the feel of your bathroom.
7. The Furniture Should Be Proportional To the Room
Do not place too much furniture on a small space; instead place only a minimal amount of furniture. For example, a small desk, chair, a rug and a small piece of art in a small room can provide the room a purpose compared to overcrowding it with furniture.
8. Limit the Decors and Arts
Paintings such as abstract, landscape or figurative can highlight the accent color in the room without being too particular.
9. Clean and Organize Closets
Inside your closets, the hangers should be evenly spaced apart. You can add in your shoes, bags and other accessories inside your closet to provide an organized appearance.
10. Add Minor Variations of Color
Now that your walls are painted with neutral colors, consider adding minor variations of colors in the rooms. Example, you can add colourful pillows on beds and couches, or a bowl of green and red apples in the kitchen.