Guide for Affordable Home Staging

When you decide to sell your home, it can be a grueling process. You will need to make sure you can market it properly and reach a wide audience to ensure you wind up with the best offer possible.

One way you can increase the amount of interest in your home is by hiring a professional stager. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, home staging is a tool you can use to show off a property and market it successfully. In fact, it is so successful, homes that are staged spend 73 percent less time listed, according to the Real Estate Staging Association.

If you decide to stage your home, you are bound to see more foot traffic and potential buyers will view your house as move-in ready. However, Bankrate notes that hiring a professional can cost between $50 and $150 every hour. This can really add up and if you aren't ready to spend so much on your home, you might want to consider alternatives.

Break Out the Paint

A fresh coat of paint in a neutral shade can make a world of a difference. It can brighten a space and make it look brand new. 

If you decide you want to add some color in a space, try to keep it to an accent wall or add pops of variety in your decor. You want to keep everything as neutral as possible to appeal to the highest number of prospective buyers.

This small project doesn't have to cost a great deal of money, but provides a facelift to any room.

Get Rid of Your Personal Belongings

While your family photographs and religious items are important to you, they can be distracting to potential buyers. Make sure you get rid of these items before showing your house or even taking photographs to market the property. You want those looking at your home to envision themselves in the space.

"Pictures are extremely distracting. You cannot believe how long potential buyers will stop and stare at people they do not know in photos," Jennifer Radice, a real estate agent, told Bankrate.

Fortunately, this does not take very much time at all and can be done without spending money.

Clean It Up

It might seem intuitive, but it's crucial to ensure your home is clean and smells fresh. This is one of the first things you should always do before a showing or open house.

"When buyers see an unkempt home or smell something when they first walk in, they become turned off immediately," Jessica Page noted, according to Bankrate. "They can rarely see past it to look at all of the great features in the home."

It might even be worthwhile to invest in a professional cleaning of the property to ensure it is especially well done. Odors and messes can turn off a number of otherwise interested buyers.

Head Outside

Don't forget about the exterior of your home. U.S. News & World Report noted you can make your home look great on the inside, but if your exterior doesn't look appealing, people are much less likely to give it a chance.

"Curb appeal is just as important as cleaning the inside of the home - it's the buyer's first impression of your home," Page said.

One of the best ways to help improve the appearance of your exterior without spending a great deal of money is pulling weeds, cutting the grass and laying mulch.

"Mulch is cheap and covers a multitude of sins. It makes everything look trim and neat," Radice says.

According to This Old House, you don't have to invest in expensive landscaping. By adding a few potted plants or hanging flowers you can easily improve the exterior experience of your home for less.

A fresh coat of paint is another way you can give your house a facelift. Remember to select neutral colors everyone will love.

Group Your Furniture and Accessories

HGTV also suggested grouping furniture together. Designing your home in this way is a great way to organize your interior and make it looked more organized and appealing without spending any money.

Also, keep in mind you should be working in odd numbers when it comes to accessories. This is more pleasing to the eye and helps improve the design of your home.

Remember the most important part of selling a home is marketing it correctly. By staging it yourself you can improve the chances that someone will like what they say and make an offer on the place. Luckily, you don't always have to invest a great deal of money.