Home Staging On A Budget

Hallway looking into a furnished bedroomIt’s no secret that CORT loves the home staging industry. Top stagers nationwide depend on rental furniture from CORT to help make clients’ homes as modern and appealing as possible. So we’re of the opinion that when you want to sell your home quickly and for the best price, you should seek the expertise of a professional home stager to whip your property into shape. Call us biased, but we’ve seen major results from these efforts— stagers are closely familiar with current market conditions and interior decorating trends.

That being said, if your budget is too tight to hire a stager, there are several easy, inexpensive techniques you can do yourself with an investment of time and effort. Staged homes spend 89 percent less time on the market, so follow some of these proven strategies even if you can’t go all out by hiring a professional or getting lots of home staging furniture. Kate Hart, an expert stager with the Real Estate Staging Association, compared it to getting your home ready for a blind date. You’ve only got one first impression, so make the most of it by showcasing the property’s best selling features.

Start with a very thorough cleaning, both inside and outside. We at the furniture blog know it’s easy to overlook the home’s exterior and outdoor living areas when you think about staging, but remember, these are the elements potential buyers see first. Take care of maintenance issues you may have been putting off, such as cleaning gutters and windows, and replacing outdoor fixture light bulbs that have burned out. The details will work together to make your home look fresh and well-maintained.

The same goes inside, where you should clean thoroughly, right down to tile grout in bathrooms. If your carpet is stained beyond hope, rip it out. If there are hardwood floors underneath, you’re better off showcasing that (even in poor condition, because those floors add equity) than a dirty carpet. The idea is to detail your home like you would a car. You don’t want buyers to see a “used” home, you want them to see a quality, refurbished preowned home. Kind of like how we present our high-quality CORT clearance furniture.

Visit the furniture blog again next week for more simple tips from experts on do-it-yourself home staging. And if you are a stager, send a tweet to @cortfurniture with your favorite quick staging tip. We may feature you in a future furniture blog post!