Top 5 DIY Home Staging Tips

If you have considered selling your home, you may have read about home staging and wondered how it might help. Typically, staged homes attract more buyers, fetch better offers, and sell faster than homes that aren’t staged. But home staging isn’t just spring cleaning. In some cases, staging can be as complicated and expensive as remodeling. If you want to take advantage of home staging to get top dollar on your home, but you don’t want the expense of hiring a professional home staging company, the do-it-yourself approach might work best for you. Keep reading if you want to learn about the five best DIY home staging tips you can use to sell your home today.

Home staging is the process of preparing a home for viewing that you wish to list for sale. Staging showcases the features of your home so that buyers can visualize how they can best utilize them. Home staging is different than interior design. Interior design caters to the taste of the individual owner, whereas home staging is concerned with the presentation of a home that appeals to the greatest number of potential buyers.

Home staging can make it easier for buyers to imagine themselves living in your home. Staging also leads to higher offers and faster sales. According to Forbes, staged homes sit on the market an average of 33% to 50% days less than homes that aren’t staged. While home staging does involve an upfront investment, doing it yourself can offset a majority of these expenses.

Getting started staging your home takes a little advance preparation. For starters, you need to have already made the decision to sell. Home staging may involve making temporary changes to your home that you might not otherwise want to keep. But once you are committed, you can get started staging your home by following these simple steps.

The first step in home staging is to depersonalize, clean, and declutter. This is the time to pack up and store all that extra stuff you have been collecting over the years. This includes personal items such as photographs, keepsakes, and collectibles. Remove paintings, pictures, and art from walls that don't directly enhance the tone of the room.

After you have everything packed up, it’s time to start cleaning. Deep cleaning includes treating any high-traffic zones, lingering odors, and areas frequented by pets and children. Steam clean your carpets. Pay attention to detailed areas such as fixtures, baseboards, and ceilings. Take an inventory of the work that needs to be done for each room in your home. Any visible stains or damage needs to be addressed.

Now that your home is clean, fresh-smelling, and decluttered, it’s time to tackle your storage. The storage areas of your home might not be the first thing you think about when preparing to sell your home, but it is high on the priority list for potential buyers. 

The first step is moving out your own belongings so your buyer can see clean, empty storage areas. If you don’t have anywhere else to put your storage, you can rent out a storage unit if you have to. Take advantage of this time to clean out everything, and consider giving anything you don’t want to a donation center that benefits people in need. Be sure to empty all shelves, closets, and storage units to give the impression of more space. Buyers want to see all the open space your home has to offer so they can envision how they might fill it.

Now that your home is clean and decluttered and your storage has been emptied, it is time to focus on any repairs that might be needed. Do not forget to include the exterior of your home. This includes chipped paint, cracked concrete, and clogged storm gutters. Common interior items that might need repair include damaged flooring, peeling paint, scuffed baseboards, torn carpet, or cracked tiling. Be careful to consider each room of your home, particularly the entryway, bathrooms, and kitchen, as these are high-traffic areas that are likely to be featured on a walkthrough or tour.

A fresh coat of paint can transform a room, creating a feeling of warmth and enhancing natural light. Be sure to stick with natural colors, earth tones, and pastels to create a neutral environment that will match different tastes and styles.

You can read up on topics like the top neutral paint wall colors for 2023 so you can be aware of what might be trending in home decor. One common theme is flat tones of gray being replaced with warmer tones of beige and white. You can also go to your local paint store to get recommendations on paint colors based on their light reflective value.

Next, you will want to take a complete inventory of furniture and fixtures that are stained, damaged, or worn and might detract from the appearance of your home. Worn furnishings can ruin an otherwise perfect presentation of your home so it is important to address these problems as best you can.

If you don't want to purchase new furnishings, you can look into professional cleaning or even do minor repairs such as fixing broken table legs or torn upholstery. You may want to consider renting temporary furnishings to use as replacements until your home is sold.

Home staging doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Making a few simple changes can greatly impact how buyers view your home and decide whether it is right for them. Staging your own home can help save you the upfront costs of hiring a professional, while still being able to sell your home faster and for a higher price in a competitive market.

Working with an experienced realtor will be the next step toward getting your home listed for sale. You should look for an agent with local experience and knowledge of the industry. A good realtor can serve as a trusted partner that can guide you through the process of selling your home.

If you need assistance with selling your home in Milwaukee or Waukesha, or if you have questions about Lake Country real estate, please consider local agent Mike Ledzian.