STAGING ON A BUDGET
H
ome staging can range from less than
$1,000 to $5,000. According to Kiplinger,
the average home-staging service costs $1,800
and includes bringing in furniture, neutralizing
the decor and primping a home to look its best
in person and in photos. If staging isn’t in your
budget, here are some less pricey ways to put
your home’s best foot forward.
Home staging can drastically increase
a home’s chances of selling and even
boost its sales price. But there are
some less drastic steps you can take
to set the scene inside your home
during showings and open houses.
Any good agent or seller knows all about curb
appeal, yet sometimes this crucial fi rst impression
still isn’t a good one. Keep it simple by mowing,
trimming bushes and pulling weeds. Porches tend
to accumulate junk, so clearing out unused items
can help provide a clean aesthetic. When setting
a scene on the front porch, consider the setting.
A simple table with two chairs set with coffee
cups and saucers can show off the potential
for relaxation on a porch overlooking a large
lawn, while a beach house might benefi t from a
decorative surfboard propped in a corner and
shell-themed pillows on Adirondack chairs.
welcome mat can give off a cozy vibe as potential
buyers walk through the front door. Her other
under-$40 suggestions include mirrors that
refl ect light and give the illusion of more space,
a fully set table showing off a home’s potential
for entertaining, craft store art used in place
of family photos, a bathroom made inviting by
clearing clutter and hanging fl uffy white towels,
and vignettes staged on dresser tops and
bookshelves, incorporating decorative items of
varying heights.
Think about incorporating all the senses: a
crackling fi re that beckons to potential buyers to
kick off their shoes and get comfy on the fl uffy
rug in front of the fi replace, the smell of freshly
baked cookies or rays of sunlight streaming in the
laundry room window, brightening a typically
dark space.
Interior
Trends
Professional stager Melissa Barronton told
Forbes magazine that even an inexpensive
If your home is empty and has nothing but bare
walls, fl oors and ceilings to show, a virtual stager
Exterior
12 | Property Lines: At Home edition 2017 | www.dailyastorian.com
can digitally add furniture and décor, helping
buyers get an idea of the space’s potential. This
can be done for less than $200, providing at least
an online dress-up for your home that might draw
in viewers.
For a home that needs only a few accessories,
you might be able to negotiate a package of
lamps, rugs and the like for a small fee. Even
simply rearranging furniture in a way that better
shows off a room’s features, such as a fi replace
or kitchen island, is a free upgrade, while toning
down the lighting with lower-wattage bulbs can
set a peaceful scene on the cheap.
Pop-up staging is a new, budget-friendly option
that involves staging a home with props similar
to stage productions. Slipcovered cardboard
furniture that looks like the real thing, while being
strong enough to hold the weight of a buyer who
plunks himself down for a sit, comes in packages
starting around $1,000. The pieces are shipped
from a central location, where the ease of folding
them up and storing them helps with affordability,
and they can then be assembled by the agent or
seller for do-it-yourself savings. Pop-up staging is
ideal for small apartments and condos but might
not refl ect the quality buyers want in higher-end
properties.