Most homes will benefit greatly from proper staging. The most important things to address cost nothing more than a little good old fashioned hard work. You might need a dozen boxes. You might need to dig into your pockets for $40 for a gallon of paint or a 5-pack of petunias. You will need to dig a little deeper to paint the interior rooms of your home, but not too deep.
You will be doing the work yourself, or with family and friends, to keep your resources in check. There is a lot that can be accomplished with a little money and a lot of hard work. Here are some fall staging tips for sellers on a tight budget.
$10 or less
Make a Plan: The work that goes into staging a home is time consuming. Before starting your first staging project put together your game plan. Consulting with your seller’s agent to help prepare your staging plan will help keep everything in perspective. Making a plan is basically free.
Declutter: Getting rid of all the stuff that accumulates in the rooms of your home is paramount. It is the number one thing to do when staging the rooms of your home. This may seem overwhelming depending on how many years you have lived in your home. Don’t try to declutter everything all at once. Set a day aside for each room. You will expedite the process by having three boxes on the ready: keep, donate, and discard. Boxes are relatively inexpensive. 24”x18”x18” moving boxes can be found for $2.50 (that’s a mere $7.50 per room) You can get fancy and spend a little more on plastic storage bins for the items you are keeping, but you don’t need to. Stackable plastic storage bins might be worth the investment to keep everything in better order in your new home, but don’t blow your budget.
Clean: Everything in your home needs to be thoroughly cleaned. You already have cleaning supplies, a vacuum cleaner, and a broom. You will need to schedule a day for each room after decluttering. Vacuum the carpets, sweep the floors, clean all surfaces, and clean the appliances inside and out. Put on your favorite music and get to work! Cleaning is basically free until you run out of cleaning supplies. A large bottle of glass cleaner will set you back about $8 but you might need it. Remember to clean the windows on the inside and outside. Make it shine!
$50 or less
Paint the Front Door: A fresh coat of paint is highly desirable on window trim, doors, and rooms. Painting your front door in the right color might even increase the value of your home by $6,000. A gallon of exterior paint is about $40. It won’t take the entire gallon to paint your front door, you'll have some left over to get started on the windows. Your seller’s agent from Coldwell Banker Classic Properties is intimate with the Central Vermont market. They will best advise you on what color to paint your front door and window trim.
Paint the Rooms: The average room will need about two gallons of paint. Interior paint can be purchased for around $25 a gallon (budget grade paint). We recommend painting the rooms of your home in a light neutral color. This will reflect natural and artificial light and help to make rooms feel more spacious. It will cost around $50 per room and the sweat off your brow.
Thrift Store Bargains
Mirrors and More: If you find yourself in the position of needing to furnish the rooms of your home, start by visiting your local thrift store. You might find what you need for a fraction of the price. Thrift stores are a great place to find mirrors and picture frames. Both items can be quickly freshened up with a new coat of paint. Remember to purchase primer. Paint sticks to primer, and primer sticks to everything (well almost everything, as long as it’s clean).
Landscaping on a Budget
Basic Yard Work: You will definitely need to keep your lawn mowed, the walkways properly edged and the flower beds weeded. Now is not the time to wait for all the leaves to fall and perform the raking task as a “one-and-done” operation. To maintain a neat appearance in the fall you will need to rake leaves on a regular schedule.
The Power of the Flower: Annuals will add a lot of color and beauty to the front of your home with minimal effort. Petunias are one of the best annual flowers to plant in Vermont. A 5-pack of petunias will run you about $40. They are low-maintenance flowers and can bloom until November. Your local lawn & garden center will provide you with additional budget friendly solutions to adding lush foliage and color to your flower beds and landscape when staging your home.
Creativity and service drive our business at Coldwell Banker Classic Properties. We look forward to helping you stage your home creatively and stay on budget. Contact us today!